Chapter 236 Running in Both Directions

Ashish didn't want to go to Southeast University, that was totally the boss's bad idea.

Just because of a few sarcastic remarks from the Japanese, he actually took them seriously.

Ashish couldn't understand why India, which was so advanced, would go to backward countries to introduce technology.

It’s Tiangang on the contrary, too fake.

However, he could only do his best to follow his boss's instructions.

His sister Lazhu serves him every other day and they are like a family member to him.

Well, Ashish has also considered himself half a family member.

Since we are a family, we must get this done no matter what.

In India, family is the most reliable bond.

After going through various complicated processes and approvals, Ashish finally arrived in the neighboring country with his team.

Soon after landing, their worldviews were refreshed by what they saw and heard here.

It’s hard to describe that feeling. At first I was skeptical, then I sighed, and finally I was speechless.

Three days later, Ashish erupted in outrage: "Indian media, they're all fucking liars."

Without taking the time to explore further, they hurriedly started their inspection trip.

Long before coming here, Ron sent several inquiry letters to the University of Tokyo.

He was familiar with the place and knew which department to deal with, so he didn't even need an interpreter.

Ashish and his team did not have to take a detour. Someone took the initiative to receive them and even provided them with the yellow pages of the entire national television industry chain.

So they were shocked, and Ashish realized that he didn't know anything about this neighbor.

This country started producing televisions in the 1950s, color TVs in the 1970s, and by the 1980s there were more than 100 color TV production lines in the country.

In 1990, the production of color televisions alone exceeded 10 million units.

What about India? Do they sell 100,000 color TVs every year? Ashish expressed doubt.

What shocked him even more was yet to come. At that time, there was a price war going on in Tokyo for color televisions.

There are more than 90 color TV manufacturers in the country, with an annual production capacity of 40 million units, but the utilization rate is only half.

There are too many color TV brands on the market, so the only option is to engage in price wars.

As for black and white TVs, manufacturers are phasing out these outdated products.

Being eliminated and falling behind, Ashish just felt it was magical.

After calming down, he almost immediately called Ron's satellite phone and told him all the details of the situation here.

"You mean the manufacturers there are dismantling and phasing out their black-and-white TV production lines?"

"Yes, boss, people here don't seem to care about this kind of junk."

"What a great opportunity." Ron was delighted.

"I randomly asked a TV factory called Jinxing, and they said a production line with an annual output of 100,000 units only costs $300,000. If you buy two at once, you can get a 20% discount."

Ashish just thought it was ridiculous. It seemed like the other party was really selling junk, and from the tone of his voice, there was room for bargaining.

"Buy! No, ask around a few more places and pick the cheapest one. Buy two! Get whatever terms you can!"

"The professors are selecting manufacturers to inspect. We can get this done in half a month."

"Where are the accessories, the core accessories." This was another thing Ron was concerned about.

"Oh, yes," Ashish flipped through the yellow pages in his hand. "There are twelve manufacturers of color tubes, with a total output of 25 million per year."

"Color tube?"

"It's just what you think it is, the picture tube for color television. As for black and white tubes, there are even more manufacturers capable of producing them than I can count."

“Can it be produced completely independently?”

"I think so. The professor said they have the entire industry chain and sufficient production capacity."

Ron was agitated and he was walking around with the phone.

"The most important issue is the production line and the supply of black and white tubes. Get this done first, then you can contact their color tube manufacturers."

"Boss, what do you mean?"

"NEC wants us to buy expensive imported color tubes, but I won't. We'll pick the cheap ones!"

"The Japanese."

"Don't worry about the Japanese, we are Indians, and Indians never follow the rules when doing business."

"You're right!" Ashish almost forgot his ancestral skills.

"Remember, the sooner the better. Our TVs will be in production this year."

Oh, after hanging up the phone, Ron felt relieved.

The development of his hometown is faster than he imagined, and he can take advantage of the opportunity.

Unfortunately, I don’t know whether Tokyo University’s color TVs also rely on Japanese technology.

If he could be completely independent, Ron wouldn't have to deal with his daily life.

But there is a great chance. At least now he doesn't have to worry about being strangled by NEC.

Humph, if I don’t give the Japanese a good beating, they will think that India is easy to bully.

While Ashish was picking up scraps at the University of the East, Ron had another talk with NEC in Mumbai.

Because he was confident in his decision, he hardly bargained. His only request was to insist on the price of the color TV production line being reduced to $1.8 million.

In view of the fact that Sur Electric and other parties were extremely cooperative, NEC agreed to his request.

One was affectionate, the other was willing, and both sides quickly finalized the details.

At the signing ceremony in early May, Maharashtra Minister Nawal not only attended in person, but also brought a large number of media to show his support.

Ron and the NEC president, as representatives, sat at the table, picked up the pen, signed, exchanged, and then shook hands.

The flash lights were clicking almost non-stop.

Yes, the Suer Electric Appliances sign is brighter.

