Chapter 224
The lion on the leafy branch opened its mouth loudly, leaving Qin Changzheng speechless for a long time before he found his voice again.
"Director Ye, the total cost of the equipment is $3.2 million. You put in $1.2 million, and I put in $2 million. And you get to use the equipment first, while I have to wait two years. Is that reasonable?"
Ye Manzhi said generously, "I'll let you use it first. Then you can be responsible for copying it. In two years, give me two brand new production lines."
Qin Changzheng: “…”
He must have this level of imitation!
Ye Manzhi sighed and said, "This trip to Japan has given me such a huge impact. Our Shuguang Factory produces 26,000 black and white TVs a year. Isn't that the best in China?"
Qin Changzheng nodded.
This is a fact.
The Shuguang factory has the highest output in the industry.
"But many large factories in Japan have four or even six production lines operating simultaneously, producing in a week what we produce in a year! 80% of households there already watch black and white TVs!"
Ye Manzhi didn't say out loud that we were too backward, but the meaning was conveyed.
"Director Qin, what I'm thinking now is that we should seize this opportunity to bring this advanced equipment back to China. Whether it's given to Guangzhou, Binjiang, or some other company that can afford the $3.2 million, as long as it's in our pockets, we can organize people to research and replicate it. Once production increases significantly, we'll be able to make televisions available to every household!"
Qin Changzheng said: "Of course I also hope that we can catch up with the international advanced level, but..."
He always felt that something was not right about this matter!
When Pan Kunlun first learned of Ye Manyi's plan, his reaction was similar to Qin Changzheng's, so he could guess what the other party was thinking.
"Director Qin, this $2 million doesn't belong to you, nor to the Broadcasting Equipment Factory. It belongs to your province!" Pan Kunlun reminded him. "Without this opportunity, would your factory have been able to get $2 million from the province?"
“…”
Of course not.
Ye Manzhi continued, "The quote for the two second-hand production lines is a whopping 6.4 million RMB. Even without using foreign exchange, a factory like ours can't come up with over 6 million, right? If we rely solely on ourselves, I wonder how long it will take to upgrade our equipment. The central government has already handed over the color TV production line to Factory 305, and all industries across the country need to develop. They probably won't be importing TV production lines anytime soon. If we miss this opportunity to import second-hand equipment, it will be a huge loss for you, me, and even the entire TV industry!"
"Whether or not we can come up with $2 million is something the provincial leaders need to worry about," Ye Manzhi said frankly. "You're the director of the broadcasting equipment factory. You shouldn't be looking at things from the perspective of the provincial leaders, but from the perspective of the factory director."
The situation of the Broadcasting Equipment Factory was similar to that of the Shuguang Factory, or even worse.
If Qin Changzheng wanted his company to develop rapidly, he should have seized this opportunity without hesitation and persuaded provincial leaders to agree to this cooperation!
For the broadcasting equipment factory, there is no loss in this cooperation.
The money was provided by the province, and the equipment was copied from Shuguang Factory.
Qin Changzheng only needs to convince the provincial leaders and then wait to receive the equipment in two years!
After the two people reminded him, the fog lingering in Qin Changzheng's eyes seemed to suddenly dissipate.
His thoughts also became clearer.
Yes.
The money is provided by the province, so he should seize this opportunity to introduce advanced equipment!
Even if it takes two years to get the production line, the broadcasting equipment factory will still make money!
If he hadn't had this opportunity, he might not have had the chance to introduce new equipment even if he waited another three to five years.
"Director Ye, I'm willing to cooperate with Shuguang Factory, but the foreign exchange must be provided by the province, and the provincial leaders may not agree."
Seeing that he had relented, Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "Whether the provincial leaders will agree is a matter for another time, but we must first discuss the money. The two old production lines cost $3.2 million, and the new ones will definitely cost more than that. If Binjiang organizes the imitation, the cost will inevitably be higher than $2 million. By then, you will have to make up for the excess cost."
She has put in a lot of effort, so we can't ask her to pay for it, right?
If the province were to lose millions all at once, provincial leaders might rather give up the production line than do a losing business.
"We'll make up for the shortfall."
Qin Changzheng was very open-minded about this, and the 2 million US dollars was equivalent to a deposit.
If you want to get the production line, you have to pay the balance.
The province has already paid the bulk of the cost, and the factory can figure out the remaining amount on its own.
