Chapter 364 Supporting the Chinese Shipbuilding Industry
Chapter 364 Supporting the Chinese Shipbuilding Industry (asking for monthly tickets at the beginning of the month)
"Okay, let's wait until the valuation comes out and then we'll negotiate the next step." Yang Wendong nodded and said.
It is rather difficult to assess the value of a non-listed company, and since there is no rush, just take your time.
Guo and Li smiled and said, "Okay, then we hope that after Changxing Real Estate becomes our shareholder, it can also cooperate with us to develop projects."
Zheng Zhijie agreed and said, "No problem. I am also happy to work with my peers and learn from each other."
Real estate companies in Hong Kong generally like to cooperate in developing projects. One reason is to avoid the risk of investing a large amount of money in a project which could cause serious damage if something goes wrong; the other reason is that it is easier for a consortium to obtain loans from banks because, from the banks' perspective, a consortium's ability to resist risks is stronger.
Yang Wendong smiled and said, "Okay, you two should stay today and have lunch together."
Those who can become the role of the four major families in the future, no matter what means they use, their abilities are definitely unquestionable. Such people are unlikely to work for themselves, so becoming their investor is the best choice.
"Okay, it's my honor." Guo and Li agreed readily.
Today, Yang Wendong has already overwhelmed the Ho family and has become the number one Chinese financial group in Hong Kong. If he has established a good relationship with such a financial group and accepted its investment, his career will surely be smooth sailing in the future.
Yang Wendong was naturally very happy to have reached an investment agreement with two of the four major families in the future, and to have made a friend.
Although Li Ka-shing will become independent in the future and Sun Hung Kai will continue to raise funds and go public, these will dilute his own investment today, but he will have enough opportunities to increase capital later.
Even if it is impossible to invest in future companies of Li Jiacheng, Zheng Yutong, etc., you will still have opportunities when they go public. The same can be done for companies outside the four major families, such as Ho Hup, Hang Lung, etc.
These early financial investments alone are enough to make his industry one of the top ten financial groups in Hong Kong in the future.
On October 10, it started to drizzle again. The drought in Hong Kong has improved a lot under the dual pressure of lower temperatures and appropriate rainfall.
Yang Wendong also came to the dock at Zuijiu Bay in Kwai Chung.
Looking at the large amount of busy equipment in front of him, Yang Wendong asked, "Is this the fourth dock?"
Zheng Yuhua of Changxing Shipping replied: "Yes, Hong Kong's shipping has grown significantly in recent years. Many merchant ships from Southeast Asia also pass through Hong Kong to unload their cargoes, which has made our shipyard business very popular."
"Well, OK." Yang Wendong nodded and said, "Then we can prepare to build the fifth dock. There is no need to be cautious. I predict that the shipping market will continue to boom."
In the 60s, the global economy developed rapidly, and maritime trade developed even more rapidly. On the one hand, due to various reasons, costs in Europe and the United States increased, industries began to shift, and production capacity gradually moved to Asia; on the other hand, with the economic development of Southeast Asia, the demand for overseas imported goods also increased.
Therefore, the scale of shipping grew extremely fast, and when the Middle East crisis broke out in 67, the growth rate was exponential.
On the other hand, Hong Kong's local industry is developing even more rapidly, with the export value of industrial products exceeding the trade value. This means that Hong Kong is no longer just a trading port, but an industrial city.
All these factors combined will bring a huge market for Hong Kong shipping in the future, and also create the four future shipping kings in Hong Kong, three of which will rank among the top ten in the world.
As more ships are built, docks are needed for maintenance, repair and even inspection.
Zheng Yuhua agreed and said, "Okay, actually I have this plan as well."
Yang Wendong nodded and asked, "How is the new ship in Japan going?"
Zheng Yuhua said: "Everything is going according to plan. I just went to see it last month. Part of the hull structure has been formed, which is a little faster than stipulated in our contract. It is estimated that the first two tankers will be delivered around January next year."
"The first two are a 12-ton tanker and a 5.5-ton tanker, right?" Yang Wendong remembered them clearly. After all, this was not an ordinary business.
Once these ships are delivered, it is estimated that the annual profits they can earn will exceed that of Changxing Industrial, making them one of the largest cash cows of the entire Changxing Group.
Zheng Yuhua said: "Yes, in the next six months, other tankers and large bulk carriers will be delivered gradually."
"Well, very good. You have to keep an eye on the factory in Japan." Yang Wendong added: "In addition to ensuring the smooth delivery of existing orders, you also need to consider subsequent purchases."
After hearing this, Zheng Yuhua was shocked and asked, "Mr. Yang, are you still planning to purchase large ships?"
"Yes." Yang Wendong nodded and said, "However, whether it is the banks in Japan or Hong Kong, they will not give me too much credit before our existing orders are delivered. We can only wait until they are delivered one by one next year, and then we will negotiate with the banks and factories one by one.
But for this kind of order involving tens of millions of dollars, we also need to prepare early. At least starting from today, we have enough time to slowly negotiate with the Japanese shipyard. "
For normal high-value orders, some cooperation projects may even take several years to negotiate. This is simply because the shipping market is booming nowadays, shipowners are eager to make money, and shipyards are basically not short of orders. In addition, seagoing vessels are relatively speaking semi-standardized products, so the negotiation speed is generally fast.
