Reborn since 1993

Chapter 617 If you don’t want to talk, then there’s no need to talk!

After Torch Group formed a team of lawyers, they traveled to old Europe and began to negotiate with the old European Lighter Association, hoping to reach an out-of-court settlement with the other party or withdraw the anti-dumping case.

However, the old European lighter manufacturers led by BAK reacted very coldly to the arrival of Torch Group and others.

They are not very willing to negotiate with domestic lighter manufacturers led by Torch Group. What they want is to keep domestic lighters out of old Europe.

If Torch Group fails to enter the markets with the strongest consumption power such as America and old Europe, then Torch Group’s production capacity cannot be expanded. Otherwise, where will the lighters produced be sold? !

Qi Ming came today for the Torch Group's Phase III project. He had just taken office, and if the Torch Group's Phase III project was stalled as rumored, would Qi Ming still be able to hold on to his position in Shangguan District?

Of course, the Shangguan Economic Development Zone is not just home to the Torch Group. Some other companies have been introduced, but the position of the Torch Group is still irreplaceable, especially in terms of employment opportunities.

"The third phase of the project still needs to be done. Torch Group has production capacity and needs to continue to expand!"

Li Dongling rubbed his cheek and said, Qi Ming obviously breathed a sigh of relief when he said this.

The lighters produced by Torch Group in the first phase are basically sold to domestic users. The second phase is to increase production capacity, supply part of the domestic market, and then try to go overseas. The lighters of the third phase are aimed at occupying overseas markets.

To be honest, when Torch Group lowered the retail price of lighters to one yuan per piece, it basically had no competitors in the country.

The effect is very obvious. It is hard to say about the situation in remote mountainous areas and villages, but lighters produced by Torch Group can be seen everywhere in large and medium-sized cities, as well as county towns and towns.

As for smokers, there is no need to mention them. In the activities of buying cigarettes and giving away lighters, which is like an arms race among various cigarette factories, I dare not say that at least 60% to 70% of the domestic smokers market use Torch Group's lighters.

Because lighters are much more convenient than matches. Anyone who has used them once knows how to choose between lighters and matches.

"Torch Group's lighters also have advantages in the international market. No lighter manufacturer in the world can produce lighters with a lower cost than Torch Group!"

Producing an affordable lighter that costs one dollar may seem easy, but it requires more than twenty key components and more than fifty production links, involving a series of processes and equipment such as liquid-gas phase change, gas diffusion, flame control, and lighter shell strength.

Apart from China, which has a complete industrial chain, where else can these industries be brought together?
Coupled with the current domestic salaries, in this industry, if we only compare the production costs of lighters, Torch Group has basically no rivals!
As for Southeast Asia, Africa and other places, labor is cheap, but those places can't even make lighter shells, let alone dozens of other parts. By the time they max out the technology tree and complete the entire industrial chain, a hundred years will be considered too short!
Li Dongling said, "Torch Group is starting to enter Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, South America and other places, but the lighter shell needs to be printed with patterns that conform to the local style.

In addition, we will ask the technical department to add some windproof, moisture-proof and humidity-proof functions to the lighters exported to these regions!"

Going overseas is a must, otherwise why would Torch Group make such a big fuss? How much money would it have to invest? It also established the Inland Lighter Import and Export Association with the endorsement of the Economic and Trade Commission, the Foreign Exchange Bureau and other departments.

Hearing Li Dongling's words, Zhang Xiaocheng slapped his head and said, "I was obsessed with filing an anti-dumping lawsuit with the European Lighter Association.

It is time to enter markets such as Southeast Asia first, and then try markets such as old Europe and America..."

"No!"

Li Dongling shook his head, looked at Zhang Xiaocheng and said, "Not only Southeast Asia, the Middle East and other markets, but also old Europe must enter together!"

“But if the anti-dumping lawsuit is not settled, Torch Group’s lighters will be subject to high tariffs when entering old Europe!” Zhang Xiaocheng said with a frown.

Hearing Zhang Xiaocheng's words, Li Dongling shook his head and said, "If the anti-dumping lawsuit in Europe cannot be resolved, do you think that Torch Group will not be targeted by Japanese and Korean lighter manufacturers in Southeast Asia?"

Domestic lighters are not only subject to various anti-dumping investigations and prosecutions in America and old Europe, but are also targeted in Japan, South Korea and other regions. This is a siege war against domestic lighters by major lighter manufacturers around the world.

Zhang Xiaocheng was stunned for a moment, and Qi Ming seemed to be thinking about something. Zhang Xiaocheng thought for a moment, "What does Brother Li mean?"

"Who is the person in charge of this lawsuit involving Torch Group?" Li Dongling asked.

