Jiang Wenbo — Assistant to the Director, Business Development Department, Refractory Products Inspection and Certification Institute

After graduating with a master's degree in the summer of 2022, I came to the Refractory Products Inspection and Certification Institute of CTC and took my first step in my career. For me, this was both a new challenge and a new opportunity. Here, I met a group of excellent colleagues and friends who enabled me to stay grounded, forge ahead with determination, and courageously take responsibility at work, completing a qualitative transformation.

Maintaining Passion While Settling the Mind

Starting from the most basic work such as sampling, I have always been full of passion, following my mentor and learning about various tests related to refractory material testing. As my work deepened, I also began to get involved in research projects, from simple standard translation and proofreading and standard updates to later being responsible for standard development. In the process, my preliminary research omissions and poor defense performance led to the project not being approved. I began to reflect on myself: with only a passion for something, without a calm and down-to-earth work attitude, it is difficult to achieve real improvement. From then on, I tried to change myself, from initially being eager for quick success to later being capable and steady, and I persisted through every step.

In June 2023, I was transferred from the laboratory to the office and began to be responsible for daily administrative work, testing reports, and related work. The sudden increase in workload left me overwhelmed at first. The tedious but meticulous work placed higher demands on me, and I often had to work overtime late into the night. However, whenever I saw reports being issued one after another, I still felt a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. These experiences not only improved my professional capabilities but also laid a solid foundation for my current external assignment.

Challenges and Growth in Deepening into the Industrial Frontline

At the end of 2023, I proactively accepted an external assignment and went alone to the Xinmi Branch. In a market environment where the refractory industry situation was relatively severe, I actively responded to challenges, relied on the strong backing of the headquarters, remained confident, and rolled up my sleeves to work hard. I actively went deep into the industrial frontline, used the mature customer base as a foundation, and worked hard to expand dozens of new customer groups. This not only trained my business capabilities but also created new value for the company. Since the Xinmi Branch has been operating for more than a year, it has achieved a good start of slight profitability. All the hardships have become the past. Looking back on the road I have traveled, it is full of sweat and persistence. Every step has been solid, and every effort is worth remembering. "Though the road is near, one cannot arrive without walking; though the task is small, one cannot accomplish it without doing."

Look Once More for Safety Insurance; Take One More Preventive Step to Avoid Accidents

Safety, as the bottom line and red line of the branch's operations, is something I always keep tightly in mind. In accordance with the requirements of the Group's Safety Committee, I organize training and learning, emergency drills, and irregular supervision. Through high-frequency training and learning, we build a solid mindset; through practical emergency drills, we forge "muscle memory"; and through spot-check supervision, we break the mentality of taking chances, ensuring that safety shifts from "I am required to comply" to "I want to safeguard." Over the past year and more, I have insisted on checking the water, electricity, and gas in the laboratory before leaving work every day, which has become a sense of safety ritual.

Persisting has never been an easy thing. Over the past year and more, it has been out of love for the work and a sense of responsibility. The achievements made before have turned into tremendous motivation to continue moving forward. Let us continue to polish our persistence and original aspiration, maintain our current state, grow through tempering, and improve through growth, living up to the responsibilities and missions bestowed upon us.