Chapter 165
After hearing Ye Manzhi's proposal, Director Zhen did not show much surprise.
"Director Ye, the commercial sector divides candy into first- and second-class products to cater to different consumer needs. Ordinary people buy second-class candy simply to get a bargain. Bulk mixed-petal candies and cowhide candies are cheap and delicious. A single piece can keep a child occupied for half a day."
"As for the nuts you mentioned earlier, such as melon seeds, peanuts, and walnuts, although they are heavyweight, their cost is too high. Once they are made into bulk sugar, their price is similar to that of first-class sugar, or even higher."
Director Zhen smiled wryly and said, "Director Ye, a worker in our workshop suggested this idea, but after several meetings, we decided it wasn't feasible. First, it's expensive. Bulk candies are even more expensive than packaged candies. If they don't catch on, we'll easily end up with a backlog. Second, candies need to be cut, and nuts spoil easily after being cut. Unpackaged nut candies are difficult to store, and by the time we sell them for the New Year, they might already have a rancid smell."
They had previously produced peanut candy in bulk, but it would go bad after a month or two, and couldn't pass quality inspection, so it couldn't be put on the market.
Seeing they'd thought of a solution, Ye Manzhi's expression eased slightly, but he still asked seriously, "Are you worried about the high price and spoilage of Type II sugar? Then why don't we just produce Type I sugar? It shouldn't be difficult to add packaging to the candy, right?"
Director Zhen said helplessly, "It's certainly not difficult to produce a single type of candy, but each type of candy has its own packaging. If we produce a new product, we need to apply for new packaging from our superiors. Product packaging is also centrally allocated, and the printing house has its own production schedule, so they may not be able to print new packaging for us. Even if the printing house can provide us with new packaging, this candy will not pass quality inspection and cannot be put on the market."
Without waiting for Ye Manzhi to ask, he went on to explain, "This type of nut candy has a short shelf life and is more suitable for sealed packaging or for eating immediately after making it. Director Ye, you come to work every week, and you're familiar with the production conditions in the workshop. We package the candies entirely by hand, and the candy wrappers aren't sealed, so the cut surface of the nuts may still come into contact with air, so the shelf life won't be extended for long."
Candy packaging these days is rarely sealed.
Some large candy factories use packaging machines, but that only improves production efficiency, and the packaging effect is the same as manual work.
Is Shanghai Guanshengyuan considered a large state-owned factory?
Is the brand famous enough?
The wrapping paper of the White Rabbit milk candy from their factory is also twisted.
Director Zhen has now realized that he has neglected Director Ye's role in adjusting the sugar.
It is even possible that he had offended the deputy factory director without even noticing.
However, the method proposed by Director Ye had been considered by their workshop a long time ago. It was because many methods did not work that they had to turn their attention back to white sugar.
Instead of wasting time purchasing nuts, designing new packaging, and contacting printing factories, it is better to directly mix white sugar.
Ye Manzhi stared at him for a while, and when he looked a little unnatural, he asked a question that was unrelated to their conversation.
"Director Zhen, do you know why Director Niu was able to use the sugar used to produce mooncakes to produce soda?"
Director Zhen: “…”
How should he answer this question?
Niu Enjiu is the factory director. Everyone in the factory, from top to bottom, listens to him. He can make any adjustments with just a word.
Seeing that he didn't answer, Ye Manzhi continued, "Not only can Director Niu transfer the raw materials for mooncakes to soda, he can also allocate the sugar from our candy factory to mooncakes. Director Zhen, have you ever thought about why this is the case?"
“…”
How could Director Zhen not have thought about it!
As I said, he is the factory manager!
In order to produce soda as a gift for National Day, Factory Director Niu transferred their sugar, causing the candy workshop to be in danger of suspension.
By then, the bonuses of the entire workshop may be wasted.
As the one who was sacrificed, how could Director Zhen have no complaints in his heart?
However, we have to endure the complaints. The most important thing now is not to affect production tasks.
Director Niu has the final say in the factory and has extensive connections, so the task of allocating sugar still falls on him.
