Chapter 270: Making Money While Lying Down
"Mr. Sur?" Anida looked a little surprised. "I didn't expect you to come to Mundra."
It was obvious that he had also heard of Ron's reputation. Sur Electric had successfully expanded from Mumbai to all over India.
"I'm planning to build a branch factory in Gujarat. Mr. Modi said there is a port here, so I came to take a look." Ron replied with a smile.
"Mundra is one of the best ports in the Gulf of Kutch. Even though there is nothing here now, it will soon become the port with the largest throughput on India's west coast."
Adani spoke quickly, his eyes shining slightly, as he suddenly realized that this was a great opportunity to develop the port.
"It seems that construction has just started here. When is it expected to be put into use?" Ron looked at the construction site in the distance.
“Pier No. 1 will be operational in three years at the latest,” Adani hastened to assure, his mustache trembling slightly as he spoke.
"Three years." Ron said noncommittally.
"Mr. Sur," Adani finally said, unable to contain himself, "You can definitely consider Mundra for a branch factory of Sur Electric. Once the port is built, your goods can be shipped directly from here. It's very convenient."
Adani is building a port, but how can a port operate without goods? If an export-oriented factory is built nearby, it will be like having a fixed customer.
Whether it is cargo loading and unloading, warehouse leasing, or ocean shipping, it all costs money.
The port business is like a landlord. As long as it is operated, you will be able to make a profit regardless of drought or flood.
Anida guessed that Ron had built a branch factory here for export purposes, just like most companies here, targeting the Arab countries across the border.
Look, business is coming, isn't it? Most importantly, if Mondra can attract Suer Electric, it will also have an extraordinary advertising effect.
Who hasn’t heard the slogan that everyone can afford it? With it as an example, other companies will also settle down near Mundra Port.
Unfortunately, Ron wasn't too happy with the timing.
"Three years is too long. Sur Electric's production capacity is limited, so we can't wait that long. Our plan is to start production within a year, the sooner the better."
"A year?" Adani's round, bulbous nose wrinkled.
"Yes, the workshop is not complicated and can be completed in four to five months. It will take another month or two to debug the equipment, and then we can start production."
This is not the first time that Suer Electric has expanded its factory, and the company has already mastered this process internally.
As long as the formalities in Gujarat are completed and the engineering team and building materials are prepared in advance, one year will be enough.
However, this time is not realistic for the port. Three years is the date calculated by Adani based on the most ideal conditions.
"Mr. Sur, as long as your factory is located in Mundra, all future port charges will be discounted by 20%.
In the early stages, when the port is unavailable, you can have your cargo carried by other shipping companies. This won't affect our cooperation." Anida still hadn't given up.
"It's too slow," Ron shook his head. "Look, there's only bushes all around. We can't even get water and electricity to the factory in the early stages."
Why did he value Jamnagar across the border? Because it was a mature port city with complete infrastructure such as water, electricity, and roads.
As long as the factory is in place, Suer Electric Appliances can start production immediately without any bottlenecks.
Although Mundra is cheap, we have to start all over again, which is a huge project.
Adani was a little disappointed. If Sol Electric had been brought in, the development speed of Mundra Port would have been more than doubled.
"But Mr. Adani, it's not impossible for us to cooperate." Ron suddenly smiled mysteriously.
"Mr. Soul?" Adani was puzzled.
"Mr. Modi and I are going to the east to take a look. I heard there are limestone mines there."
"Oh," Adani was a little surprised, "Mr. Soul is not only in the electrical appliance business?"
"Of course, I also have a building materials company in Uttar Pradesh." Ron shrugged.
Mo Di was also a little surprised. He didn't expect that Ron was also in the mining business. No wonder he went to great lengths to come to the other side of the Gulf of Kachi.
"Well, if it's suitable, there's no reason for me to reject a supplier so close to me." Adani came over and shook hands and said goodbye.
He was in the trading business, and the more industries there were nearby, the better it would be for his port.
Looking at his back, Ron smiled dumbly. He didn't expect to meet one of the four major families of India in the future here.
To be honest, Anida is very low-key and does not have the arrogant and domineering attitude of local businessmen at all.
Being able to buy the Mundra Port is enough to prove his financial strength, but of course it is still a long way from his future career taking off.
Anida's current fame is only known in Gujarat, and no one outside of here knows him.
When asked who was the noble person who helped him rise to prominence, Ron turned and looked at the bearded man beside him.
"He is a Gujarati and his family used to be in the textile trading business," Modi explained. He thought Ron wanted to know about Adani's background.
"Really?" Ron chuckled.
"When he was young, he went to Mumbai to try his luck in the diamond business, but it was difficult for outsiders to get in. He later returned to Gujarat to help his brother in his plastics factory, but eventually he decided to go it alone."
