Anbao 30th Anniversary Special | Building Strength: Breaking New Ground Through Cross-Border Communications

Before formally shifting to paper product manufacturing, a cross-industry venture into the communications sector helped the enterprise amass capital and refine its market-oriented operational mindset.

On August 7, 1998, Chengdu Anbao Trading Co., Ltd. was officially renamed Chengdu Anbao Investment Co., Ltd. Concurrently, the company invested to establish Sichuan Yanque Communications Co., Ltd., emerging as a core authorized agent of China Unicom Sichuan Branch. Trading laid the foundation of Anbao’s founding; paper container manufacturing stands as its core primary business, while the communications arm represented a bold cross-industry investment layout for the group.

The mobile phone market was still in its infancy back then. Focused on mobile handsets and SIM card sales, the communications business posted an average annual revenue of RMB 200 million over its six years of operation.

In August 2004, Anbao wound down its cross-border communications business to fully refocus on its paper manufacturing industrial track. Though seemingly unrelated to its core paper container operations, this six-year cross-industry journey carried far-reaching significance. Its robust revenue streams generated ample capital reserves for the subsequent leasing and construction of paper product factories, procurement of advanced production equipment, technological innovation, and collaboration with key clients including Uni-President and Master Kong.

This brief yet highly rewarding cross-industry undertaking marked a critical phase of capacity building along the enterprise’s industrial development journey. It equipped Anbao with greater confidence to tackle challenges and forge steady progress throughout its subsequent transformation into a manufacturer.