A layman in the courtyard

Chapter 156 Buying Industrial Machinery

Brother and sister Cao Zhihua and Xiaoyu were chatting over afternoon tea.

"Xiaoyu, first of all, I am very pleased that you have noticed that the garment industry is basically outsourced. It proves that during this period, in addition to doing your job well, you have also learned to look at the society from more perspectives. This is A great improvement, you are growing very quickly and I am very happy.”

After taking a sip of tea, Cao Zhihua suddenly wanted to smoke, so he took out a cigar, cut it, lit it, and after taking a few puffs of smoke, he continued to say to Xiaoyu, who was very happy to be praised:

“But everything in this world has two sides, and we cannot only consider the good side and ignore the bad side.

When we make any decision, we usually need to carefully consider both the good and the bad points, and then combine it with our own needs to make the choice that is most beneficial to us. This is a decision.

Any decision has risks. Once we have thought through the pros and cons of something clearly before making a decision, the risk will be much smaller.

Because you have to think clearly before making a decision, you must have assessed the risks and your risk tolerance, so that you can basically avoid the worst-case scenario. There are only two consequences, one is One's most ideal result, the other is the result one can accept.

Of course, there is no shortage of people in this world who don’t know enough about themselves or are confident enough in themselves. They know that the worst outcome is very risky, but they are still willing to gamble.

Such people can either win every time they bet and achieve great success in the future, or they can fall down after losing once or several times and never get up again.

And the eldest brother is not a person who likes gambling, Xiaoyu, so now let’s guess, why doesn’t the eldest brother outsource our clothing? "

Xiaoyu has rarely asked her elder brother for advice since she was a child. Basically, the three little ones learn and discuss with each other. Now that one of the two elder brothers has gone to Beautiful Country and the other to Great Eagle Country, no one has discussed with each other anymore. You can only force yourself to learn and grow.

After listening to my eldest brother's teachings, I felt that my ideas were very immature and naive. I never considered the consequences of anything I did since I was a child. Anyway, I had a few older brothers supporting me, so I never suffered a loss.

Now the eldest brother suddenly asked why not outsourcing. According to the eldest brother, there are many disadvantages in it, which he had not figured out, so he tried to say:
"Brother, is it because after outsourcing, the production method of our clothes will be easily leaked, and many people will imitate our clothes, which will harm our interests?"

After Cao Zhihua took a few puffs of cigarette, he looked at Xiaoyu who looked forward to recognition, shook his head and said:

"There will be situations in this regard, but it is not a major problem because our clothing is not a high-tech product. Other clothing companies can imitate it as long as they buy a few pieces from our store.
Therefore, whether or not to imitate our clothing has nothing to do with outsourcing. It mainly depends on whether our company can monopolize the output of upstream materials from material suppliers as much as possible.

For example, our clothing requires a large amount of lace and silk. If we can reach an agreement with the country and contract the domestic silk production every year, and there is no silk supply on the market, it will be very difficult to imitate, even if we use other materials to imitate. , the quality cannot be compared with ours, and naturally it will not do much harm to our interests.

Our most important means to prevent imitation of our clothing is the patent laws of various countries. The design drawings of all our clothes have been patented in countries around the world. Once someone imitates our clothing, it will basically be accurate.

As long as we are willing to spend money, we can protect our clothing business for a long time.
After our brand becomes well-known, we can make money through brand sales. At that time, if there are imitations or copycats of our products, the impact on us will not be so fatal. "

After Cao Zhihua finished speaking, his mouth felt a little dry. After taking a sip of tea, he motioned to Xiaoyu to continue.

Xiaoyu saw that her elder brother was in such a good mood today and actually taught her step by step. Even if she made a mistake, she was very happy and continued:

"Brother, does it mean that after outsourcing, our control over the subsequent production links is not so strong. Once something goes wrong, it will affect the entire production chain, causing the company's risks to be very high?"

Cao Zhihua looked at Xiaoyu in surprise. After taking a puff of cigarette, he flicked the ashes and said:
"Xiaoyu, it seems that you have great potential. I made the right decision to let you stand alone in the finance department.

