The Industrial Giant Reborn.

Chapter 471: Conspiracy for the British Automobile Industry
"Eric, please sit down." The Iron Lady was also very polite and said with a smile: "Your achievements in Hong Kong are the most successful businessmen in all the British Commonwealth. There is no one like you. There is no one like you in Hong Kong." What a blessing.”

Although the British government also wants to protect the interests of British businessmen, with the obvious decline of the Empire on which the sun never sets after World War II, neither the British government nor British capital can control so many members of the Commonwealth. In order to maintain stability, they can only Give everyone fair and equitable commercial and trade principles to stabilize the situation. However, British merchants themselves are very ordinary. They relied entirely on the shadow of their ancestors. Before the 70s, they could still have some ability in the colonies and some Commonwealth areas, but This will not work if local companies develop later.

Thatcher also knew about the situation in Hong Kong. British capital, representing the Jardine Matheson Group, was fully acquired by Chinese capital. It was indeed a slap in the face to all British capital. However, the rules had been set and could not be changed. They were legally It is difficult for the government to interfere in commercial acquisitions. Furthermore, the mainland is right next door and they cannot interfere. In addition, Chen Zhiwen has now become very famous in the world. The British government cannot do it for those few people in Hong Kong. A small British-owned company has done something that makes governments around the world laugh.

But if you can't suppress it, then win over it. Not to mention making people completely turn to your side, it would be good to attract some investment to the British mainland. The current British economy itself is very poor, with the decline of British business and two oil crises. , the huge consumption caused by the Falklands War, and serious internal unemployment are all very serious, and foreign investment is urgently needed.

"Thank you." Chen Zhiwen said after sitting down.

"Eric, is this your first time in the UK?" Thatcher asked.As Prime Minister, he naturally knows everyone's entry and exit records.

"Yes, this is my first time here." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said. His industry has nothing to do with Britain and Mauritius. At most, he regards this place as a market.

"We also have many places suitable for fun in the UK. You can take your family and friends to have a good time." Thatcher said with a smile: "But my grandson used to like to go out to play, but since this time he has played with your beautiful After the company launched the Mario game, I like to stay at home every day.”

"Although games are fun, you can't play them every day. Madam Prime Minister still has to pay attention to them, otherwise it will affect your children's future." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.

"I know too, but unfortunately I'm too busy and can't care too much." Thatcher said: "I've played it a few times, and I have to say, it's really fun. I heard that Mario's game card , has sold over [-] million copies worldwide?”

"Yes, Madam Prime Minister, since it was released before Christmas last year, it has exceeded 1000 million today." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said.

Mario's success today is much more successful than Mario's in history. The first is the game itself, which has gone through Chen Zhiwen's strict requirements and a stronger R&D team.

In terms of the market, the previous arcade machines have been warmed up. Even if many people are reluctant to spend money to play arcade machines, they have already seen it and know about the game. Therefore, when it is released, there is no need to advertise what the game is, and only need to spend money to play it. Qian publicly announced on NBC that he was preparing for a Christmas sale.As for Midea's Famicom, in terms of market size, after the efforts of several previous games, its market share is already very high.

Last year's Christmas release was a huge hit even if it sold for as high as $80. 420 million copies were sold in one Christmas. This figure is actually not too outrageous. After all, before Atari's collapse, "ET Outside" was released. "Starman" game cards also sold almost 400 million.

In terms of reputation, one relies on movies and the other relies on the arcade machine released earlier. It can be said that the popularity is half the same. In terms of quality, "ET Alien" is a complete electronic industry waste, but "Super Mario" is It is a classic game with great playability.

After the Christmas carnival, the sales of game cards tended to be normal, but in the global market there were still 200 million copies sold in one month, and today, there are 1000 million copies.

"I admire you. It's amazing that you can sell a product to so many families." Thatcher couldn't help but sigh with emotion. This is indeed a real level. Even an ordinary toy can be sold in a few months. With tens of millions, one can become the overlord of one enterprise.

"The game market can be said to be emerging. Before Midea entered the game industry, there were few competitors in the world. Now we are considered a monopoly, so we naturally have sales." Chen Zhiwen said lightly, in front of Europeans and Americans, You cannot be humble. If you are humble, people will think you have no strength.Of course, with Chen Zhiwen's current situation, there is no need to consider this, but he must have come to the UK to discuss business, so naturally he has to show that he is capable.

