My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 457 Walking on the Road of Courage and Progress

As for Lao Cheng's appointment, he took on the heavy responsibility of leading the Pingjing Automobile Manufacturing Plant and concurrently serving as the deputy general manager of the joint venture.

The greatest support Wei Dong could offer was actually to college students.

In this era, even if a factory director were parachuted in from the Ministry of Machine Building or the State Economic Commission, he probably wouldn't receive such outrageous support.

Upon receiving the transfer order, Wei Dong selected about twenty people from among the university employees who had already graduated and assigned them to Lao Cheng.

They are all students majoring in mechanical engineering and related fields from colleges of agricultural machinery, steel, geology, and mining, with industrial universities near Pingqi being the main force.

Then there are hundreds more people waiting to sign up from the part-time sales positions outside the company.

This part first followed Lao Cheng into the factory as the factory manager's assistant team, and also worked in the localization team.

The approach Wei Dong took was completely different from the official administrative methods of the localization community.

It's not even entirely based on later generations' understanding; it's starting to incorporate his experiences and perspectives from this life.

“I’ve been in this factory for more than half a month and I have a basic understanding of the situation of this joint venture. It’s a typical case of a couple just getting by, but each of them has their own agenda!”

Two or three hundred sales company members, key sales personnel from various schools, and part-time college students were all crammed into the sanitary napkin factory courtyard to listen to Rang Weidong hold a meeting with these twenty-odd people.

This statement caused quite a stir, and even Lao Cheng's expression started to twitch. How would you describe that?

It is, after all, the first joint venture between car companies that the country has high hopes for.

It took five or six years to produce this year's worth of goods, which shows how terrible it was.

Let Wei Dong say without fear: "A joint venture is just a business. Don't mix in too much stuff. The foreign partners come here to make money, and we hope to learn technology and improve the level of the automotive industry. But the premise is to make the business run steadily, not to trip each other up, or to be suspicious and restrictive of each other. How can that work out?"

The explanation went into detail: "From the very beginning of the partnership, the foreign party was wary that the Chinese side would learn the technology and run away with the money, so apart from the final assembly drawings, they only gave us the complete set of vehicle drawings and related documents little by little, like squeezing toothpaste..."

Among the college students around, there were indeed some who immediately became indignant and wanted to shout slogans to overthrow imperialism.

Those foreign devils are really wicked.

Wei Dong was both amused and exasperated: "Pingqi didn't do anything good either. They slack off on the production of the Cherokee, mainly transplanting technology from other cars to the domestically produced 212 SUV. They said they carried out more than a hundred technological innovations this year... The engine power was increased from 75 horsepower to 85 horsepower, radial tires were used for the first time in China, a four-speed gearbox was introduced, synchronizers were used between the forward gears to improve shifting performance, and the body paint was changed from a monotonous grass green to a variety of colors such as white, red, and blue. Is this the purpose of a joint venture? I feel ashamed to boast about these achievements!"

It's just a bunch of unscientific, haphazard things they do, and they're all smugly showing off their cleverness.

Yu Qili's scheme to seek flogging in court is also a variation of this style.

If you can't handle the system as a whole, then try some small inventions and innovations in specific areas; that's a win too.

"No matter how much the 212 is innovated, it's still just a thatched hut and a mud house. The Cherokee is a fully-furnished urban SUV with an elevator. What we need to learn is the modern automotive industry, not to put a few steel bars into a mud wall and proudly say that our mud house has been transformed. This is just some people's short-sighted attempt to gild their own image, not to thoroughly understand this car, to be able to independently produce the same car, and then gradually develop to be able to design similar models, vehicles of the same level with complete independent intellectual property rights. This cycle should take five or even ten years, not this childish 'good news every few days'..."

University students are much better at discerning things; they can understand the leader's sarcasm and quiet down to focus.

