Chapter 97: Full production, full speed to make money
Chapter 97: Full production, full speed to make money
The Spring Festival time passed quickly.
There was not much of a New Year atmosphere in Hong Kong. Just like the mainland in later generations, the Hong Kong government also banned the setting off of firecrackers in many places. This was because during the early Spring Festival, many places had fires due to this, as there were a lot of wooden houses in that era.
Every family will prepare some extra food, but they will basically just keep it at home. In Hong Kong today, it is rare to visit relatives, because most of the Hong Kong people are from outside.
On February 2, the fourth day of the Chinese New Year, most factories in Hong Kong had already resumed operations. In such a bad economic environment, ordinary workers obviously had no right to take a vacation, and they didn't even know what a weekend was.
The first place Yang Wendong came to was his old factory. At that moment, there was already a truck on standby, and several other people were dismantling the sticky note equipment here and then transporting it to the new factory.
Zhou Xianlong was directing when he suddenly turned around and saw his boss, who also walked over with a smile: "Mr. Yang, I wish you a happy new year first."
"Same to you." Yang Wendong nodded and asked with a smile: "Can all these equipment be moved in one day?"
Zhou Xianlong replied: "Yes, our equipment is not very large. We have 6 devices here, so we can do it in two batches."
"Yes." Yang Wendong asked again: "What about Dongsheng? When will their equipment arrive? What is the exact time?"
The previous agreement with Dongsheng was on the eighth day after the Chinese New Year, but this is the last day. Normally it would be a few days earlier, so we can only know the details in the next few days.
Zhou Xianlong replied: "On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, which is the day after tomorrow, the first batch will be 20 units, and the next units will also be delivered in two batches. All will be delivered before the Lantern Festival."
"Well, it's a good thing that we have rented a new factory, otherwise it would be very crowded here." Yang Wendong said with a smile.
Originally when he ordered the equipment, he was planning on shipping it here. It could be put in if we squeezed a little, but it would be very messy.
Zhou Xianlong smiled and said, "It can be put there, but it takes up too much space, and the production of mouse traps will be difficult."
"If the funds are not in place, then we can put the equipment here." Yang Wendong nodded and said, "Rat traps can be produced anywhere, so we can just rent an ordinary place."
Everything needs to be prepared in advance, but preparation in advance also means uncontrollable risks, so you also have to consider what to do if funds or other resources are not in place?
This is also the conclusion drawn from Yang Wendong's experience and lessons in his previous life's business.
You definitely have to count on loans, but if you really can’t get a loan or can’t get the amount you need, you need to have a backup plan.
Zhou Xianlong agreed and said: "If this is the case, the company's production capacity will inevitably be greatly affected."
Yang Wendong nodded and said, "Well, it will only take a few months. After the business has been running for a while, the funds will flow back and there will be profits, and then we can expand like today.
Bank loans only advance our operations, but cannot determine our life or death."
Having said that, time is actually very important to him now, or in other words, it is very important for entrepreneurs and wealthy people.
Money can be earned at any time, but it will be gone as time passes. Maybe a few months now is nothing, but it may indirectly lead to missing out on many good opportunities in the future.
Therefore, you should make the best use of bank funds, not to mention if you want to enter the real estate industry in the future.
Zhou Xianlong smiled and said, "That's true. However, our products are so popular that anyone with a bit of vision should be interested in them."
"That's right." Yang Wendong smiled and said, "This car is almost full. How are you going to get through later?"
Zhou Xianlong was a little embarrassed, and then said: "Mr. Yang, how about you take the co-pilot seat of the truck? I and a few colleagues can sit in the back of the truck."
"You should have been sitting in the passenger seat!" Yang Wendong paused and said, "Just follow your instructions. I have just called a rickshaw. Please follow me today."
"That's good." Zhou Xianlong breathed a sigh of relief.
Yang Wendong added: "Wait a little longer. After a while, the company will buy a car, and then it will be much more convenient for everyone."
Entering this era, there are two things that Yang Wendong is most uncomfortable with: one is the lack of mobile phones and the Internet, and the other is the lack of a car, especially after his career grew.
Relatively speaking, the Internet may be more important, but this is absolutely impossible to change and we can only accept our fate. However, the same can be said for cars.
It was just that last year was the development period of his career. Even though he made tens of thousands of dollars from the mousetrap in the summer and was able to buy a car, he didn’t have enough funds to prepare for the production of sticky notes.
Zhou Xianlong suddenly said: "Mr. Yang, you can actually consider buying a second-hand car, three to five thousand will be enough.
This amount of money will not have much impact on us, and the financial supervisor at Liu Chongxing Bank will probably not care about this matter, or will turn a blind eye to it. "
"A used car? That's a good idea." Yang Wendong thought about it and agreed.
Although Liao Chong Hing Bank has relatively loose risk control, it may only be loose in terms of credit limits. Basic monitoring of the use of funds is still in place.
The funds after the factory applies for a loan must be in someone else's bank account. They know what you buy and there is supervision. Otherwise, if you use the money to speculate in real estate or even run away, the bank will suffer huge losses.
