Chapter 309: $5000 million ship order

Chapter 309: $5000 million ship order

Chapter 309: $5000 million ship order
"Can't you find talented painters? Or can't you find people who can conceive stories?" Yang Wendong asked in return.

In the early days of development, because Yang Wendong personally provided the idea of ​​Calabash Brothers, and there were fewer staff, some details of the plot were left to the people who drew the comics, and they more or less understood some of it.

Now "Black Cat Sheriff" needs to re-conceive all the plots, which requires a professional team of plot conceivers to be responsible for it, so that the division of labor is clear.

Of course, sometimes there may be people who are good at both aspects, which is best, but the departments are still separated.

Wu Hailin replied: "It is possible to find some, but if you want to find a large number, it is a bit difficult. In the past six months, I also arranged for people to cooperate with the human resources department of Changxing Group to recruit people throughout Hong Kong. We recruited more than 20 people, but it became difficult to find suitable people later."

"After all, there are still too few people in Hong Kong." Yang Wendong nodded and said.

Not to mention Hong Kong, even in the past, many companies that wanted to find talents in a certain profession often took months or half a year to find one, and that was when the Internet existed.

Hong Kong currently has a population of only 300 million, and there are certainly not many people who are proficient in painting. After all, this thing was not a way to make a living in the past, and few people would learn it.

Wu Hailin said: "Yes, I want to go to Taiwan to recruit people. The population there is larger, so maybe I can find a lot of people."

"Sure, just ask the HR department at the headquarters to cooperate with you." Yang Wendong thought for a moment and asked again, "Can we find someone from the mainland?"

Wu Hailin shook his head and said, "I don't think so. I can't contact them unless you go through official channels."

"I'll ask around." Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "Poaching people here may not work, but maybe we can outsource some tasks to them through cooperation."

Before the reform and opening up, the mainland actually had a lot of trade cooperation with overseas countries, the most common of which were trade in oil, grain, minerals and industrial equipment.

Therefore, as long as it is normal business cooperation, it can be discussed. Even if there is no precedent before, you can promote the first case.

The comics industry began to develop in China in the 50s, and there are some departments and talents that meet its own needs.

Wu Hailin agreed: "Okay."

"Well," Yang Wendong said, "In addition, we need to cooperate with Changxing Industry to develop various puppet toys and see how they sell in the market."

"The Calabash Brothers doll toys will be on the market next month." Wu Hailin said: "According to the current market research, many children still like them very much. It's just that the current price has not yet been finalized."

Yang Wendong said: "We can learn from Honor Electronics and set a high price first, but then give appropriate discounts. It will take a long time for sales to recover. If not, then maintain the price."

"Okay." Wu Hailin said with a smile.

Yang Wendong asked again: "I want to bring the story of Calabash Brothers to the screen. What do you think?"

"Transfer to the screen? Movie or cartoon?" Wu Hailin asked.

Yang Wendong said: "Let's just make it into a movie. That way more people will watch it. I also have my own cinema chain, so I don't have to worry about not having a screen."

In that era, there were very few televisions, so the exposure of movies far exceeded that of television. It was only after the emergence of TVB and the improvement of Hong Kong's economy that every household had a television, and the situation turned around.

The cinema chain under Changxing Real Estate was a project built by Yang Wendong in the early days in order to hoard land. This cinema chain cannot receive films from Shaw Brothers and Cathay because these two film companies are both internally circulated.

But there are more than just these two film companies in Hong Kong, there are many smaller companies, and Changxing Cinemas also cooperates with these companies.

Also because of the complementary relationship, the existence of Changxing Cinemas has freed these small film companies from being controlled by Shaw Brothers and Cathay. In turn, there are many small films and Changxing Cinemas can also make a profit. In addition, Changxing Cinemas does not make movies itself and has no interest relationship with the film companies. It is also fair in many things and has further promoted the Hong Kong film market.

This is actually just one of the many ways in which a giant like Changxing Group influences society.

Wu Hailin said: "I also know that animated films can be made, but it takes a lot of time and manpower, and it can only be done by ourselves."

Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "This is indeed very time-consuming. Let's do some preliminary preparations first. As for manpower, if it doesn't work out, I'll have the HR department contact Southeast Asia. I don't believe there are no people in this field there."

"Okay." Wu Hailin agreed.

For a company, the most important thing is talent. This statement is fully reflected in Changxing Culture Company.

