The Birth of the Hong Kong Island Family.

Chapter 91 [Great strides in development]
On the second day of his wedding, Lin Zhichao came to Cheung Kong Industrial in Tsuen Wan.

"Mr. Smith, please forgive me for the poor hospitality yesterday!" Lin Zhichao said sincerely to the visiting 'zipper merchant' Smith.

It turned out that Smith just came to Hong Kong to inspect Cheung Kong yesterday. However, Lin Zhichao got married and naturally couldn't accompany him, so he asked Wang Liang to accompany him on the inspection and to attend his wedding together.

Smith said happily: "Mr. Lin, you are welcome. To be honest, I am very satisfied with yesterday's harvest. First of all, I am very satisfied with the new zipper produced by your new machine; secondly, I admire you very much, you really succeeded Improved the automatic zipper machine, and produced an automatic punching machine for sliders; finally, your factory management is as good as ever.”

It is definitely difficult to improve the automatic zipper machine (rice rowing machine). The key lies in Lin Zhichao's ideas and creativity; otherwise, no machinery company wants to improve it, at least it may be born a few years later.

The same is true for the development of automatic slider punching machines. I am afraid that those zipper machine manufacturers did not expect that small sliders can get rid of manual mechanical manufacturing (it is also mechanical manufacturing, but with a high degree of labor) and use automatic punching machines.

After completing these two things, it has been decided that Cheung Kong will occupy a place in the world's zipper industry.

"Since that's the case, why don't we go to the office and talk about increasing cooperation?"

"certainly"

Lin Zhichao was very happy immediately, and invited Smith to the office area opened on the side of the factory.The area of ​​this one-story factory building is 30000 square feet (3333 square meters), which is considered a large factory in Hong Kong.

As far as Lin Zhichao knows, Smith is a very large zipper businessman. He not only supplies part of the zipper share of the US military in Asia, but also acts as an agent for zipper sales in the United States.

Therefore, Lin Zhichao attaches great importance to Smith's cooperation.

In the office, Smith really said: "Mr. Lin, I know that your cost has been greatly reduced, so I plan to increase my order from you, not less than 5 meters of zippers per month."

Lin Zhichao's heart skipped a beat. A new type of zipper rice rowing machine can discharge 1000 meters of rice (5000~6000 pieces) per day. As soon as Smith made a move, he provided the production capacity of the two machines, and has become the VIP center of Changjiang Industrial. p.

At the same time, Japanese zipper agents and Southeast Asian zipper agents have increased the number of orders placed, and the business of the five automatic zipper machines that have just joined has reached [-]-[-]%.

The Southeast Asian zipper agent added orders because the unit price given by Cheung Kong was lowered again, and Cheung Kong only earned them 1 Hong Kong dollar per meter.With the reduction in unit price, there is naturally no room for handmade zipper products in Southeast Asia, but the supply of zippers in Southeast Asia is still produced by old-fashioned machines.

The RB zipper agent placed additional orders because Cheung Kong provided new machine products, and the price began to drop. Cheung Kong only earned 0.8 Hong Kong dollars per meter.

The old machine can produce 20 meters a year, and the new machine can produce 36 meters a year. At present, the annual output of Changjiang Industrial has reached 300 million meters; there are also five new rice row machines, which are expected to be delivered in March. The output value will reach 3 million meters.Of course, this is an ideal situation, it doesn't matter if there are so many orders.

"No problem! Aluminum alloy zippers will give you 70 cents per meter, and copper zippers will give you 95 cents per meter. We guarantee you the best price, and we don't make much money."

Gross profit is around 30%, which does not include the value of machines and workshops, only the selling price of the zipper itself minus the cost price.For example, assuming that Cheung Kong produced 1949 million meters of zippers in 400, the gross profit would reach about 350 million Hong Kong dollars.

This output is not high. In the late 50s, the total output of YKK zippers in the previous life was already 4 million meters, which is around the world.

Smith heard the words, looked at Lin Zhichao's expression, and knew that the price did not come and go.Because it was like this last time, the young man's offer was a 'no second price', neither counter-offering.The reason why he is so 'cow' is very simple, the zipper is the cheapest in the world, and the quality is at the first-class level.

"There is no problem with this price, but my zippers must be produced by new machines. The material is aluminum alloy produced in the United States. Of course, if you can also develop the same aluminum alloy yourself, I will admit it." After finishing speaking, Smith smiled. stand up.

It was a joke behind, he did not believe that Lin Zhichao could invest in aluminum alloy smelting in Hong Kong.

Lin Zhichao responded: "Of course there is no problem! By the way, Mr. Smith, I invested in a factory in Singapore, and I may ship from there in the future." Get a vaccination in advance to avoid being abandoned in the future.

In fact, during the peninsula war, Hong Kong products could also export eagle sauce, but there must be complicated procedures and difficulties.Importantly, the raw materials will definitely not be imported, so the zipper company in Singapore will come in handy.

"Hey, Mr. Lin is expanding so fast!" Smith said seriously.