That's very good, and there are some reasons for this.

The vast majority of people here on Hong Kong Island are from Chaoshan, Fujian, and Shanghai. There are very few people coming from the [-] cities. And we Chinese are the most rural people. The situation of regional division and group development is particularly serious.

After we came to Hong Kong Island with the Lou family, except for some friends that my father-in-law, Lou Bancheng, had met when he was doing business in China, we were basically isolated and helpless.

In this situation where we are rich and unfamiliar with the place, it is easy for us to be bullied.

You must know that in this world, if you want to use your brains on a person, you usually have to first understand the person's situation, as well as the person's preferences and weaknesses, and then you have a high chance of success.

Otherwise, the plan will fail and the backlash after alerting the enemy will be so great that most people cannot bear it.

This is also the reason why the eldest brother rarely goes out to socialize, except at home and at the company.

I don’t need to worry about my father-in-law. Someone who has been a big boss for decades has a high EQ and IQ, which is not something ordinary people can get.

But our family is different, we are all a group of women and children.

Once you are targeted and you have no power or means of counterattack, you will easily suffer a loss.

That's why the eldest brother has been vigorously developing companies and industries, hoping to control resources and strengthen his own power and strength through industrial development.

We don't care about the gossip and slander of Hong Kong's Chinese families, businessmen, and celebrities, but we must also establish relations with the Hong Kong government, in order to put these local interest groups on the back foot.
We don’t dare to play tricks on us easily. We have to let these people know that if they want to play tricks on us, once we find out, the backlash will be severe and they may not be able to bear it.

Only in this way can we take root and survive on Hong Kong Island with peace of mind. Otherwise, we will be surrounded by wolves and if we are not careful, we will be in disaster. "

It was the first time that Xiaoyu heard her elder brother explain the twists and turns in Hong Kong society in such a thorough way, but before, she was just like a fool, knowing nothing, and was a little disappointed.He looked at his elder brother and asked:

"Brother, so we can't let any flaws leak out, right?"

Cao Zhihua smiled confidently, waved his hands and said:
“A small part of it is because after outsourcing, the company does not have as much control over the progress of clothing production as the company does.

Once someone really targets us, paying a certain price will indeed bring a lot of trouble to our company.

The most important thing is that we cannot spend the company's money to support a group of competitors just to increase production, save trouble and save some cost investment.

You know, we build our own industrial parks and factories and recruit employees to work in our company. With our current treatment, in addition to making these employees grateful, we also control the livelihood of thousands of families of these employees.

The livelihoods of thousands of families depend on the company, which means that the interests of these thousands of families are tied to the company. Normally everything is fine, but once someone threatens the company in the future, it will threaten the livelihoods of these thousands of families. , once we activate this force, even the Hong Kong Governor will have to weigh the consequences.

But when we outsource our clothes, we still get the same amount of money we should pay, or even more.

Those who get our money by making clothes for us will not thank us. They will only resent the small factory owners who exploit them or thank the small factory owners who provide them with jobs.

We also spent money, and most of the people we supported would not thank us. Instead, the money we paid supported a group of small factory owners, but we did not receive any additional benefits.

These small factory owners take the wages we give them and exploit low-level working people to become rich step by step. They learn our skills and make money from us. In the end, they are likely to become bigger step by step in this way and become ours. competitors.

You said that we just wanted to temporarily increase production and save costs, but in the end the money was spent without any additional benefits. Is it worth giving back technology and funds to cultivate our own competitors?
With this capital, why don’t we work harder, invest on our own, improve the wages of our employees, and produce everything ourselves?

You know, when our company feeds 1 people, it means we feed 1 families. So what will be our influence in North Point?

What if our company supports 10 employees?Believe it or not, when the Hong Kong Governor sees me, he has to smile and talk to me.

If our company can support 30 people on its own, do you believe that if I cough, Hong Kong Island will be shaken?
So Xiaoyu, we brothers and sisters, let’s work hard together.

