Rebirth Tokyo 1986

Chapter 207 A pair of wise eyes

"A major fire broke out at an integrated circuit manufacturing company. All 17 lithography machines were damaged, resulting in losses of NT$2.3 million."

"Fortunately, there were no casualties at the factory."

At the end of 1988, Masato Takeshita, who was browsing Taiwanese news, suddenly saw this piece of news and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

"ASML is really lucky!"

That’s right, TSMC’s disaster losses are ASML’s greatest luck.

The lithography industry was extremely bleak in 1988.

If it weren't for Masato Takeshita's intervention, even Nikon, the industry leader, would have gained nothing.

But ASML is very lucky, both in its past and present life.

The company was on the verge of bankruptcy with no sales this year, but then a pillow appeared just when it was time to fall asleep.

TSMC’s popularity immediately generated orders for 17 lithography machines, and ASML was immediately revived.

Of course, the most important one is Philips.

Philips is a significant shareholder in both companies.

With its help, the two companies can come together.

However, Philips is a classic example of a company that got up early but ended up with nothing.

As early as the 50s, Philips entered the semiconductor industry.

And in this field, a series of innovative results have been achieved.

The most famous is the audio-visual field.

The magnetic tape and the optical disc, the former was almost entirely invented by Philips, and Philips also made the greatest contribution to the latter.

In addition, Philips has successively incubated ASML, TSMC and NXP, three semiconductor companies that have an important position in the world.

However, around 2000, Philips' senior management made serious strategic misjudgments.

They mistakenly believed that the semiconductor industry had reached a bottleneck, so they shifted the company's focus to the medical field.

First, he sold his shares in ASML around 2000.

Then after 2004, he sold out a large number of TSMC stocks.

The force is so great that even TSMC cannot withstand it.

Zhang Zhongmou personally flew to the Netherlands to persuade Philips to sell slowly, saying that this would have a huge impact on the stock price.

As a result, Philips did not give Zhang Zhongmou any face and continued to sell off its stocks in a big way.

After selling TSMC, Philips still felt unsatisfied.

Then it split up and sold its entire semiconductor department.

The split part later became NXP.

The subsequent results were obvious.

Philips, the parent company, has the lowest market value among the four companies.

This is the serious consequence of a company's management's strategic misjudgment.

If Philips is determined to develop in the semiconductor field.

The value of ASML and TSMC shares alone was dozens of times its later market value.

A typical case of picking up sesame seeds and losing watermelons.

"Huh, it's been on the market for half a year."

"Well, I found out too late. But it doesn't matter, it's not too late yet."

"It seems that today is also my lucky day."

After quickly browsing through all the news compiled by his secretary, Masato Takeshita muttered happily to himself, and then stretched comfortably.

"what!"

After lowering his arms, the young man still had a smile on his face.

He turned his head and said to his new secretary who had been standing there waiting for him, "Let's go to Xinghai Investment."

"Hi!"

The new secretary, Keiko Sakai, stood up and bowed respectfully, then followed the young man closely.

Xinghai Investment is just downstairs from the Xinghai Group headquarters, and it only takes a few minutes to get there by elevator.

"Good morning, President!"

"okay."

Facing the greetings from the front desk staff of Xinghai Investment, Masato Takeshita greeted them and then asked directly, "Is President Yoshimoto here?"

"Yes, President Kamoto is busy in the office."

"Yes, I understand. No need to lead the way."

The young man nodded and strode straight to the president's office.

They are all old acquaintances, so there is no need to trouble our front desk.

Seeing his own president coming to visit, Jia Benlong quickly stood up from his chair, walked quickly to the sofa and said, "President, you are here, please sit down."

"Well, there's something investment-related that I want to talk to you about."

Masato Takeshita sat down, slowly opened the newspaper in his hand, and pointed to a piece of news in the newspaper.

"I am very optimistic about Dell's factory direct sales model. I will sell some of my Japanese shares and buy 20% of the company's shares in a diversified manner."

