Rebirth 99 to become a car giant.

Chapter 604 Strike Wave, Opportunities for Nanshan Robots

Chapter 604 Strike Wave, Opportunities for Nanshan Robots
The development history of Nanshan Group for so many years has proved the correctness of Cao Yang's decisions.

At the beginning, the people below still had many questions about Cao Yang's various strange decisions.

But with success after success, everyone has become more and more confident in Cao Yang's decision.

Even if it is some content that is difficult for everyone to accept temporarily, they often just raise some questions and ultimately implement it very seriously.

This is how Cao Yang arranged the development of three hardcore SUV models this time.

Although Zeng Tingting and others feel that the market for hard-core SUVs is too small, it is not worth investing so much manpower and material resources.

But Cao Yang insisted, and everyone immediately started taking action.

However, model development is definitely not a matter of one or two days, and other work must still be carried out as usual.

During this period, a piece of news on Autohome once again aroused Cao Yang's interest.

"Mi Ying, please arrange for someone to sort out this information about the strike at Nanhai Honda and see how it goes."

"Then let the Human Resources Department investigate and see what strikes have occurred among various parts suppliers in the automobile industry since last year."

Early in the morning, Mi Ying went to Cao Yang to sort out some relevant news as usual.

Originally, Mi Ying had no intention of including the news about a parts manufacturer's strike.

However, considering that this supplier was in Lingnan Province and was an affiliated manufacturer of Yangcheng Honda, she still sorted it out.

Unexpectedly, Cao Yang had no questions about other news. This news, which seemed inconspicuous and had nothing to do with Nanshan Group, aroused Cao Yang's interest.

"Mr. Cao, this accurate information may be difficult to obtain."

"Strikes at various suppliers are often handled in a low-key manner."

"Situations like this one at Nanhai Honda should be relatively rare."

"Of course, this may also have something to do with the size of each supplier."

"Strikes by large manufacturers are easier to attract everyone's attention, but for smaller manufacturers, no one pays special attention."

Although this job can be left to the human resources department, Mi Ying feels that the human resources department may not be able to handle it.

After all, there is a lot of information that you simply can’t find a channel to inquire about.

However, Cao Yang obviously didn't see it that way.

"Each OEM's procurement department must know very well which of its suppliers have gone on strike in the past year."

"If the HR department can't figure it out, let the sales department help. They have connections with so many OEMs, and you can still get a lot of information by asking around."

Cao Yang wasn't really that gossipy, but he thought of other things from the strike.

Even something beneficial to Nanshan Group.

"That's true. I'll tell Minister Zeng and Minister Liu and let them try it together to see if they can compile a more complete list."

For a company as big as Nanshan Group, everything must be planned slowly and predictably.

Taking this opportunity, Cao Yang wants to form an internal think tank team to analyze some situations of industry development and then give relevant opinions.

Soon, after arranging people to investigate the strike, Cao Yang called Li Shigui from Nanshan Robot to his office.

"Mr. Li, has there been any change in our robot sales this year?"

Although the size of Nanshan Robot is not very large in the entire group, Cao Yang takes it very seriously.

Whether it is Nanshan Group's own factories or suppliers, they all need to use a large number of robots.

This is definitely a sunrise industry and is worth investing in.

"Sales have increased by almost [-]% compared to the same period last year, but the number of new customers we have has increased a lot."

“Especially in recent months, there have been many more manufacturers inquiring about purchasing robots, and customers come here for on-site inspections almost every day.”

"Our sales team is almost like a trapeze artist, traveling every week."

"Mr. Cao, I feel that the robot business is expected to see a wave of rapid growth."

Obviously, Li Shigui has also felt some changes in the robot industry.

China's economy has been developing rapidly for decades. Previously, it had relied on the advantage of relatively low labor costs to develop many foreign trade processing industries.

But in the past ten years, workers' wages have also begun to rise continuously.

Even local governments are consciously guiding companies to appropriately improve employee remuneration and improve everyone's spending power.

This is naturally a good thing.

However, for enterprises, labor costs have become higher.

Combined with the rapid economic development in the past two years, especially the rapid growth of the automobile industry, almost all OEMs and parts companies are expanding production.

Accordingly, the recruitment of on-site workers began to become more difficult.