Our company now has less than 7000 employees. When Building 1 starts recruiting workers for production next month, our company will have more than [-] people. In this case, our family will basically have a foothold on Hong Kong Island.As a member of the family, you have a huge responsibility to help me coordinate the company's finances and manage the company's money. "

After listening to Cao Zhihua's teachings, Xiaoyu was in a state of confusion. Just one word, big brother is so awesome.

No wonder I have never had a hard time since I was a child. It seems that I will really learn more from my elder brother in the future. The harvest today is really great, so I said:
"Brother, don't worry. I will definitely help you and develop our family so that no one will dare to have any evil intentions towards our family."

Cao Zhihua looked at the young and invincible beautiful girl Xiaoyu dotingly and said:
"Well, eldest brother believes that Xiaoyu will be able to stand alone and help eldest brother well in the future.
But you are already 18 this year, isn’t it time to think about personal issues? "The most annoying thing for Xiaoyu right now is hearing this. She grew up with her eldest brother and has seen how good he is. She has become accustomed to using her eldest brother as a benchmark. Compared with the men around her, she really doesn't like any of them, so she acts like a baby. said:
"Brother, you said that all my life-long events are up to me, so why bother? I don't think about this issue at all now. I just want to work hard and help our family."

Cao Zhihua felt a pain in his head when he saw Xiaoyu acting coquettishly, and said:
"Let's agree first that we can only follow you until you are 26. If you are not married at 26, my eldest brother will intervene."

When Xiaoyu heard that she was 26 years old and there were still 8 years left, why should she be anxious? She smiled happily and said:

"Okay, brother, I will definitely find a good partner before I turn 26, don't worry."

Cao Zhihua looked at the happy and youthful girl, shook his head with a smile, and said:
"Okay, okay, go and get busy. You look like you're not growing up. I'll have a headache just looking at you."

"Huh, stinky brother, I'm going to do my business first, I won't talk to you anymore."

After watching Xiaoyu walk out of the office, Cao Zhihua sat on the sofa, took a sip of tea, picked up the phone and dialed Qi Dezun from Hutchison Matheson.

"Hello, this is Hutchison, who are you looking for?"

"Help me find the chief executive of Qi Dezun and tell me that I am Cao Zhihua from Zhihua Group."

The secretary opposite obviously knew who Cao Zhihua was. As soon as he heard the name, he immediately said:

"Mr. Cao, please wait a moment. I will ask Mr. Taipan to come and answer the phone right away."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work."

"Hello, is this Mr. Cao?"

"Yes, Mr. Taipan, I haven't seen you for a while. How have you been lately?"

"Haha, I'm still the same, but I can't compare to Mr. Cao. He is the richest man in Hong Kong Island. He has become famous in Hong Kong Island recently and is a big shot that countless people want but have no chance to meet."

Cao Zhihua was a little helpless at Qi Dezun's bad taste and said:

"Hey, Mr. Taipan, what the hell is the richest man in Hong Kong Island, do you still know what is going on?

We all know this tacitly, but you still tease me about this. "

"Hahaha, Mr. Cao, is there something wrong with me today?"

Cao Zhihua listened to the call, his eyes flashed fiercely, and he said:

"Yes, you also know that I have been in the center of public opinion recently and have been having a hard time. There are a lot of desperadoes on Hong Kong Island. I don't dare to go anywhere now. I am afraid that someone will take the risk and come to me. I can't stand it. No, I can only come to Mr. Taipan for help."

"Mr. Cao is not joking with me, is he? You have hundreds of bodyguards who have been on the battlefield. Who dares to trouble you? Isn't this looking for excitement?"

"Who knows? After all, defense is about young people. Mr. Taiban, I called today to ask if you have any chance to buy bulletproof cars. I would like to buy a few for home use as travel tools."

When Qi Dezun heard about the business, he was very happy and said:

"Of course, this is not a problem for me. Do you have any requirements?"

Cao Zhihua directly stated the standards of his previous life,
"Mr. Taipan, I hope that my bulletproof car will be an extended version of the four-door and four-seater. At the very least, it must be able to withstand AK47 strafing and rocket attacks. The interior of the car must be luxurious and luxurious, and all accessories and engines of the car must be included inside and outside. It must be the world’s top configuration.”