The news that Masato Takeshita accidentally saw was about Dell, the pioneer of the computer direct sales model and the future well-known computer brand manufacturer.

Dell is a very interesting company, a complete victory of its marketing model.

It doesn't have any technology now, it's just a computer assembly plant.

However, by relying on the advantages of no channels and no stores, and only online and telephone ordering, the cost is reduced to the lowest level.

With the same configuration, Dell is at least 1/3 cheaper than IBM.

Price is always the most powerful weapon.

Dell has gradually grown into the world's largest PC seller by relying on its price advantage.

Of course, this is a story for later.

Now, Dell is still a small company that has been listed for less than half a year.

The company's market value has increased, but is still less than $2 million.

Compared with the market value of $1000 billion at its peak, it is a bargain.

Faced with such a high-quality company with unlimited potential, the young man naturally had to act quickly and acquire as many shares as possible.

Of course, don't overdo it.

20% is a more appropriate number.

If there are too many, it will affect Dell's development.

"Yes, President."

Yoshimoto Takamasa didn't ask why and chose to execute it directly.

In his mind, Masato Takeshita is now a god.

After explaining the matter clearly, Masato Takeshita immediately returned to his office.

The president of Xinghai OEM is coming from Hitachi City, and we cannot neglect him.

At 10 a.m., Junyoshi Koike arrived at Xinghai Group on time.

After the two exchanged a few pleasantries, Takeshita Masato asked directly: "Tell me, what are Nikon's conditions that are difficult for you?"

If the conditions at Nikon were good, Koike Junyoshi would definitely inform him of this over the phone.

Since nothing was said on the phone, there must be a problem.

Koike Junyi took a sip of tea, then said a little embarrassedly: "Nikon wants to invest in the company with its technology."

"Technical investment?"

Nikon's request was beyond the young man's expectations.

After thinking for a moment, he finally decided to agree.

There are no secrets in Xinghai Semiconductor Manufacturing. Even if it takes the water refraction route to overtake others in the future, it will be done in a completely aboveboard manner.

This was the case with ASML in its previous life.

At that time, Lin Benjian, who was firmly optimistic about the water refraction route, took the initiative to contact Nikon and Canon.

As a result, these two lithography machine giants didn't even look at Lin Benjian.

In the end, only ASML, which was mediocre, decided to take a gamble.

ASML won the bet and successfully overtook Nikon, the leader in the lithography machine industry, in technology.

Masato Takeshita clasped his hands together, looked up and asked, "How many shares does Nikon want?"

“20%, very firm attitude.”

Masato Takeshita's rapid rise is not only regarded as a myth by ordinary Japanese people, but also admired by senior management of many companies.

Although Nikon believes that its own lithography machines will never be surpassed, it is not so determined.

It is considering acquiring a stake in Xinghai Semiconductor Manufacturing.

In this way, even if their own lithography machines fail in the future, they can still get a share of the pie in this field.

Masato Takeshita immediately refused, saying, "Tell Nikon, no. 15% at most."

The newly developed lithography machines are full of various bugs, and developers need to constantly debug and repair them in the wafer factory in order to produce qualified products.

In the early stages of a company, shares cannot be too dispersed.

Therefore, since Xinghai must occupy a certain share in the OEM business, it can only get as much as Nikon does.

"Hi!"

The lithography machine project is very small now and can only be considered a trivial matter. The two people then talked more about wafer foundry.

"This company called TSMC will be the biggest enemy of our company's development."

"Zhang Zhongmou is a very capable person, and he has the support of the US semiconductor industry, led by Intel. He must be closely watched."

TSMC is still very weak now, but soon it will become part of the US's containment of Japan's semiconductor industry.

TSMC contributed even more to the decline of Japanese semiconductors than Samsung.

No matter how much importance is attached, it can never be too much.

"Yes, don't worry."

Since the president of the company emphasized this several times, Junyoshi Koike naturally took it very seriously.

He has already regarded TSMC as his biggest competitor, and the latest news about TSMC must be placed on his desk first.

