The Birth of the Hong Kong Island Family.

Chapter 160 [Crazy Exploration]

Lin Zhichao brought Gao Qiqiang and two business managers to Kai Tak Airport.

At this time, Kai Tak Airport has not yet added a new runway. In fact, the Hong Kong government has also considered rebuilding the airport in other places, but chose to give up because the cost is too high. It can be put into operation in the late 3s.

In this aviation era of 'propeller planes' and 'seaplanes', the runway does not need to be too long; but now people have realized that jet planes will replace propeller planes, so the airport needs to be re-planned.

"How are the guests from the past two days?" Lin Zhichao asked at the airport.

In order to attract business, Lin Zhichao innovatively dragged the business manager to Kai Tak Airport to obtain first-hand business on the flight from Japan to Hong Kong.This is a pioneering work that pulls business directly from the source.

I'm afraid those shipping companies never thought of this trick.Almost all the Japanese who came to Hong Kong in this era were merchants, and no one came to travel.Even if there are tourists, it will not affect their solicitation.

Japanese looks and clothing are unique, so as long as you quickly find the target and ask, it is easy to gain.

"We have already negotiated, so we will use our ship to pull the goods. They trust us very much." Gao Qiqiang said happily.

Although the first few groups are retail investors, that is, they are not chartering ships, but only carrying cargo, but they can still increase the business of global shipping.Generally speaking, it is impossible for a cargo ship with a deadweight of 1 tons to be fully loaded. It is considered a very good performance to have 8000 tons, and it is considered to be profitable if it can have 5000 tons.

Therefore, the amount of goods determines the income of shipping.And fixed routes cannot wait until the goods are fully loaded. After all, there are time schedules. Flights without time concept will gradually lose the confidence of customers.

"This shows that it is easier to get business by taking the initiative. You have to study hard. These are all knowledge." Lin Zhichao did not forget to educate his subordinates.

He has many careers, and it is impossible to do it by himself every time. He can only do it as much as possible when time permits.Therefore, he likes to personally cultivate excellent management and technical personnel.

"Well, we get it!"

After a while, the flight time from Japan to Hong Kong arrived, and a group of people came out. Lin Zhichao quickly walked towards a Japanese man, only to see him holding a luggage bag.

"Sir, are you here to rent a boat in Hong Kong?"

The Japanese merchant nodded instinctively, and was immediately surprised.

Lin Zhichao was overjoyed, and immediately snatched the Japanese bag.

Japanese businessmen are in a hurry, why did they encounter bag snatchers!
Could it be that I ran into robbers today? This is too rampant!

"Sir, my surname is Lin, and I'm the boss of Global Shipping. Do you want to charter a ship, or do you need to load cargo?" Lin Zhichao said while taking the man out.

When the Japanese merchant saw that his bag was in Lin Zhichao's hands, he could only quickly follow him, saying, "I'm here to rent a boat!"

Unfamiliar with the place of life, and the bag was robbed again, how could he not follow Lin Zhichao closely, there was still money and documents in it.

"Okay. We have already prepared a hotel and a banquet, please come with me. Don't worry, we have a large ship of seven or eight thousand tons, and we also have fixed routes to many cities in Japan. By the way, we have also cooperated with Yamaguchi Steamship , Nippon Steamship, and Sanko Kisen are partners, and they have leased many of our ships."

When the Japanese merchants heard this, they were relieved. It turned out that it was just a shipping company to solicit business.

And when he heard that the hotel and banquet had been arranged, he thought it would be good to save himself from bumping around.And it also shows that others value themselves very much.

In fact, Lin Zhichao was also very surprised that he was able to attract merchants who rented the whole boat today.

Seeing this, Gao Qiqiang on the other side separated from the two business managers, followed Lin Zhichao and walked towards the parking lot.

After all, as the manager of the business department, he needs to be the boss's assistant.

Arrange merchants at the Peninsula Hotel, after all, they are guests who charter ships; if they are guests carrying cargo, the hotel quality should not be lower.

That night, Lin Zhichao accompanied the Japanese merchants to eat and drink, and signed a one-way short-term rental the next day. The shipping cost was 10.6 US dollars, and it took about 45 days.

