Larry Gao had no reason to leave Singapore in 2002. After five years of stable employment in precision engineering, his income and lifestyle were worry-free, especially compared to friends and contacts back home in China.
But he felt something was lacking. Once he’d put a finger on it, he made the decision to return home.
“I felt my life was lacking passion and challenge,” Gao tells The CEO Magazine. “My parents were worried about me, because most people want to stay overseas, but I wanted to do something different. I wanted change.”
“I’ve always wanted to be different, I’ve always wanted to guide people, to show them my ideas.”
He arrived in his new home of Dongguan in China’s central Guangdong province ready to dive headfirst into his new role, as a sales and program manager in charge of overseas clientele for a Singaporean company based in the city.
“I cherished the opportunity and worked hard, and constantly pushed myself to do better,” he says, adding that he used his English-language skills wherever possible.
Then a chance encounter with the General Manager from German testing equipment manufacturer Luther & Maelzer (now ATG Luther & Maelzer) changed the course of Gao’s career.
“At the time, L&M was planning to bring its manufacturing from Germany to China and the General Manager needed help,” he explains.
“He told me he wanted to establish a strategic partnership with me as a subcontractor who could undertake the circuit board testing machine assembly projects.”
“I cherished the opportunity and worked hard, and constantly pushed myself to do better.”
That’s how Gao was able to take the first steps toward establishing HIFA Industry without any capital. “I was given 300 square meters of workshop space free of charge and favorable payment terms,” he says.
L&M quickly realized the benefit of the relationship. “We shortened their lead time and supplied machines on time, so our partnership was very profitable for them,” Gao confirms.
When the General Manager and other contacts within the business moved to other companies, they brought new companies in the printed circuit board manufacturing sectors Gao’s way.
A trusted partner
Since then, HIFA has become a one-stop outsourcing solutions provider in the automation equipment industry and a trusted partner and service provider for European, Asian and North American original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), stepping in when they lack labor, need faster support or want high-quality outsourced components.
Among its capabilities, HIFA can undertake computer numerical control machining, welding, modular assembly and reverse engineering.
This versatility, combined with HIFA’s long-standing reputation, makes it an attractive partner for companies with diverse engineering demands. Clients come from an array of industries including food, medical, automotive, office automation and consumer electronics, and include names such as AT&S, Rehm, Schmoll, Schmid, SUTO, Trützschler and ETZ.
“I always listen to my team for suggestions.”
HIFA continues to grow via word-of-mouth referrals and personal network; in fact, Gao says power solutions giant MTU Solutions came on board as a new client after meeting Gao at a weekend barbecue.
Once given the chance, HIFA’s capabilities were on show from the first day, delivering a critical project with a quality that surpassed its existing supplier in the United States. He explains that HIFA is now one of MTU Solutions’ core suppliers.
Not one to sit still, Gao has a constant focus on innovation that plays out in an ambitious five-year plan for HIFA, which includes expanding by eight percent both its engineering and R&D teams – growth that will not only allow the company to build on current OEM projects, but also have the potential to accommodate three-to-five new clients a year to achieve his target of 30 percent year-on-year revenue growth.
The plan is also a blueprint to secure new patents as well as invest heavily in advanced production lines to produce complex parts like vacuum chambers, as well as automation, smart manufacturing and AI.
Why happiness matters
This future outlook all feeds into Gao’s vision of improving the quality of life of his team, whose voice is essential to the success of the business.
“I always listen to my team for suggestions,” he says.
“When you’re happy, you make the right choices, bring joy to your friends and family, and spread positivity to those around you.”
Gao describes his leadership style as a blend of innovative, authoritative and visionary approaches. “I’ve always wanted to be different, I’ve always wanted to guide people, to show them my ideas,” he says.
There’s no doubt that Gao made the right choice swapping Singapore for China two decades ago.
“What truly matters is happiness,” he says. “When you’re happy, you make the right choices, bring joy to your friends and family, and spread positivity to those around you.”
