By He Changbao, Domestic Sales Center – Business & Reception Department, Truking Technology

Pharmaceutical equipment doesn’t often make headlines. People know drugs and drug companies — but few think about the machines that make those drugs. Yet behind every vial, ampoule, and IV bag lies a carefully engineered system that ensures safety, sterility, and consistency.

For me, building such systems has been a lifelong journey.

In the 1990s, I studied mechanical design and manufacturing at Hunan University. After graduation, I was assigned to a state-owned pharmaceutical equipment factory in southern China—Zhongnan Yaoji, once considered a backbone of the nation’s drug manufacturing infrastructure. At the time, most Chinese pharmaceutical companies relied heavily on imported equipment from Europe. Our shared ambition was to change that.

I started on the shop floor, assembling machines by hand before moving into R&D. But the real turning point came at the turn of the century, when waves of reform swept through state-owned enterprises. Some of us took a leap into the unknown—and that’s how Truking Technology was born.

Starting from Zero: No Internet, No Office, Just Belief

Our first “office” was a rented cow barn on the outskirts of Changsha. There was no internet, no mobile phones, no GPS. I became not only an engineer but also a sales rep—carrying heavy product brochures from one bus station to the next, transferring between slow trains and cheap guesthouses, dialing potential customers from a phonebook the size of a dictionary.

Most calls ended in rejection. But one didn't.

When I reached out to Yangtze River Pharmaceutical Group (YRPG), one of China’s leading pharmaceutical companies even back then, they picked up the phone. A polite voice on the other end transferred me, step by step, to the equipment team. They agreed to meet.

I took a train to Nanjing, a long-distance bus to Taizhou, and a public bus to the YRPG campus. For a young engineer turned salesman from a startup in a barn, walking into their modern factory felt like stepping into a different world.

Co-Creation Before It Was a Trend

At the time, YRPG was preparing to upgrade the production of large-volume parenterals (what we call “IV infusions”). They had been using imported machines and conventional flip-off rubber stoppers, which posed particle risks due to fragmentation.

We had just developed a new stopper feeding technology for butyl rubber stoppers—something novel in the Chinese market. YRPG saw the potential, and soon their team came to inspect our factory—yes, the barn.

But our prototype wasn’t perfect. It worked well in standard conditions, but for one of YRPG’s infusions, which involved a higher filling temperature, the stopper occasionally popped out—an unacceptable risk.

We immediately mobilized a task force to improve the machine, but then something remarkable happened: YRPG offered to send their own production and engineering experts to work with us on the problem.

Together, we solved it. We optimized the stopper application system, validated it on-site, and eventually co-filed a shared patent for the improved solution.

The True Value of Partnership

In retrospect, it wasn’t just about fixing a machine. It was about trusting a young, unproven company, and about engineering side-by-side with your supplier. It was about YRPG seeing beyond our “barn beginnings” to the technical spirit behind them.

That spirit hasn't changed.

Over the past 20+ years, Truking has grown into a global name in pharmaceutical equipment. YRPG has become one of Asia’s most respected pharmaceutical manufacturers. We've collaborated on countless projects, but one principle has remained constant:

Quality is non-negotiable.

YRPG’s late founder, Mr. Xu Jingren, once said: “No difficulty can defeat us—except poor quality.” Our own founder, Mr. Tang Yue, has said: “Reverence for quality must run in our blood and be rooted in our bones.”

These weren’t just slogans. Back when we were working in a barn, our walls were painted with quality alerts and warnings. Today, that mindset has become our DNA.

More Than Business: A Shared Mission

When I first met YRPG, they introduced a company motto I will never forget:

“We make medicines for our parents, our loved ones, and ourselves.”

At the time, I was focused on machines—on mechanics, designs, tolerances. But that philosophy deeply moved me. It reminded me why we innovate: not for the sake of novelty, but to make medicines safer, faster, and more accessible. For people we care about. For ourselves.

Two decades later, many of the people I first met at YRPG are now senior leaders. Some of us are no longer young, but the connection remains. When I visit, we still eat together in the canteen, carrying our trays, just like old times.

Business may be global, but the foundation is always personal. Trust. Respect. Shared purpose. These are what transform a transaction into a partnership—and a barn into a benchmark.