If this kind of one-way short-term rental can be seamlessly connected for a year, you can earn back a second-hand boat steadily.

Of course, the business cannot be seamlessly connected, and there will always be some free time; if it is an off-season, it will be even worse.

The same is true for fixed routes. If the cargo is not loaded enough, it is also worrying.

Therefore, the benefits of long-term rental are obvious, provided that the opportunity and cycle can be grasped well.

Zhao Congyan of Huaguang Shipping has been in a good mood recently and has escaped from the risky journey. Although he does not earn that much, due to the rapid development of the Japanese economy, the shipping business is doing well.

Zhao Congyan currently owns two 7800-ton second-hand freighters and one 3500-ton antique second-hand freighter; he thought he could buy three ships, but unexpectedly, the price of freighters has also risen in recent years. Two 7800-ton second-hand 30-year-old Freighters also need close to one million dollars.

He had no choice but to run away with three ships. Even so, he felt very satisfied.

One ship runs the fixed route from Yokohama to Hong Kong, and the other ship runs the route from Southeast Asia to Hong Kong. The original Guoxing ship continues to be leased to others, and runs the route along the coast of the inland, but not the north, so it is safer.

"Boss, World Shipping has added another flight from Yokohama to Hong Kong, with a cargo ship of seven or eight thousand tons."

Zhao Congyan was surprised when his subordinates reported a piece of news.Lin Zhichao owns a lot of ships, so in Hong Kong he is called the "new ship king" after Hui Aizhou. Everyone knows that Lin Zhichao has a loan from HSBC Bank. Capital foreign firms (actually exceeded).

"How about the goods orders? Now that the United States has handed over Yokohama to Japan, and Yokohama is a reconstruction city, we shouldn't be short of goods, right?" Zhao Congyan frowned.

At the beginning, with a slightly more favorable price, it quickly gained a firm foothold on this fixed route and became a comparable opponent to Global Shipping.

It's just that he didn't expect that now that Global Shipping quickly added a ship, he was already at a loss.

"They seem to have lowered the price a bit, and with the addition of a new large ship, our cargo order is very influential, and the ship will be launched in a few days. At present, there are only 4000 tons of cargo, and it may be difficult for 5000 tons."

Who doesn't want to travel with a full load, although four or five thousand tons of goods can also be profitable, but obviously six or seven thousand tons is better.

Zhao Congyan said: "I'm afraid we are being targeted! We have to work hard. Fortunately, the demand for capacity on the Yokohama line has increased, so it should not have much impact."

In the past, the reconstruction of Yokohama was led by the U.S. troops stationed in Japan. This year, the U.S. troops stationed in Japan handed over Yokohama Port to the Japanese government. Therefore, many livelihood projects will be carried out one after another, requiring a lot of resources.

"it is good"

"I'm still worried, I have to go to the port to have a look!"

Zhao Congyan walked out of the office with a solemn expression.

As soon as the global shipping ships arrived in Hong Kong, arrangements were made immediately, with long-term leases, fixed routes, and one-way short-term leases. Seven ships were put into operation one after another.

Lin Zhichao calculated that in the remaining four months of this year, Global Shipping will make a monthly profit of 170 million US dollars, which is a profit of 680 million US dollars.Because it is a long-term contract, it is easier to settle the accounts, not to mention that the market has not changed much this year.

The debt of Global Shipping was only 520 million US dollars, so by the end of 1952, Global Shipping was not only "zero debt", but also had a cash flow of 160 million US dollars.

At the same time, the number of ships shipping around the world has reached 38, with a total load capacity of 36.2 tons, realizing instant communication of global information.

"Boss, I heard that Huaguang Shipping's freighter did not even have a full load of [-] tons, so it left the port. It seems that our method is very effective." Gao Qiqiang reported the situation with a smile.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "I'm not afraid of difficulties, but I'm afraid of being helpless. To do shipping is to try my best to sell myself. If Huaguang Shipping can't detect where the problem is at the moment, then slowly it will be on this fixed route. Lost completely."

These are normal commercial competitions. In the future, these ship owners may gather at Kai Tak Airport, just like soliciting passengers at a railway station.The fact is that, in order to solicit customers, we must use any means.

