The world begins with Hong Kong movies

Chapter 316 Alliance of Interests
"Great stuff, really great stuff!"

"Isn't this just a DVD version of a VCR? The market for it is absolutely huge!"

"Boss Wu is really capable; he can even produce something this good!"

"..."

In the office, a group of representatives from large factories that had transitioned from military to civilian production sat around.

After seeing the VCD player, they immediately understood its enormous market value and began praising it enthusiastically.

By the 1990s, there were many more wealthy people in mainland China.

Naturally, the market for video recorders also grew.

A brand new video recorder typically costs between three and five thousand yuan, and the market size is growing every year.

If we can win over this group of high-quality customers, the profits will be absolutely astonishing, easily supporting several thriving businesses with assets in the hundreds of millions.

The representatives from the large military-to-civilian conversion factories who came here aren't fools!
Wu Feng went to great lengths to invite them over, which was clearly not just a simple meeting; there must be a major collaboration waiting for them.

Clearly, the most likely project for collaboration is VCD players.

"Gentlemen, the main reason I invited you here is for cooperation..."

Wu Feng didn't mince words and directly stated his thoughts.

The reason for collaborating with large factories that transitioned from military to civilian production was mainly due to the influence of a rebirth novel I read in my previous life.

The emergence of VCD players led to the rapid rise of several major electronics manufacturers in mainland China, which, to say the least, had substantial financial resources.

Despite these major electronics manufacturers, by around 2020, they had largely faded into obscurity, and it's unclear whether they still exist.

There are many reasons for this, but one reason is very real: there are simply too many VCD player manufacturers in mainland China.

Initially, it was the electronics factories with a certain technological foundation that produced them.

Later on, even small workshops in rural towns that dealt with electronics were able to produce it.

In other words, the VCD player market was quite chaotic from the very beginning.

Mainland electronics manufacturers didn't care about so-called technology patents at all; that was the environment back then.

Not to mention manufacturers, even local government officials don't care. As long as it can boost the economy and doesn't involve certain fundamental issues, everything else is insignificant.

As a result, not only were the patents for VCD players registered by foreign companies, but the majority of the profits for mainland manufacturers were also taken by foreign companies.

Wu Feng would never make such a mistake!

He had long ago acquired the largely ignored image decoding technology through the influence of gangs in Chinatown, USA.

At the same time, the electronics laboratory established within the mainland factory group has also localized most of the components of VCD players through various means.

In fact, a prototype of the VCD player had already been developed in the electronics laboratory at the beginning of the year.

However, Wu Feng had very strict requirements: all components that could be produced domestically had to be produced domestically. During this period, all the related technologies developed by the electronics laboratory were registered with global patents.

Some technologies can be acquired entirely through purchase.

Other technologies could also be addressed by sponsoring certain digital research institutes in mainland China, who would then assist in researching and resolving these issues. In fact, at that time, the capabilities of these mainland digital research institutes were quite strong; at least in their research on certain components of VCD players, they performed remarkably well, easily solving the technical problems.

The only problem is the laser probe, the core component of the VCD player, which currently only has the technology from Philips in the Netherlands.

At this time, Hung Hing played a significant role in procuring laser probes.

Philips wasn't too concerned about the matter if they approached it through a normal business model, since the initial purchase volume wasn't large.

Through Hung Hing, they were able to contact local gangs in the Netherlands, and when they went to Philips to discuss the matter, things went much better.

Local Dutch gangs can be quite helpful at times.

This easily helped Wu Feng's Hong Kong Island Trading Company secure a three-year laser probe supply contract from Philips.

Moreover, the supply price is quite cheap, comparable to an internal wholesale price.

As for three years from now, this laser probe technology will no longer be exclusive to Philips; even mainland China may be able to produce it in the laboratory.

Furthermore, historically, Philips has never stopped supplying laser probes to relevant manufacturers in mainland China, and these are clearly not core technology products that the United States strictly prohibits from being sold to mainland China.

In other words, Wu Feng's electronics laboratory has mastered the complete production technology of VCD players, and also holds most of the technology patents.

The main reason for directly seeking cooperation with large factories that have transitioned from military to civilian use is because of their strength and capabilities.

To avoid the chaotic situation that occurs in normal timelines, they decided to cooperate with a large military-to-civilian conversion company with a military background.

Production and technology licensing were provided by Wu Feng's factories, and then spheres of influence were directly divided to form a unified VCD player production alliance.

Right now, the mainland is in a period of rapid commercialization, and many grassroots heroes have emerged in various places, some of whom have already achieved national fame.

The most famous one should be the founder of Jianlibao.

Wu Feng would definitely not cooperate with these grassroots heroes; large factories that have transitioned from military to civilian production are more reliable.

He made his point very clear: "VCD players are definitely a promising new product, and I don't want a mix of good and bad products on the market that end up competing with me on price!"

"If we cooperate, all the hard requirements will be clearly stated, including quality, production price, and normal market price. No unauthorized changes are allowed; otherwise, the cooperation will be terminated immediately!"

"To be honest, there are too many factories in mainland China with the capacity to produce VCD players. It's not necessary to have the factories behind you!"

"I only hope that we can cooperate happily and make money together, instead of falling out over some trivial disputes over interests!"

"You won't want to hear more, so let's just see how we perform!"

"If you all follow the contract and do a good job, I wouldn't mind taking you all abroad to make a fortune!"

After saying this, Wu Feng did not stay any longer. Instead, he got up and left the meeting room, leaving the follow-up matters to the company's management.

In fact, Wu Feng had high expectations for this collaboration.

As long as the selected partners are willing to put in the effort, at least within five years, the emergence of unauthorized VCD player manufacturers in mainland China can be prevented.

Five years later, everyone will be a solid alliance of interests. Wu Feng won't need to give any further instructions; they will naturally eliminate the emergence of pirate manufacturers. It's not impossible for them to do so.

By then, it will be much simpler and easier to unify the production and sales of VCD discs.

(End of this chapter)