Chapter 203
Ye Manzhi was interested in the televisions at Factory 712 and seemed particularly sincere during the conversation.
"Director Guo, the retail price of one of our electric fans is 201 yuan. If we calculate based on the market price, the wholesale-retail ratio for televisions is relatively low. A 17-inch TV can only be exchanged for two and a half electric fans. So, let's calculate based on the factory price. The factory price of one of our oscillating fans is 145 yuan. How much is the TV?"
The factory price is not the cost price, Director Guo told her without hesitation, "The 14-inch one is 395 yuan, and the 17-inch one is 470 yuan."
Ye Manzhi said proudly, "How about we use four electric fans in exchange for your TV?"
The total factory price of the four electric fans is 580 yuan, which is 110 yuan higher than the TV.
Director Guo showed a hint of surprise on his face and asked with a smile, "Director Ye, aren't you afraid of getting a loss by exchanging things like this?"
If you go to the store to buy them, four electric fans will cost more than 800 yuan.
Ye Manzhi said sincerely, "It's not a loss. Our two factories can just exchange directly, eliminating the need for the commercial department to make a profit from the price difference. It's a win-win for both parties."
In fact, the cost of four electric fans is only about 400 yuan, while the retail price of a 17-inch TV is as high as 528 yuan, and it may not be available on the market.
Therefore, it is still cost-effective to exchange four electric fans for a TV.
Ye Manzhi invited the person to the electric fan exhibition area and let him see the quality of his own electric fans.
"Director Guo, I'm not bragging, but we used to have code names, just like Factory 712. Code-named factories like us have impeccable technology and quality. One electric fan lasts at least thirty years!"
Kang Jian turned a row of electric fans to high speed so that Director Guo could feel the quality of Shuguang Factory.
Director Guo looked at the shaking electric fans and thought to himself that it was no wonder that the director of the Red Star Factory always came to keep an eye on things.
This is really not fair.
He stood with his hands behind his back and said with a smile, "Bringing four big machines back to Tianjin is more troublesome than bringing just one TV."
"That's no big deal," Ye Manzhi assured. "If you find it troublesome, we can ship it from Binjiang to Tianjin, and you can just pick it up at the factory!"
Director Guo glanced at her and said, "We have to ship it anyway, so why don't you trade in that 14-inch machine as well?"
Unexpectedly, there was such a good thing. Ye Manzhi quickly said, "Sure, how about exchanging three fans for a 14-inch one? Then we can send you seven at once!"
Director Guo suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Director Ye, since Shuguang Factory used to be a military factory, then the factory should be located in the suburbs, right?"
"Yes, in the county town."
"You generally can't get TV signals in the suburbs," Director Guo said. "You can't get any programs at the factory with these two TVs, and they're not suitable for individual use. What's the point of going to all that trouble to get two TVs back?"
Ye Manzhi: “…”
Of course it is useful!
She wanted the engineers to take it apart and study it.
Facing Director Guo's all-seeing gaze, Ye Manzhi said frankly, "Televisions are high-tech appliances. I want to take them back to the factory to learn more."
She and Kang Jian looked at each other and knew that this exchange might not work.
The purpose of stealing skills is too obvious, and Director Guo probably won't agree.
However, Director Guo unexpectedly nodded and said, "Then let's exchange them. After the Canton Fair, you can take these two TVs away, and I'll have your factory send seven electric fans to Factory 712."
Kang Jian asked in surprise, "Director Guo, are you really changing it?"
"Change!"
Going to the store to buy seven electric fans costs 1,400 yuan, while two televisions cost at most 700 yuan.
Summer is coming soon, and it is the season when electric fans are needed.
The products of Shuguang Factory are of good quality, and you would be a fool not to change them.
As for stealing skills, he didn't care at all.
Factory 712 produces several thousand televisions every year, and many of them are purchased by scientific research institutions and factories.
If someone is determined to research, they can always find a way to buy a TV.
…
After deciding to barter, Ye Manzhi and Kang Jian went to watch TV more often.
Sometimes I would walk to the TV.
The two of them felt that the TV was already their own, so they treasured it especially highly.
There were three televisions in total on the booth, and the "Beijing brand" originally produced by Factory 712 was placed in front of the "Shanghai brand".
However, in order to prevent the screens from being accidentally hit, the two secretly swapped the positions of the three televisions.
The "Shanghai Brand" was displayed in the front.