The rapid development of this young man is incredible.

After a few words of humility, the two were ready to sign a formal supply contract.

After getting Smith's order, Cheung Kong needs to export a large number of zippers to the European and American markets.

Lin Zhichao's idea is to send people directly to find the market.

Of course, he will not go to Europe and the United States to sell in person. Recently, because there are many people from the mainland who have sought refuge in Hong Kong, Cheung Kong has really recruited a lot of talents.

The so-called talents are nothing more than those who have read books, know English, or even studied abroad. They are talents in this era.Especially knowing English is enough for a person to find a job with a monthly salary of hundreds of dollars.

at the same time.

The YKK zipper far away in RB encountered troubles and managed to own four automatic zipper machines. As a result, the orders were not full and the price was suppressed.

At cost:
The cost of one meter of Cheung Kong’s aluminum alloy zipper is less than 2 Hong Kong dollars (0.4 Hong Kong dollars per piece), while the cost of YKK zippers is as high as 3 Hong Kong dollars (0.6 Hong Kong dollars per meter), because Cheung Kong has adopted a new type of automatic zipper machine, and the purchase of raw materials is due to large quantities, The tax is low, so it looks cheap, even the labor is a little cheaper.

But now Cheung Kong only earns 1.6 cents, and its RB agents also sell at a low price in order to stabilize their own market, so YKK has no choice but to lower the price and barely maintain the same price.

But in this way, the profit will be low, and it will be impossible for Tadao Yoshida to grow rapidly.

Calculated by mass:
The zippers supplied by Cheung Kong to Japan all adopt new automatic rice arranging machines and slider automatic punching machines, which are higher than YKK zippers.

Therefore, in the Japanese market, Hong Kong's zippers are winning, occupying half of the country.

Tadao Yoshida knows that changes must be made, otherwise Hong Kong's zipper development will get better and better, and it will be more and more difficult for him to survive.

He immediately found Hitachi Machinery Factory to seek cooperation, because he knew that Hong Kong Cheung Kong Industrial had already adopted a new type of automatic rice arranging machine and automatic punching machine for sliders.

Finally, the president of Hitachi Machinery Factory inspected YKK zippers, but the results were not satisfactory.

"President Yoshida, you want to improve this machine or develop and produce an automatic punching machine for sliders, but you don't have specific direction and experience to give us now, obviously it won't work, after all, we are not familiar with this machine. And, as you said, Hong Kong already uses new machines, and I doubt you will be able to pay back if we spend a lot of money on research and development. So, you need to prove yourself first, and then seek cooperation between us.”

Tadao Yoshida also knows that he is too urgent, whether it is from the market or technology, he is not ready.

However, he was indeed too impatient, feeling as if he had been passively chasing others.He had a feeling that the person in Hong Kong seemed to have insight into his own ideas, and then realized them one step ahead.

You know, he was impressed by the products of American zipper merchants in 1947, and later wanted to use an automatic rice row machine, but he did not expect to be led by Hong Kong people.

"President Matsushima, can you ask Hitachi Machinery Factory to send two excellent mechanical R&D engineers to conduct research on this automatic rice arranging machine first. After all, our small RB empire does not have this kind of machine, which is a blank. Hong Kong's industry is There is no advantage, once we can build a better machine, then YKK zipper will become the world's zipper giant, and I am willing to hand over all the machinery to you for production."

In terms of writing empty promises, Tadao Yoshida does not belong to a modern person.

But Matsushima still said: "I'll think about it when I go back. In short, I still hope you don't worry and prepare more time."

Tadao Yoshida had no choice but to watch Matsushima leave.

He is now in a predicament: the price of zippers can only be made at a small profit, and the order line is not full; he is worried that Hong Kong zipper manufacturers will make a surprise move and completely suppress the Japanese zipper industry.

Especially one step behind, then step by step, so YKK Zipper must also come up with a new type of machine as soon as possible.

In fact, Tadao Yoshida feels that there is no hope of producing a new machine within a year, and it may not be possible within two years.After all, RB has never survived an automatic zipper machine, and everything needs to be started from scratch.

"I will not give up!" In the end, Tadao Yoshida showed a determined look.

"My situation at this time is much better than that of the manual period, so why admit defeat!" Although the orders for the four machines are not satisfied, they are really making money.

"Let Hong Kong's Cheung Kong take the lead for two years, and YKK Zipper will have the last laugh." He still firmly believes that Hong Kong's industrial development is far less potential than RB.

Tsuen Wan.

'Nanhai Textiles' founded by Tong Bingyuan is located in Tsuen Wan, along with Cheung Kong Industrial and Oriental Textiles on Castle Peak Road. They are the first large-scale factories in Hong Kong to settle in Tsuen Wan after World War II.

Tang Zhongyuan came to Nanhai Textile with his wife Song Qiaoling, but when he saw two factory buildings standing tall, he couldn't help but lament his cousin Tang Bingyuan's wealth.

