Life 1984

Li Yunhai watched Gong Jie throwing the flowers and couldn't help but smile.

Gong Jie followed Li Yunhai, leaving the two reporters with stunned expressions.

Thinking of the scene just now, Gong Jie couldn't help laughing. She simply took off her hat and said, "If you don't wear it anymore, you will be recognized even if you wear it."

"If someone recognizes you, it means you are famous. This is a good thing."

"Suddenly I don't want to go back to rest. Take me to play!"

"Why do you have so many surprises?"

"Let me tell you, we will be on the plane for ten or twenty hours tomorrow, and there will be plenty of time to sleep. We are not afraid even if we stay up all night today."

“Is there any place in Shanghai where you can play all night?”

"I don't know, to be honest, I rarely go out."

"You, a native of Shanghai, don't even know about it, and I don't even know about it."

"You brought me back from the United States, and you still don't know where to take me?"

"Uh-it's nothing more than a dance hall, a movie theater, or late night snacks."

"You arrange it!"

"Then let's watch a movie first and then have late-night snacks?"

"Let's go see if there are any good movies."

The two of them went to a nearby movie theater and saw the poster. They really had a movie they wanted to watch.

Upcoming is "North and South Shaolin".

Both of them said that after watching this and looking at the cast, they knew it wouldn't be a bad movie.

This movie is a classic and has hilarious fights, so it's a good way to pass the time.

Li Yunhai went to queue to buy tickets, and Gong Jie bought some food nearby.

Her celebrity face was so ostentatious that as soon as she stood in front of the cinema, she immediately attracted many people to watch.

However, most people are still moral. Even if they recognize Gong Jie, they will not come forward to disturb her.

Li Yunhai bought a movie ticket and came to her.

Gong Jie bought two bottles of salt soda and some spiced beans.

She handed a bottle of salt soda to Li Yunhai, pinched a spiced bean, and handed it to Li Yunhai's mouth: "Try our Shanghai specialty."

Li Yunhai had never tasted this stuff before, so he tasted one.

The skin is thin, the meat is flossy, the salt and frost are even, and the texture is soft and chewy.

It's fragrant, sweet and has a unique flavor in your mouth. It's surprisingly delicious.

The two entered the cinema side by side, found the last row of seats and sat down.

The movie was very exciting. When the heroine came out, Gong Jie whispered: "She is so beautiful."

"Well, yes, it's very simple and beautiful. What a pity!"

"What a pity?"

"Oh, nothing."

Gong Jie would pinch a spiced bean and put it into Li Yunhai's mouth from time to time.

The movie was very loud and lively, and they were sitting in the last row. Even if they were eating and making a little noise, it wouldn't affect others.

After watching the movie, Gong Jie couldn't help but lamented the ending, asking how come such a good couple didn't get together?

Li Yunhai thought to himself that in real life, these two people were married and had children.

Unfortunately, not long after the marriage, the male protagonist met a more beautiful Hong Kong star and divorced his original wife.

When Li Yunhai said it was a pity just now, he was talking about this matter.

As everyone knows, this imperfect ending in the movie is actually the best?
After watching the movie, Li Yunhai and Gong Jie came to the night market street.

People here in Shanghai don’t like night life very much, but there are always exceptions. The night market street is full of stalls and full of people.It can be seen that there are still many night owls in this big city.

Li Yunhai was not too hungry, so he ordered some snacks to pass the time.

The two sat there until 11:30, then returned to the Peace Hotel.

Li Yunhai stood at the window and looked out at the Bund. The night was deep, but he could still see people walking on the Bund.

Thinking of his trip to the United States tomorrow, he made a phone call to contact Professor Ni.

Professor Ni has been waiting for his call.

Because of the time difference, Li Yunhai made an agreement with him to call him at midnight every day while the other party was taking a lunch break.This way both parties are free.

Professor Ni happily told Li Yunhai that he had made an appointment with people from GCA Company to meet in New York and sign the contract in person. He also asked Li Yunhai when he could arrive in New York.
Li Yunhai didn't know whether the plane would be late or not. It was hard to say now.

Professor Ni smiled and said, even if it is later, you will definitely be able to arrive tomorrow. I have made an appointment with them to meet at two o'clock at noon the day after tomorrow.

Li Yunhai said hello.

Before 1985, GCA was a leader in the global chip manufacturing field.

It was not until the rise of Toshiba and NEC in Japan that GCA began to lose its advantage. GCA's CEO, who imagines himself as a business magnate, is betting that the semiconductor boom that began in the early 20s will continue indefinitely.But he spent less time running his business and more hanging out with politicians.As a result, management was poor and costs spiraled out of control.

