Japanese Engineers Express Gratitude with Fine Wine

On June 21, Tianfeng Yan and Yang Zhao, two operators of the Tokyo Electric Power who served in the rescue operations of the Fukushima nuclear accident, visited SANY Heavy Industry. Previously, they operated the 62-meter concrete pump truck donated by SANY to inject sea water to cool the damaged nuclear reactors. As a symbol of friendship and gratitude, they brought Japanese wine to thank SANY for its help.

"Xiexie (thank you),” said Tianfeng Yan, using the Chinese expression he had just learned. He told his Chinese hosts about the nuclear accident from his own perspective.

  
After the nuclear power station was hit by the earthquake and the ensuing tsunami, Tianfeng Yan knew Tokyo Electric Power would inject sea water to cool the nuclear reactors. But due to the height of the reactors, fire engines were of no use.
 

On March 21, Tianfeng Yan heard on television that SANY Heavy Industry had donated a 62-meter concrete pump truck. He felt that the pump truck was a powerful piece of equipment but he “never thought he would get a chance to operate the vehicle himself.”
 

Tianfeng Yan used the word “stunned” to describe his feelings when seeing the vehicle. After two days’ of intensive training by SANY’s engineers, Tianfeng Yan and Yang Zhao were able to inject water and shoot videos with the pump truck.

According to Yang Zhao, SANY’s concrete pump performed excellently. First, its length and width were just right. The narrow lanes at the Fukushima nuclear power station didn’t allow average-sized pump trucks to enter, but SANY’s pump truck maneuvered freely inside the facility. Secondly, after the pump truck was set up at the power station, it worked flawlessly 24/7 with its boom fully extended. The SANY pump truck was best at absorbing shocks.

Yang Zhao told the reporter that on April 11, 2011, Fukushima nuclear power station was again hit by an earthquake measuring 7 degrees on the Richter scale. All the engineers were forced to evacuate immediately, leaving the SANY pump truck behind. 

“We thought the pump truck would fall down, but it was still standing with its boom fully extended when we went back to check," said Tianfeng Yan. Both men said they were impressed.

“The SANY pump truck was controlled remotely from a distance of two kilometers, helping us to be less exposed to the radiation,” said Yang Zhao. “SANY’s pump truck played an important role in the disaster relief, and the Japanese people are extremely grateful to SANY and China.”
 

On his trip to China, the two men brought fine wine as gifts to their hosts. “In Japan, wine is a symbol of friendship,” said Tianfeng Yan.
 

In return, SANY gave the guests two models of the hero pump truck. Yang Zhao was pleased to receive the model vehicle and said: “Since operating the SANY pump truck at the Fukushima nuclear power station, I have longed to have a model like this.”

In the SANY South-1 workshop, Tianfeng Yan and Yang Zhao saw one of the “Big Giraffe’s” cousins – a concrete pump truck of the same model as the one donated to Japan. “I have such fond memories of this machine,” said Tianfeng Yan as he picked up the remote and started to operate the vehicle. “This remote works even better than the one I used in Japan,” he said.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of friendly ties between China and Japan. Tianfeng Yan and Yang Zhao said they hoped to witness even greater friendship between the two nations.

Japanese Engineers Operate a SANY Pump Truck Again