新希望：顺势而动的国际化之路

向雯

新希望集团有限公司董事长刘永好：新希望集团将加大海外投资力度，尤其是做好在“一带一路”沿线国家选址布局。通过集团的国际化布局，能更好地了解海外市场，了解竞争对手，了解国际行业发展格局，使自己更加具备全球化思维，能够参与到国际大格局中去。

Liu Yonghao， Chairman of New Hope Group： The Group will expand its oversea presence， particularly in BRI countries. Through the international layout， the Group will have a better understanding of the overseas market， its competitors and industrial development trend across the world， being empowered to have a global perspective and participate in the international competition.

5月22日，刘永好一行出发前往越南、老挝和柬埔寨三国，开始了为期10天的访问调研。这个由全国工商联党组书记徐乐江带队，知名民企老总组成的代表团此行目的就是调研当地中资企业发展情况，寻求新的合作契机。这距离上个月新希望集团与越南政府签约生猪养殖协议不到一个月。

回放到4月25日，在第二届“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛“一带一路”企业家大会上，新希望集团与越南清化省政府、平福省政府、平定省政府现场签署投资额为11.47亿元人民币的优质生猪养殖项目合作协议。越南成为了新希望在海外开展生猪养殖业务的首个国家。

说起新希望和越南的缘分，还得追溯到20年前。1998年，新希望已是中国最大的饲料生产企业，生意好到多地出现排队购买的场景，在广西、云南生产的饲料开始通过边贸卖到了越南。同年，源于亚洲金融危机爆发，越南政府开始加大引进外资的力度，并在租地、税费等方面给予较大优惠。外部环境加上自身的优势，萌发了新希望走出国门的念头。1999年，新希望集团在越南胡志明市建起了海外第一家工厂，这也成为新希望迈向国际化的开端。

出海创业不易，作为国内饲料行业的龙头老大，新希望在越南也不得不从头开始。刚“走出去”，产品销售就出了一些状况。工厂建得不错，产品质量也很好，但根本没人买，说价格太高了。为什么高？原来，在当地人看来，中国货就是“廉价货”，中国产的袜子、皮带、电视、冰箱等，在越南只能卖到美国、日本产品售价的三分之一。

“主要因為当年中国产品刚走出去时，很多都是通过边贸方式，产品质量难以保证，留下了便宜没好货的印象。”刘永好告诉记者。为改变这一状况，新希望建了近一百个实验基地，对养殖户们承诺，“先赊去用，如果产品比别人差，就不用给钱。”通过这种方式，产品的销路打开了。随后，新希望又在印尼、菲律宾、孟加拉、斯里兰卡等国陆续站稳了脚跟。

2013年“一带一路”倡议提出后，作为最早“出海”的民企之一，新希望的国际化布局与“一带一路”倡议不谋而合。新希望旗下农牧业上市公司新希望六和加大在沿线国家的农牧业务布局，业务覆盖越南、菲律宾、印尼、柬埔寨、缅甸、斯里兰卡、尼日利亚、埃及、南非等国，业务涉及饲料、种禽、禽养殖、猪养殖和食品等领域。

“一方面，随着中国在全球经济地位上升，尤其是‘一带一路’的影响力深化，新兴市场对中国企业的欢迎度更高，项目落地较为容易；另一方面，相对竞争激烈的国内市场，海外新兴市场产品供给相对缺乏，从而能够获得更高的投资回报。”新希望六和海外运营中心的相关负责人分析。

随着国内消费供给侧改革，经济迈入高质量发展，新希望进一步加大农牧业全产业链布局，此次在越南签约的生猪养殖协议，不仅是新希望加码越南的表现，也是公司加大饲料产业的上下游投入，布局养殖端和食品端的“重要一步”。20年过去，新希望六和深耕越南市场，已形成南、北两大片区下辖8个饲料公司和3个养猪公司，成为了越南饲料板块的知名企业。

2017年11月底，新希望联合厚生投资、淡马锡、中投海外、启承资本等投资者，以10亿澳币（50亿人民币）完成了对澳洲宠物食品公司Real Pet Food Company（真诚爱宠公司）的收购，正式进军宠物食品市场。

作为中国最大的农牧集团，这不是新希望第一次玩跨界。早在十年前，新希望集团就以农牧业为起点，跨界金融、地产、化工等多个领域，组建起一艘多元化航母。站在深化改革扩大开放的时代新起点，新希望集团提出从传统企业向“五新企业”转型升级的新目标，以“转换新机制、布局新赛道、探索新科技、担当新责任、任用新青年”的理念引领企业加快发展、创新发展。

