Chapter 83 Purchasing a New Production Line
Upon hearing this request, Sun Yuan, the owner of Yuanchuang Mecha, immediately created a group chat:
[@Huafeng Mecha Systems, Fengzi, tidy up your factory now. Brother Fang wants to buy a complete production line for mecha outer panels.]
[Yuanchuang's equipment is quite old. Didn't you just purchase a batch of Xingmeng's most advanced injection molding machines? I was thinking of having Brother Fang go to your place to check them out first.]
[Fengzi, Brother Fang is a relative of mine, you know. Make sure you get a better price for the production line.]
A person in the group with the nickname Han Fengfeng replied: [Don't worry, everything will be arranged perfectly for our Boss Fang.]
At 10:30 a.m. the next day, Fang Zhuo led four core engineers from the materials research and development team straight to the production plant of Huafeng Mecha System.
Huafeng Mecha Systems seemed to be quite famous in the industry. The materials engineers looked excited and kept leaning on the railing, looking down at the production line.
As a comprehensive mecha manufacturer, although T-Source Technology can produce most of the mecha parts in its own right, it certainly cannot compete with leading suppliers in specialized fields such as mecha outer panels.
Huafeng's mecha outer panel production line includes large injection molding machines, automated spraying and assembly robots, and a full set of online testing equipment.
They have achieved over 90% automation in production, with only three or four highly skilled technicians assisting in the entire production line.
This is also why Fang Zhuo chose to acquire a separate outer panel production line rather than an entire mecha assembly plant company.
The former requires much less capital investment than the latter, and the operation is not large, requiring fewer workers to manage, making it easier to control.
Compared to the mecha armor itself, the outer panels have a large consumption but a very thin profit margin. Fang Zhuo is not satisfied with just earning ten times the patent fee rebate; he also wants to make a profit from the actual business operations.
Han Fengfeng, the owner of Huafeng Mech, was a muscular man in his early thirties. He was quite straightforward and warmly shook hands with Fang Zhuo, then introduced the production line below:
"Brother, this production line might be a bit pricey, but the quality and quantity are absolutely guaranteed."
"This injection molding machine alone costs 19 million, and it's a custom-made new model. In terms of outer panel production technology, my place is definitely number one in the entire Alliance."
“Since you’re all close relatives, I’ll give you a cost price. The entire production line will cost 70 million, and I’ll also transfer the labor relations of these skilled workers on the production line to your side. These workers are all experienced, so it definitely won’t delay the progress at all. Once the molds are made, we can start working right away.”
After saying that, Han Fengfeng was worried that the price was too high, so he quickly told the workers to open the warehouse next door, insisting on packing up and sending out the raw materials stored in the small warehouse.
Several materials engineers were stunned and whispered among themselves:
"Isn't Huafeng supposed to be incredibly aloof? They've never opened their doors to the public. I remember our school wanted to send students there for study tours, but we talked to Huafeng's vice president for ages without success. Why are they so enthusiastic today?"
"Of course! How much does your school pay?"
"They offered us over 100,000 yuan back then, and our university is Royal Polytechnic University, the number one ranked university for materials science. They didn't even give us that much face..."
"Dude, why don't you do the math yourself? One side is 70 million, the other side is 100,000. The little money you're giving isn't even enough to make up for the production capacity lost due to hosting study tours."
"You're being so cruel. Our school leaders heard that they were going downstairs, so they refused to take the elevator or the stairs."
Fang Zhuo accepted the warehouse full of raw materials, then turned to Han Fengfeng and asked:
Do you have a dedicated production line for materials used in mecha arm armor?
"Yes, yes, let me show you around."
Upon hearing Mr. Fang's question, Han Fengfeng knew that the order was very likely to be placed.
He quickly made a gesture of invitation, walked to the side, and used a walkie-talkie to notify his subordinates to prepare for the reception work on the other production line.
"Brother, the production line for the hand parts isn't expensive, only a little over twelve million in total."
Fang Zhuo briefly inspected the two production lines, confirmed that the equipment was in good condition, and signed his name on the contract without hesitation.
Han Fengfeng was almost stunned by what he saw.
When he ordered those three injection molding machines, he spent a full two weeks negotiating the price with the manufacturer. The business departments on both sides held meetings from morning till night, arguing and haggling for a long time.
For any industrial factory of any size, more than 80 million is a considerable expense.
Even if he was certain that the money would be recouped in the future, he would at least consider the cost-effectiveness and negotiate the price. This was the first time he had ever seen a boss pay so readily.
What else is there to say? Han Fengfeng wished he could stuff the free gifts to the brim.
In business, the most important thing is to be benevolent and righteous.
He generously opened another warehouse, sent out the original molds for the mecha hand materials, and even contacted a professional moving team to cover the transportation and installation costs of these large machines free of charge.
Fang Zhuo also mentioned that he would be releasing new mecha outer panels and hand materials next week. Considering that the profit margin on materials is relatively low, the patent commission will be set at 3%.
