Reborn since 1993

Chapter 371 Sword Holder

Seeing the expressions on Gu Xiguang, He Heng and others' faces, Li Dongling could guess what they were thinking and said directly, "The Torch Group wants to establish a lighter import and export association, not because it wants to suppress any peer company, but because it has no choice!
The resources of Torch Industrial Park are not exclusive to Torch Group. In the future, domestic lighter manufacturers can move in and use the resources and parts industry chain of Torch Industrial Park to compete "fairly" with Torch Group! "

"But," Li Dongling changed the subject, "If Torch Group wants to achieve its initial goal of producing 3 billion, 5 billion, or even 10 billion lighters a year and create 300,000 jobs, it must open up overseas markets!

This requires an end to the chaotic, disorderly, and loss-making price war situation in the domestic lighter industry. The guns must be pointed out in unison, and there must be a Lighter Import and Export Association to constrain the entire industry! "

Yao Zhengru just mentioned that Torch Group will provide 200,000 to 300,000 jobs in the future. Now Li Dongling has made it clear that he does not support Torch Group in establishing a lighter import and export association. Then Torch Group's future export goals and hundreds of thousands of jobs may be ruined...

The right to choose is given to a number of departments including the Economic and Trade Commission, Development and Reform Commission, and Industry and Commerce Bureau. Let's see how they will decide.

Gu Xiguang smiled bitterly. What choice did they have? The Torch Group was related to the careers of countless people. The more money it made, the more taxes it paid, and the more jobs it provided, the more benefits and credits those involved in the project, whether they were investors or people from the city government, would get!
How many people in Pingyang Municipal Government, Hanxi Provincial Government, and Yanjing departments want to make further progress in their careers with the help of Torch Group. Whoever blocks the Torch Group will become an enemy of everyone. If they cut off someone's financial resources and career, they will become mortal enemies!

"We certainly support the establishment of the Lighter Import and Export Association to put an end to the previous chaotic and disorderly situation in the lighter industry. However, this matter still needs to be decided by the Economic and Trade Commission, the Foreign Exchange Department, the Customs Bureau, the Industry and Commerce Bureau and other Yanjing departments before it can be finalized!"

Gu Xiguang stated that his statement basically represented the attitude of the Economic and Trade Commission and other departments, but this kind of thing definitely needs to go through the process.

"Torch Group will definitely live up to everyone's expectations!" Zhang Xiaocheng also expressed his opinion at this time. He also knew that once the Torch Group established the Lighter Import and Export Association, the Torch Group would almost become the standard setter for the entire domestic lighter industry.

A lighter import and export association has been established. If any lighter manufacturer dares not obey the orders of the Torch Group, the Torch Group will have plenty of ways to deal with them.

In the future, the lighter standards in China will be formulated by the Lighter Import and Export Association. There will no longer be a situation where high-quality and safe lighters are exported while those sold domestically are the kind that might explode if put in your pocket.

All lighter manufacturers must be reviewed by the association before they can sell their products. What if they do not meet the standards? They can only leave it alone and forget about selling them domestically!

The most important thing for overseas exports of lighters, export shares and minimum export price guidelines are also set by the Lighter Association. Any company that wants to export lighters must ask the Lighter Import and Export Association for a share, otherwise, not a single lighter will be allowed to ship overseas!

"Junior Brother Li, you have given us a difficult problem!"

After the meeting, Gu Xiguang smiled bitterly at Li Dongling and said, "Once the Lighter Import and Export Association is established, we don't know how much trouble it will cause and how many people will oppose it!"

Gu Xiguang could imagine that once the news got out, a group of domestic lighter manufacturers and some of the units and departments behind them would probably be dissatisfied.

Torch Group now produces disposable mass-market lighters, while other domestic lighter manufacturers mainly produce metal lighters, which are priced at more than ten yuan. Domestic consumption power is not very strong. At least in the next ten years, there are not many smokers and families who would buy a metal lighter worth dozens or even hundreds of yuan for a lighter. It is destined that most of these metal lighters can only be sold through exports.

Once the Lighter Import and Export Association is established, the hundreds or even thousands of lighter manufacturers and home workshops in the country will be subject to the Torch Group and will no longer be able to export overseas at will. It would be strange if these lighter companies were happy. Their local departments and units would probably not be happy either, after all, it is related to local taxation.

“Without destruction, there is no construction. If domestic lighters want to compete with overseas lighter giants, they must solve the problem of being a pile of scattered sand!

Torch Group does not intend to wipe out these metal lighter manufacturers. On the contrary, the establishment of the Lighter Import and Export Association may be an opportunity for them!" Li Dongling said.

A group of people came to the restaurant of Torch Group. Although they did not go out to eat, the chef in the kitchen still used all his skills to cook a table of delicious dishes.

