On the outskirts of the pump and valve industrial cluster in Longwan, Wenzhou, in a tin-roofed factory measuring less than 200 square meters, the rudimentary form of Zhejiang Huilier Fluid Control Co., Ltd. emerged quietly. "At that time, the entire workshop only had 3 second-hand machine tools and the two partners pooled a small amount of start-up capital. Even the drawings had to be hand-drawn." The founder recalled the scene of the initial establishment, still bearing the calluses from the manual polishing of valve parts back then. At that time, pump and valve enterprises had blossomed everywhere in Wenzhou, but Huilier lacked core technologies, customer resources, and brand recognition - "three deficiencies" set the stage for this new enterprise to have almost no presence in the industry.

The first major challenge: 37 failed attempts from "drawings" to "finished products"

"Make valves that can solve practical problems." The team set their first goal on small ball valves for municipal water supply and drainage. At that time, similar products on the market often leaked due to poor sealing, resulting in high customer complaint rates. Without professional R&D equipment, they used mineral water bottles to simulate pipeline conditions; lacking detection instruments, they repeatedly tested the sealing performance of the parts on their own faucets. To optimize the valve seat sealing structure, mechanical engineer Wang, who had been sleeping in the factory for half a month, revised the drawings 12 times and produced 37 batches of parts before finally achieving "continuous 72 hours of water flow without leakage" on the 38th test. When the first self-assembled ball valve was pushed out from the tin-roofed factory in the winter of 2008, the 5 team members gathered around the machine, even forgetting to have dinner.

The first order: Trust won with "simple methods"

No customer was willing to believe in a new enterprise's products. The founder took samples and traveled to small water plants around Wenzhou. In a certain township water plant in Shanghai, the person in charge looked at their simple packaging and directly said, "If your valves leak, our entire water plant will have to stop." To allay concerns, Huilier proposed "try it out for 3 months, and if it's qualified, we'll pay, and if there's a problem, we'll compensate in full." During those 3 months, the technical director visited the water plants every week to record the operation data of the valves and assist the workers in maintenance checks. When the trial period ended, the person in charge of the water plant signed the acceptance form, saying, "Your valves didn't leak and never failed to meet the promise." This 12-ball valve order worth 48,000 yuan became Huilier's first milestone of "from nothing to something".

Capacity breakthrough: Crossing from "handicraft workshop" to "standardization"

After the first order was successful, orders gradually increased. Huilier's products expanded from a single ball valve to three major categories: gate valves, check valves, and others. The daily production capacity increased from the initial 5 units to 50 units, and a simple quality inspection process was established - every valve must undergo water pressure testing and sealing performance testing before leaving the factory, which planted the seeds for the later "quality first" concept.

Market breakthrough: From "local small factory" to "regional recognition"

To meet the corrosion resistance requirements of chemical media, the team switched to 304 stainless steel, redesigned the valve stem sealing structure, and operated the workshop in 24-hour shifts. When these valves were delivered on time and all passed the inspections in the park, Huilier finally gained recognition in the local chemical industry. Subsequently, orders expanded from Wenzhou to Zhejiang Province, and then to neighboring provinces such as Jiangsu and Anhui. In 2015, the company moved into a new standardized factory, and "Huilier" began to have a place in the pump and valve market in the Yangtze River Delta.

From "existence" to "excellence": Unwavering commitment to the original intention

Now, when walking into Huilier's factory again, the founder often tells the employees, "We mustn't forget that the first valve was made from hand-drawn drawings and hand-polished." From being "completely empty" in 2008 to now having 15 main product categories and exporting to over 20 countries, the "from nothing to something" journey of Huilier is not only the growth story of a company, but also a vivid portrayal of the "bold exploration and continuous improvement" spirit of the pump and valve industry workers in Wenzhou - every valve contains the original aspiration and perseverance of them when they started from scratch.