My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 448 This is a truly high-tech application

The scene that night resonated with Collins, of course.

Collins, who had been staying at the Pingjing Hotel, warmly invited Wei Dong to come over for a couple of drinks.

This would allow Wei Dong to entertain Hong Kong businessmen with Steve at the Queen's Restaurant in Jiangzhou, but it would be impossible for him to have drinks with Citibank executives at a high-end hotel.

There are countless people watching here.

But he directly invited Collins to sit down with him at the mala tang shop.

Because he always had to spend time with the children in the late afternoon, Wei Dong felt that this was a promise he had made to Dong Xueying.

When we first met, we promised each other that we would take good care of the child.

Even looking back, it was the child who moved him first, giving rise to his desire to take care of the mother and child and start a family.

Collins sat down in the small eatery at the entrance of the alley, quite surprised.

The people coming and going around him were all reporting back from various units. These energetic young men and women would casually eat a couple of bites at a snack shop, then gather in the courtyard outside to discuss their work.

He was very different from the employees of the car factory he led.

Of course, this made Wei Dong even further removed from the image of a high-ranking official's son that he had in mind.

There wasn't a trace of imperious arrogance about him: "You're really not the son of some high-ranking official?"

Looking at the young man who was looking down at the child, Qin Yuye felt a surge of tenderness in her heart and replied, "No, Pete earns the trust of everyone by doing his job. We didn't even intend to gain any benefits from this car company. We just did what we could because we were here."

To help Wei Dong gradually understand English with perfect pronunciation: "All expenses today will eventually be reimbursed to the joint venture car factory; it's all business."

Qin Yuye translated it with a beaming smile.

Collins must have felt very relieved: "Finally, someone understands what business is. This is the most painful thing for me. I can't reason with them. Doing things here requires patience because you always have to find some mysterious connections. Even if you find them, they won't make a decision on their own. This place is like a huge 'maze'."

Wei Dong burst into laughter, jokingly pointing to Wu Xi beside him.

That's right, this is exactly the kind of pain that mainland China will experience when setting up factories in some underdeveloped regions of Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East 30 or 40 years from now.

Having worked in a unit like the tax office, he understands that things have changed from the 1980s and 90s when you had to rely on connections for everything, to the present day. There have been changes, but it is said that in some areas, the changes are still minimal.

In short, to modern people who don't understand this system of relying on connections, this is a backward and corrupt mechanism that is difficult to comprehend.

But in Pyeongkol, it's not just about connections; everything here is elevated to a higher level.

Naturally, one had to consult on everything and report at every step.

This is why Wei Dong, a naive and cunning old hand who isn't interested in promotion or taking responsibility, dared to act recklessly even though he knew the general direction.

Wu Xi ignored him and casually handed the camera to the person next to her to take a few group photos of the table.

Collins tried using chopsticks to sample some local specialties, as well as snacks like pickles and pumpkin pancakes, and found it quite different from sitting in a bar and having some whiskey.

Then pour out all the grievances you encountered at the joint venture factory.

Wei Dong listened with great interest, and even teased Wu Xi several times, saying, "Is this the efficiency and magnanimity of you Pingjing people in your reforms?"

Wu Xi was clearly hearing about this kind of specific frontline struggle for the first time, and she wished she could find a tape recorder.

Firstly, I wanted to record the original English version to see if it was really that outrageous; secondly, there were just too many other problems.

He will definitely turn around and make a statement.

But he didn't expect that Wei Dong would use it the very next day after hearing it!
Of course, no one expected the ribbon-cutting ceremony the next day to be of such a high standard.

The streets were sealed off from the morning, with colorful flags flying and banners everywhere.

They told Wei Dong and his group to go through the main gate as "outsiders," but they were almost stopped by the armed police and prevented from entering.

Fortunately, they were all wearing those denim overalls with logos.

When he met Collins, he only then learned that the American leader cutting the ribbon was the Vice President!

The corresponding position on the other side is certainly not low-ranking.

No wonder they were so on high alert.

Therefore, no matter is too small in Pingjing.

Even joint venture car manufacturers can attract such high-profile figures.

And they made it clear, without making a sound, that they would only release the news after it was over.

Strict confidentiality.

This left Wei Dong somewhat perplexed. He had previously planned to have the leaders who cut the ribbon also wear work uniforms to test the magnetic strip access control system, but he was hesitant to use it casually.

They thought that sending a ministerial-level official would be enough to show support for the factory.

Who wants to become like this?

Then let's wait.

Knowing the scale beforehand, I still feel that my "reform" was a bit too hasty.

However, they did not withdraw their own construction soldiers, student soldiers, and third-line soldiers, but kept them in the factory to watch the excitement under various pretexts.

Looking back, these are experiences you can boast about for a lifetime.

Upon hearing this, Lao Geng and Lao Cheng quietly straightened their top buttons, while Wei Dong told them to simply change into the joint venture factory uniforms and get closer to him. He also asked Wu Xi to help take a group photo when she had time.

Do you think this is a popular spot for online influencers to take photos?

Wu Xi was both amused and exasperated.

But it's clear that the grand procession entering through the new gate indicates that all the changes here are being closely monitored.

Anyway, among the large group of people who got off the bus, the few who had planned to make Wei Dong the vice president three days ago immediately looked around, found him, and waved him over to introduce and report: "You've been very quick! You've made a huge difference in just three days!" They said it with a joyful and recommending tone.

There were at least twenty people surrounding it!
It is indeed very different.

Previously, the gates of the Pingjing Automobile Factory were the standard old-style gates with square pillars on both sides, wooden signs, and iron gates in the middle.

