While everything taking on a new look in China, great changes have taken place at the SHANGHAI MAXAM COMPANY LIMITED, which has a history of 80 years.

Mr. Fang Ye Xian, the patriotic entrepreneur, founded this China's first chemistry factory in the autumn of 1912, and produced the nation's first oral sanitary product-tooth powder, before long, the first tube of toothpaste of China - "Three Star" brand toothpaste came into being. From then on, experiencing all kinds of frustrations and hardships, the old generation of workers bridged the gap in toothpaste industry of China and established the base of the industry through arduous efforts.

After liberation, STOF started to make real progress. To be their own master and to develop the spirit of doing poineering work, the staff of STOF have been keeping on exploring a way to develop the toothpaste industry if Chinese characteristics. During the end of 1960's and the beginning of 1970's, STOF has realized three important transfermations in the history of toothpaste industry:

1. The transformation from soap-type toothpaste in lead-tin tube to detegent-type toothpaste in aluminium tube;
2. The transformation from manual operation to automatic assembly-line manufacture;
3. The transformation from monotonous tooth-activating cream to both tooth-protecting and tooth-activating product.

As a result, "Maxam", "Zhonghua", "Baiyu" and other famous brand dental creams of the factory have been well received in the market.

Since the third Plenary Session of the 11th Party Central Committee, the open policy has been pushing the STOF forward rapidly. Reforming and keeping forging ahead with great courage, the staff of STOF is now developing the spirit of "Unity, Assiduity, Opening-up and High-efficiency" and has made the STOF a leading company in this line of the country on such fields as technological research, product quality, the volume of export and technical personnel. At present, STOF is awarded the honour of state's second grade enterprise.

-- Form a series if toothpaste products. With the spirit of bringing forth new ideas, the technical personnel do their utmost to learn from and draw on the advanced technology both at home and abroad, develop many new toothpaste products which are fit for different kind of customers and form "Maxam", "Zhonghua", "Baiyu", "Shanghai" and "Spearmint" five series of products ranging from middle-grade to high-grade.

-- Improve the quality of the toothpaste furtherly. The staff of STOF pay great attention to the quality of the products all the time and have established excellent after-sales services and scientific management system in line with the international standard. As a result, "Maxam" brand dental cream was awarded the gold state prize, "Zhonghua" brand dental cream was rewarded high-quality product prize of Light Industry Ministry and the enterprise was awarded the quality-management prize of Light Industry Ministry.

-- Realize the aim of doubling the export volume. With the spirit of keeping forging ahead and opening-up, the staff of STOF take an active part in the international competition through multiple channels. The export increased from 20,000,000 tubes of toothpaste in 1985 to 50,000,000 tubes now, totalling up to F.E.C. 12 million yuan, these products are exported to more than 30 countries and regions, meanwhile, the new generation of toothpaste using aluminium-plastics compound packaging materials has entered the markets if developed countries, including Europe and America.