The Industrial Giant Reborn

Time soon came to 1994.

The development of Hong Kong may be different from history because of the existence of Chen Zhiwen, but the general direction is similar. Housing prices have always been in a state of skyrocketing. Mainland and overseas capital are very happy to come to Hong Kong to buy property. Come rent a house to conduct business.

This has caused the housing prices and rents in Hong Kong to reach extremely high levels. For example, some international multinational companies have begun to be unable to afford the rents in Central, Hong Kong, because one foot per foot costs several hundred Hong Kong dollars per month. Although international companies have money, they cannot afford it. Is there no need to spend money on such a place?

However, since house prices and rents can be so high, there is a reason for it. There must be a group of people supporting the market, such as many local financial, legal, consulting and other companies in Hong Kong, as well as a bunch of companies that want to save face. They have supported the prosperity of Central.

Other companies began to move to Hung Hom, Yuen Long, Tseung Kwan O and other places. In these places, a large number of office buildings were gradually built to accommodate the companies coming from Central. At the same time, Tin Shui Wai, which has the cheapest price, also received part of it.

Although Tin Shui Wai is far away from the Kowloon Peninsula in Central, Land and Hutchison Whampoa have built a large number of basic living facilities in Tin Shui Wai over the years. The Hong Kong government has also established the most basic schools, hospitals, police stations, firefighting and other institutions. At the same time, A road was built leading to Yuen Long. Following this road, you can eventually reach the Kowloon Peninsula.

In addition, the MTR has also planned a subway to Tin Shui Wai. All of this has made Tin Shui Wai a place of choice for many people to buy and live in. It is especially convenient for people who work in Midea and Red Bull factories, because The only industry left in Hong Kong is Tin Shui Wai.

More importantly, Tin Shui Wai is very close to Shenhai City, which makes it a very suitable place to live and work for many mainland immigrants and companies that have cooperation with the mainland.

Through comprehensive selection, by 1994, the total population of Tianshuiwei had exceeded 180,000, of which 12,000 were working directly for Chen's companies such as Midea, Red Bull, and Hutchison Whampoa, while the rest were involved in various Indirect positions derived from service needs.

If you want to raise the level to a higher level and attract more people, you can only rely on other companies. Although there are some cases in the mainland or in some countries where one company can feed a town, Chen Zhiwen still hopes that Tianshuiwei can have Many industries cannot rely on themselves. Housing prices in Central are too high, which has forced many companies to relocate to places with low rental costs. This has given Tin Shui Wai a good opportunity.

Tin Shui Wai, a 26-storey building, is a cylindrical building with a revolving cafeteria at the top.

"The taste here is pretty good. I've been here twice before." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile. Now the entire Chen family is here. Although the Chen family usually has no shortage of delicacies, it still can't compare to the high-end buffet with hundreds of dishes.

Therefore, Chen Zhiwen often takes friends or family to high-end buffet restaurants in Hong Kong and around the world to taste delicious food. It's not that the Chen family can't afford such a pomp, but there's no need to waste it. Going to the buffet is the best choice.

"Well, this mutton is really good, and the stew is really bad. Now that I'm older, it's a little difficult to eat meat." Chen Tianfu said with a smile.

"Who told you that when you were young, you always ate dried broad beans? They were so hard, and of course they hurt your teeth." Wu Xiuling next to her said, "It was okay if I didn't have anything to eat when I was in the Mainland. Later, when I came to Hong Kong, I didn't have much to eat. It’s money, but you insist on eating.”

"It's rare to have a hobby. Even after Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor, he still missed the vegetable and tofu soup he had when he was a child." Chen Tianfu said with a smile.

"So you can't eat meat now." Wu Xiuling said, "Here, there is meat soup here. You can eat it even if you don't have teeth."

"Dad, why don't you get dentures?" Liu Xiaoli asked.

"No, I still have some teeth. We'll wait until they fall out." Chen Tianfu said quickly.

"Xiao Li, don't worry about him. Eat more, the baby in your belly needs nutrition." Wu Xiuling also brought a bowl of lean meat and egg custard to her daughter-in-law.