For example, even if you offer a relatively high salary for a skilled welder, you may not be able to recruit one in a short time.

Even some factories with relatively remote locations and mediocre wages have begun to find themselves unable to find enough employees.

Correspondingly, workers’ awareness of rights protection is also increasing.

Start learning to get more benefits for yourself.

Against this background, strikes in the auto parts industry are obviously increasing.

"Your feeling is correct. The next five years will be a period of rapid development for the robotics industry."

"Especially in the manufacturing industry represented by the auto parts industry, many processes were completed manually in the past, and the degree of automation was not very high."

“But as labor costs increase, companies are increasingly motivated to promote equipment automation.”

"Today I saw the news about the strike by Yangcheng Honda's core suppliers. I think this will be a relatively representative event in the automobile industry."

"In the future, on the one hand, due to the continuous improvement of workers' treatment, and on the other hand, because the recruitment of skilled workers has become difficult, everyone will consider using robots to replace labor as much as possible."

"For example, for various stamping parts suppliers, most of the welding used to be manual welding, and the proportion of robots used was not very high."

"In the future, as long as robots can be used, there will be opportunities to replace them with robots."

"Among various stamping manufacturers, TDM production lines will slowly undergo automated transformation."

"By adding one or two robots between two TDM equipment, automated transformation can be achieved."

"Even in the field of logistics and warehousing, there is still room for automation transformation."

"We at Nanshan Robot should seize this opportunity to promote various automation solutions with various auto parts companies."

"Whether it is our Nanshan Group's own suppliers or other suppliers in the industry."

"Nanshan Robot's sales team can be further expanded to take the initiative and win more orders."

"I hope that Nanshan Robot's sales can directly achieve the goal of doubling this year."

When Cao Yang said this, Li Shigui immediately became stressed.

He is confident that he can increase sales by [-]%.

But if it is doubled, it will be very challenging.

However, what Cao Yang said is also very reasonable. The best time for robots to enter the workshop has arrived.

The days when you could hire a worker for less than 1000 yuan are gone forever.

There are fewer and fewer workers like those who were obedient and worked hard without complaining.

Even people would rather serve dishes in a restaurant than enter a factory.

In this case, aren’t robots much easier to use than people?

Not only is it easy to use, but if you calculate the cost, the robot is actually cheaper.

"Mr. Cao, I want to unite the purchasing departments of various OEMs to develop a joint cost reduction plan to sell our robots to various parts companies."

"If we go directly to parts manufacturers ourselves, some manufacturers may not necessarily have the motivation to transform, and even have a condescending attitude."

"After all, we are Party B, and they are Party A."

"But if we can unite with the main engine manufacturers to hold a larger event, invite personnel from the purchasing and sales departments of various stamping parts and other manufacturers that have a relatively large demand for robots to participate in the event."

"For OEM procurement, if this activity can truly reduce their supplier costs and thereby contribute to annual price reductions, there should be some motivation."

"However, there may be some OEMs that need help from Mr. Cao or Minister Zeng to contact and communicate, and the effect will be better."

Li Shigui is also somewhat capable, otherwise Cao Yang would not have let him be in charge of Nanshan Robot.

Now that Cao Yang has put forward the task of doubling sales this year, he quickly has an idea.

There are so many domestic parts suppliers, and many manufacturers of Nanshan Robots don’t even have contact information, but they are likely to have relevant needs.

If you don't take the initiative to find the other party, then it is very likely that they will find other manufacturers to buy.

At this time, it is obviously a very good plan to use the OEM to match up.

For OEMs, this kind of automation transformation exhibition or implementation plan can actually reduce the cost of parts, which is definitely a good thing.

Moreover, this kind of automation transformation is in line with the trend and can be reported as political achievements.

As for parts suppliers, although not every manufacturer is willing to accept such changes or transformations.

After all, the competition for parts and components has not yet reached a fever pitch, and most manufacturers are still making good profits.

Some people will be too lazy to bother.

But if the OEMs come forward to promote procurement, they will have to deal with it seriously.

Since these plans can indeed reduce their costs in the end, they have no way to oppose them.

Even the bosses of these manufacturers must be happy.

As for whether the person doing the work is happy or not, that's not that important.