Old Geng and his team demolished this section of wall and built a new corporate gate, the kind that's over ten meters wide and mostly half-person-high with metal lettering on a slanted wall. Inside, there's a spacious test drive parking lot, giving it a fresh new look.

Wei Dong pointed to the brand-new wall in the distance and introduced the high-tech features: "The American side is very concerned about the situation of independent management of this joint venture factory. This is also a very important management indicator for us when dealing with Hong Kong businessmen. Fortunately, the Fifth Ministry of Machinery Industry has this access control system project, so we can use it to our advantage. It can be used in the canteen, bathhouse, and medical room. I can guarantee that this is something that even Citibank's own computers do not have."

These days, this is the kind of thing that really gets people excited.

They immediately started asking all at once, "Really? Aren't their computers the most advanced technology?"

"They invented foreign guns, and we can also train sharpshooters and design and manufacture our own guns. This is the advantage of vigorously developing software programs. Let me show you, it's very simple..."

Right from the parking lot where they were welcoming people, a whole group of employees holding up fake flowers were waiting to greet them. A bunch of big shots followed Wei Dong to the guardhouse at the new main gate.

This guardhouse alone is unique in the whole country.

The main reason Wei Dong didn't build his own new factory in this way was because it lacked an access control system.

They quickly built a stylish glass house on the spot!
Very modern and stylish.

Actually, it's just that they don't have enough time to build walls and floor slabs in three days, so it's much more convenient for the car factory to weld a steel cage or something.

There was a computer on the workbench inside. They could just ask any employee from the joint venture factory to put a sticker on the sleeve of their work uniform and the 50-centimeter-wide barrier would open and let them through.

The screen here is already displaying the magnetic stripe code, employee name, job title, personal information, and you can even see the attendance sheet by clicking on it!
You didn't know what computers were for, but now you do.

This is a typical application of a computer in ordinary work.

Wei Dong was sent to Apple, where they have access control systems and even IC cards, but Europe and America are more proficient in microcontrollers than PCs.

They have access control systems with built-in chips that come in small boxes, so you don't need to connect a computer. They just need to call and input data in the background, which is less direct and crude. You can even develop a small PC software to make the security system work.

Let Weidong then explain to everyone how to use the bathhouse, canteen, and infirmary.

Almost everyone immediately understood.

Especially the latter two, which involve deductions: "This is very interesting. The whole process does not involve any money. Anyone who has worked in finance knows that it can avoid a lot of financial problems. We input 20 yuan for each person's meal allowance and 20 yuan for medical subsidy in the backend. Once used, the money is deducted. It is necessary to match what was used with the meals and medicines in the accounts. The person in charge has no authority to make changes and cannot touch the money."

The reason why work unit canteens in that era had to provide meal tickets, vegetable tickets, and hot water tickets was essentially to prevent those handling the goods from embezzling cash.

Selling extra vegetables or bottles of hot water in cash makes it easy to be ripped off.

If you use company invoices, you must at least not embezzle them and circulate them outside the company.

Electronic accounts can completely eliminate this situation.

The economic commission leader who assigned him immediately understood: "After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, immediately notify the relevant departments to hold a meeting. This is a revolutionary invention!"

In fact, Wei Dong didn't even realize how deep it was.

He only focused on preventing people from pleading for leniency.

This is similar to catching drunk drivers. Many police officers involved in the operation are met with calls asking for leniency, and they can regretfully decline, saying, "Why didn't you do it sooner? It's already been entered into the system."

Many things become more formalized once they are entered into the system.

The traces left on the computer suddenly make the costs of favors and backdoors very high.

After weighing the potentially disastrous consequences of taking the blame, the person in charge became much more confident in their refusal.

But these are all well-informed people who can quickly connect the dots to their own fields. If there were such a "righteous" high-tech device to sever the chains of personal relationships...

It will definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort.

In fact, the tax system that Wei Dong learned about was changed because of this.

They engaged in enthusiastic discussions.

He then quietly realized, "Oh yeah, yeah."

The old security guard didn't even bother to show off the combination of the surveillance cameras and the access control system. His intention was simply to boast that we had set up an advanced access control system in just three days, making us look good in front of the foreigners.

Everyone present was thinking about how their own parts could be dramatically transformed with the help of computers!

During the brief wait for the foreign convoy to arrive, some people were grumbling about why our leaders had to come and wait first.

It is difficult to maintain a calm and composed mindset.

Now everyone is watching from afar as the big shots gesture and make Wei Dong beam with joy.

The construction soldiers, student soldiers, soldiers from the Third Front, and even employees of joint venture factories were extremely proud, looking at the kind of people we were following.

They stood tall and proud, like a guard of honor.

Old Geng and Old Cheng looked at each other in horror, neither of them daring to follow!
At this moment, the motorcade of the foreign embassy and consulate also appeared. Everyone couldn't help but feel proud and asked if the prepared translator could explain the computer equipment.
Just as he was starting to sweat, Wei Dong quickly beckoned his translator over: "He's also a Hong Kong businessman. All the work uniforms we're wearing today were provided by them. He's also the chairman of Xililai Apparel, which advertises on TV every day. He's currently the main force behind our exports to Europe and America, earning foreign exchange."

Qin Yuye has never done anything to deserve being in this situation.

She followed Wei Dong's side with humility and deference, a dream come true.

But it was precisely the word "foreign exchange" that immediately stirred the hearts of most people present, and those involved in the project were all trying to find a solution.

Those who come to see you, regardless of your background, are even more interested in how you can solve this big problem.

So even though the other side's deputy commander had stopped his car and gotten out, they were all still crowding around asking, "So, regarding the issue of foreign exchange for imported auto parts, is there any good solution?"

If you don't find out this, you'll be at a disadvantage when talking to the other party.

(End of this chapter)