"We in the UK are also very interested in the rise of the electronics industry. There are several professional electronics companies and companies that produce computers in the UK. However, they are still blank in the gaming field. I wonder if Midea can invest in a branch in the UK?" Thatcher asked straight to the point.

"Of course, I can arrange to build a game research and development center in the UK." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.In fact, it doesn’t matter where the R&D center is built, as long as there are enough local IT talents. In terms of scale and quantity, the number of IT people in the UK is far less than that of the United States, but it is enough for Midea, and Midea originally has a large scale Plans to build R&D centers around the world.The reason is very simple, because several of Midea's previous hit games were all created by Chen Zhiwen. As time goes by, even if Chen Zhiwen can provide some creative ideas later, a normal company still has to have its own R&D capabilities. , but the emergence of a hit game is inevitable + accidental coincidence, it must be a lot of investment, accidental is luck, etc.

As of today, Midea has no shortage of funds. The Mario game cards in recent months alone have brought in net profits of at least US$3 million. The amount that can be earned in the future will be more than ten times this amount. Therefore, large-scale Expanding the R&D team and allowing the entire company to have self-generating capabilities is currently the top priority. At the same time, a large number of game R&D teams are also preparing for computer games and future Internet games.

Another point is that another strategy of Midea is to monopolize the game console hardware. Relying on Mario, it is almost invincible during this period. Sales of the hardware and red and white consoles have also increased significantly. However, no matter how fun Mario is, it can only be popular for a while. , if you want long-term development, you still have to rely on the previous three-party game development plan and ensure the monopoly of hardware by providing high profits and a stable market.

After all, even in the era of Internet monopoly in later generations, no game company has ever been able to monopolize games. Only platforms can. However, the current model of Midea is also a bit different. It can only be said to be imitation. But if it succeeds, before the rise of the Internet, Basically, you can maintain your dominance.

By building R&D centers in many places around the world, not only can we monopolize our own products, but we can also connect with local third-party companies, which is a double-edged sword.

"Is it just an R&D center? Can factory production be moved to the UK?" Thatcher asked.

"Madam Prime Minister, this is impossible. Labor costs in the UK are too high, and the electronics industry requires a lot of night shifts. Do you think people here in the UK can endure this kind of hardship?" Chen Zhiwen shook his head quickly.

Those who work in politics are smart and smart, but they always ask stupid questions. In later generations, when Steve Jobs was still alive, President O'Hei asked Steve Jobs during an interview together why Apple's factories can't be moved to the United States. ?

This is the answer that individuals should know, and these politicians insist on asking.But it's also possible that it's just zz's needs.

"Not every place in the UK is rich. In some remote places, labor costs are not high. Moreover, there are currently many people in the UK who are unemployed. They shouldn't care. Moreover, the electronics industry is not all low-end. Right?" Thatcher asked again.

"When I really move here, they will care." Chen Zhiwen shook his head and said: "Madam Prime Minister, I think we should talk about more practical cooperation content? It is impossible for Western developed countries to become the electronics industry. Manufacturing base.”

When a place gets used to the high income brought by the financial and service industries, it is impossible to go back. If it can maintain high-end manufacturing, it will be the type of Germany and Japan. If it cannot maintain it, that will be the current situation in the UK and the future generations. In the mainland, after the 20s, low-end manufacturing could only go to Southeast Asia. Everyone knows that low-end manufacturing can solve employment problems, but in fact, in about 15 years, some textile factories that did not leave could not recruit people at all.

Of course, wage changes are also one of the reasons. In some industries, it can only pay low wages, otherwise other countries will take away orders and it will die.

"Then do you think there is any suitable cooperation?" Thatcher was also a little disappointed. He actually knew that this was unlikely, but he still needed to ask. This is the norm when meeting big entrepreneurs and inviting others to their country. invest.

Chen Zhiwen said: "In fact, not only the United Kingdom, but also developed countries such as Western Europe, Northern Europe, the United States, and Japan, if they want to maintain their manufacturing industry, they can only choose high-end manufacturing, such as chips in the electronics industry and various manufacturing industries. High-end equipment, the pharmaceutical industry in the medical industry, or the aviation and automobile industries are the only industries that don't care too much about high local wages.

This time I came to the UK because I actually wanted to invest in the British automobile industry. "

(End of this chapter)