The semiconductor industry has always been cyclical.The company entered the semiconductor industry downturn of the mid-80s. From 1984 to 1986, global sales of lithography equipment fell by 40%. GCA's revenue fell by more than two-thirds.

Nikon was initially a partner of GCA, providing precision lenses for its stepper lithography machines.But GCA decided to abandon Nikon and buy its own lens manufacturer Tropel Corporation.

After GCA stopped buying Nikon lenses, the Toyo company decided to make its own stepper lithography machine.Soon, Nikon's market share surpassed GCA's.

In 1986, Japan's chip production surpassed that of the United States.Toyo provides 70% of the world's lithography equipment, and the United States' share has dropped to 21%.If the trends of the mid-80s continue, Toyo will dominate the DRAM industry and force major U.S. producers to cease production.

AMD President Sanders once said this: Chips were the crude oil of the 20s, and those who control crude oil will control the electronics industry!Without integrated circuits, computers wouldn't work, nor would airplanes, cars, camcorders, microwave ovens, or Sony Walkmans.

The Americans realized the importance of chips and began to fight back.

Against this background, Professor Ni contacted GCA executives, who readily agreed to sell a complete set of state-of-the-art equipment.

If they don't sell it, Li Yunhai can find Nikon to buy it!
After Li Yunhai finished talking to Professor Ni on the phone, he took out a pack of cigarettes he had just bought outside, tore open the package and smoked a few cigarettes.

Whenever he thinks about the most important decisions, he can't help but want to smoke a few cigarettes.

The next day, Li Yunhai and Gong Jie took a flight to New York, the United States.

Familiar route, strange journey.

Li Yunhai was suddenly filled with some worries about his trip to the United States.

This worry had no reason, but it really surrounded him.

Seeing his frown, Gong Jie asked softly, "What's wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

Li Yunhai shook his head gently.

Gong Jie will not understand how big the man beside him is doing!She wouldn't even understand the impact of this incident.

Li Yunhai used to do business and kept all the US dollars he earned in his foreign exchange account instead of converting them into RMB.

Because he always has enough RMB to spend.

And he knows that the exchange rate of the US dollar against the RMB will continue to rise.

Even if his U.S. dollars are just sitting in a foreign exchange account without making any investments, his assets are constantly rising!
Ten years later, the exchange rate of RMB against the US dollar will depreciate rapidly, and the official exchange rate will reach 8.6, and the black market rate will of course be higher.The income from his foreign exchange account will directly increase the value of RMB several times!
This time, in order to purchase these advanced equipment, Li Yunhai had to spend all his savings.

Li Yunhai is playing a big game of chess, but he has no way of knowing whether he will live or die in the end.

Because what he has to face is a complex situation both domestically and internationally.

Even if he can develop one day, will the United States deal with the Sihai Group like it dealt with Toyo's Nikon?

Li Yunhai thought about it and fell into a deep sleep.

The flight went very smoothly, and we arrived in New York at around two o'clock in the afternoon the next day.

The last time Li Yunhai and Gong Jie came to New York, there was ice and snow, and the cold wind howled.

This time it was spring and the flowers were blooming and the sun was shining brightly.

Li Yunhai and Gong Jie took a taxi to the Plaza Hotel, which was where they stayed last time.

After arriving at the hotel, Li Yunhai contacted Professor Ni.

Professor Ni heard that they had arrived and rushed over to meet them.

As soon as they met, Professor Ni felt like meeting a long-lost relative. He held Li Yunhai's hand and said, "Mr. Li, I'm so happy to see you!"

Li Yunhai asked him where he lived?
Professor Ni lives in an ordinary hotel. He would not dare to stay in a hotel as good as the Plaza Hotel.

Li Yunhai said that I have given you so much money, you can spend it as you like.

Professor Ni smiled and said that if I have money, I would rather use it to purchase advanced equipment and spare parts from the United States.

He looked at Gong Jie, pointed at her, and then kept tapping his head: "I must know this girl! I've seen you before!"

Gong Jie smiled slightly: "Hello, Professor Ni, I have long admired you. I have always heard Mr. Li talking about you. You must have never seen me, but you may have seen the movies I acted in."

"Yes, you are a movie star, I have seen your movies!" However, Professor Ni just couldn't think of her name.

Li Yunhai smiled and said: "Her name is Gong Jie, and her nickname is Xue'er."

"That's right! It's Gong Jie!" Professor Ni laughed loudly, "Why are you with our Mr. Li?"