Cao Yang was naturally aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the plan mentioned by Li Shigui.

So I agreed immediately.

"For independent brand OEMs, I can directly call their bosses."

"On the joint venture side, I will be responsible for communication for some, and for others you ask Zeng Tingting to go to the other party's purchasing director."

"But before that, you have to come up with a technology exhibition plan as soon as possible." "When we explain it to the other party, we should also show some specific cases and cost reduction effects."

"Everyone must be fully aware that this automation transformation is beneficial to both suppliers and OEMs."

Taking advantage of this round of strikes, Cao Yang feels that all OEMs and parts suppliers will be under pressure for automation transformation.

Nanshan Robot has many cases in this area. If you sort it out carefully, this technology exhibition is still very promising.

At that time, we will go to one or two OEMs every week for demonstrations, and the goal of doubling sales may not be difficult to achieve at all.

"No problem, give me a week and we will immediately come up with a plan that can be implemented directly."

Li Shigui is not a nagging person. Cao Yang has already built the bridge for him. If he still fails to live up to his expectations, he may not be able to keep the position under his butt.

……

"Xiao Lu, this supplier strike has caused our production line to stop production for two days."

"This situation must be avoided as much as possible in the future."

Unlike Cao Yang and others who were watching the excitement, Yangcheng Honda itself was extremely busy due to the supplier strike.

Today's market conditions are very good. Whether it is the Accord, Odyssey, or their Fit, they are all selling very well.

Although it didn't go as far as selling cars at a higher price, it was actually a very good situation to be able to sell all the cars with almost no discounts.

But just at this time, the supplier went on strike and parts were not available, causing the production line to stop production.

This is a huge loss every day.

Even if the annual sales in the future do not meet expectations, the purchasing department will still have to bear the responsibility.

Because sales people will say that there is no way to ensure the supply of parts through procurement, and there is no way to produce enough cars, so sales are not up to standard.

Li Huarong definitely didn't want to see this situation.

Forget everything that has happened now, just find a way to solve it as soon as possible.

Other manufacturers will definitely draw inferences from one example in the future and avoid this situation as much as possible.

Otherwise, his life will be more difficult in the future.

After all, no one wants to receive a call suddenly in the middle of the night saying that the production line has stopped production because the supplier is on strike and parts are not available.

Unlike other industries, the automotive industry has a long industrial chain, and OEMs themselves do not have much parts inventory.

Even some large parts such as seats are basically delivered a little ahead of time on the same day.

As long as the supplier stops production, the OEM's production line will immediately have to stop production.

The key is that the impact goes beyond that.

After a parts supplier stops production and causes the OEM to stop production, the production of all other suppliers may be affected.

After all, the production line has stopped, so we can't let other suppliers continue to send parts, right?

"We have communicated with each supplier to determine the labor dispute situation of each manufacturer, so that if there are signs of labor disputes, everyone needs to report to us as soon as possible."

"In the future, we will also conduct some training on how to deal with labor disputes to reduce risks in this area as much as possible."

Lu Xiangyang is now the deputy section chief of the parts procurement department. Although supply issues are not theoretically his responsibility, all supplier appointments are the responsibility of his department.

So when something goes wrong in the end, they definitely need to participate together.

How to solve this problem from the source has become a topic they have been discussing these days.

"Today's workers are becoming more and more difficult to manage and they have more and more ideas."

"It is difficult to completely solve this problem through training and prevention alone."

"The best thing is to reduce this risk at the root."

When Li Huarong said this, Lu Xiangyang immediately realized something else.

The two of them were familiar with each other, so he asked directly: "Minister, do you have any suggestions?"

When you don't know what to do, just follow the leader's instructions.

When you are not sure whether the leader has other ideas, it is best to make sure before proceeding.

Avoid doing too much and making too many mistakes.

"People are difficult to manage, so use as few people as possible."

“Wherever you can use robots, don’t use people.”

"Especially in the stamping factories you were responsible for before, many stamping and welding processes can be done using robots."

"Although some manufacturers have been expanding the proportion of robots used before, it is not enough."

"In the past, the price of robots was relatively high, and using manual labor was more cost-effective. We couldn't force others to carry out automation transformation."

"But now labor costs are constantly rising, and there is also the risk of labor disputes, while the price of robots is constantly falling."

