After nearly ten years of staying out of his comfort zone, Frank Qiu now leads quality management at Tenaris in China, building on experience across process technology and production management. Tenaris
When Frank Qiu joined Tenaris in China as a Global Trainee in 2017, he made himself a promise: he would not stay in the comfort zone and he would always be willing to take on something new. Almost a decade later, that rule has taken him through process technology, production management and, today, the role of Quality Manager at Tenaris in China.
"Once you get very familiar with something, you move into a comfort zone, and I didn't want that," he says. "At the beginning each change is hard. But I prefer that to standing still."
From the automotive industry to steel pipes for energy
Qiu graduated as a mechanical engineer in 2015 and began his career in the automotive industry in Shanghai. Two and a half years later, he and his family decided to move to Qingdao, close to his hometown. He was looking for a world-leading company where he could grow internationally. Tenaris, a global manufacturer of steel pipes for the energy industry, was the right fit.
"It was the best company in OCTG, my background matched, and I felt I could grow a lot here," he recalls. OCTG (oil country tubular goods) are the steel pipes used to drill and complete oil and gas wells.
He spent his first years in process technology at Tenaris’s Component Center in Qingdao, before becoming a production manager. Along the way, he learned from his supervisors and from his peers. "There's a traditional Chinese saying: 'when three people walk together, at least one of them can be your teacher.' I try to keep that in mind."
Throughout his career, Frank valued team-based work for the lessons he was able to teach and learn from others. Tenaris
What production management taught him about people
The move to production meant switching from deep technical focus to a much wider view of the operation. "As Production Manager, you have to see the bigger picture and work across many departments," Qiu says. "The biggest lesson was that people are the most valuable asset. You can't run the operation alone."
He learned to communicate with different kinds of employees, develop people and build teams. He says those skills matter as much in his current role as technical knowledge.
Quality management across the entire production chain
Moving to Quality changed how he saw the business. Tenaris's Qingdao facility focuses on threading, the final machining that lets pipes connect to each other. Quality, however, covers the whole process, from steelmaking and rolling to heat treatment, and on to how customers use the pipe in the field.
"Customers always want the perfect product, so I had to learn what they do, how they use our pipe and why they buy it," he explains. "Quality means understanding the customer's expectations and balancing risk across the entire chain."
On Saturdays, Frank plays football with his son. Tenaris
Building trust on the shop floor
As a leader, Qiu focuses on two things: feedback and fairness. He talks regularly with shop-floor employees about what they're doing well and where they can improve, and he always explains why. "Everybody follows the same rules, including management," he says. "And trust isn't built immediately. It's little by little, by acknowledging the human side, not only the work."
He also values how Tenaris approaches development. "Our development plans are designed for each person, with very good follow-up from TenarisUniversity, and we really invest to develop talent and grow good leaders," he says. "We set the destination, and leaders have the freedom to choose the path."
Advice for young engineers starting an industrial career
His advice for young professionals reflects how he has built his own path. "When we see a very high mountain, we think we can never reach the top. But if you do everything one by one, learning from the details, you grow gradually," he says. "There's no shortcut. In the long term, everything is done step by step."
Outside work, Qiu spends his weekends with his family. On Saturdays he plays football with his son, and almost every week they explore the scenery around Qingdao together.
Most weeks, Frank explores the natural scenes around Qingdao with his family. Tenaris