Unless there is sufficient collateral, the purpose is agreed upon in advance, or some unconventional means are used to achieve the goal.
You can use the loan taken out under the pretext of expanding production to buy a car, or maybe use some connections to get it, but it's not necessary. Just wait a little longer, and when you have your own money in the account, there will naturally be no problem.
Zhou Xianlong smiled and said, "With the development of the company, one car will definitely not be enough in the future. Let's buy a second-hand one first. When Mr. Yang gets a new car in the future, this one can be used as a regular bus."
"Okay, let's go and take a look together after we're done with these few days." Yang Wendong nodded and said.
This is a small matter. As long as we can get through this recent period, the company's funds will improve significantly later, and buying a car or a house will just be a small problem.
Not to mention bank loans, it is estimated that there will be no major investment projects in the future, and the funds in the account will definitely be sufficient. Products such as post-it notes and mouse sticky boards that are of positive help to life and work will definitely bring in rich profit returns easily and continuously.
However, even if you are doing business, as long as the direction is good, you can and should use the bank's money.
If there is really no other choice, the simplest thing is to stock up on high-quality land and high-quality properties, which is also a good option. Although the real estate market has not yet reached the stage of a super boom in the next few years, because of this, many future prime lands may still be just in the wilderness in this era, and the price is very cheap!
……
When Yang Wendong's rickshaw took him to the new factory, he saw Zhou Xianlong again, directing a forklift to unload equipment.
Yang Wendong did not watch the process any longer, but walked into the new factory.
"Brother Dong." Zhao Liming walked out and happened to meet Yang Wendong who was about to go in.
Yang Wendong asked curiously, "Why are you here? Didn't the old factory make mouse traps for you?"
The future plan is to use the new factory here to produce post-it notes, and the mousetrap that is purely handmade will be placed in the previous factory. The latter will be managed by Zhao Liming, and he can also recruit people in the shantytown.
Zhao Liming smiled and said, "My side relies on manual labor. After the small extrusion equipment from Dongsheng arrived, the factory efficiency has increased and my work has become easier. I come here to take a look when I have time."
"Oh, Dongsheng is really good!" Yang Wendong smiled.
Dongsheng really solved a lot of problems for him. Otherwise, the equipment could not be produced locally, and his ordering from Japanese companies would definitely be slow and expensive.
They can even help with the production of mouse traps with their professional advice.
However, there are certainly benefits. Yang Wendong's equipment can also make them a lot of money, and there will be more in the future... Zhao Liming asked again: "Brother Dong, I heard from Lao Zhou that the current production model can only meet the short-term needs, and it will definitely not be enough in the future. They may have to look for a bigger factory.
Then this factory here may produce mouse traps for me in the future?"
Yang Wendong thought about it and felt that it was possible, so he said, "This is really possible."
Future plans can only be short-term, because once production capacity increases, the existing factory buildings will most likely not be enough, whether it is sticky notes or mouse boards.
There is no other way. Any hot-selling product will have problems with insufficient production capacity in the year or even a few years before it comes out, so new factories must be added continuously.
Even decades later, the Apple empire, with professional OEM factories like Foxconn, took several years to solve the production capacity problem of Apple mobile phones, but every time there was an update or the iPad came out, there was not enough production.
Unless you are very rich now, you can build a super-large factory at one time, but such investment is not feasible at present even if you have money, because of the shortage of manpower. A large number of skilled workers are the core of product quality. Otherwise, if quality problems arise from rapid expansion of production, the consequences will be even more troublesome.
Only by taking it step by step and waiting until you have sufficient funds can you prepare your own stable and long-term factory.
Of course, this is based on the premise that there are no new products. If Yang Wendong is asked to think of hot-selling products in the future that meet the needs of this era, he will inevitably face the same problems as now, and may even be more serious.
"Haha, that's great." Zhao Liming smiled and said, "It's just that this place is a bit far from the hut, and the brothers have a long way to go to and from get off work."
Yang Wendong thought about it and said with a smile: "It's okay. We can also find a place to build a factory near the hut in the future. We will talk about this later."
Although in terms of market potential, mouse sticky boards cannot compare with post-it notes, this will also be one of my future industries. I will not abandon the old ones just because there are more profitable ones. After all, there is no contradiction.
Also, from the perspective of driving job creation, the ability of mousetraps is much stronger than that of sticky notes. One of the prerequisites for one's future stable foothold in Hong Kong is to control sufficient employment. Employment is the cornerstone of any government's stability. As long as employment is controlled, security will be greatly improved.
Since he wants to provide jobs, he naturally hopes to take care of the most vulnerable group in Hong Kong: squatters. At the same time, the labor cost of this group will be relatively lower.
"That's good." Zhao Liming then said, "Brother Dong, I've just walked through this place once, so I'm familiar with it. Can I take you around again?"
"Okay." Yang Wendong nodded. He could go without anyone accompanying him, and he wouldn't refuse someone if someone came with him.
After the two entered the factory, Yang Wendong realized that it was completely different from the last time before the Chinese New Year.