Kan Rangwei emphasized: "In the modern automobile industry, the production line in the factory is the hardware. You need to use your professional knowledge to thoroughly understand why the assembly line is done this way. We studied that fully automatic sanitary napkin machine over there for a year. Even after learning in Japan, we still haven't fully figured it out. So don't be ashamed or excited about the big gap. The country spends so much foreign exchange to hire teachers for everyone. Being able to come and learn is a benefit for your whole life."

College students truly understand the transformative impact this kind of learning can have on their lives.

They were all nodding frequently.

Wei Dong told him not to talk about making contributions: "Then the factory's rules and regulations are the software. It's more worthwhile to think about why they are set up this way. This is related to whether you will become excellent management talents in the future. If you don't know, then learn. Learn from foreign experts from scratch. Maybe you will be the first generation of advanced factory management talents after the reform and opening up. It's a real golden rice bowl."

He immediately pointed out the promising direction: "Some people suggested that all parties take the lead in tackling key technical problems and setting up supporting manufacturers. I said it's useless. No matter how much money is spent, state-owned enterprises that rely on the 'iron rice bowl' system don't have the motivation. This thing should be left to the market."

Pointing out of the compound, he said, "At least I know that in the north, in Jicheng, and in the south, in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, there are many nascent auto parts manufacturers. What you need to do is not to figure out how to produce a certain part yourself, but to go to the market! Find manufacturers that can produce similar parts with guaranteed quality and quantity, even if they are still small workshops now. These real parts manufacturers will work hard to improve and upgrade in order to get orders. Over time, you will become auto parts suppliers. Do you understand my thinking?"

This was truly the result of his observations and experiences during his visits to various places in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The best place for the budding and development of reform and opening up was indeed this traditional land of fish and rice, a prosperous place with a tradition of doing business and opening factories.

We should practice as soon as we have the chance.

For example, the non-ferrous metal factories he had contacted, Nan Murong's shirt factory, whether they were state-owned, large collectives, small collectives, or privately owned.

It has already taken the lead in the country and is developing rapidly.

In contrast, similar manufacturers in the north are more prone to boasting and are much bolder.

So Wei Dong's idea was to fully mobilize the market: "Turn yourself into a car expert, an engine connoisseur, and a painting master in the factory, and then figure out how to handle a certain link. In the end, you can go out and run your own factory and workshop. Maybe you will be the future king of seats and springs, not only serving Cherokee, but also supplying the entire national automotive industry!"

The college students then began to realize and marvel.

So that's how the boss was thinking.

Relying on those veteran workers and technicians who have spent decades in state-owned factories and possess a bunch of outdated skills to change their mindset, fundamentally transform the automobile manufacturing industry, and promote the localization of auto parts is a bit of a pipe dream.

Why not simply draw manpower from college students who haven't been corrupted? A blank sheet of paper is easy to draw on.

Then they are used to drive the development of external parts and components manufacturers.

Old Cheng was utterly dumbfounded. No wonder you're the chosen one who can handle the people's cameras and computers. I'm sticking with you now.

In fact, most of the work in the joint venture factory is the production of 212. Wei Dong's requirement for Lao Cheng is to ignore any upgrades, learn from foreign production lines to improve efficiency, and take advantage of the fact that the supply can not meet the demand in the next few years to produce 212 as much as possible. The entire Dong Sheng Trading sales team should start to become 212 distributors from now on.

At the national sales conference to be held in Jiangzhou at the end of the year, ten 212 vehicles will be awarded as prizes to outstanding sales personnel from all over the country!
The university students at the scene couldn't help but gasp in surprise. Even if 212 was the simplest thatched hut or mud house, it was still a car.

There are currently only two officially licensed car models available for purchase nationwide.

Shanghai-brand sedan and Beijing 212 Jeep.

The other models are all newly developed, unlicensed vehicles that have sprung up like mushrooms after rain. They lack approval procedures and licenses, and are essentially operating in the wild.

These include vehicles such as Jiang'an minivans, which are classified as utility vehicles or small trucks.

It is not an "official vehicle".

