Rebirth 99 to become a car giant.

Chapter 745 Another invisible champion? Fuck you! The field of special steel continues to rise

In Cao Yang's view, an important reason why the French GTT company can occupy such a large market share is that the upstream and downstream players of the entire LNG industry are players from Western European and American countries.

For example, oil and gas companies such as Shell and Total, shipping companies such as Maersk and CMA CGM, and classification societies such as DNV and BV.

When both upstream and downstream are European and American companies, as a French company, GTT's technology is naturally more likely to be recognized.

But now that China is engaged in LNG, it must first satisfy its own needs.

As China's economy continues to develop rapidly and its focus on clean energy increases, domestic demand for LNG ships is definitely rising.

At that time, we can form a new supply chain with relevant domestic companies.

Of course, this cannot be concluded today. We will definitely need to communicate with the relevant companies later.

As a subsidiary company of CSSC, Wenchong Shipyard would ask the headquarters to help coordinate in the worst case. Coupled with the influence of Nanshan Group, Cao Yang felt that the matter was not that difficult.

"Mr. Cao, in order to better promote the research and development of Invar Steel and the construction of deeply localized LNG ships, can we both consider jointly holding a signing ceremony for a cooperation agreement to let the outside world know our efforts in this area?"

"For some niche special steels, the threshold is not low, but the dosage is not very large."

In the field of relatively scarce materials and parts supply, the positions of Party A and Party B are sometimes reversed.

"In this case, some potential customers may take the initiative to contact us, and it will also allow us to achieve better results when communicating with relevant companies in the future."

If you don't understand the situation, don't guess. Cao Yang believes that Xiang Changle will definitely tell him the reason later.

Obviously, this signing ceremony is beneficial to Wenchong Shipyard.

"If Nanshan Special Steel can produce Yinwa steel, the publicity effect will be much better than pen tip steel."

The progress of the LNG ship project is moving in the direction I want.

Not long after his meeting ended, Xiang Changle already knew.

Today's visit and exchange were considered very successful, and both the guests and the host enjoyed themselves greatly.

"Ayang, I heard that you are planning to cooperate with Wenchong Shipyard to build LNG carriers. Are you responsible for researching key technologies such as Yinwa Steel?"

“We’ll have some big news for everyone for the weekend!”

Xiang Changle did not beat around the bush and went straight to the topic from the beginning.

This is not normal.

"I am also more optimistic about Yinwa Steel. Nanshan Special Steel will continue to challenge some niche special steels that are monopolized by outsiders in the future, so that our domestic manufacturers can also afford relatively cheap special steel."

But with Nanshan Special Steel to develop Yinwa Steel and develop LNG ships together, the situation is different.

When they know that Nanshan Special Steel is developing domestic Yinwa steel, they will definitely be interested, and there will be no need for Nanshan Special Steel to take the initiative to find customers.

This surprised Cao Yang.

Any piece of news can be a hot search topic.

"He is quite capable in the field of shipbuilding. Although he has now moved into a management position, I am more optimistic about him."

"Yes, I just sent Mr. Xiang and them off."

They are engaged in LNG ships, but no one knows about it yet.

"Invar steel is a special steel among special steels. The world has been monopolized by France for 40 years, and it is not even produced in the United States."

He named his relationship with Xiang Jianghui at this time, and his meaning was very obvious.

"No problem, we can arrange a signing ceremony in a few days."

"This LNG carrier should still be quite promising."

"We can even invite China Television to make a related documentary."

This matter does no harm to Nanshan Special Steel.

However, what surprised Cao Yang was that after sending Xiang Jianghui away, his teacher Xiang Changle actually called him.

Since Cao Yang is already preparing to engage in Yinwa Steel, and Xiang Changle called specifically to mention this topic, he must take it seriously.

There are already domestic shipyards capable of producing LNG ships, but Yinwa Steel is imported.

"Large companies are unwilling to spend money and energy to do it, and small companies don't have enough technology to do it."

Cao Yang naturally had no problem with Xiang Jiang Hui's proposal.

Xiang Changle obviously supports Cao Yang's cooperation with Wenchong Shipyard.

Although Cao Yang is not required to make any special concessions, there is still no problem in letting Nanshan Special Steel be more active in this project.

Xiang Jianghui was smiling and in a good mood.

Enterprises from the Nanshan Group are traffic stars in the industry.

Sure enough, Xiang Changle then said: "Xiang Jianghui from Wenchong Shipyard, he is my cousin, my dad and his dad are cousins."

Xiang Jianghui looked at Cao Yang expectantly.

Some things don’t need to be said clearly, as long as the meaning is reached.

Just like various chip companies, they are obviously suppliers to many manufacturers.

But how many Party A’s are better than Party B of the chip company?
"No problem, then it will be this Friday?"

