Sales coordinator at Galland Catenary Suhzou (GCS), Liya Huang is an invaluable link between China and Galland. What’s more France is a country she knows well having obtained her Master’s degree in Bordeaux. With the Chinese market growing at top speed, Liya’s double culture and training are obvious assets for Galland.
What is your professional background?
Before working for GCS, I worked for Zhongyin IMP&ESP. CO.LTD. in China as the person in charge of overseas activities. I have been working for Galland since May 2017 ; my first contact was thanks to an internship following the Master’s I obtained from the Kedge Business School in Bordeau in 2016. After that I became sales coordinator at our site in Suzhou.
Who makes up your team and what are your responsibilities?
Jack Zhong is the project manager at GCS. He is responsible for all the sales in China, where Galland has been present since the 90s, and where a subsidiary was created in November 2015.
As sales coordinator I am the link between Galland France and GCS China. I assure good coordination between the French headquarters and Chinese clients concerning orders, production schedules, the conception of products, production schedules and after-sales service.
My task also consists of analysing the Chinese market in order to adjust the sales strategy of Galland products. I assist in the preparation of the calls for tender and in administrative work. I am also in charge of the choice of external service providers and potential suppliers for Galland SAS.
Which Galland France departments do you work the most closely with?
I collaborate with the Innovation and Technology service which I consult frequently because I have to give clear answers to our clients who ask technical questions about our products. At the same time, I work with the production department in order to organize our orders and the shipping schedules.
What Galland products do you sell?
GCS mainly sells the section insulator of the JG3181 series. We have also developed the new JG3612 model for the Chinese High Speed Train market.
Is China an important market for Galland?
The urban railway transport industry in China has developed enormously over the last few years. At the end of 2022, the country had a total of 5875 stations in service, which is a growth of 9.9% in a year. The total length of lines being operated reached 10,287.45 kilometers, which represents an annual growth of 11.7%. The metro network accounts for 77.84% of this total, the fast urban trains 11.89%, and the tramway 5.49%. We are very closely connected with this growth : GCS sales have continuously progressed year after year, and represent an important part of the company’s turnover : China is regularly in the top 3 areas of activity of GALLAND. And the perspectives are excellent : in 2023, 55 cities in China have a railway transport system for the impressive number of 2.66 billion passengers. In other words, the Chinese market is hugely important !
In your opinion, what is Galland’s main strength?
Indisputably it is the experience in the catenary sector accumulated over more than 75 years. For the Chinese, French know-how is synonymous with high quality and a lot of experience in a domain. But this also includes a pioneering and innovative spirit. For example, in the industrial sector, we all know that the French TGV is the fasteste in the world. France has broken speed records on railway lines frequently.
How do you see the future of Galland in China?
The urbanisation of China is accelerating and is stimulating the development of Rail transport. Galland’s expertise contributes to this. In the future, we will apply the French High Speed train technology to the national market. We will supply the most advanced products in order to promote the development of the Chinese railway industry, without forgetting another challenge : using Galland technology to reduce energy consumption and the pollution of the environment.
To know her better :
She likes
Hiking, travel, painting
Her family
I have been married to a Londoner for 5 years, we have a little boy of nine months who never ceases to amaze us !
Her city
I come from Suzhou originally and at present I live in Hangzhou with my husband. There’s a very well-known expression in Chinese which says : “Up above, there is the sky; below, there is Suzhou and Hangzhou”. The two cities are famous throughout China, people come to admire the sunset on the West lake, the old streets bordered with canals and the famous closed gardens.
Her mantra
It’s いちごいちえ [pronounced ichi-go-ichi-e). It’s an expression that comes from the Japanese tea ceremony which means one must cherish the present moment because it is irreplaceable.
