Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 83 Hire a factory manager for me!

That phone call was, of course, not from Zhao Wanping.

Chen Xuebing was merely using his name.

The real Zhao Wanping is still on his way back to Shenzhen.

How did Chen Xuebing know this?

At noon on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, in the rented room, Gao Shu looked at Chen Xuebing across the street, pushed up his glasses, and concealed his hesitation.

"Boss Chen, stop joking around. General Manager Zhao is going back to Shenzhen this afternoon. We're supposed to have a meeting at the warehouse at 2 PM. If it weren't for Huo Xiaowen saying we needed to discuss getting the goods, I definitely wouldn't have come! I really have to go!"

Chen Xuebing touched his chin.

"1500 won't do, how about 2000?"

“Mr. Chen… this isn’t about money!” Although Gao Shu was still refusing, the high salary of two thousand yuan made him change his address from “Boss Chen” to “Mr. Chen”.

Mr. Chen has not stopped his offensive.

"Two thousand two."

"...Boss, thank you for thinking so highly of me, but..."

"If you answer a few questions to my satisfaction, I'll pay you 2,500 a month. Once I've completed the company's paperwork, I'll add the five social insurances and one housing fund for you, and I'll make you the deputy factory manager in charge of production scheduling. After a full year, your salary will increase by 1,000."

Chen Xuebing offered an unprecedentedly high salary.

Gao Shu fell silent instantly, a look of suspicion in his eyes.

"Mr. Chen...you want to open a factory?"

"Ah."

"You, don't go to General Manager Zhao's place..."

Gao Shu blurted out, then realized that his question was somewhat unnecessary. They had already dared to poach him and wanted to open a factory, so why ask?

He knows Chen Xuebing's order situation best; they sold 500 machines in just two months, so they must have a sales network outside.

"Mr. Chen, what size factory do you plan to open?"

The title of "Deputy Factory Director of Production Scheduling" gave Gao Shu the feeling that Chen Xuebing was about to do something big.

"Let's set the monthly production at one thousand units for now."

One thousand units.

Zhao Wanping has stores on all three floors of Yuanwang Building, and many shop owners get their goods from him. His monthly output is only two thousand units.

“Mr. Chen, I know your sales volume is very good, but if you want to open a factory and try to poach my people, Mr. Zhao hates it when people try to poach his people. You don’t need to make enemies with him, otherwise it will be difficult for you to distribute your products in the future.”

"Offend?" Chen Xuebing chuckled. "I don't have time to make enemies with him. The entire Huaqiangbei and even Huaqiangnan will soon be bustling with activity. Yuanwang will no longer be the only mobile phone wholesale center. SEG, Huaqiang Electronics, and many nearby markets will become active. This place will become the Jerusalem of the mobile phone industry, and mobile phone merchants from all over the world will come here to worship."

When he first arrived in Huaqiangbei, he was a complete novice and couldn't understand why Huaqiangbei, which he remembered as the dominant force in the counterfeit and secondhand mobile phone industry and which exported hundreds of millions of mobile phones to the whole country every year, now had televisions and Women's Street as its main businesses.

At the time, he thought that the counterfeit industry should be so secretive, with most transactions taking place underground.

But he gradually discovered that although the mobile phone industry in Huaqiangbei was booming, the actual output was not as exaggerated as it seemed. Even a nobody like Zhao Wanping was so powerful, which was far from the legend.

Now he knows that it's not that Huaqiangbei isn't rampant, it's that MediaTek, the leader of knock-off brands, hasn't made its move yet.

Based on his basic knowledge acquired during this period, he is now able to make judgments based on some vague information he heard in his previous life.

He's going to make a killing in the upcoming wave.

However, he will not rush to be among the first to open factories and start manufacturing. He will first thoroughly understand the costs before he can be competitive.

He judged that this would not be a simple linear increase in traffic, but rather a wave-like pattern.

Information dissemination across the country takes time.

Firstly, the massive wave of factory openings and manufacturing will lead to a large backlog of goods, causing a significant drop in local mobile phone prices. After a period of time, distributors from all over the country will flock to Huaqiangbei to clear out the inventory, which will then trigger a subsequent wave of mobile phone manufacturing.

This process is no different from stock trading, so his first step is not to rush into manufacturing, but to use financial means.

"Senior Engineer, could you answer my question first? I haven't even said I'd definitely hire you yet, so don't have so many concerns."

Chen Xuebing smiled and leaned back in his seat, his voice calm and unhurried.

Gao Shu vaguely sensed that the young man in front of him had an aura, and considering the generous offer, he became more cautious.

"...Then ask away."

What do you think is the biggest reason for losses in this industry?

Chen Xuebing started by posing a question that had an HR flavor.

Actually, he wanted to steer the conversation towards manufacturing costs; that was exactly what he was most concerned about when he recruited Gao Shulai.

To everyone's surprise, Gao Shu thought for a moment and said, "You've been tricked."

Chen Xuebing was stunned for a moment.

Seeing his expression, Gao Shu immediately said, "It's true! President Zhao was swindled out of a large sum of money last year! He bought a batch of... well, I'd better not say!"

