It's normal to develop some black technology in the future, right?

Chapter 363: Xinshan Miracle
Despair is a very common emotion.

It is normal for pessimists to have similar emotions when they encounter setbacks. Some people with ulterior motives in the public opinion field often deliberately create similar emotions. There are many bloggers on Japanese social media who vigorously promote China's achievements and then belittle Japanese society as hopeless.

But Imamura was different. The well-informed Imamura seldom had similar emotions. During their three years of school life, Iwasaki had hardly ever seen him so depressed.

On the contrary, Iwasaki didn't feel that the situation was that hopeless.

Neither the space station nor the large reusable rocket is so far beyond our reach that we cannot catch up.

Even after hearing how NASA used the art of breeding insects to cultivate a great company like SpaceX in more than a decade, Iwasaki felt that if NASA could do it, JAXA could do it too.

Although JAXA's budget is only one twenty-fifth of NASA's, on the one hand, this budget can be increased, and on the other hand, they do not need to do original work, they just need to follow SpaceX.

"You are right. Technology itself is not something that is difficult to understand."

Neon can still enjoy the dividends of the global supply chain, and if we really make some efforts, it may even be possible to buy Merlin engines from SpaceX.

It is not impossible to buy engine technology itself, just like Guangjia Aerospace bought the Vulcan engine technology from Safran Group.

But what we really lack is a market. We don't have a market that is big enough to support a company like SpaceX.

Musk can rely on America's global influence to create demand for Starlink. He has created a $100 billion market for SpaceX, which can help SpaceX survive.

Guangjia Aerospace relies on the needs of Chinese automobile companies in intelligent driving to help these automobile companies build small optical networks.

If JAXA wants to cultivate a sufficiently substantial commercial aerospace enterprise, where will it look for the market?

Even the procurement orders at the government level have been monopolized by SpaceX and Guangjia Aerospace. In the past few years, our country's H3 rocket was able to get launch orders from Saudi Arabia, although it was only a negligible amount, but what about now?
In the past three years, the H3, which was finally successfully developed, has never received a single order.

Three years ago, I looked at the number of rocket launches. Japan had only launched a pitiful 2 rockets, but now the number has become 0, and even JAXA itself no longer launches rockets.

I had originally hoped that companies like Toyota would invest in Japan's commercial aerospace agencies out of global strategic considerations and the need to launch satellites intensively in order to improve their own autonomous driving technology.

However, Toyota chose to cooperate with SpaceX. Even if Toyota does this, Japan no longer has a market and does not have the soil for it.

We didn’t catch up in the Internet era, and we didn’t catch up in the mobile Internet era. Now it seems that we don’t have much chance in the fields of aerospace and artificial intelligence. This is the sadness of Japan. We have enough funds, talents and technical reserves, but we can’t catch up with the wave of new industries. "

Imamura feels that perhaps this is the fate of Neon.

He never believed what the media said, that China had a huge domestic market and was therefore able to keep up with every new industrial wave, that the market size of Japanese companies was never smaller than that of China, that Japanese companies could sell their products to both America and China at the same time, and that China's new industries could not sell their products to America.

This set of rhetoric is simply the media making excuses for Japan instead of facing the problems Japan is facing.

Iwasaki felt a little depressed after hearing this: "This is the current situation facing Japan.

Imamura, if we conduct a survey among our graders, we would ask them whether they want to join a startup in Japan, engage in research on reusable rockets, or join SpaceX or Light Armor Aerospace.

I think 90% of people would choose to join SpaceX or Light Mech Aerospace instead of starting a business. Neon people are inherently lacking in the adventurous spirit of entrepreneurship.”

Imamura was silent for a moment. "This is a structural problem. It is too difficult to discuss this issue in a few words. In short, in the field of commercial aerospace, because the market is occupied by the leading SpaceX and Light Mech Aerospace, Japan has no future."

Similar discussions are taking place not only in Neon, but more broadly among all those interested in and working in aerospace.

