In 1978, I was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 342 You guys don't want to put in any effort at all!
Zhao Liangyu was not driving fast.

Because Xie Wei had come out with a dark face, the atmosphere in the carriage became oppressive, and Hou Guoyong and Zhao Liangyu didn't know how to start the conversation.

"Director Hou, your company must have encountered quite a few people picking up goods with just a permit, right?"

Xie Wei's words broke the silence in the car.

"Approval slip?"

Hou Guoyong paused for a moment, then laughed, “Director Xie, you’re overthinking it. Even if someone has a permit to pick up the goods, they still have to get them at the factory price, just like other distributors… It’s just that the timing is a little earlier, so they don’t have to cut in line… People with permits are essentially using them to get scarce resources and then resell them at a higher price…”

What if we absolutely have to lower the price?

Xie Wei asked.

Never underestimate the greed in human nature.

"The person who wrote the note isn't stupid. If the person who receives the note insists on doing it this way, their reputation will be ruined, and who would want to cooperate with them?"

Hou Guoyong's words were very cryptic.

Xie Wei understood.

Leaders usually approve notes out of personal favors, but when that favor affects personal advancement, all other problems disappear.

"It seems I was just too nervous."

Xie Wei sighed inwardly, then gave a wry smile, "There are too many school projects, and the funding requirements are too great. I shouldn't shoulder all this pressure. Some projects should wait..."

Hou Guoyong's words made Xie Wei realize that he was being far too nervous in this regard.

The school needs to tighten its control over new projects; otherwise, the problem of insufficient funding will never be solved.

We need to introduce a fiscal budget system!

Hou Guoyong and his team arranged for Xie Wei to stay at a guesthouse under the Chemical Industry Bureau. Although it was built in the 60s, the chemical plant's guesthouse was quite grand back then, thanks to the fact that this area had always been a port for foreign trade.

The building has seven floors and an elevator, but the furnishings are old. However, the room arranged for Xie Wei has a private bathroom, which makes Xie Wei very satisfied.

"Let's forget about the Chemical Industry Bureau and the city leaders. I'm just here to take a look; I'm not here to discuss cooperation..."

Before he arrived, Xie Wei had specifically instructed in a telegram to keep a low profile.

Hou Guoyong and Zhao Liangyu did not report to the leaders of the Chemical Industry Bureau, for fear of displeasing Xie Wei.

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Hou Guoyong looked at Xie Wei helplessly, "The leaders of the Chemical Industry Bureau have been wanting to meet you for a while, hoping to expand the cooperation between Harbin Institute of Technology and the entire Chemical Industry Bureau..."

“It would be inappropriate to meet now. In terms of rank, I am only a deputy director level official. It would be inappropriate for me to be received by a leader. It is also not suitable to discuss further cooperation at the moment. I am here in a private capacity.”

Xie Wei's reasons were completely unbelievable to the two of them.

In terms of administrative rank, Xie Wei was a deputy director, only one level below the director of the Chemical Industry Bureau. Xie Wei held the initiative in the cooperation, so it was normal for the other party to treat him with a leader of a higher rank.

He just really didn't want to talk about these things right now.

"The cooperation can wait. If the Huadu Chemical Industry Bureau is still interested, we can talk to the person in charge of the school-enterprise cooperation office directly... Some matters that are not handled by the school-enterprise cooperation office must be discussed with the school leaders..."

Faced with Xie Wei's reasoning, the two didn't say much.

"Shall we visit the factory this afternoon?"

"Let's not rush. Have He Yang come to the guesthouse to find me. I need to get some information first."

"..."

Xie Wei's request left the two men speechless: "Damn it, if you want to find out about the factory's internal situation through the people you've arranged, at least put on a show, right? You want us to go and call people for you?"

What's going on?

"Don't overthink it, I'm just checking in on their internship situation. He Yang is among the first batch of graduate students at our school, and his advisor also asked me to help find out some information to see if arranging internships for students at partner companies would achieve the desired results..."

Seeing their expressions, Xie Wei began to explain.

The result only made things worse for the two of them: it would have been better not to explain at all! Although the reasons were so compelling that they were irrefutable, Xie Wei was clearly just burying his head in the sand.

"Row!"

Xie Wei has made such a clear request, how can we refuse?

In the afternoon, He Yang brought two students who were interning here to the guesthouse. When they saw Xie Wei, they were very happy.

"Senior brother, what brings you here?"

He Yang was indeed very surprised.

Although Xie Wei was still an undergraduate, He Yang was about to graduate with a master's degree. He felt that he couldn't compare with Xie Wei in terms of professional skills. In addition, his mentor Kang Yi had a personal relationship with Xie Wei, so he had long recognized the reality. Given Xie Wei's special status at the school, He Yang disregarded the fact that he had a higher degree than Xie Wei and was older, and shamelessly called Xie Wei "senior brother".