Nikon's attitude was not firm. After learning about Xinghai Group's bottom line, it quickly agreed to Xinghai Semiconductor Manufacturing's conditions.

After the new adjustment, the shares of Xinghai Semiconductor Manufacturing are as follows.

Xinghai Group holds a 45.5% stake; Xinghai OEM holds a 20% stake; Shencheng Electronics holds a 19.5% stake; and Nikon holds a 15% stake.

Among them, Shencheng Electronics is a new company urgently established by the Chinese government to cooperate with Xinghai Group.

Nikon owns shares in Xinghai Semiconductor Manufacturing, so the five-year exclusive contract for Xinghai's foundry business naturally needs to be modified.

Of course, the changes to the contract were not major, with only one clause added.

Xinghai Foundry has the right to purchase five lithography machines manufactured by Xinghai Semiconductor Manufacturing every year.

The purpose of these 5 devices is not to make money, but to fix bugs.

It was only five years later that Xinghai Semiconductor Manufacturing officially came to the fore.

After dealing with the lithography machine issues, Masato Takeshita had some free time again.

The young man lay on the bed with his head buried in his girlfriend's chest.

"It's winter now, do you want to go skiing in Karuizawa?"

Izumi Sakai did not agree directly, but asked gently: "Um, do you really want to go?"

Masato Takeshita touched it again and again in a dishonest manner.

"I don't care, it's mainly you."

Don't be fooled by Izumi Sakai's quiet appearance, this is just on the surface.

The girl's heart is essentially wild and she likes all kinds of sports.

This may also be a characteristic of many well-behaved girls.

Izumi Sakai twisted her body and pushed away the young man's harassment with a smile.

"No, it's itchy."

Then he added: "Well, the weather is too cold, you'd better stay at home."

She really wanted to go out and play, but when she thought about her boyfriend's living habits, she shook her head and refused considerately.

Young people are more afraid of cold and don't like going out in winter.

When I am resting on weekdays, I basically stay in the house and play games.

There is no need to force your boyfriend to participate in outdoor activities just because you like it.

"Okay, then we'll play games together at home."

"it is good."

There are many games on the Nintendo Entertainment System that are suitable for two-player games, but there are relatively few that are suitable for men and women to play together.

The two discussed for a while and finally chose their own production "Snowman Brothers".

This game has a cute style and is one of the few games suitable for both men and women to play together.

In fact, the most suitable game for men and women to play together on Nintendo's red and white console should be "Squirrel Wars".

But this game seems to have just started development.

"How long will it take for our house to be renovated?"

Although living in the tower is very convenient, it is indeed a bit inappropriate for his current status.

"It's almost time. We can move in in December." "Is that so? That's good."

Masato Takeshita breathed a sigh of relief and then asked curiously.

"I don't know how you've decorated it. I hope the surprise won't turn into a shock."

"Don't worry, absolutely not."

Izumi Sakai is very confident about her decoration and feels that she will definitely surprise her boyfriend.

"Okay, then I'll wait for your good news."

Time flies, and after more than a year of careful renovation, the villa is finally ready for occupancy.

A huge living room, an indoor swimming pool, a basement game room...

The decoration style is simple yet luxurious, and is basically completed according to Masato Takeshita's aesthetic.

The young man looked around with satisfaction, smiled and praised: "Great, the decoration is very beautiful."

"Hehe, that's right. I found a designer from Northern Europe to work with me."

"Ah, finally I have a place to live."

Masato Takeshita did not respond again and lay contentedly on the soft sofa.

"Yes."

The girl sat next to the young man with a smile, looking around the living room with emotion.

Every detail here bears traces of her careful design.

It’s great that my boyfriend likes it.

Although it was a housewarming celebration, neither of them had any intention of inviting outsiders. They just wanted to enjoy a simple life of their own.

"Come on, let's go buy some food."

"it is good!"

Then the two of them went to the market to buy all kinds of ingredients like a newlywed couple.