As long as the television business turns profitable and produces 400,000 units a year, it might only take one or two years to make back the money spent on the equipment!
Once both parties reached an agreement on the money, things would be easier to discuss afterwards.
"Director Qin, you'll have to negotiate with the provincial leaders first," Ye Manzhi said with a smile. "I can first tell you what Shuguang Factory can offer."
"Um."
Qin Changzheng thought about the advanced equipment he was about to get, and refilled the two people's teacups with water.
Ye Manzhi said: "Before the broadcast equipment factory got the production line, Shuguang Factory could transfer one-third of its annual output to Guangdong for sale."
This condition may seem insignificant, but it actually contains a lot of knowledge.
Before Shuguang Factory turned a profit, all the televisions it produced were sold locally in Binjiang.
Even sister cities in the province could not get televisions from the Shuguang factory.
Why?
Because the television business is operating at a loss, each TV is subsidized by the Binjiang City government.
Therefore, the city’s financial subsidies can only benefit the city’s citizens, and people from other provinces and cities cannot take advantage of them.
The televisions sold in Guangdong are either produced by the Guangzhou Broadcasting Equipment Factory or are "Beijing brand" products that receive central government subsidies.
Sales volume is extremely low.
If Shuguang Factory ships 100,000 televisions to Guangdong every year, it will be able to greatly meet the needs of the local market.
Of course, the production and sales plans were the responsibility of the Revolutionary Committee, and she had to go back and discuss the specific details with the Revolutionary Committee.
Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "Also, our Shuguang Factory can send engineers to Guangzhou to help the Broadcasting Equipment Factory reduce production costs and minimize your financial subsidies."
The Shuguang factory was able to turn losses into profits, on the one hand because it found a source of spare parts within the province, and on the other hand because several important spare parts were upgraded.
They can share their cost-cutting methods with broadcasting equipment manufacturers.
Qin Changzheng rubbed his chin and asked, "Director Ye, it's not easy to copy the equipment. What if the copying fails? What will happen to the $2 million our province has invested?"
"Repaying debts is a matter of course. We'll try to repay in foreign currency. If we don't have foreign currency, we'll use products to offset the debt. Based on the current factory price, the payment for 10,000 TVs is worth about 4.02 million yuan, and we'll use the current factory price to offset the debt. If your province imports complete sets from abroad, that'll also cost foreign currency, right?"
Qin Changzheng thought for a long time, then nodded and said, "Director Ye, I need to discuss this with other comrades in the factory first. Whether we can come up with that much foreign exchange depends on the opinions of the provincial leaders."
"Okay, give me an answer as soon as possible." Ye Manzhi said with a smile, "If it doesn't work in Guangzhou, we have to contact other TV manufacturers quickly."
Qin Changzheng was not her only choice.
She has agreed with Pym to give her a definitive answer by April.
If Director Qin wants to delay for a month or two, she can't wait.
*
As they walked out of the factory, Pan Kunlun worriedly said, "There are actually quite a few problems with cooperation between the two sides. What if the province wants to invest $3.2 million on its own?"
"Then let them have it. We'll send people to Guangzhou to learn and improve our existing equipment. However," Ye Manzhi shook his head, "even if their province really has so much foreign exchange, they may not use it on a second-hand TV production line. I'm not worried about them taking it all for themselves, I'm just worried about them not paying for it."
Televisions are similar to radios in that they are for leisure and entertainment purposes only and are not essential.
This time, the country has allocated billions of dollars to plan to import equipment from abroad, most of which are related to people's livelihood.
For example, the chemical fertilizers used in agriculture are related to food, and the Dacron produced by chemical fiber factories is related to clothing.
Televisions are not important for food or clothing, and the province may not be willing to spend millions to develop televisions.
Pan Kunlun hypothesized another possibility: "If they really put up $2 million, they might ask to locate the production line in Guangzhou."
"Okay, then let them be responsible for the imitation, and we can save ourselves the trouble."
Shuguang Factory's television business has turned from loss to profit, so obtaining the production line two years later will not have much impact on Shuguang Factory.
She is not afraid of people making requests, but she is afraid that they will refuse without thinking.
In that case, there would be no chance of introducing the production line.
…
Qin Changzheng acted quite quickly. Ye Manzhi only waited in Guangzhou for four days before receiving a reply from the other party.