"I came here on some business and thought I'd drop by to see you guys. How's it going? What are your impressions of interning here?"

Xie Wei gestured for everyone to sit down, but before he could even start, He Yang took the initiative to make tea, which surprised Xie Wei greatly—He Yang had become quite worldly-wise since starting his internship at the production unit.

"The theories we've learned are quite different from the actual needs of the production process; in fact, we feel that our knowledge is somewhat lagging behind production..."

"The factors affecting actual production are far more complex than theoretical knowledge. The relationships between equipment, technology, and processes in production units are even more intricate. Enterprises are more concerned with profits than with the advancement of technology..."

The two who came with He Yang each shared their feelings about interning at Langqi Industrial.

They didn't treat Xie Wei as their peer at all, but rather as their leader and mentor.

Hearing what the two were saying, Xie Wei nodded repeatedly.

It seems that assigning outstanding graduates from schools to production units related to school-enterprise cooperation is far more effective than assigning them to state-owned factories—state-owned factories do not allow interns to participate deeply in technology research and development and process improvement.

"Schools focus more on theoretical and technical research, while factories need large-scale industrial production. Our previous laboratory preparation methods couldn't be directly scaled up, and even the entire process had to be redesigned… Based on our adjustments and improvements to Langqi's production processes over this period, the production costs of shampoo and shower gel have decreased by 7.8% and 6.4% respectively… However, Langqi doesn't seem to prioritize technological research and development; they've almost completely abandoned new product development, relying instead on acquiring products and processes from universities…"

Seeing that Xie Wei was just listening to their report without saying a word, He Yang nervously voiced his thoughts: "I don't think this is good for the development of either the school or the company."

"..."

The other two looked at He Yang in shock. Could it be that their senior brother had fallen back into his old ways and was trying to teach Xie Wei, a big shot who had provided the formula and process and proposed a cooperation model, a lesson learned from an expert?

After He Yang finished speaking, he stared nervously at Xie Wei.

"Tell me more specifically."

Xie Wei's expression remained unchanged, but he was even more surprised by He Yang's growth into Lang Qi.

"Schools waste a lot of energy and already insufficient human resources researching derivative products and improving existing product models; companies don't even have the ability to design derivative products. Although they save on R&D costs, they are not familiar with core technologies and cannot quickly launch new products based on market conditions, thus failing to improve their competitiveness..."

"Are you studying marketing?"

Xie Wei asked He Yang in surprise.

"It's not just marketing, it's management too. Didn't you say before that any technology development that fails to gain market acceptance is a failure? If you don't understand the market, the technology you develop won't gain market acceptance either..."

He Yang breathed a sigh of relief when Xie Wei did not object.

"Not bad!"

Xie Wei genuinely felt that He Yang had grown quite well. "You've been interning at Langqi these past few months and have gained an understanding of Langqi's technology and production. So, how do you think the cooperation between Langqi and the school should be improved?"

"The university is responsible for core technology research and development, while product design is outsourced to the manufacturing unit..."

"What?! That's not what we agreed on. Director Xie, you can't unilaterally tear up the cooperation agreement!"

At the welcome banquet that evening, when Xie Wei proposed adjusting the cooperation plan, Hou Guoyong stood up abruptly, questioning Xie Wei with obvious dissatisfaction, "During the cooperation process, we haven't violated any of the cooperation terms, have we?"

"Director Xie, have we done anything to betray the school in our cooperation?" Zhao Liangyu was also displeased and turned to He Yang, "Researcher He, from the moment you arrived at the factory, everyone has been doing their best to cooperate with you. We haven't done anything to betray you, have we? Why are you trying to harm us?"

Clearly, he believed that He Yang had spoken ill of Xie Wei.

Xie Wei didn't mention anything when he came, but now he suddenly wants to change the cooperation model, especially to increase the costs for Langqi Company. How can they agree to that?

"I……"

He Yang was dumbfounded. This was supposed to help Langqi gain more say and market initiative, so how did it turn into him harming them?
Xie Wei waved his hand, signaling He Yang to be quiet, and then turned to the two of them: "Gentlemen, we've been working together for over two years, and it's always been very pleasant. It's not that we want to break the contract, but the school is starting to make adjustments... You obtain data from the market and then feed it back to the school. Even if the school understands the market, it will still proceed according to the existing project plan, which will lead to a lag in technology and product upgrades..."

Xie Wei emphasized his reasons.

Holding onto core technologies at the beginning is to maintain control over the partnership and prevent the partner from acquiring the technology without paying.

There's no need for that now.

The main focus of the chemistry labs at Harbin Institute of Technology is on artificial flavorings, which accounts for almost one-third of the department's research topics and more than 40% of its resources.

The university-enterprise cooperation office has complete control over the research and production of core raw materials, including surfactants.