"Enterprises with a relatively special positioning, such as Nanshan Special Steel, are very suitable to engage in this kind of technical research."

"By then, these breakthroughs alone will be able to bring back many National Science and Technology Progress Awards for Nanshan Special Steel."

"After all, these are the hidden champions in the segmented fields."

Xiang Changle also has a good eye.

An area of ​​great interest was mentioned at once.

No matter which enterprise it is, whether it is a state-owned enterprise or a private enterprise, they are definitely very interested in the National Science and Technology Progress Award.

GTT is the invisible champion in the field of Yinwa Steel. If you ignore this invisible champion, Nanshan Special Steel will take his place.

This also means that China continues to rise in the field of special steel.

The meaning behind it is still very rich.

"If relevant majors at Lingnan University of Technology are interested in participating, we can also cooperate together."

"At present, the demand for high-end R&D talents in various companies in our group has always been very strong. We also have many cooperation models with Lingnan University of Technology, which can be further expanded."

Cao Yang's words are not false. Companies have always had a relatively large demand for high-end technical talents.

There are many Chinese people, but there is never too many high-end technical talents.

Xiang Changle was naturally very happy about Cao Yang's statement.

Of course, specific cooperation projects must be discussed by the people below, and there is no need for the two of them to communicate there.

……

"Mr. Lai, I just received news that today Wenchong Shipyard and Nanshan Special Steel will sign a cooperation agreement. The two parties will jointly develop and produce LNG carriers."

"Nanshan Special Steel is mainly responsible for Yinwa Steel and related core components."

Liu Jianguo came over early in the morning and reported some bad news to Lai Liang.

As the person in charge of Baosteel Special Steel, Liu Jianguo had just communicated with Hudong Shipyard and Wenchong Shipyard about Invar Steel some time ago.

Both shipyards hope that Baosteel Special Steel can independently develop Invar steel.

However, after Liu Jianguo's inspection, he felt that the output of domestic LNG carriers was too low, and the amount of Invar Steel consumed in a year was relatively limited.

It is not cost-effective to invest a lot of manpower and material resources to research a brand-new steel material, and then need to build or modify a special production line for production. From an economic point of view, it is not cost-effective.

So he found an excuse to reject the shipyard's proposal.

Normally, this kind of thing is nothing.

Every year, he rejects many customers' suggestions for domestically produced special steel.

Including the pen tip steel some time ago, this was also the conclusion he came to after discussing with Jin Tai.

However, Wenchong Shipyard turned around and went to Nanshan Special Steel, and the other party also agreed to develop Yinwa Steel, which made Baosteel a little embarrassed.

You can find excuses once, and the same will happen the second time...

Well, I can only find reasons.

"Why has Nanshan Special Steel become so radical now?"

"Materials such as Invar steel and pen tip steel are very niche materials. That is to say, the popularity of LNG carriers has increased in the past two years, and the amount of Invar steel has only increased slightly."

"Otherwise, the annual global demand would be less than 1 tons."

Lai Liang felt a little depressed.

I'm afraid of comparison in everything. If everyone doesn't make messy things, then naturally it won't matter what's good or bad.

However, Nanshan Special Steel always wants to be special.

I don't seem to have been very lucky during this period?

As long as things related to Nanshan Special Steel are encountered, it will not be so smooth.

Would you like to find a temple to burn incense next time?

"Yes, so from an economic point of view, it is not cost-effective to invest a lot of energy in developing Yinwa Steel."

"Otherwise, this kind of special steel would not have been monopolized by the French GTT for 40 years or so, and even countries such as the United States and Japan would not be able to produce it."

"Actually, it's not that they can't make it, but it's that there's no need to make everything yourself."

"Why can't Nanshan Special Steel understand such a simple truth?"

Liu Jianguo was very depressed.

It’s uncomfortable to meet competitors who don’t play by common sense.

If everyone were like other mainstream steel plants, hello, me, everyone, how comfortable would our lives be?
"Do you think Nanshan Special Steel can produce Yinwa Steel?"

Lai Liang knew that there was absolutely no way he could stop the cooperation between Wenchong Shipyard and Nanshan Special Steel, and he had no reason to stop it.

Therefore, it is necessary to predict the development of this cooperation at this time.

"The chemical composition of Yinwa steel is not a secret. It can definitely be produced if it is needed."

"The most critical thing is whether the parameter settings and quality control of various processes can be better than GTT. This aspect may be more time-consuming."

Although Liu Jianguo was dissatisfied with Nanshan Special Steel, he did not dare to despise others technically.

That way you are making yourself uncomfortable.

"Then how long do you think it will take them to produce qualified Yinwa steel?"

Lai Liang further confirmed.

