Chapter 349 Small Package Facial Tissue and Investing in Taiwan

Ma Jiayou said, "Mr. Yang, please speak."

Yang Wendong picked up a pack of toilet paper beside him and said, "Let's go to the office next door and talk."

"Okay." Ma Jiayou said quickly.

Afterwards, everyone went to the administrative building next door and entered a conference room. All irrelevant people left, leaving only Yang Wendong, Wei Zetao and Ma Jiayou.

Yang Wendong asked, "Facial tissue, you should all know about it, right?"

"I know." Ma Jiayou nodded and said, "It's just a higher-end toilet paper, but the processing or raw materials are higher-end. It's mainly used for wiping hands or faces."

Wei Zetao asked, "Mr. Yang wants to make facial tissues?"

"Do you think it's okay?" Yang Wendong asked back.

Wei Zetao and Ma Jiayou looked at each other, and Ma Jiayou said, "It's not difficult to make it. Even if it's for high-end demand, we can import pulp from overseas;

But the problem is that facial tissue is a high-end consumer product, and the mainstream market is still in Europe and the United States. If we want to mass-produce it, we need to enter these places, which is much more difficult. "

"Yeah, that's right." Yang Wendong nodded, and then said, "However, my idea is a little different. The main napkins on the market now are tissue paper, right?"

"Yes." Wei Zetao said.

Yang Wendong added: "A piece of tissue paper is very large, suitable for use in restaurants, high-end offices, or rich people's homes, but what if it is used on the road? What should we do?"

"On the road?" Ma Jiayou thought for a moment and said, "You can still put paper in the car, but if you have anything on you, you can only put a few in your pocket."

Yang Wendong smiled and said, "That's fine, but the toilet paper ball in your pocket is easy to get dirty and messy.
So my idea is that we can make a small package of facial tissue, maybe a little bigger than a matchbox, with ten tissues in it, which is convenient for people to use.”

In this era, tissue paper and other things already existed, but Yang Wendong discovered early on that there were no small facial tissues; it was just that because he was not involved in the papermaking industry, he did not come up with this idea.

Now that I have entered the papermaking industry, I naturally have to bring out this creative idea. Although the small-package facial tissue is small, the market potential is very large, even far exceeding that of toilet paper.

"Make it smaller?" Ma Jiayou asked, "Then how to package it?"

Yang Wendong looked at Wei Zetao and said with a smile: "That depends on Lao Wei. Lao Wei, how is the food packaging research that we asked you to research going?"

When we were planning to make instant noodles, since paper packaging barrels had no advantages, we had no choice but to choose plastic bag packaging. This is a brand new product category market.

This task was naturally given to Changxing Industry, which specializes in plastic products.

Wei Zetao replied: "The plastic packaging has been made. We are currently discussing the packaging size, external text, and images with Mr. Zhou. Once everything is agreed upon, we can customize the equipment and then try trial production."

Yang Wendong nodded and asked, "Is there any problem with making this kind of tissue packaging?"

Wei Zetao said: "It should be no problem. This kind of packaging will only be simpler. As long as Mr. Ma gives me the size, I can make the sample in a few days."

Ma Jiayou also said: "I will also make such tissues soon, and the external packaging will also be available soon."

"Okay." Yang Wendong said with satisfaction: "Then follow-up, you should cooperate as soon as possible to make the finished product. There are no special requirements, as long as it is easy to use. Then register the patent as soon as possible, and then you can prepare for large-scale production."

The technology for this kind of creative product is mature, and once the idea comes out, it can be produced quickly.

In the past few years, I was constrained by various external factors and could not produce many creative products, or I could produce them but did not have enough resources, so I did not propose them.
Now that Changxing Group is getting bigger and bigger and involving more and more industries, it is natural for it to carry out "innovation".

"Okay." Wei Ma and the other man agreed.

At noon, Yang Wendong, Wei Zetao and the people they brought with them all had a quick meal in the factory.

After the afternoon, Yang Wendong came to another section of the factory, which was a large chemical wastewater treatment area. A lot of smell was coming from a pool.

Ma Jiayou introduced: "Mr. Yang, the five pools here, from left to right, are used to gradually purify sewage. Some are specifically for heavy metals, some are specifically for neutralizing organic compounds, and some are for neutralizing acidity and alkalinity. When you reach the water on the far right, it has reached the standard for discharge into the sea."

"Well, the one on the right does look much better, with no foam or colors." Yang Wendong also saw the colors of the water in the five pools from above. Ma Jiayou said, "Yes, it looks normal, but it is actually still somewhat toxic. It can only be said that after being discharged into the sea and diluted by seawater, the harm is not that great."