“做这样的变革，是看到了趋势。为适应经济转型升级的需要，必须主动调整战略。”面对市场，刘永好永远保持着警惕心，这也跟他多年的经营理念有关。“顺潮流而动，略有超前，快半步”。在刘永好看来，民营企业要发展，就是要顺着改革开放的潮流，不做违背潮流的事。

近两年，新希望也将产业触角伸向了澳大利亚、南美、北美等新大陆农牧业资源发达国家与区域。2013年，新希望收购澳大利亚第三大牛肉加工企业Kilcoy Pastoral Company（KPC），通过这家历史悠久的屠宰加工企业，新希望与当地数以千计的大型养牛农场签订了三至五年的长期协定，帮助他们扩大生产能力。

目前KPC的牛肉加工规模已经从收购时的每年20万头扩张到每年50万头，并在中国和美国都建立了牛肉加工基地，旗下的高端牛肉产品顺利销售到中美日韩等国市场。按照刘永好的思路，在布局“一带一路”过程中，要把资源和市场结合起来，建立多赢格局。这样才能更好地落实“一带一路”倡议，加快“走出去”。

近年来，新希望的前进步伐也印证了这一思路。2015年5月，新希望乳业与新西兰皇家农科院签署战略合作协议，双方将在乳业健康与营养方面进行合作；2016年6月底，草根知本集团全资并购拥有27年品牌历史的澳大利亚保健品ANC；2018年6月，新希望六和与法国最大的养猪企业科普利信签署战略合作协议，双方将以“从农场到餐桌”的全产业链模式，在未来5到10年为中国消费者生产高质量猪肉……目前，新希望集团在海外近30个国家和地区进行投产、建设、筹建、投资的公司超过50家，全球员工7万余人。

“世界上唯一不变的是变化本身。”世界著名作家斯宾塞·约翰逊曾这样说过。“埋头拉车，抬头看路，仰头望天。”永远保持创业者的心态，也许正是刘永好37年来保持新希望基业长青的秘密。

互联网+，大数据，人工智能，生物科技……对于这些新科技，68岁的刘永好相当熟悉。“人家都说我是‘老农民’，而且是养猪的，靠到我身边闻一闻还有猪的气味。不过猪的气味不一定是臭的，现在我们用一种新的生物科技技术，使得猪粪不仅不臭了，还有特别的香味，这就是科技的进步。”刘永好谈道。

新希望在人工智能、大数据与农业相结合方面，新希望做了很多尝试。比如，通过大数据来调整猪生长周期；通过云计算，采集历史几十年的养猪市场价格变化和病害数据进行科学计算。另外，公司还积极建设标准化养猪场，猪场有专门的空气过滤系统和粪水处理系统，隔离病菌和避免环境污染，保证食品安全。“我们还和一些大学研究机构联合做无人化养猪的尝试，整个养猪场通过机器人来看管。这是我们下一步的发展目标，通过高科技、智能化来改造养猪场，提升畜牧业的综合能力。”

2月22日，新希望乳业波士顿科研创新中心正式揭牌。该中心将以波士顿为核心，辐射北美、欧洲、澳洲的全球性产学研科体系，聚焦于微生物基础功能与产业化研究、精准营养研究与产品开发、食品风险与营养检测三大主题，更好实现乳业的科技转型。

科技創新已经成为新希望集团发展的“关键词”。“变革创新往往都是年轻人和年轻的企业发起的。作为30多年的企业，走年轻化道路，要走共创共担共享的合伙人之路。”刘永好在多个场合谈到“年轻化”这个话题。

2013年，80后的刘畅从父亲刘永好手中接任了集团最大的农牧板块——新希望六和董事长一职，开启了全集团的 “年轻化”组织变革。5年时间过去，新希望集团现有的3400多名管理干部，平均年龄降到了三十几岁。集团副总裁、国际部总裁、区域平台总裁等核心高管均为80后，而且在农牧、乳业、地产等板块，还涌现出了90后的销售总监、财务总监。这批年轻人正在成为新希望发展的中坚力量。

“在我看来，传承不是家族传承，而是事业平台的传承；传承不是对一个人的传承，而是对年轻一代优秀集体的传承；传承不是一个人经验的传承，而是第一代企业家作为水珠映照出这个时代的精彩辉宏，那背后的视野、格局和智慧的传承。”刘永好如是说。

On May 22， the delegation of Liu Yonghao and other entrepreneurs headed for Vietnam， Laos and Cambodia， starting the 10-day visit and research. Led by Xu Lejiang， Secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce， the delegation comprising famous entrepreneurs of private-owned enterprises took an oversea trip to investigate the development of local Chinese companies and seek new opportunities for cooperation. This visit was launched one month after the New Hope Group’s conclusion of the agreement on pig breeding with the Government of Vietnam.