After discovering this, Director Guo said with amusement, "You're going to take the TV apart sooner or later. Why are you being so cautious?"
"Haha, something worth hundreds of dollars, of course I have to cherish it!"
Ye Manzhi has been chatting with Director Guo frequently these days, trying to get close to him in the hope of getting a chance to visit and learn at Factory 712.
She smiled and asked, "Director Guo, isn't your factory located in Tianjin? Why is it named Beijing Brand?"
Director Guo proudly said, "Our factory produced the first television in the country. We presented it as a gift to Chairman Mao and the Central Committee. The state granted us permission to name it the Beijing brand."
Ye Manzhi gave a thumbs-up and said, "You guys are amazing! You must have put a lot of effort into creating the first television, right?"
"It was indeed quite difficult. We organized a trial production team and faced many failures. It took us over a year of repeated attempts to finally produce a prototype. However, the results were remarkable. During the first trial, we had one of ours and one of the Soviets placed in the test hall, and when they were powered on, the visuals were identical!"
Ye Manzhi secretly chewed on the information in the other party's words. The first TV might be an imitation of the Soviet TV.
It took a year of trying to succeed, which is quite a long time.
If Shuguang Factory wants to switch to producing televisions, it must be prepared to extend the battle line.
"I'm in charge of operations at the factory, and I don't know anything about technology," Ye Manzhi said embarrassedly. "Director Guo, could you tell me roughly how much money it would take to set up a TV production line?"
Director Guo raised three fingers.
"Three hundred thousand?" Ye Manyi asked.
Three hundred thousand seems okay, although it is more than three times more expensive than a canning production line, but this is a real high-tech product!
Director Guo said: "Three million!"
"How much?" Ye Manzhi was dumbfounded. "You actually need so much money?"
"Prepare two to three million," said Factory Director Guo. "Domestic televisions have been around for eight years, but currently only Factory 712 and the Shanghai Guang Factory have started production, mainly because the investment is too high. I'd actually like to see other factories join the TV industry."
Ye Manzhi joked, "Aren't you afraid of other products competing with you? It's like a radio."
"Don't worry," Factory Director Guo sighed. "We're still producing black-and-white televisions with vacuum tubes, but foreign countries already have transistor color TVs. We're lagging behind in this area. The industry's development can't rely on just one or two companies; it needs more people to join in. The weakness of the TV equipment-related industries has also hindered the development of Factory 712."
An investment of two to three million is really daunting.
Ye Manzhi's heated head gradually regained its sanity.
Although televisions are good, the investment is too high, and it is not something that Shuguang Factory can easily get involved in.
After listening to her retelling, Kang Jian also felt a little dispirited.
"I was hoping to use that million-dollar order for air guns to switch to producing televisions, but it seems like it's not enough!"
Ye Manzhi said, "The one-time investment in televisions is high, but the payback period is quite fast. According to Director Guo, if the annual production can reach over 10,000 units, the investment can be recovered in two to three years. Besides, this kind of industry can't rely solely on companies raising funds on their own. There are no companies in the province that can produce televisions. If we master the technology, we can then seek financial support from the province."
They thought they could sit back and relax after selling 10,000 air guns, so they haven't been doing any serious sales in the past few days.
However, the funds needed for the TV production line inexplicably give people a strong sense of urgency.
After a few days of laziness, the two men regained their spirits and prepared to seize the last opportunity of the Canton Fair to get a few more big orders for the factory.
10,000 air guns have reached the production limit of air guns, and Ye Manzhi is not planning to accept any more orders for air guns.
The unit price of toy guns is too low, and they are a little arrogant now, and look down on orders worth hundreds or thousands of pounds.
Therefore, the focus of sales promotion should still be on electric fans.
The last few days are the peak period for transactions at the Canton Fair.
Kang Jian used his professional and sophisticated product introductions to fool many customers from Hong Kong Island and Southeast Asia.
I can sign one or two deals almost every day.
Even though each order only has one or two hundred electric fans, they add up to a lot!
More than 900 units were sold in just three or four days.
Ye Manzhi felt that there was no problem in handing over the electric fan business to Director Kang, so he took some time to stroll over to the food group to see how the applesauce order was going.
These days, all the traders in the food group have been busy as hell, and all the negotiation tables are occupied.
When Ye Manzhi entered the exhibition hall, no one paid any attention to her.
He quickly scanned the area and spotted several familiar faces.
She first went to the office to ask what products these familiar faces were purchasing. After understanding the situation, she returned to the hall.