Both of them cost over 20,000 yuan each.

They've already reached the status of being a "ten-thousand-yuan household," but the key issue is that it's still difficult to buy [the item].

Last year, a document was issued from above, and a strict "purchase control approval" system was implemented.

All government agencies, public institutions, state-owned enterprises, and collective enterprises must obtain provincial-level approval before purchasing vehicles.

The goal is to curb the extravagance and waste of public funds in purchasing cars, especially imported cars, and to address the foreign exchange shortage.

Usually only county heads are qualified to drive cars with the 212 license plate, while leaders at the prefecture-level city level and above are only eligible for cars with the Shanghai-Hai brand.

With applications like these, it can take two or three years to pick up the goods!

Because they all require government funding, and like welfare housing allocation, they have to be allocated on a rotating basis.

Is our company's salesperson even more powerful than the county magistrate?
Wei Dong confirmed the policy: "Private and privately owned companies are not subject to purchase restrictions, and priority is given to vehicles used in key areas such as production, national defense, and scientific research. Our vehicles are used for computer sales and maintenance all over the country."

The young people were so excited they were practically screaming and howling.

At this moment, Shen Cuiyue in the office finally interrupted: "The commercial is starting, hurry up..."

The crowd quickly squeezed through a gap, and they could see the Cherokee on the color TV outside the office.

Accompanying this was the instrumental music for the advertisement, sung by Qin Yuye.

If this song was previously performed on a small scale in night markets, this time it has finally been presented to a nationwide audience in a full and formal manner.

Just think about it, this was a blank era in advertising where even singing a few lines of "Yanwu, Yanwu..." could become a classic.

This song, which served as the anthem of National Highway 318, the anthem of the China Resignation Association, the song of Sinopec's global strategic cooperation, the anthem of the Sichuan-Tibet loop, the song of instant noodles, the prelude to "Poetry and the Distant Place," the enlightenment song of the China Outdoor Equipment Federation, and the golden song for the lifetime promotion of off-road tires, has thus ascended to its historical status.

Dressed in denim and boots, Qin Yuye walked past her outdoor companions with her long hair flowing freely under the colorful sunset, looking dashing and spirited.

"I once dreamed of wandering the world with a sword, to see the splendor of the world. A young heart always has some expectations. Now you call the world your home... Beep beep beep, on the road of courage and progress..."

In just thirty seconds, the edited opening went straight to the chorus, instantly maximizing the atmosphere.

Watching the cowgirl climb onto the red Cherokee and disappear into the distance towards the setting sun over the vast grasslands, what more can be said?

Let alone advertisements, even songs these days have never promoted traveling around like this!
Aside from the people of Pingjing, everyone laughed. Isn't this the song that the HK girl sang at the night market?

Audiences across the country are eagerly asking, "What song is this?"

Sounds good!

It was as if something inside me had been stirred up.

The courtyard, which had been filled with hundreds of onlookers, was completely silent. All eyes were fixed on the silhouette of the off-road vehicle on the television, its vast expanse of sky and wilderness, and the carefree spirit of setting off on a whim.

College students know that it's something to aspire to!

An endless yearning for freedom!

The more cultured and imaginative a person is, the more suffocated and desperate they will feel about a monotonous and repetitive life.

This song and this advertisement convey an unprecedented sense of breaking free from constraints and pursuing dreams.

Of course, they also watched as four or five Cherokee vehicles—black, blue, white, and green—along with several 212s of different colors, followed after them like wild dogs.

The image fades out of the "JEEP" logo and slides in, but it's not very noticeable. The final "Heijing Jeep" is the clearest ending.

Then they all cheered!
It wasn't about selling cars at all; it was about establishing the brand's position.

Just like forty years from now, countless people will still use "Jeep" as a general term for all SUVs, and won't even recognize the foreign name "JEEP".

It all started with this 212 joint venture experience.

It's unbelievable that even this supreme status could be ruined by Pingqi in the end.

(End of this chapter)