A Beautiful Encounter at the Wuhan Diesel Engine Factory

By Zhang Yangchun

On the afternoon of December 19, 2018, Bernd Gerich placed the China Reform Friendship Medal awarded by the Wuhan Municipal Government around his father’s bronze statue’s neck, at the Wuhan Hanzheng Street Urban Industrial Park.Werner Gerich, Bernd’s father, was the first foreign factory director after China’s reform and opening-up policy was initiated.He was appointed as director of the Wuhan Diesel Engine Factory from 1984 to 1986.This was unprecedented in 1980s—no one could imagine that a foreigner would be the head of a state-owned enterprise during that time in China, let alone in Wuhan, a second-tier city in China.What made Werner Gerich come so far away from Germany to work in Wuhan? How did he become the director? It’s quite an extraordinary story.

To Be a Consultant in China

It was in a morning of early September in 1984 when Lyu Zhiqing, the then deputy director of the Wuhan Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, welcomed Werner Gerich at the former Hankou Train Station.It was Gerich’s first visit to China.The now 87-year-old Lyu recalled clearly that “He was tall and strong, wearing a cap and carrying a one-meter tall case of luggage.There was no weariness on his face.”

Before coming to China, the 64-year-old Gerich was a retired mechanical engineer.At that time China was unveiling itself by implementing the reform and opening-up policy, and many Western technicians and professionals were welcomed.Gerich was very excited to read the news that Germany government was planning to form Senior Experts Service (SES), designed to help the underdeveloped countries for free by leveraging the talents of German retired experts and to promote international friendly cooperation.Therefore, he signed up and joined the SES.

伯恩特·格里希（中）在父親威爾納·格里希的銅像前拍照留念（苗劍/攝）Bernd Gerich (middle) in front of the bronze statue of his father Werner Gerich (Photo by Miao Jian)

The SES started to dispatch experts to Wuhan one year after Wuhan and Duisburg shook hand into sister cities in 1982.A staffer found Gerich on the experts’ list and invited him to work as consultant at the Wuhan Diesel Engine Factory for four months.

After graduating from college, Gerich started his career in a tractor factory in Germany.He switched to the airplane engine manufacturing industry in the 1950s, and then joined an Egyptian airplane engine factory in the 1960s and worked as a mechanical engineer at the Karlsruhe Research Center before retirement.He had rich experience in engine manufacturing and company management.

Gerich was very delighted to be a consultant in China.His son, Bernd Gerich wrote in an article, “My Father Werner Gerich,” that Werner Gerich had been interested in the time-honored and glamorous Chinese culture and had made a lot of preparation before coming to China.

Becoming a Director Overnight

The Wuhan Diesel Engine Factory had been a successful factory that produced the first handmade mini hand tractor after the founding of the People’s Republic of China.However, it lagged behind the rivals after the Reform and Opening-up policy was implemented.

Once in the factory, Gerich quickly became a good consultant.He fully showed his meticulousness and commitment by walking to every corner of the factory and studying the details in production, equipment, workmanship, management, and quality.He gave over 100 suggestions and measures after 10 days.However, most of his suggestions had been ignored, put aside, or rejected, for many different reasons.He was troubled by the messy management and poor quality control and often complained “How could it be like this? If I were the director, everything would be changed…” He said that if he were the director, he would help to increase production and prolong the life of diesel engines they made.

What Gerich said reached Ding Hua, the then director of the Wuhan Municipal Foreign Affairs Office.He immediately reported to the Municipal Government to appoint Gerich as the factory director.

On October 24, 1984, a meeting was held by the Wuhan Municipal Government to discuss the proposal of appointing Werner Gerich as the factory director.The proposal was approved by an overwhelming majority.It was decided at the meeting that Gerich would be appointed as the director of Wuhan Diesel Engine Factory.It was highly valued as a way of introducing talentand learning from advanced Western managerial expertise.Seven days later, Wu Guanzheng, the then mayor of Wuhan Municipality, awarded the Letter of Appointment to Gerich at the great hall of the Wuhan Diesel Engine Factory.

