Ma Bing, head of the Ma Hengchang Team at the precision workshop of a subsidiary of Genertec Qiqihar No 2 Machine Tool Co, Ltd in Qiqihar city, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, has spent decades pursuing excellence and craftsmanship. As a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), he is dedicated to the mission of serving the people and leads the way in industrial innovation in the new era.

Ma started as a lathe operator and joined the Ma Hengchang Team in 2004 after undergoing rigorous technical assessments. The team was established in 1949 and named after Ma Hengchang, a national model worker, whose craftsmanship and commitment to precision has been upheld till this day.

In 2005, when the factory acquired its first computer numerical control (CNC) machine tool, Ma became the first one in the team to master the technology, dedicating himself to learning CNC machine tool theory and techniques. Subsequently, he became a pioneer in CNC programming and machining techniques in the factory.

Ma became the head of the Ma Hengchang Team in 2012, which has evolved into an exemplary precision workshop with the primary objective of addressing core technological challenges in key fields.

Ma Bing operates machines in the workshop. [Photo provided to npc.gov.cn]

Over the years, Ma and his fellow workers have focused on enhancing productivity and quality in production tasks of critical components, serving as a vanguard in manufacturing and revitalizing the machine tool industry.

"Upholding the spirit of craftsmanship, being down-to-earth and striving for perfection are crucial paths for improving our skills and technical proficiency," Ma said. "I believe that through the digital transformation and upgrading of equipment manufacturing, high-end CNC machine tool products will be more sophisticated, intelligent and sustainable, accelerating the development of new quality productive forces and driving Chinese modernization."

Ma Bing (second from the left) and his team members hold a technical discussion. [Photo provided to npc.gov.cn]

In 2023, Ma was elected as a deputy to the 14th NPC. As a frontline industrial worker in the new era, he leveraged his expertise and professional strengths and put forward high-quality suggestions in support for industrial workers.

At the NPC session in 2023, Ma submitted suggestions on promoting craftsmanship to cultivate high-skilled professionals and on the national support for establishing a key laboratory for equipment manufacturing based on Heilongjiang's existing basic research.

Ma Bing (center) briefs his colleagues on the guiding principles of the second session of the 14th National People Congress. [Photo provided to npc.gov.cn]

At this year's session, Ma called for more endeavors to enhance vocational education, optimizing the allocation of educational resources and establishing a comprehensive framework for vocational education, in order to nurture a greater number of versatile high-skilled talents in the manufacturing sector.

Committed to carrying forward the essence of the Ma Hengchang Team, Ma said he will nurture new generations of knowledgeable, skilled, and innovative blue-collar workers, and contribute to the development of new quality productive forces and the country's high-end equipment manufacturing industry.

Ma Bing (second from the left) solicits public opinions at Hongxing community in Longsha district in Qiqihar city, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province. [Photo provided to npc.gov.cn]

Gong Yixi contributed to this story.