When you think about your childhood hero, who comes to mind? A comic book character? Or, a sports legend? What about a family member?
Born in a rural area, near Hefei, in the Anhui province of China, Songlin Shi was like most children of his era. He was very fond of the Monkey King in Journey to the West, who can change himself into various forms such as animals, plants, and even objects at will. When he went to senior high school, he idolized Nobel Prize-winning physicist Chen Ning Yang, whose work formed the foundations of how we understand the behavior of nuclear particles.
“Chen-Ning Yang was born in my hometown,” explains Songlin. “When I was young, I was always curious about things I couldn’t explain. That curiosity drove me to get interested in physics. I also chose a physics major at university because I didn’t know there were other majors other than physics, chemistry, biology, history, or Chinese. At that time, there were still significant difficulties in getting information, especially for a child from the countryside.”
Inspired by his shared connections with his hero, Songlin pursued his academic ambitions. His hard work paid off. After completing his doctorate in condensed matter and materials physics at the Chinese Academy of Science Institute of Physics, he worked in a variety of roles that gave him experience solving the kinds of questions that had sparked his childhood curiosity.
Today, he brings his talents to our technical marketing team in China. His deep understanding of materials physics—and his ability to channel theory into practical industrial applications such as glassmaking, abrasives, LCD-TFT, coatings, and glazes—make him a versatile resource for our industrial borates customers.
Personal approach to solving industrial problems
Songlin balances his intense scientific and technical work with jogging, reading, and spending time with his children. That balance keeps him grounded in the human side of his work with borates.
“My typical method is to start where the customer is at—understand the current status of their process or product. Then, I look for a way to bridge the gap between that starting point and their goal.
“I am a strong believer that literature study can only make you a learner; it cannot make you an expert,” Songlin says. “My hands-on technical experience helps me to speak the same language as our customers and enables me to provide solid, professional support to them.”
Collaborative borate support for industrial customers
The customer consulting process is collaborative and individualized, Songlin says. He understands that every challenge is unique, and different customers need different solutions.
He notes that because borates have such diverse applications, it’s often difficult for one person to be expert in every segment. “So, it’s important to stay open and learn from every new challenge,” he says.
The key for Songlin is learning along with customers and other experts in the technical marketing and sales teams. Our sales representatives in China have a highly collaborative culture that fosters the development of new borate products and borate-based solutions that add meaningful value to customer processes.
Building trust through connection
“At a previous company, I had the opportunity to initiate a ‘bridge project’—establishing a program that supports the pupils of an impoverished area of Yunnan Province,” Songlin says. Now, six years after the project launched, it’s still benefiting that community.
“I am quite proud of that program,” says Songlin. He found he wanted to bring more of that spirit of direct, personal service to his work. “When it was time to step out of my comfort zone and move to a new role, I wanted it to be one that brought me closer to customers and the markets they operate in.”
It was that spirit of connection that brought him to his current role with U.S. Borax, and it’s one of the things he loves about his job. He recently helped the China sales team develop and deliver a multi-day technical training to our regional borate distributors. Songlin helped organize the event and develop the training content—and presented several of the sessions.
During such events, listening to customers creates bonds and spurs his work in product development. “I’m still using my curiosity to learn new technologies and develop new applications for borates,” says Songlin.
“I am actively engaged in conferences and associations related to the borates business,” he explains. “And I often work on specific desktop studies of the use of borates in pharmaceutical glass, glass fiber, waste copper, ceramic frits, and glass hollow microspheres.”
“But what I like about my role at U.S. Borax is the ability to collaborate with teams across different functions. It gives us the ability to solve problems more creatively—and it makes us a trusted resource for the customers we work with.”
Need a local resource?
Songlin is just one of many technical experts we have around the globe. Contact a regional team member to discuss your borates needs.
Songlin and his family at the Hanging Temple in Datong.
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