China Power
Project Consultation |
(May 2002-March 2003) |
During that time period, following business areas were tried: 1) project information, 2) project consultation, 3) industry research, 4) project software for the international (and later also chinese) companies in the following industry sectors:
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Project information: various combinations can be designed according to clients needs, for example project status of combined cycle power generation in China, in certain geographical areas. |
Project consultation: detailed, specific project information the client chosen for further engagement. For example, during the project information or sometimes called project review phase, I submitted a project status list to the client according to his requirement. On the list he can find many interesting data, but not all. The client can select from the list some projects which he considered as important for his further involvement either as products, technologies, services or engineering suppliers or investors, and then he might ask me to provide more, in-depth information, proposals and marketing strategies. For example, he would like to know who is the key contact person for that particular project, how should he workout a pricing, and what technology superiority or disadvantages he owns, who are his competitors, what are their positions etc. All of the information are important in his efforts or investment in the project. A little payment to SPI was a worth of many fold. |
Industry research: it was an industry wide research and studies. It was to answer questions like how many new plants are being constructed over the next 3 years in Zhejiang province etc etc. And yearly and monthly report on chinese power industry was also on the agenda. |
Project software: it was perhaps the most spectacular side of the business. In fact, it is more than a stand-alone software. What I was configuring was a platform where people can search, filter, view project data, incl. status info, contacts, financial figure, industry statistics and reports for any combinations of power generation types, geography, date,capacity, investment, ROI and other financial data, and much more. A database was already in place. The front end was in planning, because I wanted to get more input from the clients, and especially more money from client to support my ambition. |
China power consultation was a perfect choice of business career if it could succeed. It combined three of my main expertises seamlessly - power engineering, foreign languages and IT skills. I would say no better choices. |
On the power engineering side, all my previous experiences and resources can be used - power plant design, nuclear engineering, hydropower marketing, boiler procurement, and also governmental management earlier in the Ministry. |
On the language side, all my foreign language skills were utilized - communications with foreign partners were a daily work. Occasionally french was also used. Sometime I felt my language skill not good enough. |
And IT: I have still much to learn and to practice, esp. for large project. For example, I was already considering a development plan for the project management software - nicknamed ProjecTone. Software Engineering, team development, development phase requirement and much more. It will be not a person's job. |
The website was a success. My search ranking by google.com was very promising. key words search yielded me a top 5, many times at no 1 or no 2. As results, the website became well known and attracted visitors from various parts of the world, incl. the very famous ones, such as China Light & Power, J.P. Morgan Chase, Jones Law, VA Tech, RWE, Hydro Tasmania, First Solar, KSB, ALSTOM Power. |
Each month about ten inquiries went received, and 3-4 quotations were made. Two negotiations were successfully conducted with a price agreement. But when payment came, both of them disappeared without notice. |
Face-to-face meetings were also held in Hangzhou, with a major german power utilities' sub branch for windpark development in the region. Another discussion in Shanghai was a hydropower and city-waste-to-energy business with an Italian construction company. |
I have greater expectation for that business. However, situation changed dramatically. Still there was bright future in January 2003 when I received the most inquiries so far - almost once every day - now everything turned silent in February, March and then April. |
After a silence of consecutive three months, I have no other option than to shut down the business, and remove everything completely from my site. |
Even now, I don't know the reasons of sudden decline of client inquiries. It looked like an attack from an unknown and powerful force, unseen but terrible. |