A machine factory!

Back in its heyday, it was a large factory with seven or eight thousand employees, and the surrounding facilities were complete, making it almost like a small town.

But now? They praise you so quickly!

When Director Li was still there, he could still find ways to keep things afloat using his resources. But it's only been a few years! Wages can't be paid, equipment can't be produced, and so many people are waiting for money to see a doctor and eat.

Many people urged Xing Baohua to find a solution or lend a helping hand. Unfortunately, large equipment was of no use to Xing Baohua.

Moreover, even if he were to take over, the structure would have to be demolished and rebuilt, and the original model was really not suitable for his solo approach.

Wei Laisong approached him, asking him to discuss acquiring the machinery factory with China Merchants Group. At the time, he did have this idea. However, the technology for producing large equipment was far behind that of foreign countries.

It's okay for some domestic companies to use, but with time and technological advancements, the technology of machinery factories has become far behind.

We used to have a lot of overseas orders, but why have they gradually disappeared? It's because advanced technology has taken over.

If Director Li had had a broader vision back then and invested the limited funds in research and development, he might have been able to keep the machinery factory a few more years ahead.

But he insisted on emulating Empress Dowager Cixi, who used the funds meant for her own purposes to build gardens, which hastened the demise of the Qing Dynasty.

Factory Director Li tried every possible way to benefit the employees, such as building staff housing. His intentions were good, but he also had to consider his own capabilities!

Now the staff housing project is also abandoned, and the employees are staring blankly at each other every day, feeling extremely lost.

Now that Pengji is available, Xing Baohua also has this idea: to take over the machinery factory in the name of China Merchants Group and then make further modifications, and to make exclusive equipment and spare parts for Pengji.

In this way, the machinery factory can survive by acquiring and restructuring, weeding out the old hands, introducing new talent, and maintaining a new cycle.

However, Jin Xin shook his head, saying that it was inappropriate to acquire the machinery factory in the name of China Merchants Group.

Just as Xing Baohua was about to ask why it was inappropriate, Jin Xin said, "There have been several meetings to discuss the construction of expressways in China. Our bureau has received information that the project will be launched in the next few years. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the China Merchants Group will also establish an expressway project company. If it is successful, we will acquire equipment under the name of the expressway project company and specialize in producing road construction equipment and other auxiliary equipment."

Xing Baohua nodded and said, "Okay, that's a good idea. But..."

"The transportation costs for parts produced in central Shandong aren't cheap either! Several provinces around Nandu also have supporting facilities, so sourcing locally is the most convenient and economical option. Don't think about taking care of family ties back home; you might, but who will bear the intangible costs?"

As a shareholder, I disagree.

“Okay, I agree with your point of view. As for how to acquire the machinery factory and how to operate it, I won’t concern myself with that,” Xing Baohua said.

"Just so you know, Pengcheng is holding a groundbreaking ceremony for Pengji next Friday, and we need your presence," Jin Xin said.

"Okay, there's really no need for that. We can just break ground. If we have to go through with that ceremony, it adds a bit of unnecessary drama."

"What are you saying? Weddings have ceremonies too, doesn't that add color to the occasion? Funerals are always three to five days long! If you're so capable, why don't you have a ceremony when you get married?" Jin Xin's words left Xing Baohua speechless.

"They're gone."

“I’m going to Japan tomorrow and will be back before next Friday. Also, Xu Shuai is my childhood friend. He’s all talk and no action. Could you help me look after him if you have time?” Xing Baohua said, looking at Jin Xin who had stood up.

"It's only because of you. If anyone else had so openly brought their own people in, they would have been ostracized long ago. Pengji will be a large organization in the future, and the relationships will be even more complicated. It's still uncertain whether your childhood friend can handle that environment," Jin Xin said with a slight smile.

Xing Baohua stopped talking. He knew that Xu Shuai was not cut out for that kind of thing and couldn't be smooth, so he would just pretend to be honest.

Only in this way can people ignore him and not think about him.

Xing Baohua informed Chen Shuoyue and Geng Xin in advance that they would meet in Japan.

Big mission!

Geng Xin and her group had participated in Xing Baohua's thrilling and dangerous missions, and the rewards were quite generous. Of course, they received compensation for both living and sacrificing themselves; even death would be something they were willing to accept.

Chen Shuoyue didn't know anything, but she just followed the group.

As an intern at a rice company, being able to go abroad for research was, in his mind, a high-level privilege.

Sometimes I'm secretly pleased, because it means that he's being groomed by higher-ups, which reminds me of my boss, Xing Baohua.

He couldn't help but feel grateful; he had indeed learned a lot from following such a great master.

Apart from a few Nikon engineers and technicians, almost everyone here at DMI Nikon is transferred from the DMI lab.

They have only one person in charge: developing digital cameras, video recorders, and probes, among other things.

Xing Baohua already has a prototype of a digital camera, but it's still a bit bulky. To shrink it, they need to work on many electronic components.

Electronic components are readily available in Japan and can be purchased without restrictions. If a component is unavailable, it can be manufactured.

Nikon has its own lithography machines. Testing and wafer fabrication can be performed at any time.

If we can acquire Sony's precision engraving and etching technologies and find a way to combine them, in the next few years, we won't just be catching up with the West in the chip field, but overtaking them.

Xing Baohua's trip to Japan was aimed at stealing Sony's engraving and etching technology.

He knew the Japanese would definitely be wary of them, after all, these technologies were among the most advanced in the world.

We will take necessary precautions and observe the product for a period of time before making any moves.

This theft of equipment data differs from the theft of data from linked machine tools. Precision engraving technology is also a type of machine tool; it's not just about extracting the overall data, but more importantly, the software controlling the precision engraving process.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!