industrial overlord

Chapter 659 Joint Action Plan
"There is only one way to curb the rise of the Chinese, and that is: unite!" Khedira replied without hesitation to Julian's question, "With all due respect, none of our companies belong to the Chinese." Competitors, we can only defeat the competition from China if we unite."

Khedira was also really a little bit of non-stop talker, as soon as he said these words, all the executives in the living room became agitated, and all their fiery eyes focused on Khedira.Although the winter has not yet passed, Khedira still felt the heat all over his body.

"Why, do you think I'm wrong?" Khedira asked everyone's gaze.

"Khedira, I think your words are a bit too absolute?" Marko retorted, "In any case, our companies are still among the top 500 companies in the world. Our Gissen company is a little smaller , but the scale of your ALK is much larger than that of Hanhua Heavy Industries. The output value of Hanhua Heavy Industries last year was less than 300 billion euros, right? Your scale is more than 600 billion euros. How do you think that your single company cannot What about competing with the Chinese?"

Although Marco said so, his confidence was very insufficient.The Giessen company he works in also has an annual output value of more than 200 billion euros, which is about the same as that of Hanhua, but Marco knows in his heart that if the two companies are going to fight each other, Giessen company will definitely die.

The executives of other companies also had mixed feelings in their hearts. Khedira's words sounded very embarrassing, but after thinking about it carefully, it seemed to make a little sense.The ability of the Chinese to pry the corners of the market is really not something to talk about casually. In how many times of international bidding, their own companies have been defeated by Chinese companies, and they have watched large orders fall into the hands of Chinese companies.

It's not that everyone has thought of a way, but in the face of the perverted cost control ability of the Chinese and the professionalism that pounces on the smell of money, the solutions these European masters came up with can only increase the laughter.Is it true that as Khedira said, unless everyone unites, they will definitely not be able to stand up?
"I have to admit that our ALK Group cannot defeat the Chinese alone. Even if we only regard Hanhua Heavy Industry as our competitor, we have no chance of winning." Khedira said affirmatively.

Julian interjected: "What Khedira said makes sense. In fact, the Chinese are not competing with us independently. We, the Radur Group, once bid with the Chinese for an oil refinery project in Indonesia. They The organization that participated in the bidding was an organization called the China Chemical Equipment Alliance, which included more than a dozen of the largest petrochemical equipment companies in China. Unfortunately, we failed in that bidding.”

"Thank you for this example." Khedira said to Julian, "China is a country whose economy is dominated by the government. They have a very powerful institution called the State Development Planning Commission. This institution will bring all the enterprises in the country Organized into a huge alliance, and it is this huge alliance that competes with our European companies."

Before Khedira finished speaking, the executives responded one after another:

"Khedira is right, we have encountered such a thing before."

"That's right, this is completely using the strength of a country to compete with our companies, which violates the principles of the free market."

"This is simply too shameless!"

"Chinese, it has always been like this! Do you remember Genghis Khan in history?"

……

It is a favorite thing for losers to attribute their own failure to the shamelessness of their opponents.After everyone clamored for a while, Khedira waved his hand to calm everyone down, and then said: "How about it, everyone, should you admit that we can only defeat the Chinese competition by uniting?"

"Khedira, your idea is reasonable, but how should we unite? Don't you think we should suggest that the EU also establish a planning committee?" Marko asked.

Khedira said, "If possible, why not?"

"It's impossible, it violates the principles of our free society." Marco said decisively, "You should know that in a country with a planning committee, the enterprise is just a pawn of the country, and there is no freedom at all." ...and freedom, without a doubt, is the cornerstone of our European society."

"Of course I know this is impossible." Khedira sighed, "But you have to admit that this is the tragedy of the free world. In the history of Europe, free countries have never been opponents of centralized countries..."

"This is a question that philosophers should think about. I think, let's talk about something we can decide." Julian interrupted Khedira's emotion, and at the same time secretly compared Khedira with a certain historical figure in his heart. A German with a mustache draws the equal sign.

"Okay, then let's discuss the issue of unity." Khedira resentfully retracted the long speech he planned to lay out, and asked everyone: "Everyone, regarding the issue that we must all unite, who has anything?" Objection?"