"If it's quick, it might be done within a year. If it's slow, I think it should be no problem in three to five years."

Liu Jianguo thought for a moment and gave his own judgment.

This made Lai Liang's mood suddenly become bad. The construction period for producing large ships is relatively long.

Especially for the first production of LNG carriers, it is not surprising that it usually takes two to three years, or even longer.

According to Liu Jianguo's analysis, wouldn't Nanshan Special Steel's Yinwa Steel be able to catch up with the construction progress of Wenchong Shipyard's LNG carriers?

This is definitely not good news for Baosteel.

"Our advantage is mainly in automotive panels. I plan to organize a technology exhibition before the Chinese New Year to showcase and recommend our various automotive panels to various users."

“This also lets everyone know about Baosteel’s efforts over the years.”

Lai Liang feels that Baosteel cannot remain passive in terms of publicity.

One's own advantages must be shown in a timely manner so as to resist online doubts about Baosteel.

Of course, Cao Yang would definitely ignore Lai Liang's concerns.

On this day, the person in charge of CSSC, Xiang Jianghui and others from Wenchong Shipyard, as well as Cao Yang, Xie Lingyun and others participated in a small but grand cooperation signing ceremony.

Relevant news was naturally spread to the Internet quickly.

Even the French GTT side quickly received relevant news.

"Antoine, a shipyard and a steel factory in China have announced that they will independently develop Invar steel. This is the first company in China to declare that it will develop Invar steel in recent years. I think it needs to be paid attention to."

"Now that China is the second largest economy in the world, the demand and production volume of LNG carriers are expected to be relatively high in the future."

As the sales director of French GTT, Victor is very conscientious.

Among the major countries in the world, if any company wants to enter the field of GTT, he will inquire about the situation immediately.

The United States, Japan, Korea, and China are the countries that Victor is most afraid of.

Previously, companies in Korea even developed their own liquid cargo containment systems, and their domestic shipping company placed an order for two LNG ships using such tanks.

Although in the end GTT used various methods to make the system of Korea Enterprises short-lived.

After all, the reliability of GTT's technical solutions has been verified on a large scale, and the industry does not dare to risk adopting new technical solutions easily.

Therefore, it is relatively easy for them to suppress newly emerging companies.

"A Chinese company?"

"Is it Baosteel or Anshan Iron and Steel?"

As the boss of a special steel manufacturer, Antoine obviously has a certain understanding of the steel mills of Huaxia, the world's largest steel manufacturer.

Several major large steel companies have heard about it countless times at many industry events.

Among them, the ones that impressed him most were Baosteel and Anshan Iron and Steel.

"No, it is Nanshan Special Steel. It is not particularly well-known in the steel industry, but it is said that its technical strength is second to none in China."

"Xingchen Automobile, which sells well in France, is its sister company. Even Jaguar Land Rover is owned by the same owner."

When Victor said this, Antoine took it a little more seriously.

After all, they have been producing Yinwa steel for decades. There is no reason why Chinese steel companies can't research it now.

Before, everyone just thought it was a piece of tasteless food, and it was a pity to throw it away because it was tasteless.

Now that Nanshan Special Steel wants to eat this piece of chicken rib, it will naturally be possible to do it.

Antoine still has this bit of self-knowledge.

However, the largest market for LNG carriers in the world is now in Korea, not in China.

This gave Antoine a little more confidence.

"You can find a way to communicate with Korea's shipyards and tell them that Chinese shipyards want to compete with them for orders on LNG ships and let them find ways to suppress these Chinese companies."

Antoine is very smart and is ready to kill someone with a borrowed knife.

Originally, Korean shipbuilding companies had a monopoly on 90% of LNG carriers, although the high price of Invar steel would lead to an increase in ship production costs.

But the wool comes from the sheep, and ultimately the customer pays for it.

For those large petrochemical companies, it is simply not a problem for an LNG ship to cost tens of millions of yuan more.

This is also an important reason why domestic shipbuilding companies in Korea have no plans to cooperate with domestic steel companies to develop Invar Steel.

If he was really suppressed and couldn't survive, the situation might be completely different.

"I am also prepared for this, but I am afraid that the other party will take this opportunity to find us to lower the price."

Victor expressed his concerns.

After all, there is always a certain conflict of interest between buyers and sellers.

"If they really want to lower the price, then we will cooperate to lower the price in a short period of time, and then after making the projects of Huaxia Enterprises yellow, we can find a way to raise it back."

"Or when the time comes, we can upgrade the liquid cargo containment system, and then increase the related patent licensing fees and design fees to earn back this lost amount."

As long as there are no competitors, Antoine has plenty of ways to earn back the money he has now reduced.

In recent years, their technology has become relatively mature, and the research and development expenses they need to invest are actually not very high.