Gao Qiqiang nodded and said, "You have been taught! We have more ships, which is an advantage, but we also need to spend more effort to sell ourselves, especially now that long-term leases are becoming more and more difficult."

This time, Yamaguchi Steamship and Nippon Shipping directly refused to charter ships, so it can be analyzed that shipping has been changing. Although it will not fall to the bottom, there are signs of decline.

"You pay close attention to the route from Hong Kong to Yokohama and see how Huaguang Shipping responds. If they don't know what to do, then we won't hold back any more."

Lin Zhichao was already a little angry when Zhao Congyan took the goods at a low price, but he didn't respond immediately.This time he added a regular flight from Hong Kong to Yokohama because of the surge in business in Yokohama, so he made an arrangement.

At the same time, soliciting customers at the airport is also a normal method, so it is not targeted at Zhao Congyan.If he doesn't know people, then Lin Zhichao has another great trick, which can put Zhao Congyan in trouble, and let him experience the pain of moving stones in Southeast Asia like Cao Wenjin.

The route from Hong Kong to Yokohama was the first to be opened up by global shipping, and now it is getting more and more prosperous. It is only natural that global shipping should eat more.

"Okay, boss. This Zhao Congyan is a habitual offender, and I will keep an eye on him."

Although Gao Qiqiang is a business manager, since Global Shipping adopts long-term leases for most of the ships, his burden is not as heavy as he imagined; what's more, Lin Zhichao likes to do it himself, so Gao Qiqiang is a little uneasy, and has always insisted on following the boss's pace and making fewer mistakes. Learn more and do more.

He has strict requirements on himself, even for a very small client, he will personally maintain it.In his opinion, global shipping has too many advantages, and a maritime academy beats other shipping companies to pieces.

How many people praised the 'Global Maritime Academy' for cultivating a large number of 'maritime talents' for Hong Kong and improving Hong Kong's overall shipping strength.After all, after the three-year contract expires, the seafarers of Global Shipping will become the targets of mad snatching.

Of course, the salary level of global shipping also determines that the vast majority of seafarers will stay.

On the other hand, Zhao Congyan investigated the port for a few days and found nothing unusual; if there was any, it would be that the two ships of the global shipping were full of cargo, but his own cargo ship was loaded with less than seven. into goods.

Although he still makes money at this level, he is not satisfied.

"Boss, Global Shipping enjoys a certain reputation in the Japanese shipping industry and even the business world, so they are really beneficial. I heard that many of their ships are long-term chartered to Japanese shipping companies, and the price is very cheap, only 60~70%. "The subordinate said cautiously.

Zhao Congyan showed displeasure on his face, and said: "This has nothing to do with that, and it's not a long-term lease. Whoever has the cheapest fixed route has an advantage. And we only need to be a little cheaper to recover the disadvantage. What's more No matter how cheap it is, it’s still more cost-effective than long-term renting.”

He is very optimistic about the fixed route from Hong Kong to Yokohama, where the pressure of competition is low. On the contrary, the competition of other routes is greater.At the same time, he also wants to enter the Japanese market, so the reserve price measure is very good, but everyone takes a different approach.

"Will this cause dissatisfaction with Global Shipping?" the subordinate asked cautiously.

Zhao Congyan smiled and said, "I'm not new to Hong Kong. Although Lin Zhichao is powerful, he can't do anything to me. I know Hong Kong's laws better than him, and he can't handle me!"

He is a lawyer, and he has been familiar with Hong Kong in the past few years and joined the Ningbo Chamber of Commerce, so there is no need to worry about those things; what's more, it is not illegal or illegal to solicit goods at a lower price, and it is not a free gift to others.

Although the price is a little lower, as long as the freight increases, you can only earn more.

"Okay! But anyway, they also cut the price by 5%, so there is no problem for us to cut the price again." The subordinate could only comfort himself.

The price reduction of global shipping is in line with the market, and it is not a price reduction immediately, so it did not cause any sensation in the market.

"Yes, let's cut the price by another 5%. Let's stabilize the market first. Besides, you have to continue to investigate why they are always more popular with customers than us, and whether there is something wrong."