Back to April 25， at the Belt and Road CEO Conference of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation， New Hope Group signed the cooperation agreement on premium breeding projects with the governments of Thanh Hoa， Binh Phuoc and Binh Dinh of Vietnam， which were worth RMB 1.147 billion. Vietnam has become the first country to accommodate New Hope’s pig breeding business outside the territory of China.

The establishment of ties between New Hope Group and Vietnam may date back to 20 years ago. In 1998， New Hope was already the biggest feed manufacturer in China， the products of which sold so well that consumers waited in long lines for purchase. The feed manufactured in its Guangxi and Yunnan factories were exported to Vietnam through boarder trade. In the same year， due to the Asian Financial Crisis， the Government of Vietnam began to vigorously encourage foreign investment and provide enticing preferential treatment for investors in land rental， taxes and charges. In view of the external environment and the inherent advantages， New Hope Group was resolved to expand its business beyond the territory of China. In 1999， New Hope Group established its first oversea factory in Ho Chi Minh City， Vietnam， which turned over a new page for the Group to step forward to the global market.

It is never an easy job to start up a new business abroad even for New Hope Group， the leader of feed industry in China， as it intended to expand new market in Vietnam. The selling did not go well in the early days of New Hope’s “going global”. The factory was there， the quality was fine， but nobody bought， as local consumers said the product was over-priced. Why？ It turns out that the local people had considered “made-in-China” products as cheap goods. Products like Chinese socks， leather belts， TV sets and refrigerators were only priced at one third as much as their US or Japan counterparts in Vietnam.

“That is because Chinese products were exported mostly by border trade at the very beginning. Their quality was poor， so our neighboring countries thought these cheap goods from China always meant bad quality.” Liu Yonghao told the reporter. To change their mind， New Hope Group established nearly one hundred pilot bases and warranted to them： “You may take our products on credit. If you still believe our product is inferior to any other product， we will not charge you.” The products were gradually accepted by local people through this way. Subsequently， New Hope Group has set up stable customer pools in Indonesia， the Philippines， Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

After the Belt and Road Initiative （BRI） was proposed， New Hope Group， as one of the earliest enterprises stepping onto the foreign market， found its international layout coincided with the initiative. New Hope Liuhe， a listed agriculture and husbandry company affiliated to New Hope Group developed its blueprint for agriculture and husbandry sectors in the BRI countries， with its presence covering Vietnam， the Philippines， Indonesia， Cambodia， Myanmar and Sri Lanka of Asia as well as Nigeria， Egypt and South Africa of Africa， engaged in feed， breeding poultry， pig and poultry feeding， food， etc.

“On the one hand， as China is becoming economically stronger， particularly with the deepening of the BRI， emerging markets are more likely to accept Chinese enterprises， so projects tend to be incepted more easily. On the other hand， compared with the intense domestic market， the supply in oversea emerging market is relatively in shortage， so we may yield a high return of investment”， according to head of the overseas operation center of New Hope Liuhe.

After the consumption and supply side reform in China， China has ushered in the era of sound development. New Hope Group further intensified the layout of entire industry chain for agriculture and animal husbandry. The signing of pig breeding agreement with Vietnam not only meant the Group’s wish to further expand its business in Vietnam， but also represented a “significant step” for the Group to put heavier investment in the upstream and downstream of the feed industry and to develop a reasonable feeding and food ends. After 20 years of enduring efforts， New Hope Liuhe has deeply explored the Vietnamese market and developed two districts （south and north）， governing 8 feed companies and 3 pig-feeding companies and becoming a famous enterprise of feed segment in Vietnam.

By the end of November 2017， New Hope Group， in cooperation with Hosen Capital， Temasek， China Investment Corporation International and GenBridge， acquired Real Pet Food Company for AUD 1 billion （or RMB 5 billion）， marking its formal entry into the pet food market.

As China’s largest agricultural and husbandry group， it was not New Hope Group’s first attempt in another sector. As early as ten years ago， New Hope Group had already forged a diversified business layout which was based on the agriculture and husbandry while covering multiple fields such as finance， real estate and chemical industry. Standing at a new starting point in the era of deepening reform and opening up， New Hope Group puts forward the new goal of transformation and upgrading from traditional business to five new strategies： new mechanism， new track， new science and technology， new responsibility and new youth， which can lead the Group to accelerate development and innovation.

“We made this transformation because we sensed such trend. In order to adapt to the economic transformation and upgrade， the strategy must be voluntarily adjusted.” Liu Yonghao is always vigilant about the market for his business philosophy over the past years， “Sail up in line with currents， and step a little bit ahead.” In Liu’s opinion， private enterprises should correspond to the waves of reform and opening up， rather than going against such trend.