Ivanov appeared to have just placed a large order and was shaking hands with traders goodbye.
"Mr. Ivanov, long time no see," Ye Manzhi greeted him with a smile. "How was your harvest this year? Did you buy all the products you needed?"
"Ye," Ivanov said, shaking her hand warmly and showing her the letter of intent he had just received. "The mission has been accomplished."
"Congratulations!" Ye Manzhi asked, "Are you still buying canned meat this year?"
"Yes, it's mainly canned meat, with a little canned fruit and jam as well."
Ivanov felt that Ye Manzhi was here to sell him products.
But he had already purchased all the goods he needed for the first half of the year, so he could only shrug regretfully at the other party.
"I've also completed my work for this year," Ye Manzhi excitedly revealed to him, "I signed an order worth 150,000 pounds a few days ago. Hahahaha, with this order, our factory is fully occupied and can't take any more orders."
Ivanov congratulated her with a smile, and felt a little relieved.
It seems that Ye Manzhi didn't come to see him to sell any products.
Ye Manzhi glanced at his watch and said, "It's still early, Mr. Ivanov. It's rare for us old friends to meet. Would you like to have a drink together?"
Ivanov gladly accepted the invitation.
The two did not walk far, as there was catering service in the rest area on the first floor of the exhibition hall.
They ordered two beers and a plate of sausages and started chatting.
Among all the European merchants Ye Manzhi had met, he liked Ivanov the most.
The main reason is that both sides can communicate in Russian, which makes communication barrier-free. Moreover, Ivanov is a talkative person, and Ye Manzhi can learn a lot of news about European and American countries from him.
When the conversation was almost over, she clinked glasses with the other party, pointed to several letters of intent on the table and asked, "Do you need me to take a look at them for you?"
"What are you looking at?"
Ye Manzhi tsk- ...
"Well," Ivanov casually handed over the letter of intent, "the canned meat I'm purchasing this year will still be your factory's square can luncheon meat. You can rest assured."
"Haha, I no longer work in that factory, but Binjiang brand products are indeed very good."
Ye Manzhi flipped through his purchase letter of intent, paused, and said, "Actually, you shouldn't have purchased applesauce this time! You should have waited until the Autumn Canton Fair!"
"Why?"
"Jam production is scheduled according to the ripening of the fruit. Applesauce in my country is usually produced from November to February. After the spring, many manufacturers switch to producing strawberry jam and peach jam. So, the applesauce you buy now may have been produced five or six months ago. By the time it arrives in the UK, it may only have four or five months left to use. By the time customers buy it in stores, the jam may already be nearing its expiration date."
Ivanov said: "I purchased a batch of strawberry jam two years ago and also encountered the problem of the product being close to its expiration date, but the shelf life of fruit jam is usually only one year or 18 months, which is unavoidable."
"It's not completely unavoidable," Ye Manzhi advised him. "If you want to purchase strawberry jam in the spring, try to choose a manufacturer in the south. If you want to purchase apple jam, ask the organizers to have it produced by a jam factory in the north. Fruits in northern my country ripen later, and most of the jam produced before April or May is apple jam. Therefore, products shipped from the north should be relatively fresh."
Ivanov probed, "Ye, do you have any manufacturer you would like to recommend?"
Ye Manzhi waved her hand and said, "I can't recommend a manufacturer. The quality of all our exports is excellent! You won't be disappointed no matter which company they are from. It's just that the shelf life of jam is relatively short, so you should pay special attention to it."
Hearing this, the Soviet Big Brother sighed again: "Oh, Ye, thank you! You are truly the most sincere trader I have ever met!"
"Hahahaha, we are old friends," Ye Manzhi emptied the beer in his glass, stood up and said, "Mr. Ivanov, I still have to go to work and can't leave the exhibition hall for too long. I have to go back quickly!"
Ivanov also finished his beer and left the rest area with her.
The two went up to the second floor and said goodbye at the stairs. Ye Manzhi returned to the light industrial products exhibition hall, while Ivanov took the stack of letters of intent and went to the food exhibition area.
He found the trader who had received him before and said that he wanted to specify the manufacturer of the jam.
The young trader smiled and asked, "Mr. Ivanov, which manufacturer would you like to specify?"
“There’s no specific manufacturer,” Ivanov said, “but strawberry jam needs to be made in a southern factory, and apple jam in a northern factory.”
While the trader was helping him check, he couldn't help but wonder in his heart.