Gong Jie chuckled and said, "I'm not with him, I'm just helping him do things."

Professor Ni kept nodding: "Mr. Li is a benevolent gentleman who can attract people from all walks of life to work for him! This is his strength."

Li Yunhai asked Professor Ni to sit down and said, "Professor Ni, have you visited GCA Company? How is their equipment?"

"Very good. What they sold to us is indeed the most advanced production line, including photolithography machines." "Well, that's good. But one thing, why did I hear that GCA's after-sales service is not that good?"

"Is there any? I haven't examined this carefully. How about we wait until they arrive tomorrow and ask more carefully? With such a large purchase amount, we don't mean that we will place an order right away. We can negotiate a few more times until we reach the Until the purpose is satisfactory.”

"That's very good. Professor Ni, after we purchase the most advanced equipment, do you think that with our current domestic technology, we can always keep it consistent with international standards?"

"No problem! We just lack the most advanced equipment. Since the 70s, we have been in line with the international semiconductor level, but later we did not buy advanced equipment, but developed it ourselves. Last year, we successfully developed it ourselves Our lithography machine is only seven years behind the United States! The lithography machine we developed last year was successfully developed by the Americans in 1978."

"Well, I know about this. Many of the chips we use in various domestic fields are domestically produced."

"Almost all of them use domestic chips. Because we can't make computers, we don't need the most advanced chips. However, once we can produce the most advanced products independently, our path will be completely opened! We can produce our own computers, we can also produce the most advanced copiers first. We can produce products in the entire semiconductor field."

"Professor Ni, you are too optimistic. There is still a lot of software and hardware that we need to import. MS-DOS is from Microsoft. If we want to use it, we have to buy it!"

"In addition to MS-DOS, there is also the Unix operating system. In our domestic 863 project, there are also operating system research projects, which are handed over to the National University of Defense Technology."

The two talked about specific technical issues and had endless things to talk about.

Li Yunhai asked Gong Jie to open a room for Professor Ni at the Plaza Hotel.

In the evening, the three of them had dinner at the Plaza Hotel.

He and Gong Jie were both jet-lagged and had to hold on until dinner. When they couldn't stand it anymore, they went back to their rooms to rest.

At two o'clock at noon the next day, GCA's negotiators came to the Plaza Hotel.

Li Yunhai had his first informal meeting with them.

When Professor Ni introduced Li Yunhai as the president of Sihai Group, the people at GCA were very surprised.

Because Li Yunhai looks too young.

Three people came to GCA, two men and one woman, all over thirty years old.

The leader's name is Cohen.

This business can be said to be the biggest deal in recent years for the Sunset GCA.

The other party also attaches great importance to this negotiation.

The conversation between the two parties went smoothly at the beginning.

Li Yunhai asked about the parameters of the complete set of equipment, its service life, production date, etc.

GCA gave a very detailed answer.

Li Yunhai immediately mentioned the most important after-sales service.

Immediately, the other party answered something, which shocked Li Yunhai.

Cohen said: "Just buy what we make and don't bother us!"

Li Yunhai was sure that he heard correctly.

This is the attitude of the monopolist.

He feels that he is superior and that being able to sell you the machine is already the best treatment for you.

Do you still want after-sales service?
Li Yunhai had heard before that GCA had cut its after-sales department due to a sharp drop in sales.

Even customers in the United States have filed many lawsuits, saying that after-sales service cannot be resolved.

Li Yunhai bought the machine to be shipped to China for use.

The two countries are thousands of miles apart, so isn't this after-sales service just empty talk?
From the arrogant attitude of the other party, it can be seen that they look down on this buyer from the East!
Li Yunhai frowned and said: "I'm sorry, we attach great importance to after-sales service of equipment. You used to be the monopoly of lithography machines. How you treat your customers is your business. But the situation is different now. You are no longer the Monopolist! If you still have this attitude, I think I need to interrupt this purchase negotiation."

The three people on the other side whispered to each other.

Cohen said arrogantly: "Mr. Li Yunhai, we are the only one in the world willing to sell you the most advanced equipment. This is for the sake of the friendly relationship between our two countries, so we agree to sell it to you. Please consider it seriously."

Li Yunhai said in a deep voice: "We paid 7.8 million US dollars in real money. What we asked for was not only the best machine, but also the best service. I originally thought that there was no need for me to go to your company to inspect , but now I think that before we sign the order, I have to go to your company for a visit. Please receive us at your convenience."

"Oh! My God! Aren't you here to buy equipment? Why are you asking this and that? We are the most advanced semiconductor manufacturer in the world. The photolithography machines and DRAM chip production lines we produce are the most advanced in the world. You guys You can never catch up."

