That year the flowers bloomed 1981

Chapter 1369 I don't want to let

Niu Hongzhang paused for a moment, looked at everyone in the conference room, and after finding that they were all listening attentively, he couldn't help but smile faintly.

Whether in government agencies or companies, those who get the news first are always the core members, while those who get the news later are the least likely to be considered lowly or insignificant individuals with no hope of promotion.

The information I know now is something that even Ma Zhaoxian and Li Ye don't know. What does that mean?

This shows that Niu Hongzhang is still at the top of the light vehicle company. Even though Ma Zhaoxian and Li Ye had been putting him under immense pressure recently, he was still an important force in keeping those two in check.

As long as the higher-ups maintain the balance within the light vehicle company, his position will never crumble.

Niu Hongzhang cleared his throat and continued, "The third opinion in the ministry now is that several of our automobile companies form a new group, gather our best personnel to complete the technology research and development as soon as possible, and then each of us will take on some of the parts production tasks for Kamaz automobiles."
Although my friend didn't say it explicitly, I think the ministry considered that we and Southwest Heavy Truck each have our strengths, and that we could share the pressure and responsibility.
Furthermore, if the merger is successful, our unit's level will definitely be raised, and our benefits and compensation in all aspects will also improve significantly.

"."

It's unclear whether Niu Hongzhang wanted to give everyone in the conference room some time to think, but he spoke slowly, clearly, and with a very professional demeanor.

Li Ye observed his colleagues and noticed that some of them were breathing more heavily, clearly having been persuaded by Niu Hongzhang.

The reason is that the "rank" of the employee will be promoted.

Previously, the light vehicle company was a deputy director-general level unit. If it were promoted one more time, it would be a director-general level unit.

For these people at the light vehicle company, this was already the limit, because not all car companies are like Jilin Motors and Dongfang Motors, and even the most greedy person cannot expect to be promoted two levels in a row.

But this one-level difference makes all the difference. For many people, whether they retire at the section chief level or the division chief level is something they care about very, very much.

However, Li Ye was not too happy. Although he, as a cadre with a "bright future," would benefit the most after the unit was upgraded, it conflicted with Li Ye's industrial chain layout plan over the years.

Niu Hongzhang's idea was to break down the entire Kamaz technology into several parts and hand them over to different units for production. In this way, the entire industrial chain would no longer be under Li Ye's control!

So after Niu Hongzhang finished speaking, Li Ye lowered his head to look at his fingers, remained silent, but a sneer appeared on his face.

You can say what you want, I'll do what I want. If you think you can get things done without me, then go ahead and do whatever you want, just don't mess it up.

Niu Hongzhang saw the sneer on Li Ye's face and couldn't help but frown. He said, "Of course, this is just hearsay, but let's discuss it and see if it's a more appropriate and feasible solution."

"."

The meeting room fell silent again, and for a long time.

After all, more than half the people in the meeting room were waiting for Li Ye's reaction.

This is not only because Li Ye secured this project, but also because now that Li Ye has left the project, no one can guarantee that it will be successfully implemented.

After obtaining the complete set of blueprints from Isuzu, the light vehicle company aimed to produce 100,000 engines and 50,000 complete vehicles annually. However, several years later, they had not produced a single engine and had only produced a semi-finished vehicle.

In the end, it was Li Ye's technical department that overcame various technical difficulties with incredible speed and made the Beijing brand light truck a best-selling product nationwide, comparable to imported Isuzu trucks.

Making heavy trucks is much more difficult than making light trucks. Both the technical and financial investment are many times greater, and both of these are in Li Ye's hands.

Moreover, Li Ye is not the kind of person who can be replaced just because someone is in his way. Everyone has seen what happened to those who have gone against Li Ye in recent years. Even if you're just guessing, you know that Li Ye is not some nobody who can be replaced at will.

So Li Ye didn't speak, and no one else made a sound.

Left with no other option, Niu Hongzhang asked Li Ye, "Director Li, you're in charge of technology and sales at the first branch factory. You understand technology and the market best, and you were involved in the entire process of introducing Kamaz. Do you think this plan is feasible?" Li Ye slowly raised his head and asked calmly, "Southwest Heavy Truck, which part of the component production do you want to take over?"