Chen Xuebing snapped out of his daze and nodded, "Yes, you're right. Anything else?"

Gao Shu thought about it again.

"The leader's wrong decision."

Chen Xuebing's mouth twitched.

Gao Shu sensed that he was still not satisfied and became anxious again: "Last year during the peak season, when Mr. Zhao saw that Nokia was doing well, he was afraid that there would be no stock when orders came in, so he paid a high price to contact a chip factory to help build a production line, and then produced a lot... Sigh, I really can't say anything about this!"

Chen Xuebing understood now; that chip factory must be MediaTek.

No wonder when I got my stock from Zhao Wanping, he wouldn't let me choose; he just gave me Nokia phones with a ton of lousy handles.

Last year was a really tough year for Mr. Zhao.

"Um... what are your thoughts on manufacturing costs?" Chen Xuebing asked directly, seeing that he didn't seem to understand.

"Oh, in that respect, Mr. Zhao is quite..."

Gao Shu was about to launch into a long speech when Chen Xuebing's face darkened.

This guy has pretty low emotional intelligence.

"Could we please not mention General Manager Zhao for now?"

Gao Shu paused for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "General Manager Zhao was among the first batch to come to Huaqiangbei. I've been working with General Manager Zhao on mobile phones for the past few years, and he really does a good job of cost control."

Chen Xuebing realized that this guy was indeed straight, and couldn't help but ask, "Is he very good to you?"

Gao Shu shook his head: "I'm a long-time employee, but he doesn't like me. He always gives me troublesome jobs that don't pay any commission, like the few days I spent leading you guys around. I was always running around and only got a fixed salary."

Chen Xuebing sighed inwardly when he heard him express his disdain for him and Huo Xiaowen.

It's right that I don't like you.

You're so bad at talking, I don't like you either.

Gao Shu wasn't completely stupid. When he noticed that Chen Xuebing didn't speak, he quickly added, "Besides, he's from out of town, and sometimes I can't understand what he's saying. His Mandarin isn't standard, and he even curses at me when he can't understand me. Unlike you, you're also from out of town, but your Mandarin is very standard."

Chen Xuebing was so flattered that he felt a little overwhelmed.

Who the hell doesn't speak standard? Sometimes I can't understand what you're saying, do you even know how to speak properly?

This is the worst time that people from Hunan have been slandered by people from Guangdong.

But he still smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I like you. Tell me, how does Mr. Zhao control costs?"

"He assembled it himself! He assembled a lot of the parts himself!"

Chen Xuebing's expression finally turned serious: "What's the cost price of assembling a megapixel CCD camera?"

"Hmm... An optical lens requires six coated lenses... Each lens costs seven or eight cents, plus spacers, pressure rings, lens barrel, and labor, so let's say a lens costs twenty yuan."

Gao Shugang had just said something when Huo Xiaowen, who had been silent the whole time, exploded. "Twenty?? Didn't I hear the stall owner say one hundred and twenty?!"

"That's just for fools." Gao Shu waved his hand dismissively.

Chen Xuebing smiled, his fists clenching slightly with excitement.

That's it! This is the perfect flavor!
"The entire camera, how many?" he couldn't help but ask again.

"Well... the main cost of a mobile phone camera is still the sensor chip. Many manufacturers now make their own PCB circuit boards, and the price has come down. The 1 million pixels you mentioned are mostly overstated; they don't actually reach that level. 600,000 pixels is already pretty good. With such low resolution on ordinary mobile phones, how can you tell the difference? Matching a so-called 1 million pixel camera with a CMOS sensor would cost no more than 100 yuan in total. CMOS camera systems are even cheaper and more energy-efficient. If you're making a CCD camera, are you trying to make a professional camera phone?"

Gao Shuyi saw right through Chen Xuebing's thoughts.

CCD imaging quality is superior to CMOS.

When he saw that MediaTek had a chip with a CCD sensor, he thought of making his own camera phone with a shutter button, and then focusing on the battery and charging to create a blockbuster phone with great photography capabilities, high battery capacity, and fast charging.

Inspired by OPPO and Vivo.

However, this reminded him that screen resolution was indeed a problem.

Thinking about it this way, the way MediaTek chips are integrated may also lead to a less than ideal final result.

Fast charging also presents significant safety concerns.

Many problems have not been solved by major manufacturers. If you want to make your own mobile phone, you can't rely on wishful thinking.

Technological research and development is a long and arduous task.

He suppressed his wild dreams of becoming a mobile phone giant and began to consider practical issues: "If I also set up my own component assembly line... and only do the most cost-effective parts, how much would it cost?"

Gao Shu started counting on his fingers.

"I just mentioned the camera; you can just find someone to install it after you buy it."

"The chips are no good."

"You can't make the screen; the cost is too high!"

"The cost of the middle frame panel is actually just the cost of the injection molding machine. This way, even keyboard shells can be made, but it may not be cost-effective for small quantities."

"Other small parts, including motherboards and memory cards, can be sourced from Taobao. If you want to make them yourself, you'd need to set up multiple electronics factories. Parts are readily available in Huaqiangbei, so there's no need for that."