Reinvigorating the Factory with Perfect Performance

As outlined in the approval document, the Wuhan Diesel Engine Factory implemented Director Responsibility System, and Gerich was entitled to all rights—same as a Chinese director.Gerich said in his inauguration speech that “The aim of my stay in Wuhan is nothing but to help the Wuhan Diesel Engine Factory to produce high-quality diesel engines.” “All the workers have the right to talk to me directly.Any worker who raises good suggestions for the improvement of product quality and working efficiency will be warmly welcomed and rewarded.”

The workers were excited to hear the words and the room stormed with thunderous applause.

Almost ten days later, State Councilor Zhang Jingfu heard about this during his visit to Hubei and praised the move: “Wuhan has made the first bold step.” Hu Yaobang, the then General Secretary of CPC Central Committee, also made positive comments in a magazine issued by Xinhua News Agency.

Mayor Wu Guanzheng wrote that, “China is still lagging behind developed countries in many aspects and we need teachers and experts to help us.Werner Gerich is the teacher we want.Only by emancipating our thoughts and introducing talents can these enterprises in Wuhan have better management and development.”

Werner Gerich worked hard on the improvement of quality and management of the factory after taking office.He frequently checked the quality of the products randomly with a f lashlight and a vernier caliper in different workshops and worked over 10 hours a day.

Gerich believed that the chief engineer and the director of quality control should take major responsibility for defects or inferior goods and intended to fire them.However, it was not feasible to fire any worker during that time.He f inally compromised and relieved them of their original posts.Under his leadership, those who neglected their duties would be punished and those who contributed to the factory would be rewarded.He ended the culture of egalitarianism and implemented a structural wage system.The workers’ salary would f luctuate according to their skills and workload.

老格里希回武漢后與當(dāng)年的朋友們在一起 Werner Gerich with his old friends in Wuhan

Gerich’s two-year tenure ended on November 1, 1986, when he was appointed as honorary director.Fundamental changes had taken place in the Wuhan Diesel Engine Factory in those two years.The annual production of diesel engines had increased from 18,300 to 60,000, and the service life of the engines had been extended from around 1000 hours to 6000-8000 hours.Moreover, the engines were exported to 7 countries in Southeast Asia and helped to turn a 5 million yuan loss making factory into one which made 6 million yuan profits a year.One year later, the bookWerner Gerich in the Wuhan Diesel Engine Factorywas published in Wuhan.Zhu Rongji, the then Deputy Director-General of the State Economic and Trade Commission, wrote in the preface that “The foreign factory director’s practice of strict management has been widely recognized among entrepreneurs and attracted overseas attention.His case is a successful model of introducing international strategies into China.”

Gerich still cared about the economic development of China even after leaving the Wuhan Diesel Engine Factory and had come back to Wuhan many times.He passed away in 2003 in Milhausen, Germany.In 2005, two bronze statues of him were erected by the Wuhan Municpal Government in commemoration—one in Wuhan and another in Duisburg, Germany.

格里希與武柴的傳奇故事

文/張陽春

2018年12月19日下午，伯恩特·格里希在中國武漢市漢正街都市工業(yè)園，把武漢市頒發(fā)的“中國改革友誼獎?wù)隆贝髟诟赣H威爾納·格里希的銅像上，銅像的原身正是參與中國改革開放大業(yè)的第一位“洋廠長”。他于1984年至1986年擔(dān)任武漢柴油機(jī)廠廠長。20世紀(jì)80年代初，請外國人當(dāng)國有企業(yè)“一把手”是件石破驚天的大事，更何況這件事發(fā)生在中國二線城市武漢。格里希為何遠(yuǎn)渡重洋從德國來到武漢，又如何當(dāng)上廠長？這是一個意義非凡的歷史傳奇故事。