The south has a large area of fruit cultivation and a wide variety of fruits, so most of the country's jam factories are located in the south, which can basically guarantee production throughout the year.
There are actually very few jam factories in the north, and there seems to be only one manufacturer that has jam equipment and export qualifications.
He opened the list and checked it from top to bottom.
Then, under the watchful eyes of the customer, the notes were written on the letter of intent and the registration book.
The strawberry jam costing £4,220 had the note "Selected Southern Factory" on the back.
The note behind the apple jam worth 3,350 pounds is "Binjiang Shuguang Jam Factory".
*
After securing an order for the jam factory, Ye Manzhi stopped hanging around the food department.
The jam factory is in its early stages and is small in scale. An order worth more than 3,000 pounds, plus other tasks assigned by the head office, is enough to keep the jam factory busy.
When the conference officially closed, Shuguang Factory had obtained the export task of 3,220 electric fans, 4,570 toy guns and 10,150 air guns in total.
The order volume for electric fans did not meet the two people's psychological expectations.
But nothing is perfect. With the 10,000 air guns as a backup, the two of them successfully completed their sales task.
After the Canton Fair ended, Ye Manzhi went to the island to visit her parents-in-law and then embarked on her journey home.
Because she and Kang Jian changed course and went to Tianjin to visit the production line of Factory 712, it was already the end of May when they officially returned to Binjiang.
The factory sent the only truck in the factory to the station to pick people up.
When the car took the two back to Shuguang Factory, the three factory directors who stayed at home, the employees who came to watch the fun, and the backbone members of the union art troupe were all waiting at the factory gate.
As soon as the car stopped, the art troupe started performing lively with drums and gongs.
Lei Wanyuan applauded and said with a warm smile, "Let's go to the door to welcome the two great heroes. Isn't this a good treat?"
"Hahahaha, if we could get this kind of VIP treatment every time we come back from a business trip, everyone would be rushing to go on business trips!"
Ye Manzhi jumped out of the car, shook hands with several factory managers, and hugged the union chairman Qu and Zhou Ruyi.
The office clerk took two big red flowers and wanted to give them to the two deputy factory directors.
But both of them declined with a smile.
"The main reason we've been able to sign so many orders is the high quality of our products! For similar products, they choose our Shuguang brand over other brands, all thanks to our superior technology!" Ye Manzhi excitedly described the scene of Muhammad's test firing. "You didn't see that Middle Eastern customer? They were facing a disadvantage at first, but after switching to our new air rifle, things immediately turned favorable. They were so excited that they placed an order for 10,000 air rifles on the spot!"
Kang Jian echoed: "Haha, our international friends are all impressed by our products!"
The workers clapped their hands proudly and cheered. Someone shouted, "Director, since today is such a big event, shouldn't the canteen make dumplings?"
"Do I look like a dumpling?" Lei Wanyuan scolded with a smile, "Go back to work! We're having braised pork for lunch today!"
"Oh oh oh! Let's have meat for lunch!" The employees applauded again and dispersed with cheers.
The factory has been busy with export tasks recently, and several factory managers are very busy. Lei Wanyuan did not hold a team meeting, but only talked with Ye Manzhi and Kang Jian separately about the recent situation in the factory.
"There are two important things you two should be aware of," Lei Wanyuan said. "A few days ago, the Provincial Department of Industry transferred the second batch of industrial enterprises to Binjiang City. Our Shuguang Factory is on the list. From now on, we will be managed by the Binjiang Municipal Bureau of Industry."
Both of them nodded in understanding.
It's only a matter of time.
At that time, the Shuguang Factory had just been converted from military to civilian use, and because of the handover with the military, it was temporarily managed by the Provincial Department of Industry.
Now that Shuguang Factory is gradually getting on track, it is reasonable to hand it over to the Binjiang Municipal Industrial Bureau.
Kang Jian said: "In the past, we were under the jurisdiction of the provincial department, but we still had to deal with various departments in Binjiang for daily work. Now that we have been transferred to Binjiang City, there is no longer a mother-in-law above us, which may not be a bad thing."
In addition, the power of personnel appointment and dismissal is also decentralized to local levels.
The cadres are assessed and appointed by the Binjiang Municipal Party Committee, which also increases the possibility for several factory directors to work in the municipal bureau.
Ye Manzhi took the list of decentralized enterprises and read it through from beginning to end.