The newly established company was called SUR NEC Electronics Technology Corporation.

The temporary office is located in the Suer Electric Appliances building, and a special area will be allocated in the park later.

Of course, this is just a plan.

Who knows what happens next?

"Mr. Minister, can you please have a word with me?" After dealing with the reporters, Ron found Naval.

"What's up?"

"According to the agreement with NEC, the purchase of color TVs must be made in US dollars." Ron winked at him.

"Oh," Navarre suddenly realized, "I'll talk to the bank and get your $2 million line approved first."

"The future success of Sur Electric depends on your help!" Ron was overjoyed.

"I'll come back when the TV goes offline." Nawal left with satisfaction.

Ron was also satisfied that his small treasury of US dollars was saved.

From opening a travel company, to smuggling drugs, to running a pharmacy business, Ron earned a total of $1.2 million.

The money was hard-earned, and was originally intended to be used to purchase a television production line.

Originally, it would be enough to deal with NEC first, but the University of Tokyo also needs to spend US dollars.

Ron's small treasury was in a state of emergency, and he had an idea and went straight to Minister Navarre.

The Sur Industrial Park is a strategic plan of Mumbai, so it is reasonable for the government to allocate some resources to it.

The $2 million limit promised by Nawal refers to the amount of rupees that can be exchanged for dollars, and Sur Electric has to pay for the exchange itself.

No problem. According to the official exchange rate, Ron only needs to pay 62 million rupees to exchange it for 2 million US dollars.

This is a great deal, 20% cheaper than the black market, where they may not even be able to collect that much.

The US dollar is still a scarce resource in India. In the past two years, the Indian government directly transported gold to Europe to exchange for US dollars.

The economy has only been open for three years, foreign investment has not yet entered on a large scale, and the government still has few reserves.

It is a special case that Navarre can give this number.

Yes, the money I spent before was not in vain.

Ron has no shortage of rupees, and the sales of Sur Electric Appliances have been rising steadily in recent months.

As the weather is getting hotter and it will soon be the hottest summer, water air conditioners and electric fans are becoming more and more popular.

From the beginning of the year to May now, we have made an additional profit of 150 million rupees.

If Navarre agreed, Ron would be eager to convert all the money into US dollars.

In today's incremental market, Sur Electric's profits will continue to rise.

The rupees are increasing in number, but the US dollars are becoming increasingly scarce. We have to find a way to wash them.

After seeing Naval off, Ron turned around and tried to make friends with the little guys.

According to the agreement just signed, the joint venture company needs to pay a 30% deposit first, which is US$600,000.

NEC will then contract out an 18-inch color TV production line within three months.

Wait until the equipment is put on site and assembled before settling the balance.

Ron paid the deposit very promptly without any fuss.

He is a businessman, and with India's credibility as a guarantee, there will be absolutely no problem with the joint venture!

NEC is also quite satisfied and is said to be already packaging its production lines.

Do you think you've never had any dealings with the Indian government? Naive!

Before Suzuki Motor entered the Indian market, it took seven years due to various approvals and political factors.

Toyota also wanted to develop in India in the 1980s, but the land promised by the government was allocated to a local private company three months later.

Sony and Panasonic started discussing cooperation with the Indian government in the 1970s, but have not yet entered the market.

NEC has made rapid progress, okay?

It took them just over a month to complete the negotiations and sign the contract, and even the factory was almost finished.

Compared with the marathon of its peers, NEC's progress is as fast as cheating.

The legend that Indians are slow and scheming is false!

NEC testified that all the people it met in India were good people!

You see, the deposit was paid without any further delay, which is more efficient than some of their Japanese counterparts.

It was wonderful, the process was incredibly smooth.

To demonstrate Japanese credibility, NEC also made every effort to cooperate. They were planning to contract out a brand new production line, which would be sufficient for decades of use.

Of course, the subsequent service fees and authorization fees will not be less.

To put things one way or another, the real paid gift package is still to come.

Coincidentally, good guy Ron thought the same.

This wave is truly a two-way movement.

Each of them has their own ulterior motives and is looking to stab the other in the back, which results in an unusually high efficiency in the early stages.

Mumbai newspapers have touted this cooperation as a model for the Indian and Japanese economies to enter a new stage.

Sul-NEC's products have already gained fame before they even go on sale.

There's nothing you can do about it, these days Indians also worship foreign things.

Imported goods are naturally superior to domestic ones, and wealthy families are proud to use foreign brands.

Sur Electric also needs to borrow NEC's skin. Expensive appliances like televisions cannot be compared with electric fans.

After spending tens of thousands of rupees, who wouldn’t want to buy imported goods with more reliable quality?

Well, that's reality.

It’s no wonder that the Indian people think this way. Indian domestic products are indeed very bad, and Sur Electric Appliances is considered a breath of fresh air.

The color TV project is already in place, and Ashish's black and white TV is also progressing quickly.

(End of this chapter)