At noon today, before we even started work, a client came to the factory to inspect the 8433 heat-resistant steel.
This visit had been scheduled a few days ago. She had asked me to stop by their company, but since I couldn’t make it, the purchasing manager and the tooling supervisor came together instead.
This client specializes in copper die casting. Their current molds use 8407 and 8418 from a certain supplier, but they’re cracking—after just a few thousand cycles. Small parts last about 8,000 cycles, while larger ones crack after 3,000. The mold life is too short, and they’re having to rework the molds too often, so they urgently need a copper die-casting mold steel with a longer service life.
This is a U.S.-owned company with factories in the United States, China, Vietnam, and other locations. They specialize in high-end lighting fixtures and are reportedly quite successful. The procurement manager has been in the role for 29 years, and the mold supervisor has 20 years of experience; employees are reluctant to leave, which speaks to the company’s strong performance.
The business discussions went very smoothly. It’s raining again in Dongguan today—as the Cantonese say, “rain brings prosperity,” which is a good omen.
There was also a remarkable coincidence: when the procurement specialist searched for die steel on Doubao, the platform recommended heat-resistant steel 8433. When she forwarded the 8433 specifications to the mold supervisor, he remarked, “I’ve been keeping an eye on this person for quite some time.”
Today, I noticed his TikTok favorites—he’d saved videos I’d posted a long time ago. What an incredible coincidence!
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Wu Dejian’s tool steel, the chief of staff of the user, bought everything he had used.