"Our province is willing to introduce two TV production lines, but we can only contribute $1 million upfront. Our investment is less than Shuguang Factory's. After the equipment is introduced, we can hand it over to Shuguang Factory first, and you will be responsible for replicating it."
It's better to have something than nothing.
Ye Manzhi nodded and said, "Yes, but that would require the introduction of a third company. By then, we might have to replicate four production lines. We might not be able to deliver within two years, and it might take even longer."
"The time can be extended to three years, but after your televisions go into production, 100,000 sets will have to be shipped to Guangdong every year."
Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "This is not something we can worry about. Let the production headquarters of the two provincial revolutionary committees negotiate."
After getting the OK in Guangzhou, Ye Manzhi and Pan Kunlun did not stay any longer.
They had been wandering outside for two months and all they wanted was to go home as soon as possible.
The train arrived at the station in the morning, and Ye Manzhi first carried her luggage back to Shuguang Factory.
She introduced the gains of the trip to everyone, then looked at Wang Zaofu and Kang Jian and said, "We still need $1 million in payment for the goods. I think we need to bring in a third company. Why don't you go to Beijing and Shanghai?"
Wang Zaofu had just returned from a study class three days ago, and before he could even get comfortable, he took on a new task.
However, this job is a good one for him.
It’s a rare opportunity to go on business trips in the factory, and he hasn’t been out yet!
"I've already called the leaders of the two factories in Guangzhou and explained the general situation. You're going there to talk to them on behalf of the factories, and then get back to them as soon as possible."
Wang Zaofu and Kang Jian both agreed readily and set off tomorrow.
Ye Manzhi introduced the negotiation details and precautions to the two of them, and learned about the recent work situation in the factory. As soon as the bugle sounded outside to signal the end of get off work, she ran out with her luggage.
She hasn't seen Wu Zhengrong and her daughter for more than two months, and she misses them so much!
Ye Manzhi took a car home and as soon as she entered the compound, she saw many residents gathered on the side of the road.
There was a banner hanging between two roadside trees, as if comrades from the commune were giving a mobilization speech in the yard.
Ye Manzhi was anxious to go home and had no intention of going over, but when she passed the encirclement, she seemed to hear the voice of her husband Wu Yuzhuo.
She squeezed over with her luggage and saw two middle school students in work clothes standing in front of a banner, talking about the street industry learning from Daqing and the "Angang Constitution."
One of them was her own Wu Yuzhuo, and the other was Lu Yuejin, the leader of the children's group who dared to patrol with a real gun.
Ye Manzhi watched for a while from behind. Xiao Wu was already a "senior" propagandist. She had talked about the content of "Angang Constitution" several times, so the overall effect was very smooth. The propaganda content was easy to understand and combined with specific cases of street industries, the introduction was very professional.
Lu Yuejin next to him also performed well, the only shortcoming was that his voice was a little shaky.
Ye Manzhi glanced at the overalls he was wearing and thought, no wonder his voice was shaking, was he cold?
Shortly after the beginning of spring, Youyan wore a cotton jacket and overalls over his cotton pants, which bulged out like a ball.
Lu Yuejin was only wearing overalls and a sweater, and looked quite "cool".
Wu Yuzhuo had sharp eyes and had already noticed his mother standing behind him.
She blinked hard at her mother, spoke faster to finish the last paragraph, and then announced the end of the meeting.
"Mom, did you just come back?" Wu Yuzhuo rushed over wrapped in a cotton jacket.
"Yeah, I came back this morning." Ye Manzhi glanced at her overalls and asked, "Where did you get those overalls?"
"You didn't come home for the New Year, so Second Aunt shortened her pants for me!" Wu Yuzhuo said curiously, "These pants can be worn over cotton pants, and they're durable and very comfortable! After I put on the overalls, Lu Yuejin also put them on! However, he doesn't wear cotton pants. When he was mobilizing everyone just now, his voice was shaking. Grandma Chen said that this boy is quite shy, hehe."
Ye Manzhi glanced at the young boy standing behind her and said with a smile, "Yuejin is paying attention to his appearance. Do you think everyone is like you?"
Wu Yuzhuo turned around and waved to the tall man, "Lu Yuejin, stop being so conceited and go back to put on your cotton-padded jacket. I'm going home with my mother first!"
