Flight of the shuttlecock
We have all heard how nimble the gecko is, and its amazing adhesion power. There is more than a touch of this in Qianshuang Sun. The 33 year-old native of China boasts a journey that highlights his ability to adapt and his thirst for progress. With a science baccalaureate to his name, Qianshuang left China aged only 18 to pursue his higher education in France. He obtained an engineering degree at the Toulouse Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA), before earning a Master’s degree in Industrial Risk Management at the Institut pour une culture de sécurité industrielle (Icsi), also in Toulouse. Qianshuang landed his first job in France in oil refining. Two years later, in 2013, he was headhunted by Arkema for a posting in China as Operations Technical Assistant on the Casda site. This plant, located near Beijing, has one of the world’s largest production capacities for sebacic acid and its derivatives. One year on, and he was heading a team of process supervisors. “I was very pleased to be able at such a young age to put to use the knowledge I had gained in France in order to improve production on our new Chinese site and be part of the development of Arkema’s activity in Asia.”
In China, we come into the world virtually with a racquet in one hand!
A talent from China
Two years later, Qianshuang was recalled to France. He joined the Serquigny plant in Normandy which specializes in polyamide manufacture, before being offered a job at Bostik’s Privas adhesives production plant. “The significance of Bostik in Arkema’s development weighed in my choice. The challenge is exciting because, in our sector, competition is fierce. You need to be at the top of your game in terms of quality and competitiveness, and in my case this means seeking to make the most of our production resources. The word “optimizing” pretty well sums up my job as a process engineer: improving productivity, avoiding non-quality, implementing new technologies, and carrying through debottlenecking projects, namely modifying industrial plants to increase production capacity. Then there’s also finding solutions on a daily basis, managing emergency situations, working to make processes ever safer and to control risks... This work requires versatility and multi-skills in particular in a smallish plant like Privas.” A “smallish plant” that is ramping up, as confirmed by Qianshuang, listing projects – both those recently completed and others designed to enhance productivity and double production capacities by 2023 compared to 2017: installation of a buffer tank for the two main reactors and a new water head granulator, installation in the coming years of two new reactors and a buffer tank.
“I’m still learning, improving in my ability to manage projects and improve processes”, believes Qianshuang, turning his gaze towards the future. “One of the issues I’m particularly interested in is digital transformation, which was actually on the agenda of the last Process Seminar. We now talk about the new concept of “smart” factory that relies on the latest information technologies (networked sensors, simulation software tools, etc.), which will help achieve increased competitiveness as well as optimize consumptions through energy efficiency. Process engineers must learn about these issues and learn best practice to be ready for Industry 4.0.”
Qianshuang feels “very much at home in France” although he remains a man that does not like to stand still. “Moving around means discovering new sites, other technologies and processes, move forward when working with different people...” Naturally his eyes turn to China. “To develop Bostik’s or Arkema’s activities, from a manufacturing angle of course, but, why not, from a commercial angle to maximize my assets.” China, which is where the process engineer also learned to get to grips with the badminton shuttlecock. “It’s a national sport, like ping-pong. In my country we come into the world virtually with a racquet in one hand!” he jokes. China’s track record speaks for itself: 41 Olympic medals. “We have a dominant position, although other Asian countries are also excellent at badminton, Qianshuang hastens to add. Like Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. Not to mention some European countries, Denmark in particular, which often stands out.” In China, this sport is very popular, and there are true stars like Lin Dan nicknamed “Super Dan” who has prevailed in major world tournaments in recent years. “I like his very versatile playing style. He knows how to be patient and tweak his tactics of the game based on the opposing team. There’s also another legendary badminton player, Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia, who above all can move very fast, and perform incredible trick shots and a staggering smash.”
No question for Qianshuang to give up badminton when he left his native China. “I kept on playing in France at the engineering school, and I have never given up even with a very busy work schedule.” He continues to train regularly 40 km away from Privas, at the Badminton Club Valence. “There are top players in France. I’ve lost against them on several occasions. I should say that as I am Chinese, I’m the player that everyone else wants to beat”, he grins. “I’m thinking of entering competitions at département level, but what I enjoy most is to play for fun”, Qianshuang maintains modestly even though he distinguished himself within the Toulouse university Chinese group, also recalling an internal tournament on the Casda site that he had “the honor of winning”.
Mind your eyes!
The choice of material is not left to chance. A badminton racket must weigh under 95 g. Some ultra-light graphite rackets can weigh just 70 g! We should point out that equipment manufacturers use our Pebax®, a perfect material to make the head of the racquet tougher and generate more power. Our elastomer can also be found in the sole of certain shoes like the Li-Ning AYAN013 in particular to make the supports more stable and secure. The shuttlecock, made of plastic or feathers (competition), weighs around 5 g. It is ultra-light but don’t be fooled, the full force of a shuttlecock hitting your eyes can hurt. Especially as it can reach terrific speeds. At a demonstration display organized by the Yonex brand, Malaysian player Tan Boon Heong struck the shuttlecock at a staggering speed of 137 m/s, virtually twice as fast as the tennis record (73 m/s), which is 493km/h! Hence some players wear eye protection.
To conclude, Qianshuang gives us a brief round-up of the game and of the way he approaches his sport: “The game is played on a rectangular court measuring 13.40 m long and 5.20 m wide for singles (6.10 m for doubles). The court is divided by a net stretched at a height of 1.55 m at the edges and 1.52 m in the middle. You score a point when the shuttlecock lands in your opponent’s court before they hit it, or when your opponent hits the shuttlecock into either the net or outside the boundaries of the opposing court. To win the overall game, you need to win 2 out of 3 sets by reaching 21 points before your opponent. If the scores are tied at 20-20, you then need two clear points ahead to win, so the game can last over two hours. You need to be physically fit. It’s very spectacular with powerful jump smashes and acrobatic saves. For me, to be good at badminton, you need to master certain technical skills. You also need to react fast, be accurate, know where to land the shuttlecock, and be well prepared in your shuttle runs, in other words anticipate as much as possible the next two or three strikes. The strategic angle is important. You often play this in your head. There’s a line I often repeat to myself when I play, and it also applies to work: I can’t say that I’ll always be the best, but I’ll always aim to get better. And if I’m disappointed when I drop a point, I’m not going to get flustered. I want to stay at my 100% best in a game, with my mind focused, and stay motivated to win the next point.”
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