Ye Manzhi was still angry, trying to sow discord like a movie villain, secretly giving Lao Niu a sly look. Then he said calmly, "Let's not talk about other reasons. Let's just talk about the most obvious reason: why can the factory director arbitrarily allocate raw materials to each workshop?"
"Because when we apply for the entire year's production raw materials, we make a factory-wide plan based on the production tasks of each workshop. These raw materials are allocated to the First Food Factory, not designated to any particular workshop. After the raw materials arrive at the factory, they are distributed internally according to the plans of each workshop."
Director Zhen nodded helplessly.
This is why no one can stop Director Niu from arbitrarily adjusting the raw materials. He can send them off with just a sentence like "The whole factory is like a chess game, and the overall situation is the most important."
"If Director Niu wanted to borrow sugar from the pastry or candy factory, he'd definitely be turned away. We all have production plans, so why would they lend us raw materials? But the pastry and candy workshops can freely adjust their raw materials. That's because we're all connected, like family. In a pinch, internal adjustments are possible."
Director Zhen thought she was trying to persuade him not to harbor resentment towards the factory leaders' decision.
Before he could nod, Ye Manzhi said, "Other people can get sugar from the candy workshop, so the candy workshop can certainly get supplies and equipment from other workshops. Just because the candy workshop doesn't have a packaging and sealing machine doesn't mean other workshops don't have one either, right?"
Director Zhen recalled, "The biscuit workshop should have a sealing machine. In addition to bulk biscuits, they also produce packaged biscuits."
"Well, the biscuit workshop only has one shift a day, and after get off work, the sealing machine is idle." Ye Manzhi asked, "Can we borrow their sealing machine to produce packaged nut candies?"
After a few seconds, Director Zhen clapped his hands and said, "It would be great if I could borrow the biscuit sealing machine!"
He was quickly thinking of an excuse to borrow the machine from the biscuit workshop.
In order not to affect the biscuit production on the next day, they can use packaging bags of the same specifications as the biscuit packaging, so there is no need to adjust the parameters of the sealing machine, and the two workshops can be used together!
At that time, each bag can hold half a pound or a pound of nut candies, which is much more convenient than packing each candy individually!
Ye Manzhi asked, "Director Zhen, now that we have a sealing machine, we can produce nut candies, right?"
"Sealed packaging can extend the shelf life, so we can definitely produce this kind of candy," Director Zhen glanced at her and said, "but the new packaging might be a bit troublesome. I wonder if the printing factory would be willing to let us add the bags."
Ye Manzhi said without hesitation, "This year marks the 15th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. All factories are preparing to present gifts for the National Day. Producing soda is a gift, and so can we. We'll print 'Special Offer for the 15th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China' on the packaging. All units must expedite arrangements for any work related to the National Day gifts. It should be feasible for us to add special packaging bags to the production sites."
Director Zhen has been the workshop director for several years and has his own wisdom in dealing with people.
He knew that his previous negligence had offended the young deputy factory director.
While there was still room for maneuver, he quickly flattered with a smile, "The leader still has a solution. The problem that has troubled us for a long time has been easily solved by Director Ye! Director Ye, your solution really solved our workshop's urgent problem!"
He was a man of great adaptability. Not only did he speak well of Director Ye and admit his mistake, he also returned to the candy workshop and announced the solution proposed by Director Ye to the workers.
Several female workers who were wrapping candy wrappers in the same group as Ye Manzhi were the first to applaud, saying, "It's great that the factory can guarantee that we can continue production. We'll have our bonus this year."
Someone else asked, "Director Ye, peanuts and sunflower seeds are hard to come by. Our workshop uses a lot of them. Can we supply them?"
Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "I've asked the Supply and Marketing Department to contact us for the raw materials. Now is the season when the new fruits are ripe. As long as the candy workshop plans the amount to be used, the Supply and Marketing Department can organize the purchase."
Hearing this, more people applauded.
“If we had known we could use the sealing machine in the biscuit workshop, we would have produced nut candies a long time ago.”
Ye Manzhi suppressed the smile on his face, raised his hand, and said, "During the break, I want to say a few words to everyone. From the fight between the workers in the two workshops to today, this sugar crisis has lasted for half a month. If we don't get more sugar and don't switch production quickly, our workshop may stop working by the end of October."
