In 1994, amid the wave of entrepreneurship (“plunging into the sea” of business), Zhang Wenguo – then a Party member and cadre in a state-owned enterprise – made a pivotal decision in his life: he gave up the “iron rice bowl” (secure government job) and chose to become a “trailblazer” in a time of transformation. Always holding himself to the standard of a Party member, and drawing on over a decade of solid experience in the refractory industry, he keenly seized market opportunities and embarked on his entrepreneurial journey.

During this period, Shandong Guomao focused on building its foundational capabilities. Transitioning from contract-based operations, it gradually completed corporate restructuring and established a product system centered on unshaped (monolithic) refractories. Through stable market positioning and standardized management, the company laid a solid foundation for its future development.

The completion and commissioning of the Baita plant marked a new leap forward in Shandong Guomao's production capacity and technology. Meanwhile, the company strengthened its Party organization building and established a Party branch. Relying on specialized production lines, the company successfully expanded its customer base to include Qingdao Steel, Jinan Steel, Shougang, and Nanjing Steel, while its team size grew and market competitiveness was significantly enhanced.

Backed by over 30 years of experience in metallurgical services, Shandong Guomao takes the development of new quality productive forces as its guide and aspires to become a world-class metallurgical service enterprise, with a strong focus on technological innovation and strategic upgrading. In the future, the company is committed to providing green and digital-intelligent services for the metallurgical industry, leading the sector toward high-quality development.