Chapter 306 Persuading the Governor and Purchasing Oil Tankers

"50 sets?" Yang Wendong thought for a moment and asked, "What size TV sets can this production line produce?"

Wang Zhiqun replied: "It's up to you. This line is similar to an assembly line. If the size of the TV changes, we can just change some of the tooling appropriately. It won't have much impact."

Yang Wendong said: "That's not impossible. Although there are a few more, the demand for black and white TVs is still very high, especially in Asia. We can slowly build our own channels."

Not to mention the early 60s, even more than a decade later in the late 70s, Asia had a high demand for black-and-white televisions. Samsung relied on this market to earn its first pot of gold in the electronics industry and then began to soar.

Wang Zhiqun said: "In terms of channels, we can build them ourselves, but there is still a big problem. RCA is unwilling to sell the technology and production lines of picture tubes. They are only willing to sell the assembly lines."

"Then I will assemble it here and then buy the cathode ray tube from them?" Yang Wendong naturally knew the other party's intention, and then rejected it and said: "If you don't have cathode ray tube technology, then there is no point in talking."

The cathode ray tube is more important to a television than the compressor is to an air conditioner. The core of the entire television is the cathode ray tube.

If you don't have the production capacity in this area, then you are definitely working hard for others.

Wang Zhiqun replied: "I told them the same thing, but what they meant was that they could move the cathode ray tube factory to Taiwan, so that we could buy them there. The labor cost there is also very low, which is enough to reduce costs."

"Taiwan? RCA is planning to invest in Taiwan?" Yang Wendong asked.

In the past, RCA invested in Taiwan and built a large-scale TV production base there. The base was so large that it once became the largest foreign enterprise, the largest exporter, and the largest employer in Taiwan.

However, what makes Yang Wendong in the 21st century remember this company is not how great it was in the past, but how cruel it was. In the 70s and 80s, RCA forcibly discharged a large amount of highly toxic sewage into the local groundwater hundreds of meters below, which subsequently caused the largest industrial pollution in Asian history.
Wang Zhiqun said: "I heard about this."

"No matter what, even if his production line comes to Taiwan, it won't work." Yang Wendong shook his head and said, "We don't need the most advanced cathode ray tube technology, but we must have it, otherwise we will be strangled by others."

Nowadays, many people in Hong Kong or other Asian countries do not have televisions, and buying imported ones is too expensive.

Therefore, as long as they are similar, even if the display is slightly worse, but as long as they are cheap, the market potential is huge.

The core of a television is the cathode ray tube, and its production must be controlled by ourselves.

Wang Zhiqun said: "Okay, I understand, I will continue to negotiate with RCA."

"Well, they probably think we are a fat sheep to be slaughtered." Yang Wendong added: "Other companies should not give up communication. If there is a suitable one, they can also consider it. For this first TV, it is better to be inferior, but we must be able to produce the cathode ray tube ourselves."

If it is other general supply parts, such as making a fan yourself but not a motor, you can purchase them from outside, because there are many suppliers and you have the right to choose even if you don’t have the technology.

However, cathode ray tubes are usually matched with televisions, and it is difficult to replace one once you use it, so you must control the core components yourself.

Wang Zhiqun agreed: "Understood."

Yang Wendong asked again: "How is the development of the magnetron for microwave ovens going?"

Wang Zhiqun said awkwardly: "There has been some progress, but it is still a little far from the goal of miniaturization."

"Well, we can only wait." Yang Wendong nodded.

It does take time to develop some technologies that are not yet available because there is no previous path to follow.

All businesses of Changxing Group are developing normally. At this point, there is basically no need for boss Yang Wendong to worry too much.

In the following month, Yang Wendong mainly spent time with his family and resting.

In the blink of an eye it was already December.

The temperature in Hong Kong has dropped a bit. Although it still hasn't rained, it is much more comfortable. The demand for water has also decreased, which is half good news.

At the same time, Changxing Group's water transportation capacity has further increased because the acquisition of second-hand cargo ships and oil tankers has never stopped. Although there is no large-scale purchase, there is a cargo ship that can participate in water transportation every once in a while.

On the 13th, Yang Wendong came to Changxing Building, and Zheng Yuhua came to report on the recent development of Changxing Shipping.

