Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 283 Becoming That Person

Mr. Teng had a profound influence on Yan Hui's life, both positively and negatively.

Without Mr. Teng's first order, Yan Hui wouldn't have been able to travel to Northeast China to negotiate business, and thus it would have been difficult for him to build his fortune in Jianye. It can be said that the initial orders were all given by Mr. Teng, and his initial status and influence were also brought about by Mr. Teng.

Mr. Teng's problems mainly consist of three aspects. First, he encountered a downturn in the real estate market due to the Asian financial crisis, which led to difficulties in settling accounts with construction sites, causing problems with his debt relationships. Second, there were safety management issues at his processing plant, resulting in the death of a worker. Third, he was addicted to gambling, believing that it could help him recoup his losses, which ultimately ruined him completely.

These lessons were all extremely profound for Yan Hui.

Therefore, when Yan Hui built the processing plant, safety was his first consideration, and he even had a special discussion with General Manager Han about it.

Nearly two years have passed, and Yan Hui's relationship with President Han has become better and better. Whenever he has something to say, he goes directly to President Han.

"Have you found a place yet? If you can't find a suitable place, I can help you choose one." Mr. Han picked up the phone. "I happen to have a factory building that's vacant. If you're short on funds, you can rent it first."

"The wood processing equipment requires ground renovation, so I'm still planning to buy a factory building." Yan Hui intends to renovate it properly.

Most business owners can start a processing plant with around 100,000 yuan. Some large machines cost 30,000 to 40,000 yuan, while small machines cost several thousand yuan. With just a few workers, they can get started.

The processing plant that my fourth uncle set up before only cost around 200,000 yuan to build. But now, with the price of equipment dropping, it can be set up for just over 100,000 yuan.

Speaking of which, Uncle Si's factory has many safety hazards. The job Yan Hui did before was dirty, noisy, tiring, and dangerous. Yan Hui plans to invest more and get some better equipment, such as two CNC machines, to achieve a leading position in terms of scale and technology.

"Are you really going to make this a big deal? How much are you planning to invest? Do you need my help?" Mr. Han asked with great interest.

"Then I'll give you a stake in this," Yan Hui thought for a moment. "Do you need to provide someone from your side?"

“Send someone… um… let me think… Here’s what we’ll do, you go ahead and get busy. Since you’re going to handle this matter properly, I’ll take it seriously. I’ll find someone for you.” President Han didn’t give Yan Hui a direct answer.

"That's great, I happen to be short a factory manager." Technicians are easy to find, but Yan Hui really doesn't have a suitable candidate for factory manager.

Yan Hui had considered finding a suitable factory manager, but after searching for a long time, he was not satisfied with any of them.

Previously at Jianye, Yan Hui frequently communicated with Haotian, and he knew what a qualified factory manager should be like. In Yan Hui's eyes, Haotian was clearly unqualified.

“I have a nephew who graduated from university last year with a degree in mechanical engineering. He works at Jian’an Group, but I don’t think it’s a good thing for too many relatives to work in the company, so I’m thinking of arranging for him to leave.” General Manager Han clearly already had someone in mind. “While you’re building your factory, the two of you can communicate more and see if you’re a good fit. Let me be clear, your matter is important, and I value it. If he’s not cut out for it, tell me the truth.”

"I understand." Yan Hui nodded.

Mr. Han quickly found a suitable factory building for Yan Hui, and the price wasn't expensive; he acquired it for just over 20 yuan. The factory building was in a good location, enough even to serve as a warehouse in the city.

After settling things off locally, Yan Hui met with President Han's nephew, Dai Zhongwei, who wore glasses and looked somewhat cultured.

“President Yan,” Dai Zhongwei said, taking the initiative to come over and shake hands with Yan Hui. “It’s our first time meeting, please take good care of me.”

Yan Hui felt more favorably disposed towards the other party upon seeing his politeness: "You're too kind, it's mutual." "Before I came, I didn't expect you to be so young! We look about the same age!" Dai Zhongwei said with some surprise.

“I’m a year older than you.” Yan Hui had already learned about the other person beforehand.

"So young and already so capable!" Dai Zhongwei's eyes lit up. "How much are you planning to invest in this factory? What size is it?"

"The investment will be around 50 yuan. We won't make the plate pressing machine or the hot pressing machine, but we'll need most of the other processing equipment, including a planer." Yan Hui had his own considerations.

“That’s quite a lot. One of my college classmates’ families owns a timber mill, so I know a bit about this. With 50 yuan, if we don’t go all for new equipment, we can get a very good one, and half of the equipment can be automated and CNC,” Dai Zhongwei said after thinking for a moment.

For him, becoming a factory manager would definitely be a good thing—it would offer freedom and high pay. His uncle said he could get some shares, which he was certainly happy with. It's just a pity the processing plant isn't very large; it would be even better if it were worth several million.
"Do you have access to secondhand equipment? If not, I'm planning to go to Fengtian; there's a lot of equipment there," Yan Hui explained.

"Do you know much about this?" Dai Zhongwei asked, somewhat puzzled.

"It's alright, I've worked in a processing plant for quite a while."

"That's fine! You go and purchase the equipment first, and I'll help you ask around. Whether I can come or not, let's set up the frame first."

"it is good."

Yan Hui's first impression of Dai Zhongwei was quite good.

He's recently finalized his sales team and is just waiting to go to Northeast China to quickly finalize the equipment for the factory. He can ask Lao Song for help there; he should be able to buy some suitable equipment.

Qinglan has finished her college entrance exams, but the results haven't been released yet, so she's under a lot of pressure. Yan Hui hasn't contacted her, but he's told her to come visit him in Quancheng after the results are released.

In addition, Yan Hui also shipped a container of cotton textiles to Brazil in early April this year. The total cost was more than 200,000 yuan, and the profit was about 50,000 yuan. The money was not received until July.

The return on investment is quite good, but it's a pity that the boss doesn't do textile business in Brazil. It's already good enough that he can help Yan Hui get one container.

Let's say the boss sends Yan Hui a container of textiles. Yan Hui can find someone to help him sell them, but if there are too many, he won't be able to handle it. It's the same principle.

After thinking it over for a while, Yan Hui had a taste of the foreign trade process and decided to put the matter aside for the time being.

This year, Yan Hui investigated many projects covering chemicals, steel, aluminum products, and other industries. He found that each project, while seemingly easy to enter, was fraught with difficulties. He currently has over one million yuan in funds, but he dares not rush into any of them.

A processing plant is actually the most necessary. Yan Hui has spoken with several business owners, including Geng Zhongxing, about processing their supplied materials. These people can stockpile logs, and when customers need finished products, they can contact Yan Hui to process them.

Several events during this period have greatly enhanced Yan Hui's prestige.

Perhaps he himself is unwilling to admit it, but once this processing plant was established, he became more and more like the character of Boss Teng from back then.

(End of this chapter)