Prof.Dr.-Ing.Charlie Khan
Currently serves as Director of the Guangzhou Xinnuo Precision Steel Tube Industry Research Institute, Member of the Standing Committee of the China Association for Science and Technology, President of the International Cold Formed Steel Association, Council Member of the China Iron and Steel Association, Chairman of the Cold Formed Steel Branch of the China Iron and Steel Association, Honorary Council Member of the Chinese Society for Metals, Professor at the University of Wollongong, Australia, and Professor at the University of Science and Technology Beijing.
Professor Han Jingtao was exiled to Kaifeng, Henan Province in 1969 as part of the Beijing population relocation programme, following his father's persecution during the Cultural Revolution. After graduating from high school in 1975, he commenced employment at the Second Electric Machinery Factory in Kaifeng City, Henan Province, working as a foundryman. Over several years, he accumulated extensive frontline production experience. In November 1977, he sat China's first post-Cultural Revolution university entrance examination. His outstanding results secured him inter-provincial admission to Xi'an Institute of Metallurgical Engineering, specialising in steel rolling. By late 1981, he became part of China's inaugural cohort of postgraduate students pursuing master's degrees. During this period, he contributed to the national Sixth Five-Year Plan's major scientific research project: ‘Introduction, Digestion and Absorption of 300MW/600MW Generator Units’. He spearheaded the renovation and process implementation of Benxi Special Steel's 650 rolling mill, personally leading the workshop team through trial production. Within just one year, they produced China's first batch of high-performance stainless steel moving and stationary blades for large steam turbine generators. This achievement earned him the ‘National Sixth Five-Year Plan Key Contribution Award for Scientific and Technological Breakthroughs,’ while Benxi Special Steel secured its first National Silver Medal Product designation for this innovation. Following his postgraduate studies in 1984, he remained at the university as a lecturer and was exceptionally promoted to the rank of lecturer. In 1987, he received the national honour of ‘Outstanding Class Tutor’ and concurrently assumed the role of Head of the Rolling Mill Teaching and Research Section (comprising 86 faculty members) at Xi'an Metallurgical and Architectural Institute. In June 1991, he was exceptionally promoted to Associate Professor.
In 1991, while participating in the national ‘Eighth Five-Year Plan’ key scientific research project ‘Manufacturing Technology and Quality Control for Large Castings and Forgings’, the scientific phenomenon of self-healing internal cracks in large forgings was discovered and confirmed (this scientific discovery has become a hot research area internationally for nearly three decades). This led to the establishment of low-defect/ defect-free quality control technology for large forged components. This rapidly elevated China's large forging pass rate from 44% in 1994 to 98% by 1998, propelling China's large forging manufacturing technology into the international first tier. This advancement also catalysed the construction boom of ten-thousand-ton hydraulic presses in China during the late 1990s.
In 1996, Professor Han Jingtao personally oversaw the production of China's first domestically manufactured super-large forged components for nuclear power plant evaporators. These included a 4500mm diameter × 900mm high evaporator tube sheet forging, along with were successfully installed at Pakistan's Chashma Nuclear Power Plant. This achievement established China as the fourth major nuclear power equipment manufacturing nation after the United States, France, and the Soviet Union. Consequently, Professor Han Jingtao became the sole Professor Standing Council Member of the Large Castings and Forgings Branch within China's heavy machinery industry at that time, a position he continues to hold to this day.
In 1996, as the project's chief technical officer, he spearheaded the construction and technological upgrade of the national ‘Ninth Five-Year Plan’ major technical transformation project, ‘High-Speed and High-Speed Railway Train Wheel Production Line’. Despite severe shortages of technical documentation, he dismantled a Canadian train wheel production line that had been out of service for many years, transported it back to Taiyuan Heavy Machinery Group, and transformed it into an advanced train wheel production line with 1990s-era installed capacity. Professor Han Jingtao innovatively proposed the theory of centre-offset rolling for ring-disk components and the sequential forming method for wheel production. These advancements significantly enhanced dimensional accuracy and production efficiency in railway wheel manufacturing, establishing themselves as standard processes for contemporary international integrated wheel rolling lines and large-scale ring-disk rolling production lines. Throughout this period, Professor Han Jingtao persistently organised and personally participated in the installation and commissioning of wheel rolling mills and large hydraulic presses on-site. This line produced China's first batch of solid web railway wheels meeting internationally advanced standards, overcoming the 120 km/h speed limitation of perforated wheels. This achievement laid a solid foundation for China's seven major railway speed-up campaigns and the construction and safe operation of high-speed railways.