"Our monthly water transportation capacity has reached 150 million tons?" Yang Wendong said with surprise after hearing the data.

Zheng Yuhua said: "Yes, now we have 6 oil tankers and 21 cargo ships deployed to transport water to different points in East China. According to the distance, we can make an average of about 3 round trips a month, and we can transport about 150 million tons of water back."

"Well, that's good. I remember that Hong Kong's annual water consumption was close to 1 million tons when it was normal." Yang Wendong nodded and said, "Our transportation capacity can basically meet % of Hong Kong's demand."

Zheng Yuhua said: "Yes, but Hong Kong's other water transportation methods have problems. There are still many places that are short of water, especially many factories, which have a particularly high demand for water."

Yang Wendong asked again: "Did the Hong Kong government raise the water price?"

Zheng Yuhua shook her head and said, "No, water is a public resource. If the Hong Kong government wants to raise the price, it needs a lot of procedures. Moreover, if it raises the price at this time, it will be criticized by the public opinion. Therefore, it can only frequently cut off the water supply or reduce the supply."

"Yeah, that's right." Yang Wendong nodded.

In fact, a moderate price increase for industrial water can alleviate the problem, but there are many limitations.

After all, the lack of water is a natural disaster, but if you take the opportunity to raise prices, other problems will easily occur.
Zheng Yuhua asked again: "Mr. Yang, do we still need to continue purchasing second-hand ships? We already have too many second-hand ships."

Yang Wendong smiled and said, "Go ahead, but we don't need the oil tanker anymore. Just buy a second-hand cargo ship. Also, don't buy one that's too old. At least one that can be used for another ten or eight years."

Thanks to his early preparations, Hong Kong’s drought is much better than in previous history. However, it is impossible for an individual to fight against the weather, not even the government can do so.

Therefore, while the amount of water is sufficient to ensure the normal life of Hong Kong residents, many people are still in urgent need of water, not because of a serious water shortage, but a distribution problem.

This problem is even more difficult. Human beings have developed for thousands of years, and countless wars and dynasties have perished. The essence of this is the problem of allocation, not the lack of resources.
"Okay." Zheng Yuhua agreed and said, "Mr. Yang, I went to Japan last month and visited several Japanese shipbuilding companies and banks. They are very interested in your next ship purchase and would like to invite you to go."

"Well, okay, I'll go there next week." Yang Wendong nodded.

A large oil tanker costs several million US dollars, and several of them may cost 20 or 30 million. With such a huge amount of money, as a boss, he must go and have a look and discuss it in person.

Zheng Yuhua handed over a document and said, "Okay, here are the relevant documents of each shipyard, including pictures and data of the ships they have already built. Mr. Yang, you can learn about it in advance."

"Okay, thank you." Yang Wendong took the information and flipped through it. The brochure was quite beautiful, including Japanese, traditional Chinese and English. These days, Hong Kong is also one of the largest customers of Japanese shipyards.

Zheng Yuhua said: "Then I will take my leave first."

"Okay, go and do your thing." Yang Wendong said.

After Zheng Yuhua left, Yang Wendong called an assistant and said, "Make an appointment for me. I want to visit the Governor's House."

"Okay." The assistant agreed.

On the 16th, Governor's House:
"Hello, Mr. Governor of Hong Kong." Yang Wendong said with a smile.

Bai Liji was also quite happy and said, "Hello, Mr. Yang, please sit down."

"Thank you."

After the two sat down, they exchanged some pleasantries and then discussed the issue of drought. This matter has now become one of the most important political affairs of the Hong Kong government.

"Mr. Governor of Hong Kong, I came here this time to make a request," said Yang Wendong.

"Please go ahead," said Robert.

Yang Wendong said: "Although the water currently transported from the mainland is still not enough for the Hong Kong market to operate normally, it can basically guarantee survival and basic needs.

However, the amount of water currently allocated to residents is still not enough. The water storage stations under my charity foundation are often short of water, so I would like to ask the Hong Kong government to make some reasonable adjustments in this matter. "

After listening to this, Bai Liji said: "I also know something about this matter, but Mr. Yang, the current water source is actually not enough, so there must be some control here;
For example, if your Changxing Industrial Factory stops working due to water shortage, how much loss will it cause? This is not only a matter of money, but also a matter of survival for many workers.

