Our Team

Home » Our Team

From Motorcycle Repair to Global Panels: The Story of Michael King

Behind every great company is a story of struggle, persistence, and an unshakable belief that hard work can change everything. For HENLI GROUP, that story begins with a young man named Michael King — a man who started with almost nothing, but never stopped learning, never stopped working, and never stopped believing.

A Childhood of Hardship

Michael King was born into a poor family in rural China. Money was scarce, opportunities were fewer, and childhood was not a time of play, but of survival. Like many young people in his village, he finished middle school and then entered the workforce — not by choice, but by necessity.

He took whatever work he could find. He repaired motorcycles. He worked on construction sites, carrying bricks and mixing cement. He loaded trucks. He sold goods on the street. He did odd jobs in small workshops. None of it was glamorous. None of it paid well. But every job taught him something: discipline, patience, how to deal with people, and how to keep going when your body is tired and your future is uncertain.

Those early years shaped him. They gave him a deep respect for labor, a resilience that would later define his business, and a hunger to learn anything that could make him better.

The Turning Point: 1996

In 1996, Michael joined a factory that produced decorative panels. He was hired as a salesman — not because he had connections or a fancy degree, but because he was willing to work harder than anyone else.

He threw himself into the job. He studied every product: PVC wall panels, decorative laminates, their materials, their specifications, their applications. He visited customers, listened to their problems, and wrote down every detail. He learned how to read technical datasheets. He learned how to negotiate. He learned how to build trust.

He arrived at the factory before anyone else and left after everyone else. He kept a notebook filled with customer feedback, competitor information, and ideas for improvement. Within a short time, he became the factory’s top salesperson — month after month, year after year. It was not luck. It was preparation, persistence, and an obsessive commitment to understanding both the product and the customer.

2006: The Leap of Faith

After a decade of selling for others, Michael decided to build something of his own. In 2006, he founded Haining Jinchuang Decoration Material Factory.

The beginning was not easy. The factory was small. The team was tiny. The equipment was basic. Michael did everything — sales, purchasing, quality control, even loading trucks when needed. He traveled long distances to meet customers, often returning home late at night. He reinvested almost every dollar back into the business. He made mistakes, learned from them, and kept moving forward.

What set him apart was not just his work ethic, but his willingness to keep learning. He read industry publications. He attended trade shows. He studied international standards. He learned how to communicate with overseas buyers. He understood that if he wanted to compete globally, he had to think globally.

Twenty Years of Growth: The Birth of HENLI GROUP

Over the next two decades, that small factory grew into something far bigger. Today, HENLI GROUP is a large enterprise integrating research and development, manufacturing, and sales of decorative panels. The new production base covers 260,000 square meters. The group operates 12 manufacturing plants and trading companies, employs more than 600 people, and generates annual revenue exceeding 40 million USD.

HENLIPANEL products are now exported to more than 90 countries and regions across North America, Central and South America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. From PVC wall panels to WPC cladding and UV marble panels, the company serves distributors, contractors, and designers around the world.

But Michael King has never forgotten where he came from. He still believes in the same values that carried him through those early years: hard work, humility, continuous learning, and respect for every customer.

The Values That Built HENLIPANEL

Michael’s story is not just a success story. It is a reminder that greatness is not given — it is earned. It is built through long hours, difficult lessons, and the courage to keep going when others give up.

Along the way, Michael received help from many people — a mentor who taught him about materials, a customer who gave him a second chance, a colleague who stayed late to help him finish an order. He has never forgotten those kindnesses. That is why helping others has become one of his most important principles in life and in business.

Today, HENLI GROUP reserves approximately 10% of its positions as public-welfare roles for older workers. These are meaningful jobs that allow experienced, older employees to continue contributing while ensuring production capacity remains strong. For Michael, this is more than a business decision — it is a way to honor the elderly, to practice respect and care for those who came before us, and to give back some of the help he once received. Michael himself has also been a dedicated volunteer for many years. Even with the heavy demands of running a large enterprise, he makes time to join community service activities and public-welfare work. He also regularly donates to help children from low-income families continue their education. He deeply believes that hard work builds a better present, while advanced education and motivated young people represent a brighter future. To him, caring for the elderly and investing in the young are two sides of the same responsibility — and both are essential to building a healthier, more caring society.

His life philosophy is simple:

“I didn’t have money, but I had hands, a brain, and the will to learn. That was enough to start. And I never forgot the people who helped me along the way.”

That spirit lives in every panel HENLIPANEL produces. It is a spirit of craftsmanship, responsibility, gratitude, and relentless improvement. It is the reason we say:

Better Panels, Healthier Living.

Because better panels begin with better people — people who never stop learning, never stop working, never stop believing in a better future, and never forget to lend a hand to others.