The next day, Hua made connections with Chu Yu and took her to visit a cotton textile factory invested in by one of Hua's fellow townsmen. This factory was the largest in the country, but unfortunately, the cotton textile market was limited and the business was barely surviving.
As soon as Chu Yu got out of Hua Zong's car, Xu Jianguo came over and shook hands warmly. "President Zhou, I've long admired your name. It's an honor for our factory to have you visit us."
Xu Jianguo offered flattering words, but inwardly he was filled with doubt.
When Hua Zong said that Chu Yu was Mandarin's boss, Xu Jianguo thought she was an older middle-aged woman. But Chu Yu looked very young, not even twenty years old, and didn't have any boss-like demeanor.
Xu Jianguo felt that this girl didn't seem like a businesswoman. Even if she really did own the largest cosmetics company in mainland China, cosmetics and non-woven fabrics are two completely unrelated fields. Xu Jianguo's factory had always mainly supplied hospitals.
Xu Jianguo was very enthusiastic and took Chu Yu on a tour of the factory, explaining the latest non-woven fabric technology to her.
"This is a technology that our factory developed itself. The membrane is thinner, denser, and has stronger adsorption," Xu Jianguo briefly explained before trying to leave, sounding very perfunctory.
Chu Yu didn't bother to argue. She picked up the non-woven fabric next to her and held it up to the light. Xu Jianguo was right. This non-woven fabric was much better than any other non-woven fabric Chu Yu had ever seen. The fabric was delicate and had a high degree of adhesion. It could stick to the skin with just a little water.
There are currently no sheet masks available, so naturally, there are no sheet mask suppliers to be found.
Making a face mask isn't difficult, but starting from scratch isn't easy either. Chu Yu pondered that Liu Mingchuan had many recipes, but she needed to find a mask sheet that could adhere well to the skin after being moistened and wouldn't keep sagging down after being worn for a long time.
The one from Xu Jianguo's factory meets her requirements quite well.
Chu Yu had been searching for half a year and this was the first time she had encountered such a good non-woven fabric. "President Xu, did you develop this non-woven fabric yourself?"
Speaking of this, Xu Jianguo was quite proud. A few years ago, he thought the domestic nonwoven fabric market was a blank, so he imported a batch of machines from abroad. But just like Chu Yu, he bought second-hand machines that had been phased out, but he couldn't buy their technology.
Those foreigners always acted arrogantly, and the machines in Xu Jianguo's factory often broke down. They also insisted on using other people's patents, which caused the factory to shut down for half the year. Xu Jianguo was forced to roll up his sleeves and study hard on his own.
He was under a lot of pressure at that time. He had mortgaged all his valuables to the bank, and the bank was pressing him for payment, but his factory was unable to deliver the goods, so he had no money to repay the bank loan.
Fortunately, his wife wholeheartedly supported him, and he eventually developed a new type of nonwoven fabric with advanced technology that is internationally recognized.
But businessmen these days are not very educated and don't know what patents and copyrights are. Xu Jianguo only knows that the inland non-woven fabric market is small. He has been unable to open up sales channels, and the factory's business is still bleak. Not only does he not make money all year round, but he also has to repay huge interest on bank loans. Life is really not easy.
Xu Jianguo took out a cigarette, handed it to President Hua, and smoked one himself.
"That's right, it's the non-woven fabric I developed myself, and it's the best non-woven fabric in our factory. The quality is a bit higher and the price is higher, so there's less demand in the domestic market; it's mostly exported."
"Oh, what's the price of this one?"
Xu Jianguo quoted a price. His non-woven fabric machine hadn't been cut yet, so the price was calculated by the meter. The price Xu Jianguo quoted wasn't high, and Chu Yu could accept it.
"I need to order a batch of fabric to do research and development. I can only place a large order after my product is launched."
Xu Jianguo was stunned for a moment, his face full of confusion, "You guys in the cosmetics business, what do you need non-woven fabric for?"
"Of course we need to develop products. If Mr. Xu can innovate, so can we. Just because non-woven fabrics weren't used in cosmetics before doesn't mean they won't be in the future. By the way, could this kind of non-woven fabric be rolled up into a ball, made to be more than ten centimeters high, and then have a higher standard of sterilization and disinfection, so that it can be used as a face towel?"
"A face towel?" Xu Jianguo was even more confused. What was that? Using non-woven fabric to wipe your face?
These days, Chinese people are frugal. A towel can last for ten years, and even if the bottom of an underwear is showing, they can't bear to throw it away. Clothes and quilts are patched and mended for another three years.
In this context, what is the actual necessity of non-woven face towels?
At least in Xu Jianguo's straight-man perspective, it was completely unnecessary!
Chu Yu did indeed want to make cotton pads and makeup remover wipes.
A small domestic market does not mean a small overseas market.
Even if both domestic and international markets are small, it doesn't mean they are not necessary to exist.
It takes time for something to go from niche to mainstream. Truly big brands are always ahead of the times, driving the creation of trends. Mandarin has a great reputation in China. Whenever Mandarin launches makeup remover pads and face towels, there are always high-income people who will buy them.
There are many ordinary people in China, and even more wealthy people. Mandarin is already expensive. Chu Yu thought that as long as the product is on the market, there will always be people who will buy it.
In this way, Mandarin can launch cosmetics, face towels, and sheet masks next quarter.
Previously, Liu Mingchuan's team had developed several formulas for sheet masks.
As per Chu Yu's requirements, the masks will be categorized into whitening, moisturizing, wrinkle reduction, and repair and anti-inflammatory types. In addition to Liu Mingchuan's patented yeast and hyaluronic acid ingredients, some herbal ginseng extracts will also be added to the masks. However, these ingredients still need to be further developed by Liu Mingchuan and Wang Cainian.
When Xu Jianguo heard that Chu Yu was going to buy a large quantity of goods, he was completely stunned. His sexy sausage lips were almost burned by cigarette butts.
"Mr. Zhou, are you really going to place a large order?"
"Can you cut it as I say, roll it into this big ball, or make it into square slices? Oh, and I also need a cotton pad to help women with their makeup application. The texture of the cotton pad is slightly different from non-woven fabric. I wonder if your factory can produce it."
Xu Jianguo then realized what a powerful figure Hua Zong had brought him!
He quickly bowed and opened the door for Chu Yu with great enthusiasm and politeness. "President Zhou, we can definitely produce round, rolled-up non-woven fabric! It's not complicated; we have the machines ready. All we need to do is cut and package it. As for the cotton pads you mentioned... I need to discuss this with you further to see what kind you'd like to make."
The two chatted as they walked. At noon, Mr. Xu insisted on treating them to lunch and took them out to eat at an authentic local restaurant. Chu Yu ate heartily, feeling like she was on vacation in Shenzhen, enjoying the food and drinks.
The construction of Huachu Future will be handled by a specialized construction team. As for the rest, Chu Yu can't help with it and can only leave it to Chen Baifu and other staff.
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