Although other factories in Hong Kong are not as big as Changxing Industrial, their combined scale is much larger.”

"I understand." Yang Wendong also said, "But we can't let so many people have no water to drink, right? Mr. Governor, I was willing to invest a large number of ships to transport water. My basic wish was that the millions of people in Hong Kong would not be without basic water for survival."

When Bai Liji heard this, he also understood what Yang Wendong meant, and then said: "Mr. Yang, I understand your request. In this way, I will discuss with the people in the water department and try to give more directions to the squatter."

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Governor." Yang Wendong said, "In fact, there is another way to ease these conflicts."

Barry asked, "What method? Is Mr. Yang planning to invest more ships?"

"There are only a limited number of ships, so we can't continue to expand the scale. It's difficult to do it in a short period of time." Yang Wendong shook his head and said, "But the efficiency can be improved. We just need to speed up all the ships."

Ships, like cars, actually have an optimal speed for fuel consumption.

Therefore, according to demand, when the profit of goods is high, the speed can be increased, exchanging higher fuel consumption for time, and vice versa, a balance should be found between speed and fuel consumption.

Of course, it's not just about fuel consumption. Excessive speed also causes damage to the engine and transmission mechanism, affecting the life of the ship and maintenance costs, etc.

Robert Black said: "This will increase operating costs, and the Hong Kong government cannot afford to spend so much money to increase this cost."

Yang Wendong said: "The current oil price is actually not expensive. If we really speed up the water transportation, the cost will not increase much.

But if Hong Kong society had more water, the impact on the economy would be much lower. Similarly, many people would not have to run around for water, affecting their livelihoods. This cannot be judged only by direct investment.”

Robert Black said: "Mr. Yang is right, but the process of increasing the budget of the Hong Kong government is also very troublesome."

Yang Wendong said: "If there is insufficient funding, we can actually arrange for charitable donations across Hong Kong. If the Hong Kong government takes action, this will definitely win the support of many wealthy groups and the public in Hong Kong."

"Okay, I'll think about it." Bai Liji nodded and said, "This is indeed a good idea."

Yang Wendong added: "Okay, I also hope that Hong Kong's industries and businesses, as well as the three million citizens, can have basic water supplies."

This matter is not just selfish. From the perspective of his career, it is also good for him that Hong Kong society does not have a water shortage, or the water shortage is not serious.

The Changxing Group now has a large number of employees, close to 2, plus suppliers, related service personnel, etc., accounting for several percentage points of Hong Kong's population base.

Such a large group needs countless people working in their positions. However, when the entire Hong Kong society faces various problems due to water shortage, the Changxing Group cannot remain unaffected.

After all, it is useless for Changxing Group to have no water shortage. If the suppliers are short of water and some of the truck drivers have no water at home, it will inevitably affect the operation of the entire industry.
It is just a suggestion to make Hong Kong society function more normally and for the people living in squatter settlements to live a better life.

There is nothing else we can do but wait for the water from Dongjiang River.

On December 12, Yang Wendong came to Japan again, and the first place he visited was the Osaka Mitsubishi Shipyard, with which he had once cooperated.

"Mr. Yang, welcome." Mitsubishi Shipyard's president, Takao Yagyu, bowed and said with a group of his subordinates.

"President Yagyu, you're welcome." Yang Wendong replied.

There was an interpreter in the middle of the conversation between the few people, and each of them also brought an interpreter with them to prevent any problems.

Yagyu Takao said: "Mr. Yang, please come to our shipyard for a visit. Currently, one of our shipyards is also building a 12-ton large oil tanker. You can visit it nearby."

The boss of the big customer came in person, and their shipyard naturally knew the other party's goal a long time ago. After all, the two sides have been communicating for a long time.

"Okay." Yang Wendong nodded.

The purpose of coming to Japan this time is to purchase oil tankers.

Oil is the lifeblood of the global economy, and after the outbreak of the Middle East crisis, tankers have become the most profitable business.

PS: Please give me a monthly ticket. I will resume updating twice a day starting today.

(End of this chapter)

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