"Replacing labor with robots can already reduce costs, and is even in line with the development strategy of Yangcheng Automobile Group."

"Nanshan Robotics is going to unite with various OEMs to hold a technology exhibition and solution recommendation meeting for robot cost reduction. You can arrange for people to connect with each other, and then invite the procurement, sales, and production-related personnel of the major suppliers to attend."

"Regardless of whether each manufacturer ultimately expands the proportion of robots used, at least they must report the results of the review to us."

Li Huarong's dealings with Nanshan Group have not lasted more than a day or two.

Although the business overlap between Yangcheng Honda and Nanshan Group is not that great, there is a lot of cooperation between Yangcheng Automobile Group and Nanshan Group.

Therefore, he must fully support the Nanshan Group's contact.

Fortunately, this matter is indeed a good thing for Yangcheng Honda, so Li Huarong doesn't have any pressure.

He even plans to treat this project as the key project of the purchasing department this year, and it should be able to produce a lot of results by then.

"No problem, I will communicate with Nanshan Robot now to see their specific exhibition plan, and then determine the time for the exhibition in our company."

"At that time, we will invite suppliers from around Yangcheng so that everyone can fully learn about the automation transformation plan."

“Especially in the automation of welding and stamping, there should still be a lot of work that can be done.”

At this time, Lu Xiangyang naturally had to implement Li Huarong's instructions to the letter.

Fortunately, Li Huarong is relatively familiar with a group of manufacturers that he has been responsible for. He knows that if this project continues, there will definitely be some results, but there is no need to worry about not being able to pay the deadline.

The projects that the leaders require to be focused on must be carried out well and produce some tangible results.

There is some movement at Yangcheng Honda, and other car companies such as Yangcheng Trumpchi have naturally taken action.

Even the feedback from all aspects was better than Cao Yang thought.

After all, replacing labor with robots can not only reduce the risk of labor disputes and costs, but also improve production efficiency.

In the current situation where the products of various OEMs are in short supply, it is definitely a very popular thing.

However, the Nanshan robot moved so fast that its competitors were frustrated.

"Minister Kawashima, Nanshan Robot is working with various OEMs in China to promote their robots. I think FANUC cannot lag behind in this kind of work."

"Otherwise, the entire Chinese market will really have no chance with us."

Nagamasa Yoshida was the sales director of Fanuc China that year, but due to poor performance, he was transferred back to the headquarters and became an ordinary employee.

However, he has never stopped paying attention to the Chinese robot market.

He naturally noticed the Nanshan robot making such a big noise.

So I immediately found Yutaka Kawashima, the head of the sales department at FANUC headquarters, to report.

Today, FANUC still has branches and factories in China.

However, the business has been growing slowly, and most orders rely on Japanese manufacturers.

Even some Japanese manufacturers’ factories in China have begun to use Nanshan Robot products.

This made Yoshida Nagamasa very anxious.

The greater the difference in everyone's output, the greater the cost difference will be.

It will be even harder to catch up then.

"Nanshan Group has a very close cooperative relationship with various OEMs in China. They not only cooperate on robots, but also on auto parts."

"We want to go to a Chinese OEM to hold a technology exhibition. Maybe there is a chance."

"But if the procurement departments of the OEMs cooperate in inviting their suppliers to participate, I'm afraid they may not be able to get everyone's support."

"Instead of spending so much manpower and material resources on this kind of illusory propaganda, it is better to visit customers one by one to show our sincerity."

"For manufacturers who are willing to cooperate with us, we can also consider inviting them to the Japanese headquarters for inspection."

There are not many cards that Yutaka Kawashima can play.

It's not like he can't carry out such large-scale propaganda operations.

But he was worried that there would be no way to end it after doing it.

It would be ugly to spend a lot of money but not get a few orders back.

The company doesn't belong to him anyway, so it's better not to make such big moves.

It is more reliable to do more things that you are sure of.

After all, if you do less, you will make fewer mistakes.

Doing something unconventional may be a great achievement, but it may also be a big pitfall.

Yutaka Kawashima now wants to retire peacefully and does not want to make trouble.

Yoshida Nagamasa was also helpless when he saw his minister's attitude.

The Chinese market seems to have nothing to do with FANUC at all.