Therefore, the company's profit margin has always been very good.

A temporary price reduction is completely acceptable.

"Then I will communicate with the Korean client tonight."

Victor saw that Antoine was most interested in this plan, so he would do it first.

As for the situation in China, I have already reported it.

If there are any changes in the future, it will not be my responsibility.

……

"Chaihang, Samsung Heavy Industries has commissioned us to conduct a comprehensive investigation on Nanshan Special Steel. Are you confident that we can do this well?"

At Samsung China, Li Zailin called Sales Director Chai Hang over.

It stands to reason that Chaihang is mainly responsible for the marketing business of Samsung Electronics and has no intersection with Samsung Heavy Industries.

But whether the work assigned by your leader has anything to do with your business actually doesn't matter much.

Chai Hang naturally knew this, so his answer was quite smooth.

"No problem, I can do my best."

"However, Nanshan Special Steel is not closely related to the consumer electronics business. I knew very little about them before, and I was not even sure which consulting companies I should find to cooperate with."

When Chai Hang said this, Li Zailin couldn't help but frown.

Samsung Heavy Industries is the world's largest shipbuilding company and one of the three largest shipbuilding companies in Korea. It is a core subsidiary of Samsung Group.

Its main business scope is the segmented manufacturing of various high value-added ships such as large container carriers, liquefied gas ships, drill ships, large oil tankers, and the manufacturing of land and ocean structures such as offshore oil drilling platforms.

Therefore, although its popularity is far lower than that of Samsung Electronics, its status within the Samsung Group is not lower than that of Samsung Electronics at all.

The vice president in charge of sales of Samsung Heavy Industries personally called him and asked him to ask for help. If this matter is not done well, he may be held back at some point in the future.

After all, he is now working for Samsung Heavy Industries, and maybe he will take up a position in the group next year.

Li Zailin is already the general manager of Samsung China. If he wants to go further, he will return to Samsung headquarters.

There is no harm in establishing a good relationship with the executives of Samsung Heavy Industries in advance.

"If you are not clear about it, you can find someone who knows it."

"For example, for experts in steel-related fields at Teito University of Science and Technology, we can start a cooperative project with them and give them some funds to help."

"You can also find consulting companies to understand the situation and see what they recommend."

"In short, we must understand the various situations of Nanshan Special Steel, especially since they recently announced the development of a new special steel with a shipbuilding company and their cooperation in the production of LNG ships. The more detailed information you can find out, the better."

Li Zailin is not afraid at all of spending company funds to handle some personal matters.

After all, these funds are not much, and they are indeed spent.

Even if he is investigated in the future, it will be clear.

"Okay, I'll make arrangements later."

The boss has already said that. If Chai Hang still doesn't understand, he will be spanked.

Of course he's not that stupid.

However, before he could officially start the investigation, Nanshan Special Steel made an official announcement.

[LNG Marine Invar Steel successfully conducted trial production of the first batch of samples]

Although it is just a seemingly insignificant content, for people in the industry, it is definitely not a small piece of news.

French GTT has monopolized Invar Steel for decades, and has never heard of any steel mill officially developing similar products.

Now Nanshan Special Steel suddenly appears and says that it has started trial production of samples of Yinwa Steel.

That means that Nanshan Special Steel is serious this time and has mastered certain technologies, otherwise it would not directly produce samples for testing.

This news naturally reached the French GTT as soon as possible.

"Antoine, I think it is necessary to have a good talk with Nanshan Special Steel in China to see if we can let him become our Yinwa Steel agent in China in exchange for them giving up entering this market."

Victor came to Antoine's office very worried.

This situation is deteriorating faster than I thought.

"Are you sure that if we let him become a Chinese agent, they will give up the research and development of Yinwa Steel?"

"They have already started trial production of samples, which shows that they have invested some manpower and material resources."

"It won't be easy to ask them to give up at this time."

Antoine didn't think Victor's proposal could be implemented smoothly.

If it was possible, of course he would have no objection.

"Then are we just going to watch Nanshan Special Steel move forward step by step?"

"They have mastered Invar Steel, but if they cannot master the welding technology of Invar Steel, it will be of no use in the end."

"I have figured it out during this period. By then we can definitely impose some restrictions on welding machine technology."

Antoine thought his new idea was great.

At that time, the Yinwa steel developed by Nanshan Special Steel will become unusable, and it will also serve as a warning to other steel plants.

Of course, if he knew that Nanshan Robot was simultaneously conducting research on the welding technology of Yinwa Steel, and that the progress of the research was faster than that of Nanshan Special Steel, he would probably vomit blood in depression.

It's a pity that these things are destined to take a while to be known.

Now he can be happy for a few more days.

There is nothing better than boiling a frog in warm water.

(End of this chapter)