"Maybe it will take us ten or 20 years to catch up with your technology, but it does not prevent me from becoming your customer now. I spent 7.8 million U.S. dollars, so I should get 7.8 million U.S. dollars in services and treatment. You guys I am very disappointed with your arrogance and rudeness. You neither let me see the responsibility of a large company nor let me feel the service attitude of a large company. I doubt whether our cooperation can continue. Go deep.”

"What do you want? We have already agreed to sell the equipment to you! Didn't you come here to beg us to buy the machine? Now you don't want to buy it?"

Professor Ni sat next to him, looked at the three Americans opposite, and then looked at Li Yunhai. Seeing that the negotiation between the two parties was unsuccessful, they were already quarreling. He quickly said: "Mr. Cohen, we want to purchase your equipment, but after-sales service , you should also provide it.”

Li Yunhai added: "It has to be written into our contract."

Cohen stood up angrily and said: "You are going too far! You don't look like people who want to buy equipment! We are willing to sell it to you, you pay, we deliver the goods, and the business is completed!"

Li Yunhai also stood up and said calmly: "No! We bought the machine. This is just the beginning of our cooperation. When you Americans buy back an electrical appliance, don't you care about the future?"

Cohen actually replied confidently: "Isn't this a normal thing?"

Li Yunhai was shocked!
I was really frightened by this tiger-wolf talk!

There is no after-sales service for electrical products, but they are still normal?
Cohen's next words made Li Yunhai even more devastated: "Electrical appliances are very cheap. If they break, just throw them away and buy new ones! Labor here is very expensive. The money you pay for repairs is enough for you to buy new appliances!" "

Li Yunhai was stunned for a long time. He thought that GCA's poor after-sales reputation was just because their company was failing. Did he not expect that the entire United States was like this?

is this real?
Li Yunhai has never lived in the United States, let alone purchased electrical appliances here, and has mixed doubts about what Cohen said.

No matter how he said it, he found it incredible.

Li Yunhai said: "Mr. Cohen, I don't care how you buy electrical appliances. But what I bought is 7.8 million US dollars of equipment. This is not a very cheap electrical appliance. If you can't provide perfect after-sales service, then I will have to re- Consider this purchase order.”

Cohen shrugged indifferently: "OK, don't regret it! No one except us is willing to sell you such good machinery and equipment!"

After speaking, he walked away with his men.

This is the most speechless business negotiation in Li Yunhai's life!
Why is this unreasonable!
Selling something without providing after-sales service, yet you still say it so plausibly.

Asking them to provide after-sales service seems to be unreasonable to us!
Who dares to do such a business?

When Professor Ni saw that the conversation had broken down, he groaned and hurriedly ran forward, stopped Cohen and the others, and argued with them.

Gong Jie's English level was average, but she could understand a few things. Knowing that the negotiation was unsuccessful, she asked Li Yunhai, "Are there any other sellers? Should we contact other sellers?"

Li Yunhai smiled bitterly and said: "No! This is the only one in the United States. The other sellers are Nikon from Japan. Because I am from Japan, I am unwilling to cooperate with them. However, the attitude of this American is compared to the Japanese. No need to give in too much! Damn it, those who sell things have become uncles! I have to be like a grandson, begging them to sell to me! They still have the final say in the rules! If I buy back a bunch of orders worth 7.8 million US dollars, Scrap iron, who should I ask to reason with? This American is too arrogant!"

Gong Jie was also shocked and speechless.

She was even a little lucky now that she was brought back to the country by Li Yunhai's words.

Otherwise, if she hangs out with such a group of unreasonable Americans all day long, will she die of depression?
Professor Ni has been negotiating with Cohen and the others.

After a long time, he turned back and said to Li Yunhai: "I have reached an agreement with Mr. Cohen. They will accept us to visit their company, but we will bear all the expenses at our own expense. This is also an American characteristic."

Li Yunhai asked: "Professor Ni, is what Cohen said just now true? There is no after-sales service when buying electrical appliances here?"

Professor Ni chuckled and said: "Electric appliances here in the United States are indeed very cheap. For example, a TV may cost 2000 yuan in China, which is equivalent to two years' salary of an ordinary person. But in the United States, a TV costs only It’s only one or two hundred dollars, which is quite cheap. And the labor cost in the United States is even much higher than the cost of home appliances. If a home appliance breaks down, the cost of hiring someone to repair it is almost the same as that of a large home appliance, and if it is not repaired, you still have to pay the same price. .”