"Well, OK, just follow the law." Yang Wendong nodded, and then said: "All employees who may be exposed to chemical substances should be paid more, and they should also undergo strict physical examinations.

If there is no such thing in Taiwan, I am planning to build a private hospital in Hong Kong, and we can send them to Hong Kong for medical examinations.”

Although they are big capitalists and put profits first, they cannot make money by harming their customers, employees, or the environment. There is no need to do so. Otherwise, wouldn't it be better to specialize in real estate speculation?
Moreover, only when the interests of everyone are tied together, even the workers will work wholeheartedly, which will improve the quality of products and services.

"Okay." Ma Jiayou agreed and said, "I'll ask the Human Resources Department to make detailed arrangements."

After visiting the paper mill, Yang Wendong, his family and his men came to Taipei City, about 25 km away from the factory.

The traffic was not very good along the way, and the car was shaking a lot. It happened to rain, and the car almost got stuck in a mud pit once.

"Taiwan's infrastructure is still not very good." Yang Wendong said.

Wei Zetao replied: "Yes, the economic development in Taiwan is about ten years behind that in Hong Kong. In terms of infrastructure, some cities are OK, but the suburbs are very poor."

"Well, fortunately Taiwan is not very big, and the factory we chose is close to the sea, otherwise it would be a headache for infrastructure issues." Yang Wendong also said.

The economy of Taiwan at this time is probably similar to that of the coastal areas of the mainland in the early 80s. It is not very good, but some industries can be properly invested in, and there are many wealthy people here.
Wei Zetao said: "In fact, if it weren't for the pollution, then building a factory near Taipei City would also be fine. Officials in Taiwan have approached me several times, wanting us to invest in building a factory in Taiwan."

"That's something we can consider." Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "Many of Japan's basic industries are much stronger than Hong Kong's, and Taiwan's products exported to the United States and Japan have certain tax incentives. The local government may also have subsidies or free land use policies. If these conditions are negotiated and it's more cost-effective than Hong Kong, then there will be no problem."

Large groups generally do not limit their production capacity in one place. Diversified production is also one of the key points that large groups need to consider.

The first is due to market and production needs, such as tariffs, transportation, etc. The second is risk issues, natural disasters, political turmoil, etc. are all reasons.

Of course, as a time traveler, Yang Wendong also knew that these did not exist, but there were still some unavoidable risk factors.

For example, in history, after Hong Kong's industrial take-off, Europe and the United States imposed sanctions on Hong Kong's toy and textile industries many times. Although the Hong Kong government subsequently negotiated with these countries to lift the sanctions, the losses in recent years still exist.

Now that we are driving Hong Kong's industrial development at a faster pace, there is a high probability that we will encounter such problems.

At this time, if there are industrial bases in other places, production capacity can be transferred to avoid serious blow to the entire group.

Wei Zetao agreed and said, "Okay, then I will prepare to negotiate with Wanwan. I wonder if you, Mr. Yang, have any other requests?"

Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "When choosing a site, try to choose one near Taipei or some big cities. The area should be larger. When investing in Taiwan, we won't build industrial buildings like those in Hong Kong. We will try to build only one floor and then use some land for greening."

Although the real estate market in Taiwan will not be as crazy as that in Hong Kong in the future, the advantage is that it is still early in the history. Since the real estate market in Taiwan was in its wild days, there are still a lot of wasteland, vacant land or agricultural land on the outskirts of major cities.

Just like in the 80s, if you wanted to build a factory in Pudong, Shanghai, you could choose any land along the Huangpu River.
Moreover, the Taiwanese government is different from the Hong Kong government. They care about industrial development and employment, so large factory investments and land are negotiable. If I don't take the opportunity to ask for more, wouldn't I be letting down their kindness?

Besides, if we invest on our own, at least in the next twenty years, it will bring a lot of tax revenue, employment and economic impetus to the local area, and both parties will benefit.

"Okay, I understand." Wei Zetao nodded.

He naturally knew what his boss meant. This was how his group operated in Hong Kong. While operating normally, they would hoard as much land as possible.

After a while, the convoy arrived at the center of Taipei City, and a large number of high-rise buildings appeared in front of them.

“It’s better than Kowloon, but not as good as Hong Kong Island,” commented Yang Wendong.

Wei Zetao said: "Yes, but I heard that the Taiwan government does not allow foreign investment in real estate, which is a pity."

"Invest in real estate in Taiwan?" Yang Wendong asked again, "Is it not allowed to invest in commercial real estate? For example, office buildings?"

Wei Zetao said: "No, the law does not allow it. It only allows investment in factories. However, there are loopholes because foreign capital can purchase partial shares of some local companies."

Yang Wendong thought about it and said, "Well, I can consider it."

(End of this chapter)

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