Niu Hongzhang was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "How would I know? But in the end, we'll probably each rely on our strengths and take on the part we're best at, right?"

Li Ye followed up by asking, "Did they say which part Southwest Heavy Truck is best at?"

"this."

Niu Hongzhang paused for a moment, then said vaguely, "It seems they were quite skilled in engines."

Li Ye smiled.

By now, he was certain that Niu Hongzhang was sounding out information for someone, but he didn't know whether he was sounding out information for people in the ministry or for Southwest Heavy Truck.

Considering Niu Hongzhang's past "collusion" with Fengtian Automobile Factory, Li Ye believes it was the latter, or perhaps both.

Li Ye decisively replied, "That's impossible. We've invested a lot of effort in engine development over the years, and our R&D capabilities are among the best in the country. We absolutely cannot give up the engine component."

Niu Hongzhang said awkwardly, "But we've always been researching light-duty diesel engines, not Kamaz's heavy-duty diesel engines."

Li Ye waved his hand again: "We have the complete set of equipment and technology, and we are no worse than anyone else. However, based on Southwest Heavy Truck's past performance, I am very worried about whether they have the ability to successfully replicate it."

Although there are many engine manufacturers in mainland China, and many car companies use engines from other companies, Li Ye knows that none of the large car companies that have survived the fierce competition are unable to produce their own engines.

Brands like Renault, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Toyota, Porsche, Audi, and Cadillac all consistently invest in engine development and are able to produce excellent engines.

Even Nissan, which is often ridiculed for its "big aunties on the road," has a road monster like the GTI. Mazda knows that the rotary engine is a huge pitfall, but it still won't give up until it hits a brick wall. Are they all idiots?
History will eventually prove to the world that any car company that doesn't have its own engine will eventually struggle. First, it has to depend on engine manufacturers, and second...
If you don't even dare to develop engines and are afraid of research and development, how much ambition does your car company have?
In the era that will be far ahead in the future, it is not the advancement of car companies' PowerPoint presentations that will be achieved, but the technological breakthroughs of supply chain companies.

Expecting a car company to rely solely on procurement to survive is like expecting something to last forever.

In the 1990s, there were many car companies that relied solely on purchasing and assembling to ride the wave of success, imitating Santana, Cherokee, Hiace, and so on, such as Shaolin Auto, Chunlan Auto, and Songliao Auto. But what happened in the end?

Decades later, everyone laughs at Dizi for being a knock-off. But although Dizi started by imitating Japanese brands, it had tens of thousands of technical engineers. Does all the ridicule stop them from rising to prominence?
Therefore, we must keep core technologies in our own hands.

Seeing Li Ye's resolute attitude, Niu Hongzhang tentatively asked, "What about the gearbox technology?"

Li Ye interrupted directly, saying, "I'm even more worried about the gearbox technology. We used to use gearboxes from the Second Gear Machinery Factory, a long-established state-owned enterprise. I've been using them in vehicles for the past two years."
But now our customers absolutely refuse; if it's their transmission, the car just won't sell.”

"."

Niu Hongzhang gritted his teeth in frustration. Everyone knew that Li Ye had a good relationship with Li Dayong's Changbei Machinery Company. His company's gearboxes were indeed good, but wasn't Li Ye suspected of abusing his power for personal gain?
What about multi-axle drive technology?

"Are you kidding? I turned against those Russians for this multi-bridge drive technology, and finally used all sorts of connections to get my hands on it. Why should I hand it over to them?"

Niu Hongzhang finally choked.

Ma Zhaoxian, Lu Zhizhang, and a group of managers and technicians were all stunned.

So after all that talk, Director Li, you really don't want to let go at all!
Then what's the point of discussing this? Let's just clench our fists and rebel against orders, and that'll be the end of it.

Well, Director Li, you have a big head, so we'll have to trouble you to take the lead. We support you. Whether it's a signature or a fingerprint, just say so.

(End of this chapter)