Even though Yang Wendong has a lot of comic ideas, it’s useless without someone to help him.

Not only do we need people who can draw comics, we also need storytelling talents who are familiar with literature, technology, common sense, and special fields. Otherwise, it is impossible to create imaginative comic plots and characters.

However, there is no rush for time. We should first carefully produce some animations that embody Chinese culture. At the same time, talents will gradually be in place, and then we can produce classic hit comics from our previous life and enter the overseas market.

Monday, January 1:

Yang Wendong once again came to Tokyo, the Japanese capital.

Inside the Empire Hotel, a man said respectfully: "Mr. Yang, this presidential suite is the place we prepared for you to live in, and everything we have given you is our sincerity.

These two will serve you in your daily life and can speak Cantonese and English. If you have any questions, you can give them orders directly."

After saying that, two women in kimonos came over with light makeup and bowed to Yang Wendong.

"How old are they?" Yang Wendong naturally understood the meaning of this.

It is said that the Japanese consortium has specially raised a group of young girls who are not only beautiful and have good figures, but also specially trained in various knowledge, disciplines, and literature and art.

It's not just about appearance, but also about the inner knowledge and insights.

For a group that is valued by these financial groups, whether they are in politics or business, how could they just look at the surface?

The man laughed and said, "They are all 21 years old."

"Okay, then I'll take a day off today and visit your company tomorrow." Yang Wendong nodded and said.

The man said, "Okay, then please have a good rest."

After a good night's rest.

The next day, Yang Wendong came to the Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Company headquarters building in Ginza, Tokyo.

"Mr. Yang." Zheng Yuhua and several managers from Changxing Shipping Company were already waiting here.

Yang Wendong asked: "Are all the materials ready?"

As early as two months ago, Yang Wendong also came to Japan to visit several shipyards and toured the oil tankers and large bulk carriers that each company was proud of.

Later, Zheng Yuhua and the senior executives of Changxing Commercial negotiated with all parties here. There were also people from the headquarters office to ensure that there would be no accidents and to be able to report the situation to Hong Kong at any time. Zheng Yuhua said: "It's ready."

"Okay." Yang Wendong nodded.

Afterwards, Zheng Yuhua also introduced several senior executives of Mitsui Shipbuilding and Mitsui Bank to Yang Wendong. After some greetings, everyone sat down.

A middle-aged Japanese man immediately opened the slide and inserted the film, and a photo of a large oil tanker appeared in front of the conference room.

Then he introduced: "Mr. Yang, Ms. Zheng, this is the largest tanker currently in our Mitsui Shipbuilding Company, with a tonnage of 12.5 tons. Its characteristics are..."

Yang Wendong sat below and listened attentively.

Although my first target when I came to Hong Kong two months ago was the Mitsubishi Shipyard in Osaka, this kind of thing ultimately depends on which one is cheaper, more cost-effective, and a comprehensive consideration of various other factors.

This time, Yang Wendong had a big appetite, which naturally attracted the interest of many Japanese shipyards and the consortiums behind them. After much competition and consideration on his own part, Mitsui Shipyard became the most interested one.

The meeting was still going on, and Mitsui's speaker subsequently changed a few slides, introducing several main ship types of his shipyard one by one.

An hour later, the guide introduced the place of lodging to Yang Wendong and said with a smile: "Mr. Yang, is there anything else you need to know?"

Yang Wendong replied: "I won't ask about the technical aspects, but if we cooperate, when you build the ship, I will send some people to participate in the manufacturing process, so that it will be convenient for future maintenance."

The guide said: "That's not a problem."

The shipbuilding technology is very advanced. Japan is not worried at all that a few people might come and learn something secretly. Even if they show it to you openly, you still can’t understand it. And the most important thing is the industrial chain.

"Okay." Yang Wendong nodded.

Then Zheng Yuhua said: "Then let's discuss the transaction price, payment method and delivery time."

"Of course." The Japanese old man in the lead said with a smile on his face, "Mr. Yang, Ms. Zheng, your company is proposing to purchase two 2-ton tankers, five 12.5-ton tankers, and three 5-ton bulk carriers.

This is our final offer, please review it.”

After saying that, a young assistant handed several documents to Yang Wendong and Zheng Yuhua respectively.