In addition to the Shuguang Factory being relocated, the list also includes the Binjiang Woolen Factory, Binjiang Tannery, Binjiang Second Tool Factory, and Binjiang First Food Factory.
She stared at the last name and sighed that life is unpredictable.
Fortunately, we agreed to jointly run a soft drink factory with the Municipal Industrial Bureau at that time, otherwise the food factory would be placed under their management and we might have been in trouble.
Lei Wanyuan talked about another thing.
"You should have been paying attention to the latest newspapers, right?"
"Well, we read the newspaper on the way."
It seems that each city is going to set up some kind of socialist revolutionary group.
Lei Wanyuan said, "Binjiang was also established a few days ago. But the Shuguang Factory is located in the suburbs and has little to do with us. However, our factory has just received so many export orders, and we can't delay them, especially the air gun workshop. Although it doesn't produce firearms, confidentiality and security must be maintained. Therefore, I plan to re-activate the confidentiality system of Factory 833 and implement a closed management and "entry and exit permit" management system in the production area."
Ye Manzhi agreed with both hands. "Air guns have certain potential dangers. They must be strictly managed and kept confidential. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter or leave without permission."
"Well, so I want to start training the militia battalion as well," Lei Wanyuan looked at Ye Manzhi and said, "Our factory has more than 300 militiamen, and they have to undergo 15-30 days of military training every year. This year, the factory has been in chaos, and training hasn't started yet. Starting next week, we will implement a rotation system, with each platoon training for 30 days. The training items include shooting, bombing, blasting, individual tactics, formations, assassination, three defenses, and battlefield rescue. We are the instructors of the militia battalion, and it would be best if we could participate in the militia battalion training when the time comes."
Ye Manzhi agreed with a smile.
The militia battalion is led by the factory party committee, and the party committee secretary and deputy secretary are the chief and deputy instructors of the militia battalion respectively.
Ye Manzhi is the deputy secretary, that is, the deputy instructor.
If the militia is going to conduct military training, she will also need to find out about the situation.
The two had just returned, and Lei Wanyuan didn't say much.
Ye Manzhi returned to the office to familiarize herself with her recent work, and then it was time to get off work.
She hasn't been home for more than a month and she misses her husband and children.
So, as soon as the bugle sounded for the end of get off work, she went out with her luggage.
The family compound was still the same. When Ye Manzhi pushed open the gate of her own yard, there was no movement at home. Only the breeder Xiao Wu was lying on the two-meter bed in the master bedroom.
There was also a Ye Lihua lying beside him, licking its paws intently.
Hearing footsteps, Wu Yuzhuo turned her head to look at the door. When she saw who was coming, her big eyes lit up and she shouted "Mom" in surprise!
Ye Manzhi had already opened his arms, waiting for his daughter to pounce on him.
However, breeder Xiao Wu continued to lie on the bed and did not move at all.
Ye Manzhi sensed something was wrong and asked worriedly, "Baby, what's wrong with you?"
Wu Yuzhuo propped up his upper body with one hand, and with difficulty, he moved his legs a few centimeters closer to the bed. He frowned and said bitterly, "Mom, I'm paralyzed and can't move!"
"Huh?" Ye Manzhi was startled and hurried over to check her legs, asking questions rapidly, "What's wrong? Why can't you move? Where's your dad?"
"Dad just went out...Ahhh," Wu Yuzhuo cried out as his legs hurt from his mother's pinching. "Mom, my legs hurt, don't pinch me!"
Ye Manzhi was really anxious this time and wanted to take off her daughter's pants to see what was going on.
Wu Yuzhuo grabbed her pants to prevent her from taking them off, and her legs hurt so much that she was about to cry.
When the mother and daughter were busy and sweating, Wu Zhengrong pushed the door and walked in.
After seeing the situation in the room, he said to the anxious Director Xiaoye, "Don't touch her. She will be fine in two days."
"Youyan, what on earth is going on?"
Wu Zhengrong glanced at the bed and said speechlessly, "I bought her a children's bicycle in Shanghai. After she got her new bike, she insisted on riding it to her grandma's house to show off."
"She rode from our house to the military industrial compound?" Ye Manzhi opened her eyes wide.
Her bus ride would take nearly an hour.
"I turned back halfway through the ride."
Before Wu Zhengrong left on his business trip, their relationship was nearly broken. He had originally wanted to buy his daughter a children's bicycle to appease her, but he had no idea that a bicycle could actually tire the child out...
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