"Okay, I will start consulting with several Japanese shipyards for the preliminary preparations." After Zheng Yuhua agreed, he asked, "But Mr. Yang, isn't the risk a bit too great for us to do this?" As a professional manager, it is also necessary to remind the boss about risk control. Firstly, it is his responsibility, and secondly, if there is a problem with the company, it will also affect him.
Yang Wendong said with a smile: "There is definitely a risk, but the possibility is not high. Look at the past few years, the economies of many poor Asian countries have started to rise, and Japan is getting stronger and stronger.
But these places are short of oil, or simply gasoline and diesel. East Asia's population accounts for almost one-third of the world's population, and the demand for oil is huge. As for international shipping trade, I don't need to say more about this, you also know it."
The 60s and even the 70s were the best eras for global shipping. This would have been true even without the Middle East crisis, because labor costs in Europe and the United States were getting higher and higher, and many basic industries had to be relocated. After the relocation, maritime trade naturally increased even more.
The same is true for oil. With the rapid development of the global economy, oil is needed everywhere.
Not to mention the popularization of containers a few years later, which promoted global trade on a large scale.
Theoretically, the trade volume was higher in the 70s and s, but because the shipping business was so good in the s, too many shipyards were building ships desperately. As a result, they built too many ships, and then there was the oil crisis, and then the shipping market completely declined.
"Okay, as long as Mr. Yang is sure." Zheng Yuhua paused, and then said, "Mr. Yang, there is one more thing. Someone from Taiwan has contacted me. They want us to place an order at their shipyard and promised that the price will be cheaper than that of Japan."
"Wanwan Shipyard? Is it the shipyard in Keelung?" Yang Wendong asked back, "I also heard that this factory built several oil tankers in the early years."
Speaking of Taiwan’s shipbuilding industry, many people in the past immediately thought of the Kaohsiung Shipyard, but the Kaohsiung Shipyard was established in the 70s, and before that, the core of Taiwan’s shipbuilding industry was in Keelung.
In the early 50s, with the help of American funds, Taiwan's Keelung Shipyard mainly produced offshore fishing boats. Relying on this business and its own hard work, it trained a large number of skilled welders and then used this foundation to enter the ocean-going -ton ship market.
The Kaohsiung Shipyard, which was established in the 70s, actually has its roots in Keelung. Otherwise, it would not be so easy to cultivate the entire industrial chain and skilled workers.
Zheng Yuhua replied: "Yes, in the past two years, Keelung Shipyard has built several 2.8-ton tankers, the largest of which is a -ton tanker."
"This kind of small tanker is not suitable for us." Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "We can't get orders for short-distance transportation either."
The bigger the tanker, the better. For example, when transporting two places close to each other, a small tanker may be more convenient. Or, for some very small countries that do not need to import tens of thousands of tons of oil at one time, a small tanker may be chosen.
However, Changxing Shipping is not currently operating independently, but is leased to a Japanese shipping company. However, Japan is far away from the Middle East or other oil-producing areas, so it naturally needs large tankers.
Zheng Yuhua said, "Mr. Yang, that's not the case. Taiwan wants to build a 5-ton tanker this time, but because they have no experience, many shipping companies are afraid to cooperate. In fact, they not only approached us, but also Tung Chao Yung and even Wheelock & Jardine Matheson."
"Do they have the technical ability to do this?" Yang Wendong asked uncertainly.
Taiwan’s shipbuilding technology was indeed quite good in the 1980s and 1990s, but whether it still works now is another matter.
Zheng Yuhua replied: "Based on the previous ships built by Keelung Shipyard, the workmanship is not inferior to that of its Japanese counterparts. This has been confirmed by many repair shops around the world.
But they have never built an oil tanker over 5 tons, so no one can guarantee the design. Although the 5-ton and 2-ton tankers look similar in appearance, the requirements for internal design and materials are still very different. "
"Taiwan shouldn't be able to produce the materials for shipbuilding on its own, right?" Yang Wendong asked again.
Zheng Yuhua said: "Yes, they were all bought from Japan. Simply put, they were assembled and welded in Taiwan, but the technical content of this welding is actually quite high."
"They really work hard and make breakthroughs step by step." Yang Wendong said with a smile.
Zheng Yuhua also said: "Yes, Taiwan is also working hard to develop, just like Hong Kong. It's a pity that Hong Kong is too small to develop the shipbuilding industry."
"It's a pity." Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "Since Taiwan needs a breakthrough, we can also consider giving them a chance. You can do a detailed investigation. If the quality and price are suitable, and it is cheaper than Japan, we can give them an order to test the waters."
Although Yang Wendong was not very clear about the development of Taiwan’s shipbuilding technology in history, he also knew that Taiwan’s shipbuilding would be good in the future. This was the trust gained in the early stages of the cooperation.
In fact, it is very difficult in the early stages for any latecomer to manufacture and design safe large-scale industrial equipment, such as airplanes, ships, cars, etc. What is needed is a breakthrough; the early Japanese shipbuilding industry, today's South Korea and Taiwan, and the mainland in the next ten years or so will all face similar difficulties.
Of course, this matter is also good for him. Shipbuilding orders are extremely important to any country, not to mention the first ship. In this way, he will have the capital to negotiate with the Taiwanese government in other aspects.
PS: Ask for monthly tickets at the beginning of the month
I heard everyone made a lot of money from stocks? ~
(End of this chapter)