"On a larger scale, this will affect the completion of national production targets. On a smaller scale, it will affect the selection of advanced collectives and individuals in our candy workshop, and even affect the distribution of collective bonuses."
The employees nodded repeatedly.
The collective bonus is the most important thing!
Everyone is counting on this bonus to celebrate the New Year!
"This crisis could be big or small, and it has kept many colleagues on edge for a while. However, through this incident, I hope everyone can see the problems that exist in our workshop."
"First, I must criticize Director Zhen. As the workshop director, you failed to safeguard our workshop's raw materials. A single note from the factory director allowed you to disregard monthly and quarterly production plans and hand over sugar to other workshops. Furthermore, I'm the contracted deputy director of our candy workshop, responsible for operations, and I'm in charge of raw material procurement. Faced with such a major crisis, Director Zhen didn't report directly to me or discuss a solution, nearly causing the workshop to shut down. I think both Director Zhen and Deputy Director Chen need to reflect on this."
Ye Manzhi had just solved a problem for the candy workshop, so he was very confident in saying this.
Workshop workers have no control over the affairs of the leadership, and no one knows how the workshop director communicates with factory leaders.
When they heard that Director Zhen had not consulted Director Ye, they looked at the two directors in surprise, and there was a buzz of discussion.
Director Zhen did not expect Ye Manzhi to criticize him in public. No matter how he behaved in front of his superiors, he was very powerful in the workshop.
He felt a little embarrassed being watched by so many employees.
Ye Manzhi ignored the workshop director's expression and continued, "Also, I want to criticize all the employees in our workshop. Your sense of ownership is too weak. Other workshops asking for our sugar will obviously affect our production progress, but when they ask for it, you actually give it to them!"
All the workers: "..."
Isn’t the scope of Director Ye’s attack too wide?
Some people murmured privately: "The sugar was transferred away by the leaders, what does it have to do with us?"
Ye Manzhi said solemnly, "I'm criticizing everyone, and I'm sure you all feel wronged. Yes, the factory director has approved it, and even the workshop director has agreed to it. So, will it be effective for us ordinary workers to stop it? Even if I tell you that it's effective, you won't believe me. How about we do an experiment today?"
All the employees looked at Director Ye.
What experiment?
Ye Manzhi asked, "Which comrade would like to run an errand for the canning workshop?"
Luo Qiang, who had participated in the fight in the warehouse last time, stood up and said, "Director Ye, I'll go. What's going on?"
Ye Manzhi asked Director Zhen to write a note to borrow 1 ton of sugar.
At the same time, she took out a pen and wrote one herself.
Then he handed the two notes to Luo Qiang and asked him to go to the canning workshop to borrow 1 ton of sugar.
Luo Qiang was gone for nearly an hour, and when he came back, others had already started working.
He walked over to the counter and said to Ye Manzhi, who was wrapping candy wrappers, "Director Ye, I gave Director Zhen's note to Director Chen from Canning Workshop 1. Director Chen said their sugar supply was all arranged according to the production plan and there was no excess sugar. I argued with him for a while, and then he told me to talk to the workers who were keeping the raw materials."
"So how did you guys discuss it?"
Luo Qiang laughed and said, "Hehe, Director Zhen's note didn't work. They refused to lend me the sugar. It was only when I showed them the note you wrote that they changed their tune and asked me when I could return the sugar."
Someone nearby asked, "Luo Qiang, how did you respond?"
"I said I could definitely return it within a month, but the two custodians refused. They told me to ask Director Ye to write a note with a clear return date for the sugar. They also had to state that if the loan of sugar affected production, the factory would not hold the cannery responsible."
Leaders usually don't write this kind of note.
No one is sure when the sugar will be allocated to the factory. If the sugar is not returned within the deadline, the delay in production progress will be the responsibility of the person who approved the order.
Unless they are absolutely sure, no one would want to leave such evidence in black and white.
Ye Manzhi, still wrapping candy wrappers, jokingly said, "Maybe my words as deputy director are ineffective, and the cannery is not giving me face. Director Zhen, do you still have the note that Director Niu approved last time?"
Director Zhen said, "Yes, I'm keeping it."