“If we develop it ourselves, the cost will be much higher than it is now. Director Xie, to be honest, the factory's technical department has also tried reverse engineering the processes of artificial fragrances and surfactants before…”

"..."

Xie Wei was speechless.

The other person had previously tried to design new products themselves, and even planned to reverse engineer the processes for these expensive core materials.

A lot of money was spent, but the results were unsatisfactory.

"Otherwise, those guys in our factory who object wouldn't be so obedient!"

After he finished speaking, Hou Guoyong added a sentence.

"We will gradually open up the production formulas for surfactants."

"what?"

Now everyone was shocked.

Once the core raw materials such as surfactants are controlled by the production factory, what will the university-enterprise cooperation office use to restrain its partners?
patent?

joke!

Socialist countries do not currently have the concept of patents. If a patent were useful, there would be no need for secrecy measures.

There is currently no dedicated patent law in China.

"From now on, the university will only focus on core technologies and will not develop derivative technologies or products. It will return to the essence of talent cultivation and technological breakthroughs..."

"The problem is that our own technical capabilities are too weak, and the cost of developing our own technology is too high..."

Hou Guoyong said with a bitter face.

The current cooperation model is very supportive, not only of Langqi but also of the leaders of Huadu Chemical Bureau. The investment cost is low, and Harbin Institute of Technology receives a share of the profits after production and sales. The maximum return can be obtained with the minimum investment.

"Then let's improve your technical skills... In the future, Langqi will become a designated internship unit for relevant majors at the university, and there will always be graduating graduate students interning here. We will also arrange for chemical engineering professors to come here from time to time. If there are any major problems, we can send professors here to help solve them..."

What did the factory contribute?

Hou Guoyong silently considered Xie Wei's proposal. With this kind of cooperation, the cost shouldn't increase too much.

Having worked with Xie Wei for a long time, they no longer believed in getting something for nothing.

"We will pay a portion of the technical consulting fees each year. It will not exceed 5% of your turnover."

"what?"

I originally thought Xie Wei would propose very demanding cooperation conditions again.

Only 5% of revenue!

"Director Xie, regarding the transfer of the surfactant production formula and process you mentioned..."

"What you have paid during the cooperation period of these past few years is sufficient. There will be no additional fees other than the technical guidance fee when the transfer is completed."

Xie Wei said with a smile.

Such conditions were practically a windfall, yet they made Hou Guoyong and Zhao Liangyu's expressions turn serious.

"has a problem?"

"Has the school come up with a better formula or a more advanced production process? Director Xie, our cooperation has been very pleasant. We agreed before that we would have priority access to new technologies..."

After exchanging a glance, Hou Guoyong asked Xie Wei with a serious expression.

"no!"

Xie Wei shook his head.

"Langqi can offer a higher percentage of the profits!"

Hou Guoyong said through gritted teeth.

In the past two years, Langqi Industrial's sales have been growing rapidly, thanks to the technology and new products provided by Harbin Institute of Technology.

"Really not!"

Xie Wei was somewhat speechless. "The previous contract still stands. We'll definitely guarantee your priority if there are new processes or formulas. The school is currently adjusting the project..."

The school's adjustments could not be explained in detail to the other party.

"Senior, with this adjustment by the school-enterprise cooperation office, the annual profit will decrease significantly."

After the dinner, He Yang did not return to the factory, but accompanied Xie Wei to the guesthouse.

"Revenue will decrease, but it will also consume too much of the school's research and development capacity, which is a waste. Before the Lunar New Year, several higher-level departments jointly demanded that the school stop poaching people..."

"what?"

He Yang was clearly unaware of this matter. "Won't this affect the school's development?"

"It has some impact on the project's progress, but it's not a big problem. In the past two years, the school has blindly expanded too many projects... The most obvious examples are the projects that improve the formulas and processes of products such as soap, shampoo, and shower gel. The school's research capabilities should not be put into these projects."

Xie Wei sighed.

"But Director Hou and the others..."

"They don't want to work hard at all! This can't go on."

When Hou Guoyong was mentioned, Xie Wei shook his head and smiled wryly, "Don't rush back. People from Desheng will be coming over later, so you can meet them too."

Originally, the Department of Chemical Engineering did not intend to let He Yang and others stay at the university.

During this interaction, Xie Wei discovered that He Yang, a graduate student who did not have much talent in chemical research, might have potential in marketing and management. He planned to talk to Kang Yi and the leaders of the employment office after returning home to keep him in the school-enterprise cooperation office.

The talent cultivated by schools must first meet their own staffing needs.

"it is good!"

He was overjoyed when Xie Wei asked him to stay.

After meeting Xie Wei, he tried his best to show off, wasn't it all for the sake of staying at the school?
You might receive more attention at other institutions than at Harbin Institute of Technology, but the development of Harbin Institute of Technology is unmatched by any other institution.

This is something that He Yang and other graduate students who have witnessed the school's development since they entered are most aware of.

(End of this chapter)