My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 113 Old Zhu likes to teach others
“And the assembly line is similar to an assembly line banquet.

Imagine that guns and ammunition are produced in an assembly line process. Do you have an image in mind?
The production of guns can be roughly divided into two parts: one is the production of parts and components, and the other is the assembly of the gun body.

It's like the difference between the kitchen and the table at a buffet.

The back kitchen is the processing and production workshop for various parts. For example, the cooks produce gun stocks, the cutters produce gun barrels, the vegetable pickers produce triggers, and so on.

After the different parts are produced in order, they are taken to the assembly workshop. This is the food and wine being served, and the guests eating is the assembly of guns. Do you understand this?"

Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a moment, then slapped his thigh. This move was amazing!

In other words, the production and assembly of each component of the gun will be further refined, with dedicated people doing specific tasks, and parts production and gun assembly carried out simultaneously.

With today's production methods, workers have to make the parts themselves first, and then assemble them one by one. By comparing the two, the difference can be seen.

Apart from anything else, at least a lot of effort can be saved in training craftsmen.

According to the current method, in order to train a craftsman, he must master various skills from the manufacturing of parts to the assembly of guns in order to become a qualified craftsman.

But according to the assembly line, those who make parts only need to be familiar with the parts, and those who assemble only need to be familiar with how to assemble guns, which will save a lot of time!
I don’t know what’s wrong with Lao Li’s brain. He can come up with such a wonderful method.

“However, there is an important prerequisite for assembly line production, which is standardization. That is, all parts must be produced according to uniform standards. This avoids the situation where gun parts are of different sizes and cannot be assembled.

To be specific, I have attached a detailed description of the assembly line production process and a new video teaching tutorial. Didn’t Mr. Zhu set up the Craftsman Academy? The new computers and projectors can be used for teaching in the academy.

My suggestion here is to first select a part of the workers to set up an assembly line for trial, so as to compare it with the original production method. After they have mastered it, they can then promote it on a full scale.

After all, sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood. If you want to do your work well, you must first sharpen your tools. Doing all the preparations is for better development in the future."

It was Mr. Li who was thoughtful. He did not add more manpower. Instead, he changed his way of thinking to solve the problem on the original basis, and the problem was solved.

There is no time to lose, the assembly line production method must be conveyed quickly.

After reading the letter, Zhu Yuanzhang was about to summon Li Min to meet him, but he didn't expect that Li Min had already shown up.

In order to produce guns, Li Min worked non-stop. He was in the Industrial Department in the morning and ran around the factory in the afternoon. In order to coordinate the workers' affairs, his hair became much whiter than before.

Other ministers and assistant ministers are in the government office every day, drinking tea and reviewing documents, but Li Min is nowhere to be seen every day, so much so that now in the court, people call him the errand boy.

Li Min just laughed it off. For the sake of Ming Dynasty's industry, it didn't matter if he had to run some more errands.

Rather than getting promoted or getting rich, he hoped to see the prosperous China in the computer come true in the Ming Dynasty.

This time he went to the palace, naturally, also for the production of guns, he had to ask His Majesty for people!

But this time, the people he wanted were all in the Craftsmen Academy.

The only place Li Min could think of that could still recruit skilled workers was the Craftsmen Academy. The teachers there were all old people who came from the Ordnance Bureau.

But before he could say anything, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke first.

"Lord Li, you've come just in time. I have something important to discuss with you."

Li Min was stunned. His Majesty had been avoiding her for some time, so why would he take the initiative to look for her?

"Your Majesty, what do you want to talk to me about?" Li Min asked tentatively. "Lord Li, we are talking to you about the production of firearms." Zhu Yuanzhang stood with his hands behind his back, his expression somewhat unfathomable.

To Li Min's ears, these words sounded like the sound of nature. Could it be that His Majesty had found more craftsmen for him?
"Your Majesty, how many craftsmen can you give me this time?"

"not a single one!"

"Your Majesty, please don't joke with me. The craftsmen are already using all their skills to make guns. Without more craftsmen, I want to increase the production of guns and ammunition. Please forgive me, I really can't do it!"

Seeing Li Min's complaints, Zhu Yuanzhang was very happy. Li Min was so busy during this period that he didn't even have time to go home. Zhu Yuanzhang naturally saw his hard work.

"My dear Li Aiqing, sometimes, solving problems does not necessarily depend on numbers. You need to change your way of thinking, and you will find that your horizons will suddenly become clearer!"

"Change your thinking? Your Majesty, what does this mean?"

Seeing Li Min's confused face, Zhu Yuanzhang also wanted to show off.

"We have a new method that can greatly increase the production of firearms while keeping the existing craftsmen unchanged!"

Upon hearing this, Li Min immediately became interested and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, please explain clearly!"

"My dear Li, do you know what a buffet is?" Zhu Yuanzhang acted as if he was unfathomable.

"A buffet?"

Li Min was even more confused. He knew about the buffet. When he passed the imperial examination, there was a buffet at home for three days and three nights. He would never forget that scene.

But what does the production of these bullets have to do with the buffet?
"Our new method is related to this buffet!"

Zhu Yuanzhang pretended to be mysterious and used the example of a buffet to explain to Li Min in detail what assembly line production is.

Of course, both his words and his lies were Li Han's. However, in his opinion, the knowledge that Professor Li Han gave him was the same as his own.

Looking at Li Min's eyes, which changed from confusion to brightness, then to shock, and finally to sudden realization, with a look of epiphany, Zhu Yuanzhang could not help but feel very proud.

It feels like being a teacher, and it’s really satisfying!
When Li Min first heard the assembly line explained as a buffet, she was actually a little devastated.

What does this have to do with anything? However, as Zhu Yuanzhang's explanation became more in-depth, he started to think about it in his mind.

Separating the production and assembly of parts and carrying them out simultaneously can indeed save a lot of time and also save the time in training craftsmen.

Almost all existing craftsmen are familiar with the manufacture of firearms and ammunition. All we have to do is to divide the work among them and manage them in detail. There is no need to train them again.

Moreover, specialized craftsmen only do their own work, which will undoubtedly increase production speed while greatly improving the yield rate.

Of course, all of these are inseparable from a key word - standardization!

This is truly a genius idea. Li Min looked at Zhu Yuanzhang who looked somewhat proud, and thought, perhaps, Your Majesty learned this from some extraordinary person?
However, he saw through it but didn't say it out loud. After all, he had been in the officialdom for more than ten years, so he understood this principle.

It is true that he is a good official, but if a good official wants to gain a foothold in the court, he must have some wisdom.

After some discussion, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately decided to select 200 craftsmen to conduct trial production on the assembly line. Once it was proven to be effective, it would be quickly rolled out to the entire industrial department.

There is still today!
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(End of this chapter)