Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 44: Maritime Standard Setter (Seeking monthly tickets!)

".To show its respect for science, the Governor's Office entertained Professor Lin Ran with unprecedented courtesy."

Xu Aizhou was waiting for Lin Ran's arrival at home. In recent days, all the newspapers in Hong Kong have been discussing this mathematics professor.

Xu Aizhou didn't know why among the many local wealthy businessmen from Hong Kong who attended the Governor's dinner that day, the other party only chose to come to his house as a guest.

Marriage is impossible as he has no female offspring of marriageable age.

Begging for alms is even more impossible, as the Hong Kong media has clearly investigated the fact that Lin Ran received special subsidies from the Rockefeller Foundation.

Reports in the American press about him receiving a Rockefeller stipend were widely reprinted.

Professor Lin doesn't need the money at all.

Cooperation? But my main business is docks and real estate, and there are better businessmen in Hong Kong than me in the latter.

It was really hard to figure out. Xu Aizhou had tried his best to guess, but he couldn't guess the purpose.

But he soon understood.

After a brief greeting, Lin Ran, who was sitting opposite on the sofa, handed over a stack of information that had been prepared long ago.

Report on Ocean Transport Costs Being Lower Than Land Transport Costs

Xu Aizhou sat up straight as soon as he saw the name.

As an old shipping giant, it has been engaged in shipping business since the 20s, started land reclamation in the 20s, took advantage of France's neutral position to purchase a large number of cargo ships, and operated the entire Southeast Asian shipping network.

How could the other party not know the significance of sea transportation costs being lower than land transportation costs?

To put it bluntly, there are plastic factories and garment factories everywhere in Hong Kong. If the cost of sea transportation is lower than that of land transportation, Hong Kong's production capacity can be doubled without any worries about the market.

"Mr. Xu, please take your time. We still have plenty of time, so let's chat slowly." Lin Ran said.

Xu Aizhou sat on the sofa and carefully read the report carefully prepared by Lin Ran.

Containers are not a new concept.

By 1780, England's canal system was using standard wooden coal hoppers to transport coal directly from mines to Manchester factories.

This is the earliest application of containers.

Just four years ago, the Ideal X tanker, transporting 58 33-foot containers from Newark to Houston, saw loading and unloading costs plummet from $5.83 per ton to $0.16 per ton.

But that's not enough, because domestic trucking costs in America are $0.045 per ton.

It was not until 1966 that the overall cost of the North Atlantic route was reduced to below that of truck transportation after the use of standardized interface systems, 54-ton gantry cranes, breakthroughs in ship structure, container data structuring and the refrigerated container revolution.

以林燃从IMO技术档案TS-1968/23、克虏伯公司1973年技术白皮书、马士基数据库1956-1975年运营数据集中找到的数据为例，编纂的报告中给许爱周描绘了一副美好的前景。

The cost of sea transportation can reach one-third of the cost of land transportation.

Xu Aizhou became more and more excited as he read. He closed the report and took a deep breath: "Professor Lin, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. I'm old and can't stand the stimulation."

Lin Ran expressed his understanding: "I fully understand. According to my plan, if we renovate the Xiangjiang Wharf, the cost of sea transportation can be equal to that of land transportation. If we also renovate the port at the destination, the cost can be reduced to one-third of the land transportation cost.

Please continue watching, and we will talk after you finish watching."

About half an hour later, Xu Aizhou calmed down and said, "Professor Lin, I have to admit that what you sent is a great gift.

Even if you don't cooperate with the Xu family, this information alone is enough for them to make a killing. "For a businessman like Xu Aizhou, who has one foot in the grave, after seeing this report, buying port shares was a no-brainer, waiting for the appreciation and the operating dividends.

This is the case with all traditional Chinese businessmen. Nothing they do is better than collecting rent from the land, and Hong Kong businessmen are even worse.

Even without Lin Ran, the other party could see the potential of sea transportation from the gradual reduction in sea transportation costs. However, without Lin Ran, he could not be sure to what extent the costs could be reduced and whether it could really replace traditional land transportation.

With Lin Ran's report, all of this has an answer.

"As a token of my gratitude, I've taken the liberty of offering you a floor of our commercial and residential building under construction at 23-27 Wing Keat Street in Central. Professor Lin, please accept it."

Just hearing the name Central tells you that it is worth a lot of money, and it’s a single floor building.

Lin Ran couldn't help but admire these Chinese businessmen who made a name for themselves in the first half of the 20th century. The word "beautiful" could best be used to describe what they said and what they did.

Lin Ran did not refuse. It was just one floor, which was nothing compared to the information he told the other party.

"I have three patents in my hands: the honeycomb deck system, the tapered guide column positioning device, and the container data structuring. They have all been registered globally with the New York Patent Office.

Currently, Europe, America and the Soviet Union are all competing for the right to formulate container standards.

According to the information I received in America, the International Organization for Standardization's Container Technical Committee is already in preparation and is expected to be established next year.

I hope Hong Kong can gain the right to formulate standards and play a leading role in future shipping standards.

What we can do is to build two modern terminals first, use the plan I gave to build a modern container fleet, and demonstrate that Hong Kong already has a complete plan for container standardization before the standards are formulated.

Let this solution become an international standard.”

The problem now is that information is not circulated enough. The honeycomb deck system can help cargo ships improve their longitudinal strength, break through the ship width limit, and help cargo ships break the original capacity limit.

Neon's Mitsubishi has almost completed the research and development and will register a patent next year.

Now, not only will it be impossible to register a patent, but we will also have to pay money to China.

Lin Ran continued:
"I have the technology and the plan, and Hong Kong has the docks, shippers, and demand. We can work closely together on this matter.

In the future, all global shipping will have to comply with Hong Kong’s standards.

They may find ways to circumvent other technologies, but they absolutely have no way to circumvent the patent on container data structuring.

No mathematician could have developed a data structuring scheme that was higher than this standard in five years.”

Xu Aizhou was obviously moved. How could he not know what it meant to master the standards?

Whether he is the shipping king of Hong Kong or the world depends on this wave.

"Professor Lin, if you need anything, our Xu Group will be happy to help you."

"No, no, no, the Xu family alone can't handle this. We need to gather the strength of the entire Hong Kong shipping industry.

I want to go see Tung Chao-Yen again.

Let's finalize this matter first, build a model route for demonstration, and then we will need to introduce two large international capitals.

I can help contact Morgan and Rockefeller. With their participation, we can also introduce a European company if necessary.

With endorsements from multiple parties, this set of standards will surely become a global standard.”

(End of this chapter)