"The material ratio can be provided to you in advance, so you can prepare the goods in sync with Juke."
Even if several parties produce and stock up at the same time, it will not affect Juke's future profit margin.
Currently, most mainstream exterior panel manufacturers do not provide exterior panel installation services; they only handle sales, and the teams or mecha experience centers are responsible for hiring third-party installers themselves.
Fang Zhuo was targeting this relatively untapped related market.
For every set of outer panels he sells, he earns not only the physical profit but also ten times the patent rebate.
He could use this extra profit to build a complete after-sales installation service process, focusing on the high-end market and differentiating himself from other panel companies—this way he wouldn't have to struggle in the low-end market with its thin profit margins, nor would he have to compete directly with other panel companies.
Han Fengfeng was so overwhelmed by the good news that he felt his head spin.
Sun Yuan has brought him a god of wealth.
Since Mr. Fang has been so generous, he must reciprocate in kind.
“Brother, since you’ve put it that way, I’ll transfer my senior project management engineer to you as well, so your two production lines will be easier to manage.”
"If any employees from Juke come to the Third Division on business in the future, I will be responsible for receiving them at any time. I also welcome these outstanding materials R&D talents from Juke to come to my factory for academic exchanges at any time. If you have any difficulties, just come to me, and I will definitely take it seriously."
Fang Zhuo thought for a moment: "There is indeed something. I need a vice president to be in charge of management and assisting the team's operations. Do either of you know anyone suitable?"
Han Fengfeng and Sun Yuan exchanged a glance, and the same person simultaneously came to mind.
Han Fengfeng frowned and hesitated, "There is indeed a very talented young vice president in the industry, but Yingjing's shareholders appreciate her quite a bit and gave her a lot of shares. She also gets along well with the company's senior management and is about to be promoted again. I don't know if she would be willing to jump ship so hastily..."
"But don't worry, bro, I'll tie her up and take her to the interview. You can talk to her directly then."
Ten minutes later, Fang Zhuo received the vice president's resume on his way back.
The other party graduated from the top-ranked finance school in the Star Alliance and joined Platinum Engine immediately after graduation. Within five years, he rose through the ranks at a rocket-like speed, successfully transforming Platinum Engine from a second-tier company into a mecha technology innovation company that firmly holds the top position in the Star Alliance.
After completing this remarkable business operation, the person quickly switched to Yingjing Technology.
During her six years at Yingjing, she led the development of the most advanced fully enclosed motion capture equipment on the market, effectively revitalizing a company on the verge of bankruptcy.
Judging from her career development path, Ms. Fan is indeed outstanding, and her resume is full of large-scale manufacturing companies with heavy assets, so she certainly has the ability to manage a technology company well.
Fang Zhuo never worries about whether he can poach talent; he only cares about whether the employees themselves are worthwhile.
It was 4:30 in the afternoon when Fan Jia took three hours off, intending to just go through the motions before going back to work.
If she hadn't been close to the boss near Huafeng and they weren't from the same hometown who came to work in the same city, she definitely wouldn't have gone through this interview process at Juke.
Although Juke is now a hot topic throughout the Star Alliance and is rumored to have huge cash reserves, she still knows nothing about the company, doesn't know what President Fang's temperament is like, and is even unsure whether the rumored cash flow is exaggerated.
This kind of public relations campaign about a company's cash reserves is also a business tactic, especially common during the period when a company is preparing for an IPO.
Even a few years ago, before Yingjing went public, they heavily paid for articles to hype it up, making the stock valuation rise by 20% more than they expected.
Fan Jia didn't distrust Giant Technology; it was just that this was an essential procedure that every listed company went through, only the degree of exaggeration varied.
Yingjing will be distributing dividends again at the end of the year. Sales of new products have been good after their launch, and this year's profit dividends will be at least much higher than last year's.
She would definitely prefer to stay at Yingjing rather than work for a new company she couldn't figure out.
Sitting in the meeting room, Fan Jia was still handling the launch of new products in the online work group, frowning as she approved the planning proposals submitted by her subordinates.
After looking at it for a while, she added a note next to one of the promotional plans:
"This plan is feasible, but it's slightly over budget. I'd like to ask everyone to discuss at tomorrow's meeting which process we can simplify."
She had just finished writing her comments when the meeting room door was suddenly pushed open, and General Manager Fang walked in, looking travel-worn and smelling of chemical raw materials.
Fang Zhuo glanced at the woman quickly.
She looked to be close to forty, with neat, medium-length hair and wearing a perfectly pressed business suit without a single wrinkle.
"Ms. Fan, thank you for taking the time to come over. May I ask what your annual salary is at Yingjing?"
Fan Jia reflexively straightened his back, turned off the terminal, and answered honestly:
"Eleven million a year, plus annual stock dividends ranging from one million to three million."
To be honest, her salary is already at the top of the industry. Even the chief operating officers of top companies rarely have such an exaggerated annual salary.
However, as soon as she uttered the number, she saw Mr. Fang's assistant hand her a pre-printed employment contract—
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