"No!" The crowd replied in confusion.

"Okay!" Khedira said with satisfaction, "Since everyone thinks that we should unite, then we should discuss a common action plan, which should be equally binding on all companies participating in the meeting today, unless All companies voted unanimously, otherwise no company can take actions that are inconsistent with the requirements of the plan."

"This one……"

All the executives faltered.It is everyone's common wish to jointly deal with the threat of competition from China, but when it comes to restraining your own actions, then everyone has to think carefully.Everyone has a small calculation in their hearts that "I would rather die as a fellow Taoist than die as a poor man", and no one is willing to give up the autonomy of the company and submit to an inexplicable joint action plan.

Khedira sighed again, but this time he could only sigh in his heart, and he didn't dare to express it on the surface.He knows how difficult it is to pinch more than 20 largest equipment manufacturing companies in Europe together.It is very rare that everyone has at least not publicly refused to act together.

"Don't worry, everyone. The joint action I'm talking about is definitely based on the premise that the actual interests of each company will not be damaged." Khedira said, "Our cooperation is only to curb the competition of Chinese companies. If we can I think everyone can benefit from the fact that Chinese companies are blocked from the gate of Europe," Khedira said.

"You'd better talk about the specific plan." Julian said noncommittally.

Khedira took out a small book, opened it to a certain page, and said to everyone: "Everyone, before coming to Saint-Tropez, I made some preparations and drafted a few terms. Now I will introduce to you First, our companies should strengthen cooperation in technology, including joint development and sharing of patented technologies, only in this way can we maintain the leading edge of our European companies in technology and avoid being caught up by Chinese companies.”

"This article is very necessary." Julian nodded and said, "Our companies really need to strengthen cooperation in technology research and development. Of course, those technologies that involve the core competitiveness of each company can be excluded. Outside of such cooperation."

"Yes, yes, we also very much agree with this kind of cooperation." The other executives also nodded together, but they had other ideas in their hearts.Julian said that technologies related to the core competitiveness of each enterprise can be excluded from cooperation, which is what everyone agrees with the most.Regardless of the fact that everyone verbally supports joint operations, how can their respective technologies allow others to covet them.Everyone has never learned the ancient Chinese motto that one must first settle down while fighting against the outside world, but the idea is the same. Chinese companies are their competitors. Isn’t it true that European companies are not?
Khedira looked at the faces of everyone, and guessed everyone's thoughts in his heart.He took a deep breath, and then said: "Second, in order to ensure the technological gap between European companies and Chinese companies, we should strictly limit the export of the latest technology and equipment to China, and strictly limit the transfer of equipment to China for five years. technology within."

As soon as this remark came out, everyone looked at each other again.China is now known as the world's factory, with the largest manufacturing industry in the world, and the demand for various machinery and equipment is huge.These European equipment manufacturers have long regarded China as the most important overseas market, how can they give up easily?In the early years, there was a big gap in technology between European manufacturers and Chinese manufacturers. Those machines that were 10 years behind can also sell well in China.

In recent years, China's local equipment manufacturing industry has developed, and the technological gap with Europe is only three to five years.The market for low-end machinery and equipment has long been divided up by Chinese manufacturers themselves, and what European companies can occupy is the market for the latest technology and equipment.If, as Khedira said, the equipment cannot be sold within five years, and the technology cannot be transferred within five years, it means that everyone will withdraw from this market directly.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Khedira knew that his proposal had failed again. ALK was put on a secret blacklist by the State Planning Commission because it offended China in the 45-ton ethylene transformation project more than ten years ago.Over the past ten years, although ALK is not said to be completely unable to enter the Chinese market, its business in China is indeed very bleak.It is precisely because of this that Khedira feels that it is indifferent to restrict China's new technologies.But if you can't enter the Chinese market, it doesn't mean that others can't enter either. Who wants to accompany you to play this kind of game that hurts others and benefits yourself?

"If this article seems a little strict, I think we can make a compromise. For example, we can adopt a policy of restricting exports to China for certain products, especially those products that are not large in value but are crucial." Khedira had no choice but to settle for the next best thing.

(End of this chapter)