"Thank you, I have some here too." Liu Xiaoli said with a smile.

"Come on, I have spring rolls here. I haven't had them for a long time." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.

Liu Xiaoli is pregnant again, and she is pregnant again. She doesn't know whether it is a boy or a girl, but it doesn't matter. Anyway, there will be another chance in the future, and she can go out for a walk while her belly is still small.

"Daddy, I want to see that telescope." The eldest son Chen Shimin held a cake in one hand and pointed to Chen Zhiwen at the telescope in the floor-to-ceiling window in front of him and said.

"The sun is in the sky now, but there are no stars. You can't look at the sun. What's so good about it?" Chen Zhiwen asked.

"You can't see the sun, but you can use it to see the scenery. If you put this astronomical telescope flat, you can see far, far away, and you can also see the deep sea city in the mainland?" Chen Shimin said.

"Okay, then you go." Chen Zhiwen nodded, then waved for a bodyguard and said: "Follow him, be careful not to let him point the telescope at the sun."

"Okay." The bodyguard quickly followed after receiving the order.

"You didn't allow your son to take such risks before?" Liu Xiaoli asked.

"I protected him when I was young, but now that he is half-grown, he must be independent. All I can do is try my best, but it is impossible to lock him up," Chen Zhiwen said.

The Chen family's protection of their children can be said to be very strict. Normal security is enough, but some potentially dangerous games and entertainment activities are basically not allowed to participate. It's just that you can do this when you are a child, but you have to let go one day. , children always have to become independent slowly.

"It's okay, Shimin is not stupid." Chen Tianfu said with a smile.

"You were the strictest guard when I was little." Wu Xiuling said with a smile.

"Haha, you are the same," Chen Tianfu retorted.

Amidst laughter and laughter, a simple family dinner ended like this.

After that, the rest of the Chen family took a special car to go out for fun. Over the years, with the development of land, there are also some shopping malls in Tin Shui Wai. Although the scale is far less than that of Central or Harbor City, each one must have its own of characteristics.

Chen Zhiwen came to Red Bull's factory in Tin Shui Wai.

"Sheng Chen." Qin Zhihao, the general manager of Red Bull, also came here.

"Old Qin, how is your health?" Chen Zhiwen asked. When Qin Zhihao followed him, he was only 45 years old. Now, he is in his early 60s. He was hospitalized because of a bad stomach before. As he gets older, he will always have a little hair. Ailment.

"It's not bad, life is normal, but I can't drink anymore, my stomach can't handle it and my liver is not good either." Qin Zhihao said with a smile.

"Wine is not that good. I don't understand why you guys like this stuff." Chen Zhiwen shook his head helplessly and said. He neither smokes nor drinks, and even hates the taste of both.

In ancient times, wine was beneficial. First, it was another way to maintain food heat when food could not be stored for a long time. Second, it could warm up when it was cold in winter. Third, it could provide a sense of refreshment. Boring ancients, there are few ways to stimulate dopamine.

But in modern times, it stands to reason that the rigid demand for wine is not very great, but many people still like it, because it also symbolizes a "submission culture". By forcing people to drink, they can show their rights. . In the same way, being toasted is also the same. Therefore, this kind of culture is very popular at business banquets or among family elders.

Fortunately, he has achieved a high level of success in his career. No one can force him to do things he doesn't want to do. At most, he sometimes drinks low-alcohol red wine when interacting with others.

"Haha, actually I also know that drinking is harmful to the body, and other people who like to drink also know it. It's hard to change, but I'm hospitalized now, and I won't be able to do it again if I want to." Qin Zhihao said.

"Well, take care of yourself." Chen Zhiwen said.

"Don't worry, Mr. Chen. The successor of the Red Bull team is already being evaluated and will be finalized in one or two years." Qin Zhihao added.

"Well, I know the person you chose, and he's pretty good." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said.

Not only Red Bull, but also Midea and Hutchison Whampoa are almost in need of a coaching change, because the Zhou family, Yang Leishengli and others are also older and approaching the retirement age. Whether it is Hong Kong or internationally, older working emperors will retire. Yes, even the bosses are the same. It is rare for people like Li Jiacheng and Buffett in history to still control a company in their 70s and 80s.

