African Nationhood

Chapter 148 Arsenal (please subscribe!!!)

In the next two months, Shi Jintang traveled frequently across Germany. First, he helped Karl Benz and others select supporting materials for the first "T-Model".

For example, there are a lot of messy carports, car seats, wheels, wheel hubs, and brake discs. These all require tedious and patient comparison and selection.
  At the same time, it is also necessary to break down the manufacturing process for mass production of engines and prepare employee training manuals.

At the same time, the process of the entire vehicle is decomposed, where can cost be saved, where can’t be omitted, etc.

After two months, I finally straightened out the general craftsmanship and process of the entire vehicle, and also made a preliminary estimate of the cost of the entire vehicle.

The initial cost of a "T-model" is about 600 pounds, which is 3000 in US dollars and 12600 German marks. In Shi Jintang's opinion, this price is a bit high.

Ford adopted the assembly line to produce the "Model T" in 1908. The ex-factory price of the mature product was only US$850. Later, the price continued to drop, until it was around US$300.

Of course, this price is because the product has just been launched, the production line has not been fully built, and there is a lack of supporting industries.

However, the price factor is the key to whether the product can be widely accepted by the market. Shi Jintang thought over and over again and decided to adopt the custom-made car idea of ​​​​later generations.

The lowest grade can be made into a convertible version, with only the body and windshield retained, and the rest should be as simple as possible, but the strength of the body steel cannot be compromised.

The simple version is priced at 499 pounds, and the profit remains around 100 pounds.

The mid-range version includes a roof, but the interior and other aspects are as minimal as possible.

The mid-range version is priced at 699 pounds, and the profit remains at 150 pounds.

The high-end version is fully equipped, which can also distinguish the customer group.

The high-end version is priced at £899, with a profit of £299.

Everyone was puzzled by this pricing, and Shi Jintang shared his reason with everyone: low prices can kill competitors.

“As soon as our new cars and engines are launched, there will definitely be followers.

By then, there will be an endless stream of imitations and knockoffs, so as long as our cars are cheap enough and high-quality, the market acceptance will become higher and higher.

And as we produce more cars, our cost per car will plummet, and our profit margins will continue to rise.

When our market is developed, competitors will follow.

Then if I lower the price, the new products that the competitors will follow will have no price advantage, and we will easily kill the competitors. "

This routine was very common in later generations, but in the current period, it is the holy book of marketing.

Everyone seemed to understand but the authority established by Boss Shi in the past made it impossible for them to refute and could only blindly believe in Boss Shi.

After this matter was decided, Shi Jintang gave Carl Benz an order to produce at least 9 high-end "T-Models" before September.

Karl Benz was a little surprised and didn't know what Boss Shi was going to do, but the boss's words were his imperial edict.

It is now the beginning of July, and by September, it will only take 7 months to complete 9 cars. The time is still very tight.

Shi Jintang planned to give these cars to the German government, firstly to make them familiar in front of the Kaiser, and secondly to advertise.

At that time, dignitaries from all over the world will gather in Berlin, and the Mercedes-Benz "T-model" will shine in the audience. The brand and advertising effect will definitely go hand in hand.

……

After confirming the car matter, Shi Jintang found the Mulesad brothers and asked them to prepare for the launch of "Harley" motorcycles.

Once the Mercedes-Benz cars take off, Harley-Davidson motorcycles will also be available.

The agents that used to sell bicycles took advantage of the trend and developed into motorcycle agents until the production capacity of gasoline engines increased.

The factory in Germany transferred its bicycle production line to specialize in the production of motorcycles.

By then, the steel mills and industrial workers built in the Matabeleland region (Zimbabwe) should have been trained to almost the same level, and production will be directly taken over to make a perfect transition.

After listening to Boss Shi's plan, brothers Mueller and Said looked at Shi Jintang with resentment.

"Boss, you promised us to take turns taking vacations."

Shi Jintang slapped his forehead when he heard this, "Oh, it's okay, don't delay.

Motorcycles are not much more difficult than bicycles, so you can arrange your own vacation. "

When the two brothers heard this, they immediately exploded, "Boss, are you kidding me?
  Motorcycles are much more complicated than bicycles, and the things involved are no less involved than cars! ”    Shi Jintang ignored the resentment of the two people at all. The two of them loved each other endlessly, and I didn’t care about it.

……

Next, Shi Jintang and Robin Trudeau rushed to Belgium. The purpose of their trip was to set up an arsenal.

Shi Jintang's investment strategy in Europe was to follow the German approach after World War I.

Because Germany was restricted by the Treaty of Versailles, it took the initiative to invest in neighboring countries such as Belgium and the Czech Republic to develop military technology.

When the time came, he quickly attacked the surrounding countries and successfully broke through the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles.

This strategy will not attract attention, but can also quickly accumulate technical strength and cultivate its own group of industrial workers.

……

The Kingdom of Belgium is located in western Europe, bordering the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the south and west, and the North Sea to the northwest.

The superior geographical location is not the key to Belgium's take-off. The country has abundant coal resources.

At the same time, the country is densely populated, has a well-developed national education system, and has a large number of high-quality industrial workers.

In addition, the domestic railway transportation network is also very dense and railway transportation is developed.

The patent registration for the shell gun has been carried out, and workers can be organized to produce it at any time.

While in the UK, Shi Jintang found Maxim, who had been neglected by the British military, and spent 50 pounds to obtain the patent rights for the Maxim heavy machine gun from him.

All that's left is to build an arsenal.

The location chosen by Shijintang to build the factory was the location of the famous "Belgian fn company" in later generations.

The reason why he chose this place was simply to copy homework and steal the luck of fn company.

This famous small arms company in later generations would not be established for a few years (1889). Based on Shi Jintang's luck, it is completely true!

In addition, the arsenal was set up here to prepare for future "wartime conscription" by the German government.

When Germany rose to prominence, Belgium fell, and the automobile factories and arsenals were taken over by the Germans.

Then even if the "two countries" are contaminated, Germany will not be able to refute it if it wants to deny it.

In addition, choosing to build a factory here is also a factor in establishing a relationship with King Leopold II of Belgium in advance. After all, the two companies will start to be "neighbors" next year.

The entry of Shi Jintang and his entourage did not cause any disturbance.

They very low-key bought a piece of land in the Herstal area of ​​​​Liège, where the "Belgian fn company" is located.

The name of the company is: Herstal Arms Company, and among the early workers there will be a small number of immigrants from Nanhua Company serving as apprentices.

The general manager of the company is Robin Trudeau, and Nanhua Company invested 20 pounds, accounting for 51% of the shares.

Shi Jintang personally holds 44% of the shares, and Robin Trudeau, together with the future management of the factory, holds 5%.

This is Shi Jintang's reward for Trudeau protecting him for so many years, and Robin Trudeau is deeply grateful for this.

In the future, Robin Trudeau will be based in Belgium, which is not far from Stuttgart.

When several factories develop in the future, he will set up a group company to collectively control these companies.

The name of the group company has been decided, and it is called Huangshi Group.

The fund company in the United States was registered early and is called Blackstone Fund.

After finishing the arsenal, the next step is to consider whether to buy a new ship or continue to acquire a shipping company. After all, there is a big difference between the two.

Shi Jintang was a little undecided for a moment.

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  (End of this chapter)