‘Debugging king’ sets new standards
Diesel engine expert and NPC deputy helps set up new professional qualification system
This is Lu Xindi’s sixth time at the annual session of the national legislature.
In previous years, the National People’s Congress deputy and senior technician at the FAW Jiefang Dalian Diesel Engine Company in Dalian, Liaoning province, has tabled 31 suggestions, five of which received State support.
“For the first time this year, I made an appeal on behalf of our internal combustion engine industry, suggesting that hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines be included in the national development plan for new energy,” said the 56-year-old.
China is home to the most internal combustion engines in the world and is their largest producer. However, as the country endeavors to reach peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060, the conventional internal combustion engine will soon be eliminated, he said.
“Among the three alternative solutions for medium- and heavy-duty trucks — electric, hydrogen or hydrogen fuel cells — we believe that getting conventional engines to burn hydrogen is relatively easier and also more economical,” Lu said.
Dubbed the “diesel engine debugging king”, Lu has grown from an ordinary worker to a well-known expert in diesel engine assembly and testing over the past 36 years.
“Both hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen internal combustion engines can power vehicles using hydrogen, which is a zero-carbon fuel, but only the latter can make use of the existing industrial system and quickly reach mass production,” he added.
Following visits to new energy vehicle companies, careful comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of both technologies, and discussion with experts, Lu decided in favor of promoting hydrogen engines.
As a technician, he has paid close attention to encouraging and improving workers’ skills as part of his duties as an NPC deputy. Of the 31 suggestions he made between 2018 and last year, 13 were related to career paths, five of which received government support.
For example, he suggested the creation of a new national professional qualification system for technical workers last year.
“Previously, the vocational rating for skilled workers had five levels. Many industrial workers reach the highest level, or become senior technicians in their 20s or 30s, and have no other recourse to career evaluation or technical advancement opportunities after,” Lu said.
He looked into the expectations of industrial workers, sorted through data and research notes, and suggested adding an additional three levels.
The suggestion was well received by various State departments.
In March last year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security issued a trial opinion on improving the vocational skills rating system for skilled workers, adding an additional beginner level and two senior levels.
“The eight-level system greatly extends and expands the means to measure the progress of skilled workers,” Lu said.
Lu and his fellow workers have completed 1,250 innovation projects, won eight gold medals at international invention exhibitions, eight provincial and ministerial science and technology progress awards, and 46 national authorized patents.
Lu has trained more than 100 young industrial workers in new methods and ideas.
“I love innovation both in my work as a technician and in the management of the studios,” he said.