From a big-brand OEM factory to a top streamer on TikTok, this Fuyang company has successfully counterattacked and broken through!

The 2025 Fuyang District's Seventh Hundred Village Basketball Tournament is in full swing. As players sweat, pass, and scramble on the court, the flow of the ball attracts the attention of many.

A basketball bearing the exclusive "Hundred Village Basketball Tournament" logo is the only designated match ball for this tournament. It comes from Hangzhou Meidong Sports Goods Co., Ltd. in Changkou Town.

From reliance on contract manufacturing to independent control, Meidong Sports has persevered in meticulous development, leveraging its innovative "smart manufacturing + branding + e-commerce" model to achieve pinnacle excellence in basketball, football, and volleyball.

Recently, a reporter visited the company's workshops to uncover the business secrets behind its basketball success.

The materials and designs of the match balls are innovative

In the product showroom of Meidong Sports, there are dozens of basketball, football and volleyball products of different styles and bright colors.

He Zhifeng, head of Hangzhou Meidong Sports Goods Co., Ltd., explained that the official match ball for the Hundred Villages Basketball Tournament is the company's latest creation.

This ball not only features innovative materials and design, but also fully considers the needs of users in diverse environments.

Utilizing advanced composite materials, the basketball remains lightweight while offering exceptional dust and abrasion resistance. Especially for outdoor activities and dusty environments, this basketball effectively protects against dust, maintaining a clean and smooth surface and ensuring precise passing and dribbling.

The basketball's unique internal liner enhances both its elasticity and durability.

As we all know, durability is often a major consideration for consumers, and Meidong Sports has fully taken this into account. Many users have reported that the basketball remains in good condition even after hours of training and competition, and this durability has earned it high praise in the market.

Get rid of the OEM label and seek transformation and upgrading

Meidong Sports was founded in 2011, but until 2021, it had been pursuing an OEM (original equipment manufacturing) approach, producing under the brand name of internationally renowned manufacturers. Lacking an influential brand of its own, Meidong Sports was at a disadvantage within the industry chain.

After 10 years of OEM work, He Zhifeng realized that while he had accumulated initial capital and technical expertise, the drawbacks of OEM production had already become apparent. With increasingly fierce competition in the OEM industry, price pressures were severely squeezing profit margins. More importantly, OEM was essentially working for someone else, with the brand premium accruing to international brands. He knew this path would ultimately lead to a dead end.

"For example, if a foreign company earns $35 on a $100 product, we'll earn $2—a mere drop in the bucket." Therefore, the idea of transformation and upgrading constantly lingered in the minds of He Zhifeng and his team.

The "WELLMAN" brand is about to enter the national stage

However, transformation is not easy. How can companies break through? One approach is to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies, another is to build brand, and yet another is to develop sales channels.

Breakthroughs in Core Technologies

Meidong Sports actively studies and introduces various ball manufacturing technologies. Through over a decade of industry experience, the company has continuously digested and understood these technologies, gradually mastering independent intellectual property rights and core technologies.

At present, Meidong Sports already has two first-class domestic basketball production lines and one football and volleyball production line, and has obtained authorization from Li Ning Professional Sports Equipment Department (Beijing Lifanglihe Sports Development Co., Ltd.) to become the core supplier of professional competitive products for the Li Ning brand, even including producing the official designated match ball for the CBA league.

Building Independent Brands

Meidong Sports was the first in China to register the "WELLMAN" brand in 2012, symbolizing "excellent people," heralding the company's rapid and healthy development.

In recent years, Meidong Sports has championed events such as the "China Tour: International Basketball Star Challenge" and the "Fuyang Hundred Villages Basketball Tournament" to showcase its brand culture, express its product value, and enhance consumer recognition, thereby establishing its voice in the market.

Develop sales channels

Meidong Sports has continuously experimented with and innovated its e-commerce marketing strategies, gradually expanding its presence on Tmall, JD.com, and Douyin. It has also keenly capitalized on business opportunities, hiring a team to build its own livestreaming studio. This year, it has already topped Douyin's children's basketball sales charts.

Meidong Sports is also leveraging cross-border e-commerce models to expand its brand internationally through Alibaba International Station and Douyin's overseas version.

Looking back, He Zhifeng's journey from a small contract manufacturer to the owner of his own brand was a testament to his boldness and carefulness. Not only did he capitalize on opportunities with his keen business acumen, but he also employed precise market positioning and marketing strategies to ensure Meidong Sports's simultaneous development of intelligent manufacturing and its own brand. While producing high-quality products for international brands, he also vigorously developed his own brand, ultimately achieving a remarkable comeback. Today, the "WELLMAN" brand is not only flourishing in Fuyang but is poised to expand into Zhejiang and even the national stage.