The Righteous Path Through Vicissitudes: Tao Ran, the Leader of Guilin Gaobang

Guilin Gaobang, a shining star of domestic products in the latex industry and a renowned hidden champion in the field, after more than half a century of development, has grown into the largest production and export base for latex products, forming an international brand with 600 million high-quality condoms, 9 million pairs of surgical gloves, and 120 million pairs of medical examination gloves. When Gaobang employees speak of their leader Tao Ran, they are always affectionate: President Tao really hasn't had it easy. And Tao Ran, when talking about himself, consistently uses a self-deprecating tone: I am the president of the maintenance association.

The contrast between the employees' words and his own self-description tells the same fact: Gaobang's excellence and industry status are undeniable, and behind this achievement, as the helmsman, Tao Ran has many stories; there are groundbreaking feats that dare to be the first, as well as twists and turns of perseverance through hardship.

Tao Ran, a native of Anhui, graduated from university in 1986. At the prime of his youth, fate placed him in picturesque Guilin. Starting as a grassroots technician, he rose to become the Communist Youth League Committee Secretary of the rubber system, which cultivated a rigorous and pragmatic work style, strong organizational skills, and the idealistic sentiments of a contemporary Communist Youth League cadre. In 2001, when Tao Ran was appointed by the superior company as the director of Guilin Latex Factory, market competition was intensifying. The factory was at a turning point where it needed to convert its strong production technology into brand power. Tao Ran resolutely pushed forward the brand strategy—to create the number one domestic condom brand: Gaobang.

At that time, the century plague AIDS was rampant. Blocking transmission through sexual contact and improving the safety of unprotected sex with infected individuals were among the effective methods to combat AIDS. Against this backdrop, Gaobang condoms, with their excellent product quality, obtained the qualification of "China's first supplier of condoms to the United Nations Population Fund," achieving a "zero" breakthrough for Chinese-made condoms in UN procurement projects. Tao Ran seized the opportunity. Guilin Latex Factory invested 1 million yuan as start-up capital, joining hands with the China Youth Development Foundation and China Youth Daily to establish the "China Youth AIDS Prevention Public Welfare Fund" in Beijing. They organized a series of diverse and content-rich AIDS prevention publicity activities covering universities, communities, and AIDS orphans, advocating a healthy and safe lifestyle for young people to curb the spread of AIDS in China.

Those were truly passionate years. A series of large-scale public welfare activities, such as the giant condom performance art still talked about in the industry (see our company report "Gaobang Condom's High-Profile Narrative"); the "Red Ribbon Action" for AIDS education in universities; the "Love Island" project donation for AIDS orphans, etc., made Guilin Gaobang well-known in the industry, greatly enhancing its brand awareness and reputation in society. Gaobang's proactive AIDS prevention public welfare actions were highly praised by the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC), and Guilin Gaobang thus became GBC's first Chinese member. Gaobang's social awareness and reputation went hand in hand with its outstanding market performance. Gaobang condoms won two-thirds of the global procurement volume of the United Nations Population Fund. By 2004, Gaobang became the world's largest supplier of condoms to the UNFPA. Behind this impressive report card, Tao Ran's careful planning, organization, and implementation were indispensable.

While Gaobang condoms dominated the market, Gaobang's medical latex gloves also kept pace. Gaobang pioneered the curved surgical hand mold design and the TPU-coated powder-free surgical glove technology, making outstanding contributions to the technological development of surgical gloves and the market popularization of powder-free surgical gloves. In October 2021, at the Shenzhen Autumn Medical Expo, Gaobang's sweat-absorbent disposable sterile rubber surgical gloves made their debut, attracting high attention from the industry. These gloves, developed by Gaobang and treated with special processes, keep the wearer's hands dry, achieving a revolutionary breakthrough in improving hand comfort and reducing discomfort and skin damage caused by sweat immersion. Another new product of Gaobang, low-protein latex gloves, which fills the gap in the domestic low-protein glove market, will soon be mass-produced and launched, set to be another blockbuster news that ignites industry hotspots.

In stark contrast to Gaobang's continuous new products and innovations is the dramatic transformation of the domestic latex industry. Some peers from Gaobang's era have disappeared after being acquired by foreign capital, some are struggling to breathe under the market tide, and others have survived in a changed form. Yet Gaobang has miraculously maintained stability in its team, core business, mindset, and income. It is not that the market economy has bypassed Gaobang, but that under Tao Ran's leadership, Gaobang people have always kept a clear course and clear goals, navigating through the wind and rain, growing in the storm.

This is what Gaobang employees mean by "not easy" and Tao Ran's self-deprecating "president of the maintenance association." The righteous path is always full of vicissitudes, but Gaobang people, like Tao Ran, find it sweet.