Lu Yuejin put his hands in his pockets, rolled his eyes and said, "You know shit!"
"Hmph," Wu Yuzhuo said disdainfully, "If you continue to tremble tomorrow, I won't be in the same group with you. When you tremble I want to laugh, and it affects my performance."
Lu Yuejin: “…”
He ignored the dwarf's ridicule, reached out to take Ye Manzhi's luggage, helped carry it to the door, and ran away.
"How did this kid grow up so fast?" Ye Manzhi glanced out the window, "I wanted him to come in and warm up."
"He doesn't dare come in," Wu Yuzhuo whispered, "My dad is about to get off work, he must be afraid of running into my dad!"
Ye Manzhi: “…”
There's no kid in this yard who isn't afraid of running into your dad.
Director Wu never smiled in front of these brats, and he looked at them as if their children were fools.
In order to make up for the psychological shadow left by Wu Zhengrong, Ye Manzhi can only be doubly gentle and kind as a classmate's mother to help her son Wu Yuzhuo restore some reputation among classmates and friends.
She opened her luggage and took out the things she brought back from the business trip.
She only bought some mechanical pencils and chocolates in Japan, but bought a lot of good things in Guangzhou. After buying the train ticket, she spent all the money she had.
"Wow--"
Wu Yuzhuo held the mechanical pencils and asked in surprise, "Mom, are these foreign products? My great-grandfather also had one of these pencils, but it's out of refills!"
"Well, I bought them in a store in Japan. You can keep two for yourself and share the rest with Qiqiu and Niuniu. Next time you send something to the Third Frontier, send one to the taxi as well."
Wu Yuzhuo nodded happily, looked at it again and again with a mechanical pencil, and tried to write a few words on the exercise book.
"If I bring pencils like this to school, it's going to cause a stir!"
"Of course."
"Then I'd better stay home and be secretly happy. My dad won't let me show off at school," Wu Yuzhuo touched the pencil cherishingly. "My dad has been working overtime lately, so I've been eating with Yi Yi. It's Yi Yi's birthday next month, and I'm going to give her one!"
"Well, you decide for yourself."
When Wu Zhengrong came home from get off work, the family of three gathered together for dinner after a long absence.
The couple sent the cub away early.
A short separation is better than a new marriage. Ye Manzhi hugged Dr. Wu and told him about her experience of going abroad.
"I've really seen the world this time," she whispered, hiding in her bed. "I went out and saw the difference between us and others. I even got a boil on my chin that same day. But I don't dare tell anyone else about this, so I can only tell you."
She now suddenly understood how Wu Zhengrong felt when he heard that the Soviet Union had launched an artificial satellite.
Wu Zhengrong was silent for a few breaths, then patted her on the waist. "Didn't you say that we should get started first and fill in any gaps along the way? Your idea of introducing a second-hand production line is actually a good one. Let's bring in the equipment first and then identify any gaps."
Ye Manzhi held his breath and said, "If we can really get the production line to settle in Binjiang, then I have to invite all the experts and engineers from universities, research institutes and major machinery factories to come here and study those two production lines carefully!"
*
She chatted with Wu Zhengrong for half the night. The next day, Wu Zhengrong had to get up on time at 6 o'clock for exercise, and he yawned a few times.
Ye Manzhi slept until around eight o'clock and woke up naturally. He then left home and went to the Provincial Industrial Bureau and the Municipal Revolutionary Committee to report on his work.
The city certainly has no objection to this cooperation.
The foreign exchange was provided by the province, and Shuguang Factory was a municipal enterprise, so Binjiang got a great deal.
Xia Zhuyun was more worried about the source of the other one million dollars.
"I've sent people to Beijing and Shanghai to negotiate. I hope we can at least close a deal."
However, a week later, Kang Jian and Wang Zaofu called the factory back one after another.
Both Beijing and Shanghai are willing to invest in purchasing equipment, but three years is too long.
They were willing to invest $2 million, send the equipment to them first, and then both parties could jointly imitate the two production lines.
In other words, the Guangzhou Broadcasting Equipment Factory that had been previously agreed upon had to be kicked out, and the two production lines could not be settled in Binjiang for the time being.
Ye Manzhi had gone through great pains to get hold of the production line, and of course she hoped that the production line could go into her own pocket.
However, if there is really no other way, then we can only take a step back.
The key is to bring in the equipment first.