Chen Xuebing understood.

He definitely couldn't make chips, and Gao Shu thought he didn't have the money for screens. As for the other parts, they all had to be made by specialized electronics factories, which wasn't cost-effective.

All he can currently do is work with an injection molding machine.

I was somewhat disliked.

But he also gleaned a lot from what he heard and gradually figured out the direction for future development.

How much does an injection molding machine cost?

"Based on your stated production volume of one thousand units, buying two of the 30,000-unit models would be about right."

"What about the assembly line?"

“It could cost several thousand or even tens of thousands!” Gao Shu said, frowning. “If you’re going to do all of this, the space needs to be huge! A regular house won’t be enough. Don’t think that renting a small warehouse will suffice. I think you should secure the space first!”

Chen Xuebing finally smiled.

He raised his hand and looked at his watch.

The person will be here soon.

"Congratulations, you don't need to go to Zhao Wanping's meeting. Come with me to a meeting later, and I'll show you the venue."

……

Two o'clock in the afternoon, Laoxi Village.

Chen Xuebing stood with his hands on his hips in front of the "garbage dump," raising his hand to sweep across the 12,000-square-meter area in front of him.

"How about it, is it big enough?"

Yu Chunyin nodded silently.

The middle-aged man next to him nodded as well.

Gao Shu swallowed hard.

I thought you were a guerrilla... Turns out you're a regular army?!
This venue is dozens of times bigger than I imagined.

"Tsk, why not transfer the company's land through a negotiated agreement? This listing procedure is such a hassle," Yu Chunyin sighed.

A negotiated transfer is a matter between the two parties, but a public listing transfer requires government approval.

"There's nothing I can do. In Shenzhen, policies always lead the way. The trial implementation of the 'Standardized Land Transfer by Bidding, Auction and Listing' has already been implemented in Shenzhen. Industrial land is included in the scope of mandatory bidding, auction and listing. Land that has not been developed or constructed for more than two years and has not had factory buildings built cannot be directly transferred. Fortunately, I have already inquired. Recently, there are many land quotas in the city. This plot of land is not attracting much attention and does not occupy farmland. It can be approved at the district level. As for the factory, I can build it myself. Uncle, won't you give me some subsidies?"

As Chen Xuebing spoke, a greedy smile appeared on his face.

Yu Chunyin raised an eyebrow: "A land with a listed price of 280 million, and you want me to prepare 310 million? Isn't that 30 for 'simplifying the bidding process'? What kind of subsidy? Do you think I don't understand?"

Using one-tenth of the listed price to go through the approval process is a normal "market price," neither too high nor too low.

"Tsk, what if I could run it without spending any money?"

Chen Xuebing is currently short of money and is determined to earn this 30 yuan, so he will handle the paperwork himself.

Acquiring land through bidding involves persuading the government. Whether it's feasible and easy to do depends on different places and different people. You have to try to find out.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man next to him chuckled and said, "Old Yu, your nephew is quite shrewd."

This is clearly not a compliment; it implies that Chen Xuebing even schemed against his own uncle.

Chen Xuebing didn't recognize the man, only knowing that his surname was Hong.

But knowing that this was someone who lent money to his uncle, and that the fact that he could lend so much money indicated their relationship, it wasn't appropriate to refute anything.

He could only sigh and say, "Even a hero can be brought down by a penny when starting from scratch."

Yu Chunyin understood his nephew's sarcastic tone, patted him on the shoulder, and laughed, "Alright! What are you trying to prove to your Uncle Hong with your limited skills? He started from a scrap metal recycling station! He built his business from a bottle and a piece of scrap metal, then started a factory, and now he has several factory managers working for him!"

Chen Xuebing chuckled.

What's so great about having a few factory managers under you?

He turned his head, waved to the tall tree, and said:

"Deputy Factory Director Gao, here's your first task: we're entrusting you with the task of recruiting a factory director for our factory!"

"Huh?" Gao Shu looked completely bewildered.

Deputy factory manager...recruiting a factory manager?

"What?" Chen Xuebing smiled, his hands behind his back. "We'll be opening a lot of factories soon. The factory manager will be your direct superior, I mean, your permanent superior. If he can become the head of the main factory, you'll be the deputy head of the main factory. If he can only become the head of a branch factory, you'll be the deputy head of the branch factory. You not only have to ensure the manager's competence, but also supervise his work to ensure there are no mistakes. If there are any problems, you'll both be held accountable. So you'll find this person, you'll recruit him, and I'll interrogate him."

This was not something Chen Xuebing decided on a whim.

Rather, he felt that even if he recruited someone, they might not have the same professional expertise as Gao Shu.

Moreover, Gao Shu doesn't have the potential to be the top leader. His personality is suited to this kind of supervisory work. Letting him restrain the factory director while also caring about the director's future is the most reasonable arrangement.

This combination of punches stunned Yu and Hong, who looked at each other for a long time.

Hong nodded slightly and smiled.

He had seen superiors who would take their subordinates with them wherever they went to work.

The deputy factory director is tied to the factory director.

This is a very novel approach!

(Supplementing yesterday's post)

(End of this chapter)