Chapter 140 The Machinery Factory Encounters a Problem
She felt Xu Zhian's small hands grip her clothes even tighter, so she gently patted his back to comfort him.
Director Zhang strode forward, his face beaming with undisguised joy: "Comrade Xu, you've come at the perfect time. I have some great news to tell you."
"Oh? Director Zhang, what good news has made you so happy?"
Xu Zhili followed up on the conversation, already having a vague idea in her mind.
"The first batch of desktop and floor fans in our factory was a great success, with a total of thirty units produced."
Director Zhang lowered his voice, but the excitement in his tone remained undiminished, "This progress is much faster than originally planned!"
"The trial production was successful so quickly? That's wonderful." Xu Zhili's eyes flashed with surprise and relief; this truly exceeded her expectations.
"How's the quality? Is it running smoothly?" she asked with concern, as this was the most crucial question.
"Great! Excellent!"
Director Zhang nodded emphatically, full of confidence, "It runs very smoothly, the wind is strong enough, and most importantly, it's very quiet. It's not noisy at all when you sleep with it on at night."
"This really solves a big problem. The soundproofing effect is so excellent. Comrade Xu, your suggestions for improvement were a great help."
He couldn't help but praise again.
Xu Zhili quickly and modestly waved her hand: "Director Zhang, you are too kind. I just talked a little, drew a rough sketch, and offered some ideas."
"The real challenge was overcome by the experienced craftsmen and technicians in the factory who repeatedly adjusted and improved materials and figured out ways to reduce vibration and noise."
"Every part that passes inspection is the result of everyone's hard work and dedication. This achievement is a collective effort of our factory."
"Haha, Comrade Xu is just being modest. That's right, it's the result of everyone working together."
Director Zhang appreciated Xu Zhili's humble attitude, then changed the subject, "However, producing it is only the first step; the next step depends on sales."
Xu Zhili nodded and offered her suggestion: "Yes, our local department stores and supply and marketing cooperatives are definitely the main channels. It would be even better if we could try to send samples to the provincial department stores to open up wider sales channels."
She knew that expanding distribution channels was no easy task in this planned economy era, but ideas could be proposed first.
Upon hearing this, Director Zhang revealed a confident smile befitting a leader of a large state-owned factory: "Comrade Xu has good foresight. Rest assured, the name of our county's No. 1 Machinery Factory is a golden brand."
"These fans are of excellent quality and in high demand. Once the report is submitted and the quota is allocated to the various supply and sales units, they will definitely be in high demand. There might not even be enough to go around."
His confidence stemmed from his familiarity with the planned allocation system and his confidence in the quality of his products.
“With superior quality, we naturally have confidence,” Xu Zhili agreed with a smile.
"Absolutely!"
Director Zhang seemed to remember something, and his tone carried a hint of triumph, "You wouldn't believe it, but we're cooperating with the county plastics factory on that plastic part."
"Before, asking them for some matching plastic parts was like begging and pleading, having to put up with their attitude. Now..."
He smiled meaningfully, "We used a lot of their plastic parts in these fans; it was a big order. Now their factory manager is very polite to us! That's what you call 'circumstances are stronger than people'!"
Xu Zhili smiled knowingly after hearing this.
Such shifts in status due to changes in supply and demand are common in any era.
She looked down at Xu Zhian, who was staring at Director Zhang and the factory with wide, curious eyes, and said softly, "An'an, greet Uncle Zhang."
Xu Zhian was a little shy, but still whispered, "Hello, Uncle Zhang."
"Oh, good boy."
Director Zhang seemed to only then notice the little guy, and his smile became even more amiable. "Comrade Xu, your little brother is such a good boy. Okay, you two get back to work. I have something to do. We'll talk again when we have time. Don't worry about the fan!"
"Okay, Director Zhang, you're busy. We'll just take a quick look around and then head back," Xu Zhili said with a smile.
She watched Director Zhang's hurried departure, his steps so rapid, as if it were something extremely urgent.
Xu Zhili only glanced at it and didn't take it too seriously.
Holding her younger brother An'an's hand with one hand and pushing the old bicycle with the other, she slowly walked into the factory compound and parked the bike in an empty spot against the wall.
Xu Zhili led Xu Zhian around for a walk, and before they even reached the workshop entrance, she heard the familiar sounds of arguing.
Factory Director Zhou was standing at the entrance of the production workshop, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. He said urgently to the veteran technician, Master Liu, "Old Liu, take another look. This machine can't be stopped. The whole factory is counting on it to get the work done."
"Old Liu, you're one of the most senior technicians in our machine factory. Is there really no way you can fix this machine?"
Master Liu's brows were furrowed, and his fingers were still covered in black engine oil.
He sighed, his voice full of helplessness: "Director Zhou, it's not that I didn't try my best. I've tried everything I could. This machine was imported from Russia a long time ago. We've never had any contact with the core components before. We can't understand the foreign languages on its core blueprints, and I don't know how to repair Russian machines."
"Now that I'm suddenly out of options, I'm really at a loss. Maybe we should quickly apply to higher authorities to send in an expert?"
Factory Director Zhou wiped the sweat from his brow and shook his head slightly, saying, "If the application report is submitted, will it be approved in ten days or half a month? By the time the experts arrive, this batch of orders will have already fallen through, and that would be a huge problem."
Just then, Director Zhang led a few people over quickly.
At the front was a foreign man in his early thirties wearing an inappropriate suit, with slicked-back hair. Behind him were two men and a woman, who appeared to be an assistant and a translator.
The man in the lead, in particular, had a shifty gaze and always looked at people with an indescribable contempt. His gaze lingered especially on the female workers, making them feel extremely uncomfortable.
The female workers trembled with fear whenever they met the man's lewd gaze, instinctively hiding behind him as if only in this way could they gain a sense of security.
Their faces were filled with fear and unease; the man's gaze seemed to carry a nauseating quality that made them want to avoid him.
Seeing this, the male workers quickly shielded the female workers behind them, glaring angrily at the man, but the man didn't care at all and still showed a malicious smile.
Director Zhang, looking anxious, quickly stepped forward to introduce: "Factory Manager, this is Mr. Charlie. He happens to be participating in a technical exchange activity in the county, and I specially invited him to come and take a look at our machines."
After saying that, Director Zhang quickly turned to Charlie and said warmly, "This is Director Zhou from our county's No. 1 Machinery Factory."
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