Afterextensiveexperiments,Zhangandhiscolleaguesinventedanewtoolthatsavestimewhenrepairingatransformerproblemcausedbyameltedfuse.Withtheinvention,theycanfixthisprobleminonly8minutescomparedtoabout45minuteswithoutit.Thistechniquewasawardedapatentandhasalreadybeenappliedinmanyotherplaces.Itsavesatleast3millionyuaneveryyear.byQinBin
Toeliminatetheriskoflive-lineworking,Zhangandhiscolleaguescreatedalivelineworkingrobotin2017withthehelpofartificialintelligencetechnologies.courtesyofStateGridTianjinElectricPowerCompanyZhangLimingisanemployeeattheStateGridTianjinElectricPowerCompany.After31yearssincehejoinedthecompany,hehasbecomea“blue-collarinnovator.”Hehasmanagedorparticipatedinover400technologicalinnovationprojects.HeisalsocaptainofateamcomprisedofmembersoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC)inTianjin’sBinhaiNewArea,whichoffersfreeservicesforcitizens.
OnMay28,2018,Zhangwasawardedthetitle“RoleModeloftheEra.”
PioneeringEmergencyRepair
Zhanghasremainedcontinuouslyengagedinemergencyrepairssincehestartedworking,andhestillwearsoverallsallyearround.“Iseldomturnoffmycellphone,”hereveals.“WhenIhearrainstartfallingatnight,IgetuporevengototheofficetoensureIarriveatthesceneofanaccidentassoonaspossible.”
OnNovember20,2016,itsnowedheavilyinTianjin.ThecommunityZhangoversawsufferedasuddenpowerfailure.Zhangandhiscolleaguesarrivedatthepowerstationsoonafterreceivingthecall.Theydiscoveredthatpartoftheundergroundelectricalcableofthecommunitywasbroken.Theproblemwasnotdifficulttosolve.Theyjusthadtoclimbtheutilitypole,turnoffthebreakerandisolatethefaultypart.However,becausethepolewasfrozen,theclimberscouldn’tbecompletelysecured.
Afterashortdiscussion,Zhangandhiscolleaguesdevisedasolution.Theyremovedsomeoftheiceonthepoleandinstalledtheclimbers,andthenZhangandtwocolleaguesformeda“ladder”tosupporttheclimberswiththeirshoulders,fromwhichanothercolleagueworkedwithatoolthatextendedtofivemeters.Itwasstillsnowingheavily,andthecoldwindchilledtheirbones.HeLi,Partychiefofthecommunity,recalledthescene:“ItwasthefirsttimeIwitnessedanemergencyrepair.Itwasreallyshocking.Toexpressourgratitude,wemadeasilkbannerandgaveittothem.Whenweenteredtheiroffice,wewereagainshockedbecausetheroomwasalreadyfullofbanners.Behindeverybannermustbeatouchingstory.”
Overthepast11years,ZhangLiming’sserviceteamhasprovidedregulardoor-to-doorassistancefor150familieswithaged,sickordisabledmembersin11communities.Theyhavecompletednearly10,000servicetasks,andover100,000householdshavebenefitedfromtheirwork.byDongFangInnovationWorkshop
ThecommunitiesthatZhangservesarealllocatedintheBinhaiNewArea,thefirstfreetradezoneinnorthernChina.Over140companieslistedamongtheFortuneGlobal500haveofficesthere.EnsuringacontinuouspowersupplyintheareaandeliminatingproblemsareZhang’sprimarytasks.
Toperformanexcellentemergencyrepairjob,onefirstneedsfamiliaritywithcircuits.Whenleavingwork,Zhangoftenwalkpastalineofcircuitswithanotebookinhandmakingnotes.Overtheyears,hehascheckedover80,000kilometersofpowerlinesanddrawnmorethan1,500circuitdiagrams.Hehasdevelopedauniqueskilltodiagnoseaccidents:Hecanoftenguessthenatureandgeneralplaceoftheaccidentandsometimeseventhecauseoftheaccidentbasedontheaffectedarea,environmentandconditionofcircuitsandequipment,whichgiveshisteammoretimeandefficiencytoperformanemergencyrepair.
ZhangLimingalsopayscloseattentiontoimprovinghisworkandmanagement.Heinventedthe“LimingEmergencyRepairBookCase”inwhichallofhistoolscanbefixedinsetplacestosavetimeinanemergency.Hehasstreamlinedhisworkprocess,shorteningthenecessarytimetosolveahigh-voltagefaultfromthreehourstolessthananhour.Afterextensiveexperiments,heandhiscolleaguesinventedanewtoolthatsavestimewhenrepairingatransformerproblemcausedbyameltedfuse.Withtheinvention,theycanfixthisprobleminonlyeightminutescomparedtotheprevious45minuteswithoutit.Thistechniquewasawardedapatentandhasalreadybeenappliedinmanyotherplaces.Itsavesatleastthreemillionyuaneveryyear.
In2011,anewworkshopwasnamedafterZhang:ZhangLimingInnovationWorkshop.Itisthefirstworkers’innovationstudioofStateGridTianjinElectricPowerCompany.Hisworkshophascreatedover400newtechnologicalresultsandhasbeenawardedmorethan140patents,20ofwhicharefirstsforsmartgrids.Zhang’sworkshophasalsoincubatedeightanotherinnovationworkshopsandcultivatedmanyother“blue-collarinnovators”whohaveproducedimmenseeconomicbenefits.
Toeliminatetheriskoflive-lineworking,Zhangandhiscolleaguescreatedalive-lineworkingrobotin2017withthehelpofartificialintelligence(AI)technologiesincludingsensing,recognitionandcognition.Bytheendof2018,therobotisexpectedtobeabletoperformalljobsinvolvinglive-lineworking,abigleapfrommachinesoperatedbymentoAIrobotics.TheprojecthasbecomeakeyAItechnologicalprojectofTianjinMunicipality.
CaptainofCPCServiceTeam
ZhangisalsothecaptainofaserviceteammainlycomprisedofCPCmembers,whichwasfoundedin2007.Theteamoffersemergencyrepairservices.
OnApril12,2017,alocalcommunitywasscheduledtohavepowershutoffforbasicmaintenance.However,theserviceteamgotacallfromMs.Fan,acitizeninthecommunity,justbeforetheoutage.Fantearfullyexplainedthather96-year-oldmotherwasbedriddenandclingingtolifewiththehelpofarespirator.Theoutagewouldhaveendangeredherlife,soZhangandhiscolleaguesrushedtoherhomewithagenerator.Theysetupa20-metercircuitlineandsuppliedthehomewithpowerfor11consecutivehoursduringtheoutage.
Zhangandhisteammembersalsoprintedcardswiththeirphonenumbers,anddistributedthemthroughoutthecommunitiestheyserve.In11years,theserviceteamhasprovidedregulardoor-to-doorassistancefor150familieswithaged,sickordisabledmembersin11communities.Theyhavecompletednearly10,000servicetasks,andover100,000householdshavebenefitedfromtheirwork.
“I’mhappiestwhenIseeelectricitylightupallhouseholds,”Zhanggrins.“Itismysimplestjoy,andallmycolleaguesfeelthesame.”
ZhangLiminghastakenthebatonfromtheoldergenerationsofpowerworkers.Throughanalyzingover10,000powersupplyaccidents,hehassummeduptypicalsolutionsformorethan50cases.Healsocreatedthe“CaseBankforEmergencyRepair”and“HandbookforEmergencyRepair.”Zhangpassesonhisexpertisetohiscolleagues,carryingonthetraditionoftheoldergenerations.