The Japanese still have a mentality of competing with China, and aerospace practitioners in Southeast Asia truly regard light armor aerospace as their pride.

After all, SpaceX still only recruits people from its own country, and their next generation may really be able to pass the exam and enter the aerospace industry.

"I really envy my younger brother. He took the college entrance examination only one year later than me, and he had the opportunity to participate in the joint aerospace talent training examination held by China."

"For us, it is not difficult to study in China after graduation. China's consumption is relatively low among all countries."

Compared with the past when China relied on high-priced scholarships to attract international students, and the quality of the students attracted was not very good, China has now become the first choice for Southeast Asian college students to study abroad.

The core lies in the high cost-effectiveness. In terms of cost, it is much more cost-effective than Europe and the United States. Moreover, the recognition of China's science and engineering education after they return to China is no less than that of developed countries in Europe and the United States.

After all, Chinese capital is investing heavily in these countries, and it is even more common for Chinese companies to build factories in Southeast Asia.

"No, it's different. We go to study in China and come back to study in China. What we learn is the same, but it's hard to stay.

If we go to China to study the aerospace industry, will China's commercial aerospace companies let us stay?

If my younger brother and his friends can pass China's official joint aerospace talent training examination and enter to study there, they will be able to stay after graduation.

These are two completely different things.”

Many black dragons want to stay in China, but they can't find suitable jobs. China is not an immigration country and it cannot provide corresponding jobs. Schools can issue scholarships and provide luxurious accommodation, but it is impossible for companies to recruit these international students.

What's more, China itself is also thinking about attracting international students and letting them have a good impression of China, so that after they return home they will play a positive role in promoting people-to-people exchanges between China and their countries.

There is no expectation at all that these foreign students will stay, so not only will there be no convenience provided for them to stay and work, but there will be obstacles.

"That being said, if I stay in China to work, other than working in Guangjia Aerospace, it may not be as good as returning to Vietnam."

"How is that possible? China's commercial aerospace market is worth hundreds of trillions or even quadrillions of Vietnamese dong, while ours is only one trillion at most. The gap is so big that we can't even develop the simplest reusable rocket."

Compared with Japan, which still wants to develop the aerospace industry, Vietnam has chosen to lie flat. No matter what it does, it can't compete with the other side, so it's better to develop supporting industries and integrate into China's aerospace industry chain. Since China sent people to Southeast Asia in the second half of last year and roughly discussed that part of the aerospace industry will be handed over to companies in these countries in the future, countries that originally had the idea of ​​self-development have given up on self-development.

Immediately after signing the framework cooperation agreement, Vietnam placed a large number of satellite launch orders with Guangjia Aerospace.

Not only Vietnam does this, but other small countries whose national strength is not as strong as Vietnam do it even more.

Therefore, in this context, the people of Southeast Asia are sincerely proud of the success of the Light Armor.

The Vietnamese version of the video introducing the Light Armor on YouTube has as many likes and views as the Chinese version.

This is even more true in Malaysia.

Over the past three years, Malaysia has been the absolute economic engine of the entire Southeast Asia, and thanks to Alpha Technologies in Johor Bahru, Johor Bahru’s economic growth and development has even surpassed Kuala Lumpur.

Although when backpackers talk about Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur is still the first choice, followed by Penang, then Semporna, and finally Johor Bahru.

It is even said that if you are going from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, you can visit Johor Bahru if you have more time.

But in the eyes of investors, Johor Bahru is definitely the first choice for industrial investment in Southeast Asia and the first choice for manufacturing relocation.

Almost all industrial parks, big and small, in Johor Bahru are filled with manufacturing capacity relocated from China.

Alpha Technology is the undisputed uncrowned king of Johor Bahru. On the surface, it has the support of Princess Amina, the daughter of the Malaysian head of state, but under the table it has capital from America, China and Singapore. Its development potential is so great that capital from Wall Street took the initiative to help Alpha Technology block the pressure from Washington.

Washington hopes that Alpha Technologies can eliminate Chinese capital and become a company in which American capital holds more than 75% of the shares, that is, Samsung.