Gong Jie chuckled and said, "Wouldn't it be very profitable to work as a maintenance worker here?"

Professor Ni laughed and said: "Whether it is the United States or Europe, many people think that home appliances are old or broken, and they usually choose to throw them away and buy a new one instead of repairing them. The reason is that as long as maintenance workers are involved, For maintenance, the labor cost is horribly expensive, which also results in the replacement frequency of home appliances in Europe and the United States being much higher than in our country. Since everyone only replaces but not repairs, where can maintenance workers make money?"

Li Yunhai asked in confusion: "If people have money, they can change it if they want. I understand, but don't the manufacturers also provide after-sales service?"

Professor Ni pushed up his glasses, shook his head with a smile, and said: "Most of the home appliances here have no after-sales service at all. Even the after-sales phone calls are not answered or the lines are busy all day long. In other words, once the user confirms receipt of the goods, There will be no returns. There is no after-sales service for home appliances, which is outrageous! For the home appliances you buy, the shipping and installation fees are likely to exceed the selling price of the home appliances themselves. Because the decoration masters are all very professional and technical workers, they can work by the hour. TOLL."

Li Yunhai had long heard that labor in the United States was extremely expensive, but he didn't expect it to be so ridiculously expensive!

He suddenly understood why Dell Computer Company was successful.

In this country where after-sales service is generally not a concern, suddenly there is a company that claims to be famous for after-sales service and also provides door-to-door service. It is very exciting to think about it!

After-sales issues are a big deal for Li Yunhai. If he spends 7.8 million yuan and there is no after-sales service, if he encounters incomprehensible instructions or difficult and complicated diseases that cannot be solved, won't the production line be paralyzed?

How is this broken?
Li Yunhai leaned back in his chair, feeling deeply tired.

He rubbed his hands to warm them, then dry-washed his face to activate his brain cells, and then said: "Professor Ni, tell me the truth, how is GCA's equipment?"

Professor Ni thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Li, have you heard of Anderson?"

"Anderson, an executive at HP!"

"Yes, it's him."

"what happened?"

"There is such a thing, I have also heard about it, I don't know whether it is true or not. Anderson did not take Toshiba and NEC seriously at first, but after testing their chips, he found that the quality of their products was better than that of American products. Competitors are much better. He reported to HP executives that the failure rate of American chips is four and a half times that of Toyo chips, and the worst American chips are more than ten times that of Toyo chips. U.S. DRAM chips have better performance than Toyo products. The indicators are the same, the price is the same, but the failure rate is higher, why would anyone buy American chips?”

In the United States in the early 80s, HP was one of the largest technology companies in the United States and one of the largest buyers of semiconductors.Anderson's judgment on chips could affect the fate of any semiconductor company.He is known throughout Silicon Valley as the gatekeeper to nearly every semiconductor company's most important customers.

Even he said such things, which shows how unreliable American companies are!
Li Yunhai only had two choices.

One is to cooperate with the arrogant and unreliable GCA.

The second is to find Japan's Nikon company to discuss cooperation!
Professor Ni seemed to see through the boss's hesitation and said, "How about I contact the Nikon company in Japan? Ask them if they can sell us the most advanced equipment."

Li Yunhai acquiesced.

Although he was very reluctant to deal with Japanese people, he had to admit that they had a leading advantage in semiconductors.

Now that his negotiations with GCA have reached an impasse, it may be the best option to contact Nikon before entering the next round of negotiations.

Professor Ni said that he had several friends in Toyo, and an old classmate was also in Toyo. He could ask his old classmate to contact Nikon.

The glint in Li Yunhai's eyes slowly disappeared, and he finally understood why he felt surrounded by difficulties on the plane to the United States.

"Professor Ni, thank you for your hard work." Li Yunhai waved his hand feebly and said, "If we can't negotiate, we give up this project!"

Professor Ni was shocked and said: "Mr. Li, don't give up easily! We still have many opportunities! If things don't work out, we can still go back to China and acquire the current chip factory, or even the entire domestic industry chain. Isn't that just lagging behind? Seven years? We can still catch up!"

Li Yunhai was moved by Professor Ni's enthusiasm and perseverance, and smiled slightly: "Then let's do our best! The weather is really nice today, let's go for a walk outside!"

Professor Ni let out a long breath: "You and Gong Jie go out to relax. I will go back to the room and contact the Dongyang people. Maybe the Dongyang people will bring us good news?"

Li Yunhai smiled slightly and walked out of the Plaza Hotel with Gong Jie.

He looked up at the American sky and asked leisurely: "Gong Jie, do you still think the United States is good?" (End of Chapter)