杨文东看了一眼，12.5万吨的油轮报价1320万美元一艘，5.6万吨油轮报价760万一艘，5.5万散装货轮报价460万一艘。

The total price is US$5080 million, which is close to HK$3 million when converted into Hong Kong dollars.

Zheng Yuhua smiled and said, "Mr. Takizawa Ichiro, we have indeed agreed on the price of each ship, but for such a large order, you should also give us some discount on the total price, right?"

Yang Wendong did not say anything. He was the boss and he could not make any comments during this pricing period.

Because even if his subordinates make a promise, it can be vetoed by him as the boss. But if he as the boss negotiates the price with the other party, once it is said, it will be difficult to change.

The prices of several different types of ships were also determined after Zheng Yuhua negotiated with the other party, compared with other shipyards, and reported to Yang Wendong several times.

Ichiro Takizawa nodded and said, “Yes, this is the first time we have cooperated with your company, and we hope to continue to cooperate in the future;
The total price is $5080, of which we can deduct $80, and the total is $5000 million.”

"This price still exceeds our budget," Zheng Yuhua continued.

She also knew that the 80 was deliberately placed there by the other party and was removed for her to see after she made a request.

Ichiro Takizawa still kept smiling and said, "Ms. Zheng, the price of our ships is already very cheap. The ships you ordered this time are 61 tons in total. If you go to Europe, I'm afraid you won't be able to get them without 7000 million US dollars."

Zheng Yuhua said, "But we are in Japan, so we are comparing with Japanese shipyards, Mitsubishi and Sumitomo Shipyards. Their prices are also cheaper than yours."

Ichiro Takizawa said: "Maybe they are cheaper, but buying a ship is like buying a car. You can't just look at the displacement, you also have to look at the internal technology, right? The engines used in these Mitsui ships are all very fuel-efficient.

Moreover, the design of our ship was jointly designed by European and Mitsui designers, and the seawater resistance is also very low.”

Zheng Yuhua nodded and said, "Yes, I know this. Your technology may be a little better, but it is also limited. Besides, oil prices are cheap now, so this fuel-saving advantage is not very important."

Yang Wendong also expressed his approval.

Before the first oil crisis in 73, global oil prices were abnormally low. Europe and the United States were keen on large-engine cars because oil was very cheap.

Even the rapid development of Hong Kong's shipping industry has been affected by this blessing. Second-hand ships have higher fuel consumption. If it were not for their lower fuel consumption, the Hong Kong shipping king would not have been successful when he started his business in the early days.

Takizawa Ichiro paused and continued, "But we can also provide comprehensive bank loans. My Mitsui Group has its own banking business. Any customer who comes to us to buy a ship can enjoy a higher discount than other shipyards."

"This is indeed where we are more optimistic about Mitsui Shipyard." Zheng Yuhua paused, and then said: "As for the price, we can slowly negotiate later, and as for the loan, I have additional requirements."

"Please speak." said Ichiro Takizawa.

Zheng Yuhua said: "In terms of interest, we can follow the figures of our Japanese counterparts, but in terms of the amount, we hope to increase it by another 5%."

"5%?" Takizawa Ichiro frowned and asked, "You want to borrow 65% of the total proportion from our bank?"

"Yes," Zheng Yuhua confirmed. This is the most important thing.

Ichiro Takizawa said: "This ratio is too high. We banks also need to assess risks."

Zheng Yuhua said: "Mr. Takizawa, global trade is growing significantly every year, and the same is true for oil and bulk commodities, including Japan's imports in recent years.

In this environment, I think the shipping industry is bound to be very low risk.”

Ichiro Takizawa nodded and said, "I agree with this, but we also have control measures within our bank."

Zheng Yuhua smiled and said, "Of course. Today, both of us have put forward our own requests. How about we give each other some time and discuss it internally?"

"Okay, that's what we should do." Ichiro Takizawa agreed.

After the meeting, Yang Wendong asked Zheng Yuhua: "Can the price be lowered further at other Japanese shipyards?"

Zheng Yuhua said: "Maybe it can be reduced by one or two million US dollars, but it is unlikely to be higher. First, the cost of shipbuilding is not low. Second, although Japanese counterparts compete with each other, they also have a bottom line, and there should be connections among themselves."

Yang Wendong nodded and said, "Okay, the focus later will be on the Bank of Japan. The credit limit is high, so we can invest less money here."

(End of this chapter)