Tian Chunshan smoked a cigarette and said, "Whoever pays the most has the final say. If they can offer 2 million, then there's nothing wrong with sending the production line over. However, those two companies are different from the Shuguang Factory. They are newly established electronics factories with no heavy industrial foundation at all. If they were in control of those two production lines, could they really copy the original?"
The Shuguang Factory can manufacture guns and artillery shells. In the past two years, it has built two canning production lines for a jam factory, a popsicle production line for a popsicle factory, and even made washing machines on its own.
We have extensive experience in this area.
If all else fails, there are still many experts and masters in the manufacturing industry in Binjiang.
But, can those two factories in Beijing and Shanghai handle it?
Miao Sufen said skeptically, "I don't think it's possible. We wait for two or three years, and then they say they can't imitate it. What can we do to them?"
Ye Manzhi: "I think other factories are thinking the same thing. What if Shuguang Factory can't imitate it? What can they do to us?"
"Looking at it this way, Guangzhou is still a better place to cooperate," Huang He suggested. "Since we've already made an agreement with Guangzhou, let's continue the cooperation. At worst, we can look for other provinces and cities."
When everyone was checking several newly built TV factories one by one, Ye Manzhi suddenly received a call from Tianjin.
The other party was the director of the Revolutionary Committee of Tianjin Radio Factory No. 8.
"Director Ye, I heard you're looking for someone to purchase a black-and-white TV production line?"
"Yes, we are looking for cooperation with sister units."
"What do you think of our Radio Factory No. 8? We're a Tianjin-owned enterprise and we also produce televisions."
Ye Manzhi asked: "Director Shen, how much foreign exchange can you provide?"
"Lao Qin said that if each company contributes 1 million, then our city can also contribute 1 million US dollars."
Ye Manyi understood. It seemed that this was the person Qin Changzheng was helping to contact.
"Director Shen, after the production line arrives, it will first be placed in our Shuguang factory for imitation. It may take two or three years before we can hand over the brand new production line to you."
"Old Qin told me," Director Shen said with a hearty laugh. "The city funded us and gave us two production lines for free. Why wouldn't I be happy? Anyway, just copy them as soon as possible. Everyone is waiting to use them!"
After hanging up the phone, Ye Manzhi sat in the chair for a long time, unable to recover.
3.2 million US dollars, is that all you need?
Why does it feel like a dream?
She shared the news with the others, and Miao Sufen concluded, "It takes many hands to make a great fire! Unity is strength! Well, we at Shuguang Factory can't let down the trust our comrades in Guangzhou and Tianjin have placed in us. As soon as the equipment arrives, we'll be ready to replicate it!"
No matter what, we have to study these two production lines thoroughly!
Ye Manzhi reported to Xia Zhuyun the news that the 3.2 million US dollars had been raised that same day.
The equipment funds for the three companies are all funded by their respective provinces and cities, and the relevant departments of the three provinces and cities must sit down and discuss the details.
As long as the funds are in place, Shuguang Factory will be ready to receive Pim's equipment!
When Ye Manzhi came out of the TV workshop that day, she ran into the women's director Gui Qiuju.
"Director Gui, what's the rush?"
"It's a great event," Gui Qiuju said, pulling her aside. "Director Ye, while you were away, the Municipal Women's Federation asked each unit to recommend candidates for the executive committee!"
Ye Manzhi asked in surprise, "Has the Municipal Women's Federation resumed its work?"
In recent years, the work of the workers, youth and women's federations has been entirely under the responsibility of the Revolutionary Committee's mass work group.
The last time Ye Manzhi heard about the city women's federation organizing an event was in 1966.
"It's back!" Gui Qiuju said with a smile. "This time, each unit has to nominate five female comrades. Our factory has nominated Director Miao, Chairman Qu from the labor union, Chen Xiaohui from the workshop, and you and me."
"So what's the result? Did our factory gain something?"
"Haha, you and Director Miao have been nominated after the organization's investigation. The 11th Municipal Women's Congress will be held at the Friendship Palace this Friday, and the members of this executive committee will be elected at the meeting. Director Ye, are you free to go to the city to attend the conference this Friday?"
"Yes, I will be there on time!"
Even if she doesn't have time, she has to squeeze out some time. If she can be successfully elected as an executive member of the Municipal Women's Federation, it would be such an honor for her!
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