In my past life, there were real estate giants in China named "Vanke" and "Wanda." My real estate company is called Wanjiang, which makes perfect sense...
Lu Maoshi didn't know the meaning of the name "Wanjiang," but he felt that the name was easy to pronounce and had a good meaning.
May your lands stretch endlessly, may you live ten thousand years!
Those who live in Wanjiang's house will enjoy long life and boundless blessings.
...
A few days later, Lu Maoshi went to Japan with a mission.
It's hard to imagine how much Zhao Ye will earn when he reaps the rewards of Tokyo real estate in the future.
Now that Wujiang Microelectronics has solved the photoresist problem, the wafer fab expansion plan can proceed smoothly.
However, Wujiang Microelectronics lags behind in the field of optics, so it will take a long time to develop the next generation of lithography machines.
Zhao Ye set his sights on optics giant Zeiss and ASML, the lithography machine giant from his previous life.
Currently, Zeiss is divided into two: the one located in West Germany is called West Zeiss, and the one located in East Germany is called East Zeiss.
During this period, Zeiss had already lost most of its low-end camera lens and cinema camera lens business to Japanese companies.
In the field of lithography machines, Zeiss's lens quality issues led to widespread customer complaints about hundreds of lithography machines delivered by GCA in the United States. The number of replaced G-line lenses was so large that they had to be loaded onto trucks. This dealt a devastating blow to the reputations of both GCA and Zeiss. At this point, Zeiss's optical components could no longer compete with the high-quality lenses from Nikon and Canon.
Furthermore, Zeiss has always insisted on hand-polishing lenses by artisans, a practice within Zeiss that carries the prestigious title of "Golden Fingers." However, this approach is outdated. The human eye clearly cannot compare to high-precision instruments, and even the most skilled artisans cannot guarantee the same level of stability as machines. Therefore, Zeiss's traditional approach, centered on "Golden Fingers," has essentially become a constraint. Manual lens polishing presents two problems: unreliable lens quality (GCA learned this the hard way) and limited production volume. Zeiss's reliance on "Golden Fingers" to polish lenses is no longer suitable for the changing times.
At this time, Zeiss could not compete with Nikon, and its financial situation became very bad, standing on the edge of a cliff.
Many people believe that Zeiss achieved its success with ASML through the meticulous craftsmanship of its lenses.
In fact, quite the opposite.
Without ASML, Zeiss might not have survived the late 1980s and 1990s.
It was ASML's rise that provided Zeiss with a massive boost, enabling Zeiss to implement robotic automated polishing systems and no longer rely entirely on skilled artisans, thus allowing it to develop into a true industry leader.
However, before we can deal with Zeiss, we must first take down ASML.
It wouldn't be difficult to destroy ASML, because since its inception, ASML has sold very few lithography machines and is currently suffering heavy losses.
Last year, ASML lost over ten million US dollars. Zeiss, that scumbag, not only dethroned GCA from its throne in lithography machines, but now it's screwing ASML over. Half of Zeiss's lenses are defective, and the other half are still delayed.
ASML founder Del Prado is getting increasingly frustrated, frequently exchanging shouts with ASML's current CEO, Jat Schmidt, in the hallway. This is because Schmidt is demanding additional investment from Del Prado.
Historically, Del Prado contacted Mitsui & Co. and Sumitomo Group of Japan in 1986 to discuss an acquisition, but the deal fell through.
This life will likely be the same.
Unable to find anyone to buy ASML, Del Prado had no choice but to persevere, having to finish what he started, even if it was painful. Just like Tencent's Ma Huateng, during the dot-com winter of 2000, he tried to sell QQ at a low price everywhere, but no one wanted to buy it.
Unexpectedly, in 1987, AMD placed an order for 25 ASML PAS2500 lithography machines, which saved ASML. Shortly afterward, TSMC was established. Because TSMC had investment from Philips, it kept the profits within the company and bought dozens of ASML lithography machines.
Zhao Ye is very clear about this part of ASML's history.
Right now, all that's left is for Del Prado to break down in negotiations with Mitsui & Co. and Sumitomo Group, so he can step in and acquire ASML himself.
At this time, ASML had only two shareholders: Del Prado, which held 50% of the shares, and Philips, which held 50% of the shares.
Del Prado couldn't hold on any longer and wanted to sell ASML.
Philips, on the other hand, completely disregarded ASML.
If Wujiang Microelectronics wants to acquire ASML, there are no obstacles at all as long as the money is in place.
In fact, Del Prado and Philips are eager to get rid of ASML as soon as possible.
At that time, ASML was valued at only twenty or thirty million US dollars, which was not considered a large company. It was virtually unknown in the lithography machine market.
On the contrary, Zeiss remained famous during this period, with more than 10,000 employees at West Zeiss alone.
Acquiring ASML was straightforward, but acquiring Zeiss was fraught with difficulties.
However, in the mid-to-late 1980s, Zeiss was on the verge of bankruptcy, which may have been its only chance.
Regardless, Zhao Ye was determined to give it a try.
If China can acquire Zeiss, its optical systems will be able to achieve leapfrog development.
In the office, Zhao Ye instructed Rex Eden: "Keep a close eye on the movements of Del Prado, the owner of ASML. Recently, he may have contacted Mitsui & Co. and Sumitomo Group of RB to discuss the acquisition of ASML. I need to keep track of their negotiation progress. If Del Prado's negotiations fail, you will then step in and acquire ASML in the name of Alphabet!"
ASML's technology is extremely important to Wujiang Microelectronics. Of course, that's not the key point; the key point is that acquiring ASML would eliminate a competitor.
After Rex Aiden left, Zhao Ye suddenly frowned and muttered, "Is eliminating ASML really the best thing for Wujiang Microelectronics? It doesn't seem so..."
"The success of ASML is inseparable from the support of Western countries, especially the United States."
"If Wujiang Microelectronics acquires ASML, Western countries will never support Wujiang Microelectronics. With no other choice, they will only support RB, which will actually make Canon and Nikon stronger!"
"It seems that ASML still needs to continue to exist. Wujiang Microelectronics can invest in it, but it needs to obtain some of the other party's technology. In this way, it can maximize its profits!"
"Even if ASML rises to prominence, Wujiang, as an investor, can still make a fortune and retain a certain degree of influence."
"However, if ASML doesn't go under, the idea of acquiring Zeiss will most likely fall through in the end. In addition, Zeiss is the pride of Germany, and the German authorities probably won't easily agree to sell Zeiss to a Chinese company. At most, I can take advantage of Zeiss's life-or-death situation and buy some patented technologies in optical systems."
Zhao Ye couldn't help but sigh. It was too difficult. They could acquire ASML, but they couldn't operate it. The rise of China's lithography machines still depended on themselves.
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