Coverage Story on CT Chairman Lai, Wen-xiang 

Xiao, Yu-ping 

Source / Trade Insight  

As environmental protection started to raise global awareness, CT also followed-in with the trend. Chairman Lai proposed a simple logic: Despite the fact that reinforced concrete is able to save higher cost for the company, once demolishing reinforced concrete-based architecture and steel structure-based architecture 20 years later, steel structure can be resold to the second hand market while reinforced concrete can only be taken as plain waste, which is not only hard to process but also incurs great cost to have it removed.

Green Power Project 

In addition, Chairman Lai has also foreseen an unlimited business potential in the offshore wind power project. By cooperating with Taiwan International Shipbuilding Corporation and Taiwan Generations Corporation, CT has started investing in the offshore wind power project, estimating to build 30 wind turbines with a total capacity of 108MW, located 25~40 meters in water depth and 11 kilometers in distance away from Fangyuan Township of Changhua County. Responsible for the steel structure engineering, Chairman Lai explained that among a total amount of NT$480 billion generated from the 600 wind turbines (with each wind turbine costing NT$800 million), there would be a total amount of NT$90 billion generated for the steel structure engineering project, which is indeed a project full of unlimited business potential.

With a core belief of ever-changing and ever-lasting business operations, Chairman Lai revealed that most employees have devoted several decades to the company while some employees has even been working alongside with him since the very beginning of his entrepreneurship. With a great sense of organizational recognition, all CT staff members have exhibit a firm resolution to work for the company. Chairman Lai revealed his expectation for the younger generation, “We’re starting to nurture some young men for the construction site. College graduates are just like a sponge, they can absorb new information faster than average experienced workers.” CT has a complete training course for all employees, including inviting professionals from China Productivity Center to deliver lectures. Chairman Lai jokingly said, “I never study hard. Let them go study and teach me after they have returned.”

In general impression, bosses always love to play ball in their free time. By contrast, Chairman Lai explained that he never really have much entertainment. He loved every brick and debris of his factory. From the front door to the interior design of his company, he could always recall some old memories. “Aside from going abroad, I always come to my office 9:00 every morning. After going home for lunch, I would always return back here in the afternoon, even on Chinese New Year Holidays.”

Without rich parents or high educational background, CT Chairman Lai always share his real life stories and some local slang with other people. With several decades of hand-on experience, Chairman Lai has established his own steel structure kingdom. For steel structure, Chairman Lai made his final conclusion, “Steel structure is my root, my base, and the main axis of my life.”

Without rich parents or high educational background, Chairman Lai has uphold the spirit of a Taiwanese Canine and established his steel structure kingdom step by step completely from scratch.