As a matter of fact, Tang Bingyuan brought 80 skilled workers from Shanghai to Hong Kong last year, which is not comparable to Tang Zhongyuan in terms of strength; you must know that when Tang Zhongyuan returned to Shanghai, he finally hired more than 30 skilled workers.

"Recently, our family lives here. Although it is remote, the Nanhai Textile Factory is large enough to work conveniently and live well." Tang Bingyuan introduced with a smile.

Tang Zhongyuan nodded, and said, "The factory is magnificent!"

Tang Bingyuan said: "Your new factory is impressive enough, and it will be completed in the second half of the year. Don't be envious!"

He has long let go of his concern about his cousin's smooth career development, no matter what, they are all a family.

At this time, Wen Jinmei had the heart of comparison, and said immediately: "It's hard to get orders now. Your cousin is worried about this matter every day, and finally opened up the situation. We now have a monthly production of more than 10 pounds of cotton yarn and 20 square meters of cotton cloth." code."

Dili Bala talked for a while, praising Tang Bingyuan's ability, and won a large number of orders, the scale of which was [-]% higher than that of Dongfang Textile.

Tang Bingyuan is really powerful. When he was in the mainland, he was already a member of the National Supreme Economic Council. His connections are in Europe and the United States, so it is only natural that Nanhai Textile has such achievements.

After Wen Jinmei finished speaking, she still didn't forget to look at Song Qiaoling. The two daughter-in-laws of the Tang family naturally had to compare each other; of course, the two were also in the same social circle, and their relationship was not bad. Wen Jinmei was a little upset.

Song Qiaoling said with a smile, "We are happy together! We Dongfang Textile have doubled their orders recently, and the current factory is too busy. We are looking forward to the completion of the new factory so we can move in!"

As soon as the words fell, even Tang Bingyuan looked at his cousin Tang Zhongyuan curiously.

"Cheung Kong has invested in five new automatic zipper machines, one of which is equal to the previous two. In addition, their orders are increasing rapidly, so the demand for textile fabrics is also increasing. Especially the orders from Europe and the United States have high requirements for textile fabrics. Fortunately, my son-in-law reminded me half a year ago, otherwise Dongfang Textile might have missed the opportunity."

Tang Bingyuan and Wen Jinmei were immediately shocked. Of course, they were not shocked by Dongfang Textile, but they were shocked by the rapid development of Cheung Kong Industrial. The one-time production capacity more than doubled, and the order doubled immediately. Isn't it earning millions of Hong Kong dollars a year?

In fact, these people have underestimated the amount of textile fabric that Changjiang Industrial needs. After all, although the piece of textile fabric for the zipper is small, it cannot hold up to a large quantity.Because of this, YKK Zipper in the previous life opened its own textile factory, smelted copper, smelted aluminum alloy by itself, and developed nylon by itself, forming a one-stop industrial chain.

To put it bluntly, Tang Zhongyuan has no problem becoming one of the top five textile companies in Hong Kong thanks to Cheung Kong.If he works harder, there is a good chance that all the top three may form a large group of 'spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing'.

As for the garment industry, it is currently a cooperation between the two parties (still in preparation).

Wen Jinmei asked in shock: "Cheung Kong is developing so fast?"

Song Qiaoling said proudly: "What is this? Their zipper products are better in quality and cheaper than those in Europe and America, and they will deliver several machines this year. Once they enter the European and American markets, the output will have to increase. So, we are now I can’t wait for the new factory to be built and put into production soon.”

Damn, being overwhelmed by this woman again, Wen Jinmei said in her heart.

Tang Bingyuan patted Tang Zhongyuan on the shoulder happily, and said: "Okay, our two brothers will see each other, and we can create new glory for the Tang family in Hong Kong."

Tang Zhongyuan nodded with a smile, and said, "That's right! I just don't know, will brother Zengyuan come to Hong Kong?"

Tang Zengyuan is also a textile tycoon in the south of the Yangtze River. His grandfather is the brother of Tang Bingyuan and Tang Zhongyuan, which is equivalent to the same person as the grandfather of Yuan's children, that is, Tang's cloth shop in Piling.

"I don't know what he means, but I guess he sent Xiangqian to Hong Kong, and he stayed in the mainland. Our Tang Corporation also has to keep people in the mainland. If the situation in the mainland gets better and clearer, we still have to go back after all. " Tang Bingyuan looked north.

His psychology is the psychology of many rich people in Hong Kong.

Only it wasn't Tang Zhongyuan's psychology, he was overwhelmed by what his son-in-law said.

"Alright, if Xiangqian comes to Hong Kong, he can also do something in the textile industry, and the Three Banners of the Tang Clan will surely reproduce the glory of the famous Piling family."

Tang Bingyuan and Wen Jinmei couldn't help sighing that this cousin has changed, becoming ambitious and confident.In the past, there was no way for their lineage to speak. Only Tang Bingyuan and Tang Zengyuan of the Piling Tang family could be regarded as "qualified to speak".

All of this is due to his 21-year-old son-in-law!

(End of this chapter)