Today is the first day I move into my new home, and I want to make my first meal by myself.

Masato Takeshita was responsible for washing and picking vegetables, while Izumi Sakai was responsible for cooking.

It took almost two hours.

A luxurious dinner with fish, meat, shrimps, crabs and vegetables was presented in front of the two.

"I'm gonna start now!"

Masato Takeshita picked up a shrimp and enjoyed it happily, while giving a thumbs-up to praise.

Compared with large lobsters such as blue dragon and dragon, young people prefer smaller ones such as white shrimp and prawns.

Because the meat of small shrimps is sweeter and more tender.

This is also a general law of nature.

Large creatures are usually not as tasty as small ones.

Of course, larger creatures can also eat the young.

Whether it is roasted suckling pig or roasted suckling cow, the taste is indeed better.

It is just more luxurious and not suitable for ordinary people.

Now that we have a new family, it is natural to continue the family line.

After eating and drinking, Masato Takeshita looked at his girlfriend tenderly.

"I want a baby, what about you?"

Izumi Sakai blushed suddenly, and her eyes were full of surprise.

The girl had wanted a child for a long time, but she never dared to say it.

"really?"

"of course."

The young man nodded heavily again.

Izumi Sakai patted her cheeks with her hands and lowered her head shyly.

"okay."

Although the sound was very small, Masato Takeshita could still hear it clearly.

He laughed a few times, then carried the girl in his arms like a princess.

Izumi Sakai struggled subconsciously for a few times, then whispered, "Um, um, the dishes haven't been cleaned up yet?"

"It's okay. The housekeeper will order people to clean it up later."

The young man didn't care at all and strode towards the bedroom on the second floor.

No matter who it is today, don't try to stop him from exercising.

People are happy when they are happy.

The next morning, Masato Takeshita's face was still full of smiles.

Although everyone was very curious about what good things had happened to their president, due to the hierarchy in the workplace, no one dared to step forward and ask.

The young man didn't care, he had become accustomed to this kind of life.

He is now the chairman of a listed company and a world-renowned billionaire.

It would be abnormal if subordinates could still be as free and easy as before.

In 1988, Xinghai Group became more mature in handling affairs.

In mid-December, the financial reports of various companies within the group were already presented to the young man.

"Xinghai Semiconductor is actually profitable?"

Masato Takeshita looked at the numbers above and was extremely surprised.

Xinghai Semiconductor not only achieved profitability this year, but also made considerable profits.

The profit was as high as 237 billion yen, or nearly 2 million US dollars.

"Uh, okay, now I remember, it was an earthquake."

In December 1987, a major earthquake occurred in the Kanto region of Japan.

Although the loss of life and property was not great, it still scared the entire nation.

The disaster emergency radio division under Xinghai Semiconductor has seen a surge in revenue and profits.

However, facing the profits of Xinghai Semiconductor, the young man was a little unhappy.

"Hey, what should we do now?"

Masato Takeshita wanted to take back all the shares of Xinghai Semiconductor in 1990.

But now that the company is profitable, the difficulty has increased significantly.

"Well, if that doesn't work, let's go the split route."

After thinking for a long time, the young man couldn't think of any good solution.

In the end, I came up with a solution that was not a solution.

Sacrifice short-term interests and split the radio division.

Exchange shares of the radio division for shares of the semiconductor division.

If that still doesn’t work, then you can only wait for the listing.

After Xinghai Semiconductor goes public, it is uncertain what will happen to other companies, but Toshiba and Hitachi will definitely reduce their shareholdings.

Especially Toshiba, 100% chose to sell out its shares.

This is a company that will also go astray in the future and will be constantly short of money.

"President, are we still distributing the half-year bonus this year according to last year?"

After the summary meeting of Xinghai Group, Zensuke Suzuki, who has spent the longest time with Masato Takeshita and has the most seniority, asked the questions that everyone was most concerned about.

“We’re changing the model this year.”

“Without taking into account Xinghai Investment, 8% of the group’s remaining profits will be converted into a half-year bonus for all employees.”