American wants AlphaTech to become Samsung, not a local company that wants to have it all.

“Mr. Oraz, is Alpha Technology really not considering exporting your artificial intelligence factory management system to Europe?

We are very sincere. In addition to the fixed technology licensing fee, Adidas is willing to offer dividends.

For factories that adopt your company's artificial intelligence factory management system, Alpha Technology can take a commission from the sales.

This is not a one-shot business, but a slow and steady business.”

The fully intelligent project built by Adidas in Johor Bahru has, in a sense, helped Adidas get back on track.

For a long time, Adidas faced declining performance every quarter. The whole process lasted for 12 quarters, and its market value evaporated by more than 2000 billion yuan, facing an unprecedented dilemma.

Almost all of them have suffered setbacks, whether it is production costs, supply chain management, or product design. A single problem is not enough to be fatal, but when so many problems are piled together, even a giant like Adidas will be hurt.

Adidas chose to cooperate with Alpha Technology to build a smart factory in Johor Bahru. The smart factory started operating at full capacity almost immediately after it was delivered and put into production. With the help of Hornbill's sales channels, it became a rare highlight in Adidas' financial report.

So much so that the German media described it this way: the importance of the Johor Bahru factory to Adidas is like the importance of the Shenhai Super Factory to Tesla. The average turnover days of goods at the Johor Bahru factory are only 7 days. It is hard to imagine that this is the depreciation days of a sports brand. When insiders hear this, they will feel that the turnover days of fresh goods in supermarkets are just like this.

Adidas' average goods turnover days are 149 days.

This terrifying number is also an important reason why Alpha Technology attracts manufacturers from all over the world.

Capital is profit-seeking.

E-commerce is nothing new. Whether it is the global Amazon and eBay or the Chinese-specific Taobao, JD.com, and Pinduoduo, these e-commerce platforms have proven their terrifying ability to bring goods.

Hornbill has simply proved this point once again with the help of new technology.

The front-end Hornbill is responsible for sales, and the back-end Alpha artificial intelligence factory management system is responsible for production control. This gameplay is just a more advanced shein.

But the effect it produces is far greater than traditional gameplay, and artificial intelligence technology has exploded with unprecedented efficiency.

Therefore, Adidas is not content with the miracle of a 7-day cargo turnover rate existing only in Southeast Asia. They hope to replicate this miracle globally.

Even though the turnover rate will increase as production increases, they are fed up with the current goods turnover rate of up to half a year.

It's a simple truth that products of any clothing brand will depreciate rapidly over time, and what companies need to do is to reduce the inventory of goods as much as possible.

In the past, we have always been faced with the game between the rate of commodity depreciation and the rate of currency appreciation. What companies need to do is to make the net profit generated by the business exceed the interest.

In the sporting goods industry, when the turnover of the entire supply chain reaches about 30 weeks, the shoes are depreciated by 10%, that is, they are sold at a 9% discount; when the turnover days are about 55 weeks, the depreciation will reach 30%, and they can only be sold at a 7% discount.

To put it in the simplest terms, if Adidas can reduce the turnover days of its entire product line to less than one month, instead of seven days, to just one month, then Adidas' profits will increase by at least 7%.

Similarly, Adidas is well aware that Hornbill will not be able to expand beyond Southeast Asia, but they can cooperate with Microsoft and Tencent outside Southeast Asia, but still rely on Alpha Technologies on the back end.

Because both Adidas' Ansbach, Germany and Atlanta, America have automated factories. No matter how their engineers optimize the internal management system, production methods and front-end and back-end interactions, they cannot achieve the level of fine control of Alpha.

Not only Adidas failed to do it. After many other multinational giants came to Johor Bahru to build factories, they all wanted to replicate the Johor Bahru miracle in their factories in other places, but no one did it.

Even Chinese companies can't do that.

Therefore, Adidas is eager to replicate this artificial intelligence factory management system globally.

(End of this chapter)