As you get older, firstly, your body cannot handle the high-intensity work. Being a manager is very hard. Secondly, your brain power cannot keep up. Thirdly, your thinking may not be able to keep up with the times.

Companies also need fresh blood, but Chen Zhiwen's company is relatively well-run in the early stages and has much less pressure. Several current managers will be rehired after retirement to run the company. Director members and consultants can better ensure the inheritance of corporate management.

Costco in the United States is also adopting this model. Pierce's team stepped down in the late 1980s and new management was installed. However, Pierce and others did not leave immediately, but stayed in consultant positions for another three years.

In the past three years, he continued to participate in the company's daily operations in the early stage, slowly let go in the middle stage, and basically reviewed it in the later stage. Now, Pierce has completely left Costco and can enjoy his retirement life with peace of mind. .

"Yes, there are actually a lot of talents inside Red Bull now." Qin Zhihao smiled.

"How many employees does Red Bull have at the Tin Shui Wai factory now?" Chen Zhiwen asked.

"Including management, there are almost 8,000 people." Qin Zhihao replied: "In recent years, with the improvement of PLC automation technology, the automation level of the beverage industry has become higher and higher, and most beverage factories have an increasing demand for employees. It’s getting lower, so even though our production capacity is five times what it was five years ago, the number of employees is about the same.”

"Well, Hong Kong should indeed develop more automation." Chen Zhiwen nodded.

In fact, the development and use of automation technology is predicated on the increase in labor costs. Especially developed countries such as Europe and the United States rely more on automation to maintain their domestic industries, but it is still very difficult.

If it is in the mainland, such as the factories of Master Kong, Arowana and Midea, unless the automation equipment can bring very high production efficiency, it will be possible to use it. Otherwise, in most cases, labor will be used, because the labor cost in the mainland is low and it is not possible to use it. The use of automation can provide a large number of jobs, which is what the mainland government hopes.

"Yes, so it is difficult to continue recruiting workers." Qin Zhihao paused and said, "And there are other problems. Our drinks are now selling better and better in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Now in these countries, We also hope that we can build factories locally. Although it cannot be said that it is mandatory, it does mean this."

"Do you think we should go?" Chen Zhiwen asked.

"I should go. Ten years ago, sales in Southeast Asia were average, so there was no problem in concentrating production in Hong Kong. But in the past ten years, Southeast Asia's economy has developed rapidly and it has strong consumption power. If we still maintain pure imports, there will be no price. Advantages, once time goes by, I am afraid that new brands will be born in the local area." Qin Zhihao said: "I am not worried about the indigenous people in Southeast Asia, but there are also many Chinese over there. If they pay attention to this, they may also be able to A threat to us.

If we build a factory locally, we can reduce tariffs and transportation costs. In this way, whether we choose more profits or more markets, we have a good choice.

If we do this, the factories in Hong Kong will have a difficult time. "

"Just do what you have to do. We have been in business for so many years and we have followed basic business rules. Since it is more cost-effective to build factories locally in the Southeast Asian market, then we will do it." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said, "As for the impact on Hong Kong , there will definitely be, but don’t forget, the mainland’s economy is also picking up quickly. Although there are Red Bull factories in the mainland, there is still no problem if we let the factories in Hong Kong take care of the southern provinces of the mainland.”

The mainland's economy began to reform in 1978 and gradually improved in the 1980s. However, it was only in the 1990s that the real achievements were made. In these ten years, a large number of international consumer brands entered the domestic market. This is because the consumption power here gradually increased. At the national level, because foreign exchange is no longer so tight, many people and companies can easily cash in U.S. dollars. At the same time, many foreign brands will be accepted for sale in China’s domestic market.

In the long run, it will definitely not work for Red Bull to keep doing this, but it will be fine in the short term. After entering the 21st century, the Southeast Asian economy will inevitably be stronger, and by then, Hong Kong's production capacity will most likely be restored.

"Okay, then I'm going to choose a country in Southeast Asia to build a factory." Qin Zhihao nodded. (End of chapter)