原定來華當(dāng)顧問

1984年9月初的一個早晨，時任武漢市外事辦公室副主任呂志清從老漢口火車站把格里希接下了火車。這是格里希第一次來中國。“身材魁梧，個子很高，戴一頂鴨舌帽，拖著個一米多高的大皮箱，臉上看不出一點(diǎn)旅途的疲憊。” 87歲高齡的呂志清回憶當(dāng)年場景，仍記憶猶新。

1984年，“洋廠長”格里希在武漢柴油機(jī)廠加工車間檢查零部件質(zhì)量。（新華社資料片）In 1984, Werner Gerich inspected the quality of spare parts in the processing workshop of the Wuhan Diesel Engine Factory.(Source： Xinhua News Agency)

來中國的前一年，64歲的格里希從機(jī)械工程師的崗位上退休。此時，萬里之外的中國，改革開放大幕正徐徐開啟，大門向有技術(shù)專長的西方人士敞開。格里希在報紙上看到德國組建西德退休專家服務(wù)局的消息，很興奮。這個組織旨在發(fā)揮德國退休專家的力量，無償幫助欠發(fā)達(dá)國家，促進(jìn)國際友好合作。格里希很快了報名。

1982年，中國武漢與德國杜伊斯堡結(jié)成中德兩國第一對友好城市。第二年，服務(wù)局開始向武漢派專家。武漢在德方提供的專家名單中，看中了格里希，邀請他到武漢柴油機(jī)廠當(dāng)顧問，為期四個月。

1985年，“洋廠長”老格里希和武漢柴油機(jī)廠干部一起擬定全廠勞動工資的改革方案。（新華社資料片） Werner Gerich discussing with the cadres a reform plan for the salary system of the Wuhan Diesel Engine Factory in 1985 (Source： Xinhua News Agency)

格里希機(jī)械專業(yè)畢業(yè)后，投身德國一家拖拉機(jī)廠。20世紀(jì)50年代他轉(zhuǎn)而從事飛機(jī)發(fā)動機(jī)制造，60年代曾前往埃及一家飛機(jī)發(fā)動機(jī)廠工作，退休前是卡爾斯魯厄核研究中心的機(jī)械工程師，有著豐富的發(fā)動機(jī)制造和企業(yè)管理經(jīng)驗(yàn)。

威爾納·格里希（中）與技術(shù)人員和工人一起分析柴油機(jī)的質(zhì)量問題（新華社資料片）Werner Gerich (middle) analyzing with technicians and workers the quality issues of the diesel engines (Source： Xinhua News Agency)

能去中國當(dāng)顧問，格里希非常高興。其子伯恩特·格里希在《我的父親威爾納·格里希》一文中回憶說，格里希對中國悠久迷人的文化無比好奇，臨行前做了大量準(zhǔn)備工作。

一夜之間當(dāng)廠長

武漢柴油機(jī)廠是一座歷史輝煌的工廠，曾手工打造出新中國第一臺小型手扶拖拉機(jī)。改革開放后，武柴漸漸掉隊，在全國同行業(yè)中排末位。

一到武漢，格里希就認(rèn)真“顧問”起來。德國人一絲不茍的敬業(yè)精神在他身上體現(xiàn)得淋漓盡致。他深入車間，走遍工廠的每個角落，了解生產(chǎn)、設(shè)備、工藝、管理、質(zhì)量各方面問題。10多天后，他就拿出了100多條建議和意見。然而，他的建議大多被忽視、擱置、搪塞。看到管理混亂、質(zhì)量馬虎的局面，他憂心忡忡，經(jīng)常抱怨說：“怎么能這樣，如果我是廠長，這一切都要改變……”他還說，如果他擔(dān)任廠長，將利用現(xiàn)有的設(shè)備，在短期內(nèi)使柴油機(jī)的產(chǎn)量增加、使用壽命提高。

