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When it comes to Mali, many people may think of Somalia where piracy runs rampant. In fact, the situation in Mali is even worse than that in Somalia. Located deep in the Sahara Desert, it is the hottest and driest country in the world. The temperature in its capital, Bamako, remains above 40℃ all year round. It is also one of the poorest countries in the world with extremely scarce resources. 70% of the country’s development depends on agriculture, while industry and infrastructure are in short supply. There are frequent water and power outages. Moreover, it has been plagued by continuous warfare and terrorism for years.
However, in such a country, a group of young men from Sinotruk have been striving here all year round. The local people may not know them, but the Howo trucks they have put on the market are well-known to everyone. Nowadays, Howo trucks shuttle in groups between the main ports in West Africa and various transportation routes in Mali, continuously transporting all kinds of daily necessities and infrastructure materials to and fro for the local people, thus forming a safeguard line for the country’s infrastructure construction and people’s livelihood.
The fighting spirit of Sinotruk, which is to “make one day count for two and a half days”, is vividly demonstrated in them. There is exactly an 8-hour time difference between Mali, the countries in West Africa and China. Every night when they wake up, the first thing they do out of habit is to reach for their mobile phones and check emails and messages from their colleagues in China, so as not to affect the work progress. Generally speaking, their schedule is like this: on the “first day”, they communicate and cooperate with their colleagues in China. After their colleagues in China get off work, they have their “brunch”, and then start the work of the “second day”. When they return to the office in the evening and have dinner, they start the work of the “third day”. After their colleagues in China start working again, they arrange and communicate about relevant work until late at night. Over time, this “three-day work cycle” has become their daily work rhythm.
In addition to work, they also have to face unstable factors such as parades and road closures at uncertain times and on uncertain sections of the road. They also have to deal with harsh natural environments like high temperatures and sandstorms that may strike at any time. Moreover, due to the scarcity of local resources, almost all supplies rely on imports, and the prices are generally three to four times higher than those in China. It is almost a luxury for them to come across a relatively clean fast-food restaurant during their visits to customers. Therefore, for them, in most cases, they only have two meals a day – the brunch before going out and the dinner after returning to the office. The irregular diet has made stomach problems a constant companion for them.
The Story of a Bowl of Noodles
They usually live a thrifty life and it’s rare for them to have a meal at a Chinese restaurant. Once, they ordered a plate of fried noodles and gobbled it up. When they went to pay the bill, the restaurant owner told them it cost 9,000 CFA francs (about 110 yuan). The owner explained that the process of making the fried noodles was complicated, so the price was a bit higher. This left them in a dilemma, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and feeling quite heartbroken about the expense.
When exploring the market in a foreign country, they not only have to deal with some contract and business disputes, which may even lead to lawsuits. In this particular country, their work sometimes even puts them at the risk of imprisonment or losing their lives. However, no matter how difficult the work is, they still try their best to deal with the situations, maintain the brand image, and minimize the losses of the company. In the face of difficulties, this group of young men from Sinotruk did not back down. With the spirit of Sinotruk, they have composed many triumphant songs in Mali. At present, the brand awareness and market share of Sinotruk in Mali have ranked first for five consecutive years. The market share of domestic brands is over 98%, and the SINOTRUK brand is extremely popular locally.
These young men don’t have any earth-shattering deeds, but they have unleashed extraordinary strength of Sinotruk in the most ordinary work. They are a microcosm of Sinotruk employees striving overseas. They have shed their sweat in the war-torn and poor Mali and dedicated their youth to Sinotruk and their motherland.