"Then let's borrow Director Niu's note," Ye Manzhi said with a smile. "Luo Qiang, take Director Niu's note and go to the canning workshop again. You know what to do, right?"
"I know, I know. I held the note and only showed them the signature."
After saying this, Luo Qiang ran away.
He didn't stay there for long this time and ran back in half an hour.
"Director Ye, I showed them Director Niu's note, but it didn't work. They told me to have Director Niu write another note, with the same requirements as before, including the date the sugar was due. They also told me to include that any delays to production wouldn't affect the cannery's recognition as an advanced collective and wouldn't affect bonus payments."
The workers who were listening: "..."
Why are the people in the canning factory so tough?
Even Director Niu’s note is useless?
Someone asked, "Did they see that the note was fake?"
"No, they didn't even look at the note. They just told Director Niu to write another one with the return date and a waiver of liability." Luo Qiang scratched his head and said, "I asked the people in their workshop, and they have a 'warehouse material collection and delivery system'. The collection and delivery of materials are handled by two fixed people on each shift. If the raw materials don't match the number and delay the production schedule, the individual will be held responsible and will lose all bonuses and performance appraisals."
Others grumbled, "Whoever does this job is unlucky. Even tigers take naps. If the raw materials don't match the numbers, they'll be held accountable."
Luo Qiang chuckled and said, "That's what I said just now, but they said that the canning workshop has extra subsidies for this position and the safety post. If they don't make any mistakes, they will take a portion of the collective bonus from the workshop at the end of the year and give it to them."
If there is an extra bonus, there will definitely be people willing to do it.
The news Luo Qiang brought back sparked another wave of heated discussion in the workshop.
In fact, there are many systems in the factory, and their workshop also has the system for receiving and delivering materials.
However, the responsibility was not clearly assigned to any individual.
Take the current sugar crisis for example, as long as the workshop director agrees, the sugar can be taken away.
If anyone were to hold the blame accountable, it would have been the workshop director, but Director Zhen only cleared the matter after seeing a note from the factory director. So, at this point, the workers didn't know who to blame.
Luo Qiang inquired curiously, "Director Ye, I heard the canning workshop is a pilot project for the Anshan Iron and Steel Constitution. Are all these new practices driven by the Anshan Iron and Steel Constitution?"
Ye Manzhi praised him in his heart, nodded with a smile, and said loudly: "The canning workshop is indeed a pilot project of the Angang Constitution in our factory. Some comrades may already know what the Angang Constitution is. It is the "two participations, one reform, and three combinations". Comrades like me and the supply and marketing department come to our workshop to work one day every week, which is to implement the requirement for cadres to participate in labor. Similarly, the workers in the canning workshop strictly control the entry and exit of production materials, which is also the result of workers' participation in management."
"Let's put it this way. Apart from daily production, all workers in the canning workshop have responsibilities. Everyone is in charge of a task in the workshop, and everyone is a manager."
There were hundreds of people in the candy workshop. Many people just listened to Ye Manzhi's words for fun, but some people who thought more thought that the canning workshop's approach was not bad.
Although the responsibility is assigned to specific individuals, the risk of collective responsibility is reduced because the responsibility is assigned to specific individuals.
This time, the sugar crisis almost caused everyone to lose their bonuses.
Ye Manzhi took the opportunity to introduce the Anshan Constitution in the candy workshop, but did not require it to be implemented immediately. He just wanted to plant a seed in everyone's hearts first.
…
After this incident, Director Ye did not specifically publicize the idea she gave to the candy workshop, but the workshop workers who had resolved the crisis spontaneously helped her promote it.
And she has two ready-made propagandists - Zhou Ruyi and Fourth Brother.
Zhou Ruyi has many relatives in the factory, and if she just mentions it when she gets home, the news will spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred.
Although the fourth brother had just joined the factory, he had been hanging around in society for many years and had a physique that attracted bad friends. Not long after joining the factory, he got to know several equally unreliable family workers just because they smoked together.
With the help of these two people, the deeds of Director Xiaoye and the different reactions of the canning workshop and the candy workshop to the same thing soon became the topic of conversation among the workers after dinner.