In 2007, Professor Han Jingtao successfully completed the independent development, design, manufacture, installation, commissioning, and trial production of Guangdong King Glass Co., Ltd.“s ‘Steel Fire-Resistant Glass Curtain Wall Frame Profile Production Line’. This project represented China's first steel glass curtain wall frame profile production line, providing fire-resistant and explosion-proof glass curtain wall systems for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games” ‘Bird's Nest’ stadium, the Shanghai Tower (632 metres, the world's second tallest and China's tallest building), China Zun (528 metres, Beijing's tallest structure), and the reconstruction of the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing. It pioneered and guided the development of China's steel glass curtain wall industry. This production line also transformed Guangdong Jingang Glass Co., Ltd. – then a micro-enterprise with annual turnover barely exceeding 30 million yuan – into a large-scale listed company generating net profits of 420 million yuan per annum within just four years.
In 2009, Professor Han Jingtao independently developed, designed, manufactured, installed, commissioned, and trialled China's first precision roll-forming production line for 1000MPa-grade ultra-high-strength steel car sill components. This initiative supplied Chery Automobile Group with the nation's first domestically produced ultra-high-strength roll-formed automotive components, thereby shattering China's historical inability to manufacture high-strength/ ultra-high-strength automotive roll-formed components. This achievement successfully curtailed the illegal profits derived by joint-venture automakers from importing high-strength steel automotive parts at inflated prices. Furthermore, it laid the groundwork for domestic steel enterprises such as Baosteel to aggressively penetrate and capture both domestic and international automotive markets with their high-strength/ultra-high-strength steel products.
Professor Han Jingtao has provided over twenty production lines of various types to domestic and international metal forming enterprises throughout his nearly fifty-year career. The majority of these represent independently developed first-of-their-kind equipment globally, establishing his extensive expertise in non-standard metal forming products, equipment, and technologies. His work has garnered unanimous acclaim and respect within the industry. He possesses thorough familiarity with all stipulations and established practices—both domestic and international—regarding contract execution, commissioning and handover, warranty period services, and subsequent paid support throughout the development and deployment of comparable production lines.
Professor Han Jingtao was exiled to Kaifeng, Henan Province in 1969 as part of the Beijing population relocation programme, following his father's persecution during the Cultural Revolution. After graduating from high school in 1975, he commenced employment at the Second Electric Machinery Factory in Kaifeng City, Henan Province, working as a foundryman. Over several years, he accumulated extensive frontline production experience. In November 1977, he sat China's first post-Cultural Revolution university entrance examination. His outstanding results secured him inter-provincial admission to Xi'an Institute of Metallurgical Engineering, specialising in steel rolling. By late 1981, he became part of China's inaugural cohort of postgraduate students pursuing master's degrees. During this period, he contributed to the national Sixth Five-Year Plan's major scientific research project: ‘Introduction, Digestion and Absorption of 300MW/600MW Generator Units’. He spearheaded the renovation and process implementation of Benxi Special Steel's 650 rolling mill, personally leading the workshop team through trial production. Within just one year, they produced China's first batch of high-performance stainless steel moving and stationary blades for large steam turbine generators. This achievement earned him the ‘National Sixth Five-Year Plan Key Contribution Award for Scientific and Technological Breakthroughs,’ while Benxi Special Steel secured its first National Silver Medal Product designation for this innovation. Following his postgraduate studies in 1984, he remained at the university as a lecturer and was exceptionally promoted to the rank of lecturer. In 1987, he received the national honour of ‘Outstanding Class Tutor’ and concurrently assumed the role of Head of the Rolling Mill Teaching and Research Section (comprising 86 faculty members) at Xi'an Metallurgical and Architectural Institute. In June 1991, he was exceptionally promoted to Associate Professor.