"Now, Gu Dayang has just led his team back to Pingyang, you can ask him to come over!"

……

In a newly built hotel room in Pingyang, a group of people were sitting inside, smoking silently, and Gu Dayang was among them.

If any acquaintances see Gu Dayang, they will see that this professor at the Law School of East China University has a lot of white hair.

"Has this lawsuit been lost?"

A muffled voice came, making the atmosphere in the room even more depressing. All the people present were lawyers, many of whom were veterans in the legal profession. They were led by Gu Dayang and formed a team of lawyers to deal with the anti-dumping lawsuit initiated by Old European Lighters.

The lawyers who are able to join this team are all eager to make history, and Torch Group has given them the greatest support. Legal issues are fully handed over to the legal team without any interference, and the funds are fully allocated.

As a result, this trip caused Gu Dayang's legal team to suffer a lot, and the key point was that they felt very frustrated.

In all parts of old Europe, Gu Dayang and his colleagues were targeted everywhere. The courts, business departments and other departments in old Europe did not give them a chance to speak up. They either shirked their responsibilities or used various excuses to not accept their complaints. Sometimes they were not even allowed to enter the door...

How can one sue if one cannot even enter the courthouse? This experience has given lawyers like Gu Dayang a clear understanding of the so-called Western laws.

On the contrary, the public relations fees spent by the Torch Group paid off. With the help of some old European brokers, they met some powerful European figures and got to know who their opponents were and who was secretly making things difficult for them.

However, the powerful congressmen who had contact with Gu Dayang and his team also told them implicitly that they could not win this lawsuit. In old Europe, the power of the Old European Lighter Association was much greater than that of the Torch Group.

"This time, the responsibility lies with me..."

Gu Dayang said in a bitter voice, he knew that it would be difficult to fight this transnational lawsuit, but he didn't expect it to be so difficult.

Hearing that Gu Dayang took the initiative to take the blame, the other lawyers also looked gloomy. When Gu Dayang took the responsibility on himself, it meant that their legal team was about to be disbanded, and all they would gain in the end was failure.

"Jingle Bell!"

The urgent ringing of the phone in the room woke everyone up. A lawyer answered the phone and said, "Professor Gu, it's Manager Zhang from Torch Group who wants you to come over!"

Standing up, Gu Dayang straightened his clothes, put on an attitude of being ready to die, nodded to everyone, and then rushed towards the Torch Group.

On the way, Gu Dayang had all kinds of thoughts in his mind, and he was prepared to be blamed by the Torch Group.

But when he stepped into Zhang Xiaocheng's office, he found that it was completely different from what he thought.

"Professor Gu, thank you for your hard work!"

When Gu Dayang came in, Li Dongling, Zhang Xiaocheng, Qi Ming and others stood up in person to welcome his arrival.

This incident made Gu Dayang feel that he didn't seem to have suffered a defeat, but rather had returned victoriously.

"The responsibility for this lawsuit lies entirely with me. It's me..."

"Professor Gu, have some tea first!"

Li Dongling pushed a cup of tea in front of Gu Dayang and said, "The lawsuit is not over yet, it's too early to talk about who is responsible!

It is a blessing for the domestic lighter industry that Professor Gu stepped forward when the domestic lighter industry was in trouble."

When Gu Dayang heard this, he was surprised. He understood the meaning of these words. It was obvious that Torch Group was not going to give up and was going to continue the lawsuit.

“This lawsuit is a completely unfair lawsuit. The European Trade Commission and the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg are too biased towards the old European Lighter Association!
In addition, many old European lighter brands such as Bic, Clive, and Dunhill also refused to negotiate with us!" Gu Dayang said with some reluctance.

"In other words, old Europe is unwilling to negotiate with the Inland Lighter Import Association represented by Torch Group, right?" Li Dongling asked quietly.

Gu Dayang was silent for a moment after hearing this. "I think the Old European Lighter Import and Export Association doesn't want to solve this problem at all. They just want to drive domestic lighters out of Old Europe..."

Li Dongling sat up straight, suddenly laughed, looked at Zhang Xiaocheng, Qi Ming and Gu Dayang in front of him, and raised his voice.

"Since the Old European Lighter Association doesn't want to talk to the Torch Group, then there's no need to talk!"

"During the Tang Dynasty, Huang Chao proved one thing: it is easier to enter Chang'an than to pass the entrance exam. Similarly, if the Torch Group's lighters want to enter old Europe, it is easier to enter by breaking in than to get the approval of some bullshit old European Lighter Association!"

"Didn't Bic's bunch of old European lighter manufacturers accuse domestic lighters of dumping? Then let's really dump them!"

(End of this chapter)