Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 330 Overseas Research Center (Second update, please subscribe)

I want to strangle those damn guys!

If possible, this is the common sentiment of U.S. officials involved in ship purchase negotiations.

What they want to strangle is not those Nanyang officials who want to lower the price of ships to the price of scrap iron, but the American media!

From the very beginning of the negotiations, those newspapers would constantly find fault with the "Liberty Ship". Not only did they directly use the testimony given by Congress that "the Liberty Ship was not suitable for the requirements of peacetime ocean shipping", they even provided testimony A confidential military report was obtained, proving that the hulls of more than 1500 Liberty Ships developed a large number of cracks under stress and low temperature environments, and some hulls were even broken in two. But fortunately, a solution was found - using steel plates to repair and reinforce the cracks, which achieved good results and ensured normal transportation.

Although the problem seems to be solved, this phenomenon just proves that "Freewheel is emergency inferior goods", so that the United States had to cut prices again.

"Let those damn media shut up and show their patriotism!"

Obviously, this is impossible. American journalists need to make some news.

There is nothing happier than seeing someone who has been taken advantage of.

Faced with quality problems that are constantly being exposed. The officials participating in the negotiations in Nanyang continued to lower the price.

Faced with lower prices, the United States is eager to flip the table. After all, the price they offered was no longer to buy a boat, but to buy scrap metal.

But they can't and don't dare!

After all, this is a business negotiated by the president himself as a salesman. For the officials participating in the negotiations, they must not mess up the deal.

Faced with those unpatriotic reports... well, let’s lower the price again!

Just when the United States had to cut prices one after another and even suffered fractures due to betrayal by the media, Borneo Shipping Company had begun to hire crews on a large scale.

"Actually, there are still many Chinese seamen. For example, during the war, in order to replenish the merchant fleet, the British recruited nearly 20,000 experienced Chinese seamen from Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong and other places. After the war, as the British army After retirement, these Chinese seamen were constantly fired by shipping companies, but they were stranded in Liverpool because of the war."

At the headquarters of the Borneo Shipping Company in New York, Alberto introduced the boss in front of him, no, it should be His Majesty the King.

"There are many senior crew members among these people. By hiring them, we not only solve their unemployment problem, but also solve the problem of insufficient crew members."

Alberto's suggestion reminded Li Yian of the Chinese crewmen mentioned by Zhu Yihai when he first came to Chinatown, and he nodded and said.

"I think it's possible. If possible, we can directly charter a ship to take them to the United States. By the way, there are still some Liberty ships stranded in the UK. Well, during the negotiation and handover, we can ask for some Liberty ships stranded in British ports. In this case, they can directly take the Mediterranean and transport the equipment back to their country.”

After a pause, Li Yian reminded again.

"As for the captain and senior crew, they can be hired from Germany, where the manpower is cheap."

Can it be cheap?

Those former Nazi naval officers were basically unemployed, waiting eagerly to be hired so that they could support their families.

After briefly discussing the issue of crew members, Li Yian mentioned the evacuation of the shipping company's headquarters from New York. Alberto has long been mentally prepared for this. After all, now that the war is over, the Borneo Shipping Company must "return" to Borneo and evacuate New York.

In fact, it is not just one shipping company that needs to evacuate New York and move to Borneo, but also more than a dozen other companies, including Carl Metal Company. Li Yian was also flexing his muscles in the United States.

Now many companies, such as Carl Metal Company, KJT Chemical Industries, and Air Refueling Company, need to evacuate. This naturally involves many problems, from the demolition of equipment to the layoff of personnel, etc., there are countless things. , it cannot be solved in three to five months.

Fortunately, American capitalists in this era are unscrupulous and do not need to pay any severance compensation.

However, not all institutions need to be evacuated, such as the Radio Laboratory, which itself was built on the use of American intellectual resources, such as the transistor research led by Walter Bratton.

However, it is regrettable that there has not been much progress in the development of transistors.

There is still a certain distance between us and the era of transistors. Although Li Yian felt a little disappointed when he left the radio laboratory, he still said to Karl.

“In the future, Borneo’s scientific innovation will not only be limited to local intellectual resources, but should also be global. Therefore, our company will set up some R&D centers in the United States and Europe in the future to recruit scientists and researchers nearby to carry out technological research. R&D.”

The establishment of overseas research centers has been widely adopted by many multinational companies in later generations. It can not only effectively reduce R&D costs, but also make full use of the technical expertise of countries around the world. It has conducted in-depth cooperation with top local research institutes and institutions nearby to provide corporate R&D services. . In later generations, this model was also the most common way for domestic companies to catch up with European and American companies in technology - establishing overseas research centers and then adding money to poach people. Faced with local high-paying job opportunities, everyone was naturally happy to change jobs.

Simple and crude, but effective.

However, for people in this era, this approach is still very new. After all, we are not yet in the era of the global village.

Although the overseas research center sounds new, Karl, who has been in business for many years, immediately understood the mystery after thinking about it for a moment.

"Haha, I understand. Before the war, I commissioned German companies to design products. The biggest difference between this laboratory and those offices that specialize in design is that it is our own and accepts our own designs. Order."

"Yeah, that's pretty much it."

Li Yian nodded, that's about it.

What is the biggest benefit of setting up a research center in the United States?

That is, in the next few decades, the United States will not only lead the world in science and technology and become the world's scientific research center, but also rely on its strong economic and technological position to harvest talents from all over the world. The United States can make talents from all over the world become its own. Of course, if you use it, you can also use American talents for your own use.

Harvest talents!

You can also take advantage of the situation. Since talents from all over the world are willing to come to the United States, then just set up a research center in the United States.

"But it's not just order-based industrial design, the most important thing is forward-looking research, the work of overseas research centers..."

On the way back to the hotel, Li Yian explained to Karl the role of overseas research and how it operates. Although he was unfamiliar with it, it didn't matter. He could slowly explore it.

Just like that, the car returned to the hotel soon.

After returning to the hotel, as usual, Li Yian took a hot bath and ate dinner served in the restaurant.

Then, he sat on the sofa and leaned back, lit his first cigar of the night, and listened to the music from the gramophone. Entertainment activities in this era were very scarce, and there was neither television nor the Internet. , let alone online games, what are the only entertainment activities available?

That's what's called a dance party.

After arriving in this era, Li Yian realized why many rich people in this era are keen on organizing luxurious and large banquets. It was not because of their wide social circle and many friends. In essence, it was still a bit boring.

Ordinary people have nothing to do at night, just the couple playing the rhythm of love on their bedside.

What about the rich?

Of course, it is to indulge yourself at the banquet. The banquet is not only about drinks, but also beautiful women. This is the most common entertainment activity in this era.

But with Li Yian's current status, he is naturally not suitable to attend those occasions, at least not in public.

"Actually, you can do that too... How about going to Hollywood on your way back?"

Talking to himself, Li Yian picked up the newspaper on the coffee table. While flipping through the newspaper, a piece of news suddenly came into his eyes. The news was published in the corner of the newspaper. Although it was not very conspicuous, because it involved Nanyang, when he read the contents of the newspaper clearly, Li Yian raised the corner of his mouth and sneered.

"Robespierre reappears?... Are the Japanese worthy?"

Throwing the newspaper aside casually, the headline of the news was: Robespierre Reappears—Guillotine in South Asia! "

(End of this chapter)