Zhao Liming said: "I just talked to the security guard. During the New Year holidays, workers came to work. In less than half a month, they laid all the lines here and cleaned up the sanitation. The only thing left is the warehouse building that has not been completely built."
Yang Wendong nodded and said, "There's no rush for the warehouse. Our production capacity can't be increased that quickly in the early stages anyway."
"It seems that you have calculated everything in advance, Brother Dong." Zhao Liming smiled and said, "Brother Dong, I feel like this is all just like a dream. We have changed so much in the past year.
I am really afraid that one day, I will wake up and find myself still in the hut I was in a year ago. All this was just a dream!"
"Dream?" Yang Wendong asked with a smile, "How dare you have such an outrageous dream a year ago? You have hundreds of people under you? You can eat meat every day? You have a 6-foot-long Simmons mattress for you to sleep on? You can take a rickshaw or taxi when you go on a long trip?"
Zhao Liming touched his hair awkwardly: "Yeah, more than a year ago, I wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing."
"Sometimes, reality is even more unreal than dreams. It can be more terrifying or more beautiful." Yang Wendong shrugged, then thought for a moment and said, "But if this is really a dream, then congratulations, right?"
"What are you congratulating me for? Going back to the shack?" Zhao Liming was puzzled.
Yang Wendong smiled and said, "If you dreamed about all this, then when you wake up, you can start your own business. Don't forget to take care of me then, haha~"
"." Zhao Liming was stunned for a moment, and said: "Brother Dong, stop joking. Even if I have these ideas, I don't have the ability to do as well as you!"
"It's just a joke, don't think about it." Yang Wendong returned to normal and said, "You and I have both come out of the shantytown, but there are still too many poor people in the shantytown.
Although we cannot help them move to a new place to live, it is within our power to provide them with a better and more stable job.
I will have many other things to do in the future, so I will leave this to you. From now on, the work of making mouse traps will be the position we prepare for the squatters."
"Well, I understand what Dong Ge means. Dong Ge, you are the one who wants to do bigger things. Just leave this matter to Haoyu and me. We don't know anything else." Zhao Liming nodded, and then said, "We only know how to produce. What about the market?"
Yang Wendong said: "I will be responsible for this first. When you are capable, I will hand it over to you."
"Okay." Zhao Liming smiled.
Yang Wendong added: "In the future, there may be other jobs that require a large number of ordinary people. At that time, I will also put them near the squatter huts so that I can recruit more people."
"What job?" Zhao Liming asked.
Yang Wendong shook his head and said, "I don't know either. I'll tell you later."
There is a huge gap between the life in the past and the life now, and there are many things that are not available in this era;
But most of these things are somewhat technical and are related to the times. They are difficult to make and require a lot of capital investment.
Furthermore, if it is not a product like Post-it Notes or Mouse Sticky Boards that is of great direct help to life and work, it would be difficult to promote it.
There is no self-media traffic in this era. If a product cannot attract people at first sight, it needs to rely on powerful channels to promote it.
However, as my funds grow, even if I cannot produce a hit creative product in the future, as long as I find the right direction to run a normal business, I can still create a large number of jobs.
"Oh." Zhao Liming didn't think much about it.
After the two of them took a round, when they came back, all six devices had been unloaded from the car and were being installed.
Zhou Xianlong and Wei Zetao seemed to be discussing something. When they saw Yang Wendong coming over, they walked over and Zhou Xianlong said with a smile: "Mr. Yang, the electricity has been connected. We will have a trial production for a day tomorrow, and we can start full production the day after tomorrow."
"The day after tomorrow?" Yang Wendong calculated the date: "It's just in time. Dongsheng's equipment will also be arriving."
Zhou Xianlong nodded: "Yes, the timing is very tight."
"Okay, then we'll have to work hard during this period." Yang Wendong said, "Once the equipment is ready, it'll be time for us to work hard on production."
Zhou Xianlong smiled and said, "Yes, Mr. Yang, in addition, in terms of personnel, we have recruited a total of 28 employees, all of whom can recognize some basic Chinese characters and numbers, but the average salary is a little higher than before."
Yang Wendong said: "Since you can read, you should be paid a little more. Otherwise, what's the point of learning to read? As long as it meets the normal market value, it's fine."
Unlike the production of mouse sticky boards, the production of post-it notes still requires people with slightly stronger comprehension abilities.
Although literacy does not equal strong comprehension ability, no normal company will take the time to identify it. This is why when there were college students everywhere in the mainland in the past life, large companies would directly set the first degree requirement when recruiting.
Zhou Xianlong nodded: "Okay, then in the future, when we have more equipment, we will continue to recruit people according to this standard."
"Just negotiate with Lao Wei." Yang Wendong didn't care too much. He no longer cared about these trivial matters. He just needed to know the general idea.
In the following days, the six Japanese equipment moved here operated smoothly and normally. There were some minor problems with the 6 equipment sent from Dongsheng, but they were quickly resolved.
16 devices immediately started full-speed production mode.
After that, another 20 machines were added, and the entire Changxing Industry began full production. Every sticky note produced was worth Hong Kong dollars in cash.
(End of this chapter)