At the end of 1979, the wind was biting cold, but Zhou Ziwen's home was warm.
The school was on vacation, and the family sat around the fire, enjoying the rare leisure time.
Zhou Ziwen held a newspaper in his hand, but his eyes kept glancing at the TV where the news was being broadcast.
There was a subtle excitement in his eyes.
"Ziwen, what are you looking at so intently?" Chen Qiaoyi couldn't help but ask when she saw his focused expression.
Zhou Ziwen put down the newspaper and pointed at the TV screen. "Look, the country's policies are changing. Some places are starting to allow private individuals to open small workshops and develop township enterprises. This is a great opportunity!"
Chen Shiying also came over to take a look. "Yeah, I heard from my classmates that someone in their village has started a small factory. I heard that business is pretty good."
Shen Zhaodi was excited. "Then we can do something, right? Ziwen, you are so smart, you will definitely come up with a good idea."
Zhou Ziwen nodded. "That's what I think. Although our family has enough food and clothing, I always feel that taking advantage of this policy and starting a business might help us improve our lives."
Chen Qiaoyi smiled and patted his hand. "If you have this ambition, we will definitely support you. But you have to figure out what you want to do first."
Zhou Ziwen's eyes sparkled. "I have an idea. We can start with machining. This is my major, so I'm quite familiar with the industry. Also, with the rapid development of industry, there's bound to be a huge demand for mechanical parts."
Chen Shiying thought about it seriously and said, "This is a good idea.
However, we need to first understand the market and see what the demand is, and not start construction blindly."
Zhou Ziwen gave her an approving look and said, "Shiying is right. I plan to visit the surrounding factories in the next few days to see what they are short of and then manufacture what we can."
Zhou Ziwen is very familiar with the surrounding machinery factories, and some of them have cooperative relationships with their research groups.
"Then I'll go with you!" Shen Zhaodi immediately raised her hand. "I'm quite interested in the market."
Zhou Ziwen smiled and nodded, "Okay, more people means more eyes and more ideas."
They acted immediately. The next morning, Zhou Ziwen and Shen Zhaodi set off on their bicycles.
They first came to the Red Star Machinery Factory where Zhou Ziwen had once interned.
The factory is well-known locally and is known for producing high-quality agricultural machinery and small industrial equipment.
Zhou Ziwen has a good relationship with Lao Wang, the factory's technical director. He believes that Lao Wang can provide him with a lot of valuable market information.
As soon as he entered the factory, Zhou Ziwen saw the familiar workshop scene.
The workers are busy operating various machine tools, cutting, welding and grinding, creating a scene of bustling production.
When Old Wang saw Zhou Ziwen and Shen Zhaodi, he greeted them warmly.
"Hey, Comrade Ziwen, are you here to inspect the work?" Old Wang joked.
Zhou Ziwen smiled and said, "Brother Wang, I'm here to learn from you. The policy has been relaxed recently, and I want to do something on my own, so I came to ask you about the market situation."
Lao Wang nodded. "That's a good thing. I support you. Tell me, what do you want to do?"
Zhou Ziwen got straight to the point. "I'd like to start with machining. Does our factory have any parts that are in high demand but difficult to machine?"
Lao Wang thought for a moment and said, "Yes, indeed. We're currently developing a new type of harvester, and there's a key component in it—a precision drive shaft. We haven't been able to find a suitable supplier. This part requires high precision and is difficult to manufacture. We've tried several times ourselves, but haven't achieved the desired results."
Zhou Ziwen's eyes lit up. "Drive shaft? I'm confident about this. Can you tell me the technical requirements in detail?"
Lao Wang brought Zhou Ziwen to the office and took out a design drawing.
“You see, the precision of this drive shaft must reach 0.01 mm, and the surface roughness requirements are also very high.
Moreover, its shape is complex, with multiple keyways and splines, making machining very difficult." Zhou Ziwen studied the drawings carefully, and a machining plan had already begun to form in his mind.
"Brother Wang, this job is indeed challenging, but I think we have a chance. If we can produce a drive shaft that meets your requirements, what will be the approximate order quantity?"
Lao Wang rubbed his hands. "If the quality is reliable and the price is right, the order volume will be quite large. Preliminary estimates suggest a monthly demand of at least 500 pieces. Moreover, as our harvesters are promoted, demand will increase."
Zhou Ziwen was delighted, this was a big order.
He said to Lao Wang confidently: "Brother Wang, don't worry, I will organize manpower as soon as possible, study the processing technology, and strive to give you a satisfactory answer as soon as possible."
After saying goodbye to Lao Wang, Zhou Ziwen and Shen Zhaodi rushed to another machinery factory without stopping.
This factory mainly produces mining machinery and has a large demand for large parts.
Zhou Ziwen hopes to understand the market situation of large parts by visiting this factory.
At this factory, they met the technical director, Lao Zhang.
Lao Zhang was also very interested in Zhou Ziwen's entrepreneurial idea. He introduced in detail the demand for some large parts.
"What our factory lacks most is large hammer heads for mining crushers. These hammer heads require not only hard and wear-resistant materials, but also precise shape and dimensions. Currently, we rely on imports, which are expensive and have unstable delivery times."
Zhou Ziwen listened carefully, and his mind was already starting to think about how to improve the design and processing technology of the hammer head.
"Lao Zhang, what is the main difficulty in processing this hammer head?"
Lao Zhang pointed to several key areas on the drawing. "Look, these areas are where stress is concentrated, making cracks very likely to form. Furthermore, the hammer head requires very high weight and dimensional accuracy. Any carelessness during processing will result in a substandard product."
Zhou Ziwen nodded. "I understand. This job is indeed difficult, but it also presents an opportunity. I'll go back and research to see if there are any new processing techniques and materials that can solve these problems."
Shen Zhaodi was also listening with great interest. She asked questions from time to time, showing her sensitivity to the market and her learning ability.
Zhou Ziwen was very satisfied with her performance. He knew that with Shen Zhaodi's assistance, the road to entrepreneurship would be smoother.
After a day of visits, Zhou Ziwen and Shen Zhaodi gained a lot.
They not only understood the market needs, but also discovered several potential projects.
Zhou Ziwen is full of confidence. He believes that as long as they work hard, they will be able to make a name for themselves in the field of mechanical processing.
After returning home, Zhou Ziwen couldn't wait to share his gains of the day with Chen Qiaoyi and Chen Shiying.
They sat around the fire and discussed their plans for the future.
Chen Qiaoyi and Chen Shiying were also very excited. They believed that Zhou Ziwen's entrepreneurial journey would be successful. (End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
