Novatron: The Industry Leader Starting from Scratch

"I grew up in poverty and had difficulty studying, but my father still taught me with 'Qian's Family Instructions', to 'care for the poor and lonely, respect the elderly and cherish the young'. Now, I have overcome the hardships of my childhood and always remember my father's teachings. I sincerely hope to help disadvantaged students in the local area as much as I can, so that children will not give up their studies due to economic difficulties and bring care and hope to more families," he said.

In this issue, let me take you into the story of Qian Yanan, the chairman of Novatron Electronics(Hangzhou)Co.,Ltd, and see his "journey to pursue dreams"!

When I first met Qian Yanan, he was wearing a light-colored custom uniform and hurriedly walking towards the workshop.

If it weren't for prior knowledge, most people wouldn't associate the image of someone in this outfit with the chairman of a high-tech company. However, for Qian Yanan, wearing a work uniform like this has been a daily habit since the beginning of his entrepreneurship.

As the core leader of the company's R&D team, Qian Yanan is not just sitting at his desk studying data. He often goes deep into the front-line workshop to personally guide the work and discuss technical issues with the employees.

Innovation knows no bounds. Today, under the leadership of Qian Yanan, Novatron continues to move forward with an industry-leading posture.

Abandoning medicine for labor, twenty years of unwavering dedication

When it comes to the current industry he is involved in, Qian Yanan speaks with confidence, vividly describing the company's main products and demonstrating comprehensive management of core technology. He personally oversees and upholds the standards, embodying the qualities of an industry veteran.

However, Qian Yanan's life has actually experienced unexpected major transitions. Today, he is the head of a well-known wireless RF industry leader both at home and abroad; but yesterday, he was an independent doctor.

"Around 1984, I was already a well-known independent doctor in my hometown, with a decent income. Later, I took over my father's job and started working at the school, becoming a school doctor, which provided more stable employment."

The turning point occurred during his time as a school doctor. "Before that, my father had been involved in the manufacturing processes of various hardware equipment, such as road traffic signs, vehicle driver's licenses, driving permits, license plates, armored cars, bulletproof vests, and helmets. The road signs around the current Zhongtai Industrial Park were made by us.

As Qian Yanan delved deeper into these manufacturing industries, he felt that he had found a clear career goal. In the early 1990s, he left his hometown and ventured to Hangzhou, starting his entrepreneurial journey from scratch. With excellent business skills and practical expertise, Qian Yanan's company quickly became a designated supplier for the transportation department. They gained a stable customer base and established a foothold in hardware manufacturing.

However, Qian Yanan, who was daring and willing to take risks, was not satisfied with just hardware manufacturing. He realized that to stay relevant in this ever-changing era, he needed to create his own specialized technology. In the early 21st century, Hangzhou saw the emergence and rapid growth of new equipment, new technology, and new communications, revealing vast development potential. Qian Yanan astutely seized the business opportunities.

"The earliest technology I encountered was the core technology of supermarket anti-theft management – EAS anti-theft soft labels. Through continuous improvement, we significantly increased our production capacity and quality. Now, they are widely used in various fields, including supermarket anti-theft, clothing tags, railway transportation, library management, logistics supply, pharmaceuticals, tickets, food, and more."

Subsequently, at a Munich IoT trade show in Germany, Qian Yanan met with UPM, a multinational label company. Through their introduction, he explored RFID wireless radio frequency antennas and realized that the domestic RFID industry was still in its early stages with tremendous potential. From then on, he embarked on the lengthy path of developing RFID antennas.

Internet of Things (IoT): Anticipating New Market Trends

Today, the concept of the "Internet of Things" is flourishing, creating new business opportunities and providing a broad market space for companies. Qian Yanan is no stranger to this concept, having been deeply involved in this field for nearly two decades.

In 2005, Novatron (Hangzhou) Electronics Co., Ltd. was officially established. They collaborated with RAKO Group, one of Europe's largest printing companies, to set up a factory. Novatron took the lead among domestic enterprises in research, development, production, and sales of wireless radio frequency technology. They simultaneously targeted both domestic and international markets.

It can be said that the time Novatron has been established reflects the entire development phase of this industry in our country up to now. Currently, we have become one of the world's top three wireless radio frequency (RF) soft label manufacturers, a global leader in RFID antenna production, and our collaboration with the globally renowned brand Sony has earned us an excellent reputation among customers.

Even though we have now established a leading position in the industry, from Novatron's perspective, this is just the beginning. Qian Yanan explained, "In our main product portfolio, 80% comprises RFID RF antennas, with 60% of them targeting international markets. This is because the domestic industry started relatively late and is still in the early stages of practical application. Nevertheless, the domestic market is already experiencing annual growth rates of 30%, indicating tremendous development potential."

Qian Yanan pointed out that with the widespread adoption of 5G technology and the combination of 5G and intelligent manufacturing, RFID has become an essential connector. The "hardware plus software plus sensors plus RFID plus 5G signal generator" model is a direction that Novatron is exploring to tap into the domestic market.