"Ok"

Zhao Congyan always felt that there was something abnormal. Global Shipping could be full of goods just after putting in a ship. This is obviously an abnormal phenomenon.Even if Global Shipping has a high reputation in Japan, why would you consider so many things if others only ship the goods once or twice?
Therefore, he must find out the real reason for his loss. He obviously feels that there have been fewer customers who have taken the initiative to come to the door recently.

In the Yangtze River Industrial Park, a five-story industrial building rose from the ground. This building is the tallest industrial building in Hong Kong, so it has been criticized by many people. It means that the Yangtze River Industry needs such a huge factory?

In fact, there is really no need for it at the moment, but even if someone asks whether to lease it, Lin Zhichao flatly refuses. He is the one who is short of the rent!Moreover, he has already decided to show his talents in the industry next year, so how can he think that this factory will not be used up.

After Lin Zhichao inspected the zipper production workshop ([-]st and [-]nd floors), he was very satisfied. The zipper factory in Hong Kong supplies the local market, Southeast Asia, Japan, and European markets, while the Sing Tao factory supplies the American and European markets.

At present, the Yangtze River zipper still maintains a steady rise, and raw materials such as aluminum alloy and copper can also be imported, and there are 45 automatic rice arranging machines, and nearly a thousand other various machines (including some small equipment).

"Manager Wang, take someone to inspect Tseung Kwan O. We need at least 80 acres of land, which will later be used as an industrial park for smelting aluminum alloys, copper, and shipbreaking yards."

Wang Liang, who was following Lin Zhichao, hurriedly said, "Okay, I'll go over there to investigate right away!"

The 80 mu of land is 48 square feet, which is about the same size as the Tsuen Wan Industrial Park. Since Tseung Kwan O is more remote than Tsuen Wan, the price must be very low; according to Lin Zhichao's estimate, it is estimated that 300 million Hong Kong dollars can be won.

Of course, in this case, you need to apply to the Hong Kong government. Only if you are in industry, the Hong Kong government will agree to approve it.

"By the way, have you found out how the YKK zipper is developing in Japan?" Lin Zhichao was still very concerned.

Although he will do many industrial projects, each project hopes to be the industry leader, so he will always invest in the zipper industry to achieve the best.

Wang Liang said: "I probably know one thing, mainly because the US market is growing rapidly. In the European market, Southeast Asian market, and other markets, we still have an advantage. After all, our channels are very mature. In terms of products and costs, everyone is actually similar. .”

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "Yes. A small zipper has a very high technical content, unlike ready-to-wear textiles; fortunately, we are also working hard."

Nylon zippers have made substantial progress and may be declared a success next year.Of course, there is still a long way to go for non-metal zippers to surpass metal zippers, so there is no rush.

In the future, Changjiang Zipper can go to Taiwan Island to invest in a nylon factory.

"Yes, we have invested heavily in this, and it will definitely be more successful."

Later, Lin Zhichao walked to the third floor, looked at the production workshops of clothing and leather shoes, and had some thoughts in his mind.

After all, Uniqlo has been divided into the Yangtze River Industrial Group, so it cannot stay in the Yangtze River Industrial Park in the future, and should build its own industrial plant.

In the 60s and [-]s, the investment value of industrial plants was not lower than that of residential buildings, and everything had to be determined according to the market; just like in a certain period of time, commercial buildings in poor locations were not as good as residential buildings, and some real estate developers simply remodeled commercial land into a residence.

At present, the funds in the account of crocodile shirts have reached as high as 160 million Hong Kong dollars. This is all the profits earned in the past two years, which can be said to be very profitable; at this time, crocodile shirts have already become famous in Hong Kong. It can be said that it is so-so, there is only one store, and no branch is dared to open.

Originally, Lin Zhichao planned to use the funds from the crocodile shirts to buy shops, but he found that shops in this era are not for retail sale; after all, a building is an owner, how could he sell the shops downstairs?

Hierarchical sales are not yet suitable for commercial real estate, and everyone does not have this idea.

Instead, Lin Zhichao plans to let Crocodile Shirt buy land, buy an industrial land in North Point, and build a 12-storey industrial building in the future; the remaining money will continue to buy industrial land in other places, and develop industrial buildings for lease in the future.

This is called making full use of idle funds.

(End of this chapter)