Before she could even settle into her deputy section chief position, Liu Li's inner fire was already burning. She figured that to make a breakthrough, she had to first set an example for everyone. Her first target was to get the "dynamic balancing device," which had made great contributions to the ministry's project, working within the Hongxing Factory.
Instead of rushing to hold a large meeting and issue documents, she first bent down, took a small notebook, and toured all the workshops. She paid special attention to the corners where the equipment was old, noisy, and vibrating. She chatted with the experienced operators and listened to their complaints about which machine "trembled like a hen brooding when it worked" and which shaft "had to be replaced every few days."
After a few days of investigation, she had a clear understanding of the situation. The most prominent problems, and the ones that the experienced workers were most eager to improve, were the old-fashioned horizontal lathes in Workshop 2 that were responsible for rough machining. Wear on the journals caused excessive vibration, resulting in low machining accuracy, a high scrap rate, and the workers had lost a lot of bonuses because of this.
She chose Workshop 2 as her first promotional location.
The idea was good, but when it came to actually doing it, resistance arose.
The news spread quickly and caused a great deal of discussion in the workshop.
"What? Install a 'balancing device' on an old lathe? That sounds far-fetched!"
"Engineer Liu is skilled, but this thing is used on high-end spinning machines. Can our old-fashioned machine handle it?"
"What's the point of all this fuss? We've managed all these years, haven't we? What if we mess it up and break the bed? Who's going to be responsible if it delays production?"
Several veteran repairmen, especially those with exceptional skills, crossed their arms, their eyes full of doubt: "We repair machines with experience and feel. She thinks she can outperform people just by putting up a metal box?"
Director Ma of Workshop Two was someone who disliked trouble and preferred to play it safe. He approached Liu Li and spoke very tactfully: "Deputy Section Chief Liu, your new technology is certainly good. But you see, the workshop's production tasks are tight. If the installation and debugging don't go smoothly and affect the schedule, I... I'll have a hard time explaining it."
Liu Li had anticipated this outcome. Instead of arguing, she presented Director Ma and several experienced workers with a comparison chart of the vibration data of the modified spinning spindle, which she had recorded on the project at the ministry, as well as a detailed economic benefit analysis.
“Director Ma, fellow experienced workers, look,” she pointed to the data, “the vibration can be reduced by more than 70%, what does that mean? The bearing life is extended by at least 100%, spare parts costs are saved, downtime for maintenance is reduced, machining accuracy can be improved, and the scrap rate can be reduced. This is a worthwhile deal.”
She then took out the training manual she had helped compile, which was already worn and frayed from repeated readings: "Every step of the installation and debugging is written out clearly. If we follow the manual, we won't make any major mistakes. I will personally lead the technical staff to do it, so as to ensure that it will not affect our normal production rhythm."
Seeing how well-prepared she was, how solid her data was, and how sincere and reasonable her words were, Director Ma's hesitation lessened somewhat. Although the experienced workers didn't nod immediately, the doubt in their eyes faded a bit, and they picked up the handbook and started flipping through it.
"Then... let's try one first?" Director Ma finally relented. "Let's use the C620, which has the most problems, and see how it goes."
“Okay! Let’s start with that!” Liu Li readily agreed.
The first in-factory promotion project has finally taken its first step, albeit with some stumbles. She knows this is just the beginning; the real test is to use tangible results to dispel everyone's doubts and truly establish this technology in the Hongxing factory.
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