In 1991, while participating in the national ‘Eighth Five-Year Plan’ key scientific research project ‘Manufacturing Technology and Quality Control for Large Castings and Forgings’, the scientific phenomenon of self-healing internal cracks in large forgings was discovered and confirmed (this scientific discovery has become a hot research area internationally for nearly three decades). This led to the establishment of low-defect/ defect-free quality control technology for large forged components. This rapidly elevated China's large forging pass rate from 44% in 1994 to 98% by 1998, propelling China's large forging manufacturing technology into the international first tier. This advancement also catalysed the construction boom of ten-thousand-ton hydraulic presses in China during the late 1990s.
In 1996, Professor Han Jingtao personally oversaw the production of China's first domestically manufactured super-large forged components for nuclear power plant evaporators. These included a 4500mm diameter × 900mm high evaporator tube sheet forging, along with were successfully installed at Pakistan's Chashma Nuclear Power Plant. This achievement established China as the fourth major nuclear power equipment manufacturing nation after the United States, France, and the Soviet Union. Consequently, Professor Han Jingtao became the sole Professor Standing Council Member of the Large Castings and Forgings Branch within China's heavy machinery industry at that time, a position he continues to hold to this day.
In 1996, as the project's chief technical officer, he spearheaded the construction and technological upgrade of the national ‘Ninth Five-Year Plan’ major technical transformation project, ‘High-Speed and High-Speed Railway Train Wheel Production Line’. Despite severe shortages of technical documentation, he dismantled a Canadian train wheel production line that had been out of service for many years, transported it back to Taiyuan Heavy Machinery Group, and transformed it into an advanced train wheel production line with 1990s-era installed capacity. Professor Han Jingtao innovatively proposed the theory of centre-offset rolling for ring-disk components and the sequential forming method for wheel production. These advancements significantly enhanced dimensional accuracy and production efficiency in railway wheel manufacturing, establishing themselves as standard processes for contemporary international integrated wheel rolling lines and large-scale ring-disk rolling production lines. Throughout this period, Professor Han Jingtao persistently organised and personally participated in the installation and commissioning of wheel rolling mills and large hydraulic presses on-site. This line produced China's first batch of solid web railway wheels meeting internationally advanced standards, overcoming the 120 km/h speed limitation of perforated wheels. This achievement laid a solid foundation for China's seven major railway speed-up campaigns and the construction and safe operation of high-speed railways.
In 2007, Professor Han Jingtao successfully completed the independent development, design, manufacture, installation, commissioning, and trial production of Guangdong King Glass Co., Ltd.“s ‘Steel Fire-Resistant Glass Curtain Wall Frame Profile Production Line’. This project represented China's first steel glass curtain wall frame profile production line, providing fire-resistant and explosion-proof glass curtain wall systems for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games” ‘Bird's Nest’ stadium, the Shanghai Tower (632 metres, the world's second tallest and China's tallest building), China Zun (528 metres, Beijing's tallest structure), and the reconstruction of the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing. It pioneered and guided the development of China's steel glass curtain wall industry. This production line also transformed Guangdong Jingang Glass Co., Ltd. – then a micro-enterprise with annual turnover barely exceeding 30 million yuan – into a large-scale listed company generating net profits of 420 million yuan per annum within just four years.
In 2009, Professor Han Jingtao independently developed, designed, manufactured, installed, commissioned, and trialled China's first precision roll-forming production line for 1000MPa-grade ultra-high-strength steel car sill components. This initiative supplied Chery Automobile Group with the nation's first domestically produced ultra-high-strength roll-formed automotive components, thereby shattering China's historical inability to manufacture high-strength/ ultra-high-strength automotive roll-formed components. This achievement successfully curtailed the illegal profits derived by joint-venture automakers from importing high-strength steel automotive parts at inflated prices. Furthermore, it laid the groundwork for domestic steel enterprises such as Baosteel to aggressively penetrate and capture both domestic and international automotive markets with their high-strength/ultra-high-strength steel products.
Professor Han Jingtao has provided over twenty production lines of various types to domestic and international metal forming enterprises throughout his nearly fifty-year career. The majority of these represent independently developed first-of-their-kind equipment globally, establishing his extensive expertise in non-standard metal forming products, equipment, and technologies. His work has garnered unanimous acclaim and respect within the industry. He possesses thorough familiarity with all stipulations and established practices—both domestic and international—regarding contract execution, commissioning and handover, warranty period services, and subsequent paid support throughout the development and deployment of comparable production lines.