The previous model was a bit like guaranteeing a stable income regardless of drought or flood.

The more money a new model company makes, the higher the bonuses for its employees.

The latter is obviously more effective in motivating employees.

After Suzuki Zensuke understood the benefits, he immediately responded, "Yes, President!"

At this time, Kakuda Hiroki, who was sitting farther away, suddenly asked, "Do foreign joint ventures also implement this strategy?"

He was deeply impressed by the enthusiastic and hardworking workers at the Shencheng luggage factory.

He hopes that the workers of the joint venture factory can also feel the warmth from the head office.

Masato Takeshita thought about it and finally shook his head in denial.

"It's not mature enough there yet, so we can't implement this strategy for now. Maybe in a few years."

In 1988, the price breakthrough incident occurred.

The core point of this strategy is to abolish the dual-track pricing system and fully liberalize material control.

This may sound unfamiliar to everyone.

Let me change the word, and I'm sure everyone will be very familiar with it.

It is the famous shock therapy in history.

That’s right, raising prices is essentially a shock therapy.

In fact, the mainland had already practiced this principle long before Russia.

As for the effect, I can only say that those who understand will understand.

If you don’t understand, it’s best to look up the information yourself.

Fortunately, the team was wise enough to quickly end this failed exploration.

If we learn to be stubborn like Russia, the situation will be disastrous.

"Oh well."

Although he didn't quite understand, Kakuda Hiroki still responded with a smile.

He believed that there must be difficulties that he was not aware of.

Because the president is not a person who is stingy when it comes to salary.

If the chairman was stingy, he would not raise the wages of the joint venture workers to 1.5 times the average wage in Shanghai.

After the meeting, Takeshita Masato took the initiative to say, "Tsunoda-san, you stay here first."

Kakuda Hiroki, who was about to stand up, immediately stood up again and shouted, "Yes, President."

As everyone left, only two people were left in the meeting room.

Masato Takeshita began to explain in detail the specific reasons for not giving out bonuses.

Kakuda Hiroki suddenly realized and immediately understood the reason behind it.

Then he stood up and bowed in embarrassment, saying, "I'm sorry, President, I thought it was too simple."

"It's okay." Takeshita Masato waved his hand, and then earnestly advised: "When you are abroad, you must study the local national conditions."

“Think twice before you act, and you will win the love and respect of the locals.”

Kakuda Hiroki nodded heavily.

"Yes, President."

The young man stopped nagging and changed the subject with satisfaction, saying, "There's no bonus, but we can give out New Year's benefits."

"As for the welfare standards, we can refer to the star companies in Shanghai."

“Not too much, not too little.”

There is more than one road in the world.

Benefits are not as eye-catching as bonuses, but they can take good care of employees.

It is a good way to get things done while taking local conditions into full consideration.

"Yes, I understand."

"Okay, let's go."

When Masato Takeshita saw Kakuta Hiroki's happy expression, he suddenly felt a sense of joy in his heart that he was not alone.

Once a person's wealth exceeds $10 billion, he or she will never be able to spend it all.

It would be better to share some with employees to benefit the company and society.

"Hi!"

Kakuta Hiroki bowed solemnly at 90 degrees and slowly left the small meeting room.

Soon, all companies and departments under Xinghai Group communicated this year's half-year bonus model to their employees.

The new model works very well.

Everyone has less time to slack off, is more motivated at work, and work efficiency has increased by at least 20%.

It was almost immediate.

This is the case for Japanese workers who claim to regard the company as their home, so the effect overseas will naturally be even better.

Especially the bald eagle.

The efficiency of some is increased by more than 50%, and some by 100%.

Sure enough, when it comes to their own interests, everyone is more motivated to fight.

This made Masato Takeshita more determined to promote this model.

Only companies that fully consider the interests of their employees can make the most money.

The exception is monopoly resource companies, such as Saudi Aramco.

That's making money by lying about oil, it's nothing compared.

(End of this chapter)