這話傳到了當(dāng)時的武漢市外辦主任丁華的耳朵里，隨即，外辦向市政府遞交請格里希當(dāng)廠長的報告。

1984年10月24日，武漢市政府開專題會，研究聘請格里希當(dāng)廠長的問題。最終，贊成意見壓倒反對意見，會議決定聘請格里希擔(dān)任廠長，并認(rèn)為這是引進(jìn)人才的一種方式，是吸收和借鑒西方先進(jìn)經(jīng)營管理經(jīng)驗(yàn)的一個重要途徑。七天后，武柴禮堂召開全體會議，市長吳官正向格里希頒發(fā)了廠長聘書。

激活武柴創(chuàng)佳績

根據(jù)批準(zhǔn)文件，武柴實(shí)行廠長負(fù)責(zé)制，格里希享有中國廠長的各種權(quán)力。就職演說中，格里希說：“我到武漢的目的，除了幫助武柴生產(chǎn)出高質(zhì)量的柴油機(jī)之外，別無它求。”“每個工人都有權(quán)直接與我交談，如果哪位工人能為改進(jìn)產(chǎn)品質(zhì)量、提高生產(chǎn)效率提出合理建議，隨時都會受到歡迎和獎賞。”

會場上，掌聲雷動，群情激昂。

10多天后，國務(wù)委員張勁夫來湖北考察時獲悉此事，肯定“武漢大膽走出了第一步”。接著，時任中共中央總書記胡耀邦又在新華社一份“內(nèi)參”上批示肯定。

1985年，時任武漢市市長吳官正（左）向格里希（右）授予榮譽(yù)市民證書。（新華社資料片）Wu Guanzheng (left), the then mayor of Wuhan, conferring the honorary citizen certif icate to Werner Gerich (right) in 1985.(Source： Xinhua News Agency)

吳官正發(fā)文表示：中國在許多方面還很落后，落后就要請先生，格里希就是我們要請的。只有解放思想，大膽引進(jìn)人才，才能把武漢的企業(yè)整頓好、管理好、建設(shè)好。

走馬上任后，格里希狠抓質(zhì)量、從嚴(yán)治廠。他每天工作10多個小時，隨身帶著手電筒、游標(biāo)卡尺穿行于各車間，隨時檢驗(yàn)各種產(chǎn)品的質(zhì)量。

對于出現(xiàn)的種種質(zhì)量問題，格里希認(rèn)為總工程師和質(zhì)檢科長應(yīng)負(fù)主要責(zé)任，他宣布要開除他們。開除人，這在當(dāng)時是不得了的事情。最終，格里希做了讓步，將開除改為免職。他處罰玩忽職守的工人，獎勵有貢獻(xiàn)的職工。他打破“大鍋飯”，推行結(jié)構(gòu)工資制，根據(jù)職工的技術(shù)水平和工作情況進(jìn)行工資浮動。

1986年11月1日，格里希兩年任期結(jié)束，被聘為武柴榮譽(yù)廠長。兩年時間，他讓武柴有了根本性改觀，年產(chǎn)柴油機(jī)從1.83萬臺增加到6萬臺；柴油機(jī)使用壽命從1000小時左右，增加到6000至8000小時；出口到東南亞7個國家，從年虧損500萬元到年盈利600萬元。一年后，武漢編輯出版了《格里希在武柴》一書。時任國家經(jīng)委副主任朱镕基為其作序，他寫道：“洋廠長從嚴(yán)治廠的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，受到我國企業(yè)界的普遍贊賞，引起了國外人士的關(guān)注。他成為我國引進(jìn)國外智力政策取得成效的一個典型。”

格里希從武柴離職后，依然心系中國經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展，多次來到中國，來到武漢。2003年，他在家鄉(xiāng)辭世，兩年后武漢與德國杜伊斯堡分別為他豎立銅像，以示紀(jì)念。