Gu Xiguang had been traveling all day, and although he was starving, he had no appetite at this moment. Upon hearing Li Dongling's words, he put down the chopsticks he had picked up and asked directly, "What do you mean, Junior Brother Li?"

Li Dongling's stomach had long been empty, and he was just about to take a bite of the gourd chicken, but when he saw Gu Xiguang, He Heng, Li Weimin and others looking at him, Li Dongling had to give up for the time being.

"The most important competitors of domestic metal lighter companies are lighter manufacturers in America, old Europe, and Japan, not Torch Group!" Li Dongling said, "It is only a matter of time before disposable lighters replace metal lighters in the mass consumer lighter industry. Even without Torch Group, other companies will emerge!

Mass consumer lighters have a large enough market size, but the profits are not high. They can provide jobs, but they do not make much profit.

Metal lighters need to enter the mid-range and high-end lighters with higher profits in order to survive. In the future, Torch Group will definitely launch mid-range and high-end lighters!

In the future, a high-end metal lighter, with its brand, endorsement, and product story, will become a work of art, a symbol of love, friendship, and masculinity, etc. The starting price may be more than 80 yuan, and the profit can exceed %.

If the domestic metal lighters can successfully transform, the profits may be much greater than in the past. If they rely on cheapness as a bargaining chip, they may be stuck in the quagmire forever. Even users who buy this product may not remember this brand! "

Li Dongling made it clear that he would not wipe out the domestic lighter manufacturers, and he also left them a way out. They would definitely not be able to compete with the Torch Group in the domestic mass consumer lighter market. For a one-dollar lighter, how could the domestic lighter manufacturers compete with the Torch Group?

It would be better to transform into mid-range or high-end lighters, whether in China or testing the waters overseas. As long as you can gain a foothold, you will make much more money than making a few cents of profit all day long!

In the future, Torch Group will certainly enter the high-end lighter industry. To build its brand, Torch Group can trace its history back to the Pre-Qin period and claim that Torch Group's high-end lighters originated from the fire sticks of the Pre-Qin period. Isn't that longer than Zippo's history?
As for Big, it needs to advertise, insert Torch Group's high-end lighter advertisements in movies, invite superstars to endorse the brand, etc., so that Torch Group's high-end lighter brand can be associated with love, just like a man giving a woman a diamond, which symbolizes love. What if a woman giving a man a Torch Group's high-end lighter also represents love?

This is the trick Zippo used in its previous life, linking the lighter brand with love, creating the rumor that if you love a man, you should give him a Zippo lighter.

It made American spendthrift women go crazy buying Zippo products to give to their boyfriends or husbands, and it made people who didn't need lighters go crazy buying up more than 70% of Zippo lighters, and it moved Zippo from hardware stores to gift shops.

In addition, Zippo advertised that it could block bullets on the battlefield, and using it became a symbol of masculinity. It also cooperated with Harley, Marlboro, Playboy and other companies to launch joint products, which made it sell like hot cakes. In its previous life, Zippo's annual revenue exceeded US$1 billion and its profit exceeded US$600 million.

Nvidia's Huang is obviously one step behind in this regard. If he could link graphics cards with love and let women pay for them, sales would probably skyrocket. He would be able to become the world's richest man without having to wait for the arrival of the artificial intelligence era.

"In addition, after the Lighter Import and Export Association is established, the first thing it will do is to respond to anti-dumping lawsuits filed by America, Europe and other places against domestic lighters. Torch Group wants domestic lighter manufacturers to win this lawsuit!"

Li Dongling's words made Gu Xiguang, He Heng and others on the side change their expressions. Nowadays, domestic companies, not to mention private companies, even state-owned factories, are afraid of facing overseas lawsuits, for fear of losing the lawsuit. Generally, they pay compensation and no one dares to take the initiative to sue.

If Torch Group does this, it will be setting a precedent by daring to go to America and Europe to initiate lawsuits.

If we really win, then domestic lighters will be able to be sold almost unimpeded throughout the world.

Looking at Li Dongling, Gu Xiguang had a complicated expression. He had seen Li Dongling's style of doing things today, and now he understood why Dongling Hi-Tech dared to fight with those giant companies overseas. Things that were feared by others were just ordinary things to Li Dongling...

"Today, I have witnessed Junior Brother Li's style. The Economic and Trade Commission will help Torch Group with the Lighter Import and Export Association as soon as possible!"

Gu Xiguang said that he was obviously ready to support Li Dongling. As for the other lighter manufacturers and the pressure from the local departments and units behind them, the Economic and Trade Commission was ready to take it on for the Torch Group.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Gu!" Li Dongling said to Gu Xiguang.

He Heng, who was standing aside, spoke at this time and said meaningfully, "As for the Lighter Import and Export Association, if Director Gu is willing to help, then it will definitely be done!"

(End of this chapter)