The workers didn't care about any system or constitution. They just laughed at the candy factory for being weak. As soon as they saw the factory director's note, they threw away all their principles and almost lost their bonuses.
As the two factory managers most deeply involved in this matter, Ye Manzhi and Niu Enjiu did not take the workers' discussion seriously.
The soda went into production as scheduled, and Niu Enjiu was in high spirits as he had accomplished a great thing.
Ye Manzhi did not expect that such a small matter as approving a note could break the one-man rule of Director Lao Niu.
But this time, Lao Niu dug a hole but didn't fill it up, which caused complaints from the candy factory and was quite a blow.
*
"Now I just want to continue to deepen and implement the 'Anshan Constitution'. Whether I can be recognized as an advanced individual this year depends entirely on the performance of the canning workshop."
Ye Manzhi took out a Lenin suit from the closet, tried it on herself, and turned around to ask, "How do you feel about wearing this to the parade?"
"Change to something light-colored," Wu Zhengrong said, taking a quick look. "The male factory managers in your unit also wear dark clothes, either black or dark blue. If you match their colors, it won't highlight your special status as a female factory manager."
"I won't wear the same clothes as those guys. I have to stand out from the crowd and be different!" Ye Manzhi put the clothes back and rummaged through the boxes again. After searching for a while, he said enviously, "Being a soldier is still good. You can wear military uniforms on all occasions. It's so worry-free!"
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and rallies and parades will be organized across the country to celebrate National Day.
Binjiang will also hold a mass parade on October 1st, and the parade will have a theme - to congratulate the great achievements in the 15 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China and to cheer for the great victory of Chairman Mao's thoughts.
At that time, all units in the city will have to organize personnel to participate in the parade, especially the major state-owned factories, which will have to send people to showcase the achievements made in the past 15 years.
As the largest food factory in the city, Binjiang No. 1 Food Factory must make good preparations, and all leaders of the factory must participate in the celebratory parade.
Ye Manzhi searched for a long time but couldn't find anything satisfactory. "Tomorrow I'll ask Chairman Pi and Chief Engineer Yu of the union what to wear. Then we female comrades can wear the same clothes!"
“…”
Director Ye tried on more than ten sets of clothes, even putting on the cheongsam that was kept in the bottom of the closet to show off, and also played two little tunes on the pipa.
Wu Zhengrong didn't get any real work done. He was forced to change clothes by Director Xiaoye for an hour, but Director Xiaoye still couldn't choose clothes that suited his taste.
"If there's nothing suitable in the cupboard, just buy a new one. Do you still have the cloth coupons?"
This is the best option.
Ye Manzhi actually wanted to pretend to be virtuous, but she couldn't help it and kissed Dr. Wu on the forehead.
"I still have a piece of new material that I haven't used yet. I'll find time to make myself a new dress!"
When she turned around to look for the piece of material that had been kept in the bottom of the box, Comrade Wu Yuzhuo ran into the house like the wind, went straight back to his room, took something from the room, and ran out in a hurry again.
Ye Manzhi called her daughter back, "Accountant Wu is back. Accountant Wu, are you tired from working? Have a drink of water first?"
Wu Yuzhuo had just returned from working in the fields, with two large mosquito bites on his cheeks, making them look like they had been smeared with red cheeks.
She patted the military canteen in front of her and said, "I haven't finished the water I brought. Mom, I have something urgent to do, so I have to leave first!"
Wu Zhengrong stretched out one of his long legs to stop the little girl, and raised his chin towards the thing in her hand, "What are you doing with the passbook?"
Accountant Wu said responsibly, "The group leader asked me to go to the bank to withdraw money and buy colored paper to make small flags!"
Ye Manzhi wanted to laugh when she thought of five-year-old Accountant Wu going to the bank to withdraw money.
She tried to keep her expression straight and asked seriously, "Accountant Wu, why are you buying colorful flags?"
"Of course it works!" Wu Yuzhuo announced proudly, "Our children's group is going to participate in the National Day parade!"
Upon hearing this, the couple exchanged a knowing look, and then looked at Accountant Wu, whose height was not even as high as his father's thigh.
People like Accountant Wu can only look at the butts of the people in front of him when walking in a parade.
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