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11 Jan 2025Across KEDA's international business, numerous teams and individuals are actively implementing localization strategies, from local talent development and raw material sourcing, to technical and market localization... They have made the KEDA brand and products shine brightly all over the world.
| Digital-driven Independent Operations
Eaglet Program Project Team
Twyford International
The Eaglet Program Project Team leads the separation and construction of Twyford International's businesses, processes, IT systems, data, and infrastructure. With every member fully committed, they delivered each milestone on time and laid a solid foundation for Twyford International's future independent, compliant, and sustainable growth.
Spanning 13 countries and encompassing ceramics, sanitaryware, building glass, and more, the Eagle Project involves mapping out over 1,000 Level-4 business processes, providing robust support for Twyford International's independent operations.
The project team also launched 16 operational systems and 25 technical support systems, separated and validated data, created an independent global network, and deployed private and public clouds for c International.
To strengthen the team post-separation, the project team has trained 222 Chinese personnel across domestic and international departments—the future "seeds" of Twyford International's long-term success. Through hands-on engagement in the Eaglet Program Project, they gain a unified understanding of Twyford's core operations.
Faced with tight schedules, heavy workloads, and legal entity issues, the project team maintained a unified plan and execution approach, orchestrating resources to ensure smooth progress. They tackled the complexities of separation by identifying key success factors, innovating work methods, and breaking down large tasks into achievable goals.
Alongside these efforts, they also prioritize skill-building—pairing senior staff with newcomers and proactively developing talent. The rapid construction of Twyford's Information Management Center further bolsters Twyford International's continuous development.
| Multiple Localization Initiatives to Boost Employee Satisfaction
Mr. Henry ZHOU
General Manager Assistant, Twyford (Ghana) Ceramics, Twyford International
For Twyford's carton factory project in Ghana, ZHOU fully oversaw planning and execution—from feasibility analyses and ROI calculations to tax exemptions, site selection, design optimizations, construction coordination, and local staff recruitment. Under his leadership, the project remained on schedule and started production in late November 2024. This new facility is expected to save Twyford (Ghana) Ceramics about USD 98,000 per month on carton costs—an annual savings of roughly USD 1.17 million.
To secure the water supply, ZHOU held multiple rounds of talks with the local water authority, ultimately bringing city water into the factory. It resolves production water needs for the Ghana sanitaryware factory, improves drinking water in local dormitories and workshops, and enhances the Chinese canteen water quality, which substantially boosts employee satisfaction and efficiency.
When the natural gas supply was limited, ZHOU proactively secured an extra daily allocation of six units of gas, ensuring uninterrupted production. Over seven days, the factory produced around 500,000 additional square meters of product and generated approximately USD 500,000 in extra revenue.
In response to the decline in the quality of meals for local employees, ZHOU moved quickly to investigate root causes. He tightened standards with existing suppliers, scouted new ones, and initiated a bidding process among local caterers.
In 2024, ZHOU also led multiple onsite inspections by IFC. He took full charge of rectifications, which provided strong support for the company's financing efforts.
| Accelerating Local Raw Material Sourcing in Senegal
Mr. Junshao LIU
Procurement Strategy Engineer, Twyford (Senegal) Ceramics
Charged with raw material sourcing and development at Twyford (Senegal) Ceramics, LIU conducted extensive fieldwork on more than 200 mining sites near the factory, took over ten long-term trips, identified 17 qualified new mines, and extracted 60,000+ tons of raw materials from self-operated sites. Meanwhile, he managed official and local relations to secure a stable raw material supply for the ceramic factory.
In his daily work, coordinated with the planning and warehousing departments, LIU refined the raw material safety inventory management tool, assisted in decision-making for local raw material procurement plans, and promoted this efficient tool to the raw material procurement teams of all international ceramic factories. At the same time, he formulated and implemented procurement strategies for the local raw material supply market, developing eight qualified supplier resources, with a completion rate of over 90% for the 2023 raw material procurement plan across all categories.
In terms of cost control, LIU established a comprehensive raw material cost analysis model to optimize the supplier selection and pricing (bidding) process, with an overall procurement savings rate of 9.87% for all categories of raw materials in 2023. He actively responded to cost control requirements, submitted cost control proposals, and achieved cumulative cost reduction benefits of RMB 1.17 million. From January to September 2024, through procurement strategy adjustments, he saved a total of USD 573,000 in procurement costs, with an estimated annual performance achievement rate of 514%.
Committed to nurturing local talent, LIU strengthened local employees’ data-analysis skills and introduced shared ledgers for raw materials management, thereby improving accuracy and efficiency in sample tracking, settlements, and penalty tracking. He also explored local logistics solutions, fully utilizing return-journey vehicles and shortening local transit times for imported coal by 32%.
In terms of quality control, LIU strictly controlled the raw material procurement qualification rate. He recovered over USD 230,000 in quality penalties in 2023 and reduced the quality penalty ratio for all categories in 2024 by over 1% year-on-year. Moreover, he deeply engaged in on-site mining area work, grasped firsthand information on supply resources and on-site quality control, and promptly resolved serious salinity issues in black clay supply and limestone mixing problems.