When Qi Dezun heard Cao Zhihua's standards, he took a breath and said:
"Mr. Cao, the requirements you mentioned are not difficult to meet. Rolls-Royce Motor Company in Great Eagle Country and Daimler-Benz Motor Company in West Germany can produce them. However, according to your standards, the cost of the car is not low. What is your approximate budget?"

Cao Zhihua thought for a while and decided not to match the price in his previous life with the current price. Because the craftsmanship was too different, the price could not be fixed, so he said:

"Mr. Taipan, I have not set an upper limit on the price. I need a quote from the car company, and then I will decide how many cars are more suitable."

Qi Dezun's eyes lit up. There were more than one car. This business should be very profitable, so he immediately said:
"Okay, no problem, Mr. Cao, leave this to me, and I'll get the two car companies to quote you as soon as possible."

"Well, okay, thank you very much, Mr. Taipan, but I still have a business here. I wonder if you can take it?"

Qi Dezun likes people like Cao Zhihua. He doesn't disturb people when nothing happens. Whenever he disturbs, he will do business. He said in a very good mood:
"Mr. Cao, we are old friends. If you have any needs, you can tell me and I will try my best to solve the problem for you."

Cao Zhihua was stunned and said quietly:
"Mr. Taipan, you know that my clothing business is very popular now and I have made a lot of money. However, due to production problems, all flagship stores around the world are now under purchase restrictions.

So this time I plan to expand my industrial park and add production lines.

But the production line is too expensive, and the quantity I need is still very large. This time I plan to install 20 production lines at once, and the most important thing is that I will expand it in the future, so the investment in this area is too large, and the risk is still very high. .

I have thought about it for a long time, so I want to see if you can help me buy one or more sets of industrial master machines, as well as the production process and process drawings of the production line I need. In this case, I can save a lot of money for my The company's global expansion. "

Qi Dezun was a little hesitant when he heard about this business. It was not that Hutchison could not buy the goods and could not do this business, but because of the "Wassenaar Agreement", these most advanced industrial machines could not have any machines. flowing into the north,

So Qi Dezun hesitated for a long time before saying:
"Mr. Cao, your demands are too embarrassing for me."

Of course Cao Zhihua knew why he was embarrassed. He bought this thing just to serve the country in the future, so he pretended to be stupid and said:

"Can't you buy it? Mr. Taipan? If it's because of money, please don't worry. In order to solve the problem of production line shortage once and for all, I plan to buy it as long as the amount is not too outrageous."

"No, Mr. Cao, do you know the "Wassenaar Agreement"?"

"Oh, I know, does this have any impact on my buying a machine?"

"Because of this agreement, once any mother aircraft flows to the north, we will be in great trouble."

Cao Zhihua said with a chuckle:

"Mr. Taipan, if you are worried about this, I think there is no need at all. As long as you can help me buy the most advanced industrial machine and the production line production processes and drawings of three companies in West Germany, and help me install it in my industrial park.
I can accept the joint monitoring by the industrial machine manufacturer, Hutchison Matheson and the Hong Kong government.

You can supervise and conduct spot checks at any time to ensure that all machines will only be on Hong Kong Island and in my industrial park.

Once it is lost, I am willing to take full responsibility and have nothing to do with Hutchison Matheson or the manufacturer of the industrial motherboard. What do you think of this? "

Qi Dezun was moved when he heard Cao Zhihua's words. If he was willing to accept supervision, there would be no room for maneuver, so he said:

"Mr. Cao, the impact of this business is a bit big. I can't agree to it directly now. I need some time to communicate with all parties before I can determine whether this business can be done."

"Okay, Mr. Taipan, then I will wait for your reply and look forward to your good news. After all, I believe that the Hong Kong government also hopes that I can take my business global, make it bigger, and create more economic benefits for the Hong Kong government. I can also earn more money to invest in Hong Kong Island, what do you think?"

"Haha, I hope so too. How about you wait for my news?"

"Okay, thank you Mr. Taipan for your hard work."

(End of this chapter)