In these days， New Hope Group has also extended its business to Australia， South America， North America and other regions and countries on the New World with developed agriculture and husbandry. In 2013， New Hope Group acquired Kilcoy Pastoral Company （KPC）， the third largest beef processor in Australia. Through this timehonored slaughtering company， New Hope Group managed to conclude three to five-year agreements with thousands of large cow farms to help them expand their production.

At present， the KPC’s beef processing has been expanded from 200 thousand per year at the beginning of acquisition to 500 thousand per year， and it has established beef processing bases in China and USA. Its high-end beef products are sold to China， USA， Japan and South Korea. In Liu Yonghao’s philosophy， they should combine resources and markets in their BRI blueprint and set up an all-win pattern. Only by doing so can they better implement the BRI and fasten their pace of “going global”.

This philosophy has been proved by the recent progress made by New Hope. In May 2015， New Hope Dairy and RSNZ signed a strategic cooperation agreement， signifying the cooperation between the parties in terms of dairy health and nutrition. At the end of 2016， Grass Green Group （an investment platform under the New Hope Group） merged and acquired the 27-yearold Australian healthcare product Australian Natural Care （ANC） by buying out all the shareholders. In June 2018， New Hope Liuhe and Cooperl Arc Atlantique， France’s biggest pig breeding enterprise， signed a strategic cooperation agreement. According to this agreement， both parties will take up the entire industry chain mode of “from farm to table” to provide Chinese consumers with high-quality pork in the following 5 to 10 years. Currently， New Hope Group have conducted investment， construction， production and preparation with more than 50 companies in 30 countries and regions， employing more than 70 thousand people all over the world.

“The only thing remaining unchanged in the world is the change itself，” Spencer Johnson， a world famous writer said so. “Draw the cart with head down， look the way ahead and loop up to the sky.” Always keeping the initial aspirations as an entrepreneur is perhaps the secret of Liu Yonghao to ensure the prosperous business for 37 years.

The 68-year-old Liu Yonghao is quite familiar with latest technologies， such as Internet Plus， Big Data， AI and biological technology. “People described me as ‘an outdated farmer’ breeding pigs， and they even could sense the smell of pigs when coming near me. Pigs do not necessarily stink， as we adopt a new biotechnology， and people will never catch the disgusting smell of pig manure， but be surrounded by the special aroma. This is the technological progress.” Liu said.

New Hope Group has made many attempts in many fields such as AI and combination of big data and agriculture. For example， the pork cycle（the phenomenon of cyclical fluctuations of supply and prices in livestock markets） may be adjusted by big data. Through the Cloud Computing， scientific computations can be done based on the pig breeding market price changes and disease data collected over the past decades. Moreover， New Hope Group is actively building up standard pig farms， which are equipped with dedicated air filtration system and manure treatment system to isolate bacteria， prevent environmental pollution and ensure the food safety. “We also make tries for unattended pig breeding in cooperation with some universities， which means the entire farm will be taken charge of by a robot. This is our next goal， which means we will rely on high-tech intelligence to upgrade the pig farm and escalate the comprehensive ability of animal husbandry.”

On February 22， InnovHope Dairy R&D Center was inaugurated. This Bostonbased center has established a world-wide enterprise-university-academic institution system radiating towards North America， Europe and Australia， which will focus on three major themes of microbial basic function and industrialization research， precision nutrition research and product development， food risk and nutrition testing， in order to better realize the technological transformation of the dairy industry.

Technological innovation has become a “key word” for the innovative development of New Hope Group. “Changes and innovations are often initiated by young people and young businesses. As an enterprise existing for more than 30 years， it is necessary to take a road of rejuvenation by employing a partnership mode sharing both risks and benefits.” Liu Yonghao talked about “rejuvenation” on many occasions.

In 2013， Liu Chang， who was born in the 1980s， took over the position of Chairman of New Hope Liuhe， the largest agricultural and animal husbandry sector of the Group， from his father and initiated the “young” organization reform in the Group. Five years passed， most of the 3，400 managers in New Hope Group are in their early 30s. The Vice President of the Group， the President of the international division， the President of the regional platform and other core executives were all born in the 1980s. Moreover， in sectors like agriculture， animal husbandry， dairy industry， and real estate， there are also sales directors and financial directors born in the 1990s. A group of young people are becoming the backbone of corporate development.

“As far as I’m concerned， inheritance is not confined to family inheritance， but the inheritance of career platform； inheritance is not the inheritance to a single person， but to a young generation of excellent people； and inheritance is not the inheritance of a person’s experience， but the inheritance of the vision， mind and wisdom of the first generation of entrepreneurs， who embodied the brilliance of this great era with their marvelous experience.” Liu Yonghao told the reporter.