"A very courageous man." Ron nodded.
"But the environment was not good at that time, you know, licenses. He opened a factory and needed 10 tons of raw materials, but he could only get 1.5 tons because there was no quota.
This meant that the factory could not operate for four, five, or even six days a week, which was almost a shutdown. In the end, he returned to the trading business, which his family was good at.
"Do you know a lot about Adani?" Ron raised his eyebrows slightly.
“I know every key person in Gujarat very well.”
Modi is now working on elections, talking to seven or eight influential people on the phone every day, and he takes a lot of notes.
He has a scale in his heart to judge who is a real businessman and who is an incompetent and corrupt person.
"Okay, let's go check out the limestone mine in the east." Ron glanced at the construction site at Mondra Port and turned around.
Adani is the fastest rising of the four major families. His business started as early as 1985, just a few years earlier than Ron.
Now that Adani has entered the port business, Ron is also preparing to expand his mining empire.
The group hired a few tuk-tuks in Mundra County and headed straight for the mines east of the coastline.
The limestone mine that Modi mentioned was very close to Mundra County, and they could see the bare sea rock area from the car.
"From here to the east, it stretches for several kilometers." The immortal pointed to the coast with his finger.
"It looks like it's quite large." Ron's breathing quickened.
It is not just not small, it is several times larger than Mirzapur.
“The exact reserves have not been explored. There is a large cement plant near Ahmedabad, so it won’t be used here.”
"I'll do this business," Ron said immediately. "Suer Building Materials Company has experience in this area."
"We'll have to go back and talk about it." Mo Di shook his head. He saw desire in Mr. Sur's eyes.
“Okay, let’s go back now. I need to talk to Mr. Adeniwa again.”
“Not until tomorrow. Mr. Adeniwa has an important meeting today.”
“I will stay in Gujarat for two more days.”
Ron didn't expect to get such a big gift package near the Gulf of Kach. Just looking at the scale, the limestone mine reserves are at least 500 million tons.
He didn't understand geology, but he knew how to compare sizes. The mine in Mirzapur was already huge, but here it was less than one-fifth of it.
Such abundant reserves are enough for Sur Building Materials Company to mine for fifty or even a hundred years.
It’s a gold mine. If you get it, you can make money without doing anything for the rest of your life.
As for what Modi said about a large cement plant near Ahmedabad, Ron didn't care at all.
Because it is too far away from Mundra, more than 350 kilometers.
Businesses like building materials all follow the principle of proximity.
After Ron opens a mine here, all the large and small ports nearby will become his customers.
Mundra has not yet been built and the Jamnagar port is still developing, so there is still time.
The next day, Ron met with BJP leader Adeniwa again, and this time he was much more active.
"Soul Electric can be settled in Jamnagar, but I still want that mine." Ron went straight to the point.
"40,000 jobs, including future votes. In addition, a quarter of the factory's profits will be used for local construction in Gujarat. You can continue to expand the factory or do other business." The BJP began to raise the price.
It was obvious that Mo Daxian had come back and secretly reported the news. He saw that Ron was very interested in the mine in Kachi Bay, even more than the Sur Electrical Factory.
"40,000 jobs means the park will cover nearly 500 acres. This investment is too huge, and I need help from the state government," Ron bargained.
"You say." Adeniwa shook his head.
"I need a bank loan of one billion rupees."
"It's too much, 500 million at most." Adeniwa cut it in half.
"Deal, but I need to find a ready-to-use factory in Jamnagar first. Then, we can move Suer Electric's equipment here and start production. We can build the new park while we're producing."
Adeniwa and Modi discussed it for a while and then nodded, "No problem, there's an idle warehouse there, you can turn it into a factory."
"Finally, the limestone mines of the Gulf of Kutch"
"We can let you mine it, but we won't provide a penny of loan." Adeniwa immediately blocked his lion's mouth.
Sur Electric's factory is an intensive manufacturing industry that can create employment for a large number of people.
There is nothing wrong with the BJP providing some loans in order to attract investment.
But the mining industry provides limited jobs, far less than manufacturing.
In order to avoid being accused of nepotism, the BJP is very cautious about transactions involving state-owned resources.
"Okay." Ron shrugged. After all, it was their first contact.
"We have agreed to all your conditions. Now let's talk about the election." This is what Adeniwa cares about.
"What do you need me to do?" Ron spread his hands. He had this awareness.
In India, the relationship between politics and business is inherently ambiguous.
"We've been cooperating with you in some publicity efforts. We've also encountered some difficulties in preparing for the election."
"I understand, I understand," Ron nodded repeatedly, "How much does it cost?"
Adeniwa didn't say anything, but Modi made a gesture.
"Deal!" Ron breathed softly.
Ten million rupees, this was his biggest bribe so far.
(End of this chapter)
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