Reborn since 1993

Chapter 632: Covering one’s ears and stealing the bell

"Will Piccolo really agree to such terms?"

“Can we really take over the pricing power of the old European lighter market?”

"If we can take over the old European market, the lighter market in America and other places, there will be hope!"

After Antoine and Rousseau left their seats and reported to the BIC Group headquarters, Gu Xiguang, Wang Yongyu, He Heng, Wu Yaoguo, Li Weimin and others could not help but talk in a low voice, and their expressions could not hide their excitement.

If we can really reach an agreement with BYD Group as Li Dongling requested, Torch Group will lead domestic lighters to occupy 70% of the market share of old European disposable lighters.

In addition, 30% of the market share of Bic and other old European lighter brands is also produced domestically, which is equivalent to domestically contracting the lighter needs of old European smokers!
This is a market share of at least 800 million, or even 1 billion, disposable lighters per year.

Moreover, unlike the previous era of metal lighters, domestic lighters sold abroad were accused of dumping and domestic brands were not allowed to be sold at all.

Once the agreement is reached, the standards and pricing rights of old European disposable lighters will be in the hands of Torch Group and the Lighter Import and Export Association. There will be no need for the domestic industry to be inward-looking as before, or even to engage in OEM at a loss!

With this market, Torch Group will be able to instantly increase a large number of jobs and foreign exchange earnings. It is also an achievement worthy of mention for the Economic and Trade Commission, the Foreign Exchange Department, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the Hanxi Industrial Bureau, the Hanxi State Investment Corporation and other departments!
Seeing everyone's eyes on him, Li Dongling smiled and said, "It's hard to say yet, but there is hope. However, we have to set some rules after all!"

Hearing the hidden meaning in Li Dongling's words, Gu Xiguang, who represented the Economic and Trade Commission, immediately said, "I am here today, representing the Economic and Trade Commission with full authority. As long as the Economic and Trade Commission needs to do something, I will never shirk my responsibility!"

“The Foreign Exchange Department also fully supports it!”

He Heng also expressed his opinion, and there was even a hint of murderous intent in his words. In China, whoever dared to stop Torch Group from entering the old European market would be in trouble with the Foreign Exchange Department.

By taking over the old European lighter market, we can earn at least nearly 1 billion US dollars in foreign exchange every year by exporting lighters.

Whoever dares to delay this foreign exchange, the Foreign Exchange Department will definitely let that person learn a lesson about the iron fist of the Foreign Exchange Department. Let's see whether it is his stubborn head or the Foreign Exchange Department's fist that is harder!

The Economic and Trade Commission and the Foreign Exchange Department have expressed their views, and naturally the others have also expressed their full support for Torch Group.

“If Torch Group can enter the old European disposable lighter market, the domestic metal lighter market will definitely be rectified. In the future, metal lighters will become high-end products in the lighter industry, just like luxury goods.

"Pwned, pirated and counterfeit domestic lighters must no longer be able to imitate foreign brands and circulate in overseas markets as they did in the past!"

Li Dongling said to Gu Xiguang and others that Li Dongling had discussed this with Zhang Xiaocheng and other senior executives of Torch Group.

The disposable lighter market is occupied by Torch Group. If other overseas lighter manufacturers want to survive, they can only avoid the edge and enter the high-end metal lighter market.

With the black label lighters supported by Torch Group, in the battle with BYD, all lighter manufacturers in the world know that Torch Group can beat them all in a price war. Even if they all merge, they are still not enough to defeat Torch Group.

If the Torch Group wants to enter the markets of old Europe, America, Japan, South Korea and other countries, it cannot kill all of its competitors and destroy all of them. Only by letting those overseas lighter manufacturers see that there is still hope of survival will they stop fighting with the Torch Group!
The high-end metal lighter market is for those overseas lighter brands, just like hanging a cabbage in front of a donkey cart. It is hard to say whether they can get a share of it, but it at least gives them hope!

In fact, in its previous life, Zippo also faced siege from domestic low-priced metal lighters, and then began to transform and began to sell metal lighters as luxury goods.

Now, if Torch Group wants to occupy the disposable lighter market, it must drive brands such as Zippo into the high-end metal lighter market.

Of course, in order to get brands like Zippo to give up the mass consumer lighter market, Torch Group and the Inland Import and Export Association also need to make a statement, such as shutting down domestic copycat, pirated, and imitation metal lighters.

We cannot allow these domestic metal lighter manufacturers who rely on internal competition to earn foreign exchange subsidies to continue to threaten the global metal lighter industry.

Domestic metal lighter manufacturers, small workshops and the like can launch their own brands of metal lighters, but they cannot, as before, copy other brands of metal lighters and then rely on shoddy production and sell them at bargain prices. In the end, not only will the genuine products not sell well, but the copycat products will also lose money.

The rectification of the domestic metal lighter industry is not only to exchange Zippo for giving way to the disposable lighter market in America, but also for the Torch Group. Once metal lighters are positioned as high-end lighters, their sales volume is not as good as disposable lighters, but their profits are more than a hundred times that of the latter.

Torch Group has now established its own metal lighter brand, Zorro. If those copycat metal lighter factories are not eliminated, won’t the Zorro brand also be copied in the future?
As for the brand positioning of Zorro, Li Dongling must go towards high-end lighter brand, just like Zippo in its previous life, shaping it into a gift from women to men!
The most amazing thing about Zippo’s advertising in the past was not that it made men accept it, but that it made 70% of non-smoking women regard it as a gift for men, and made women pay for Zippo!

The gifts women usually think of giving men are nothing more than watches, belts, and lighters. If they have one of these, they are basically invincible.

Zippo hasn't reached that stage yet and is going through a difficult transformation. Zorro is basically going to follow the path of Zippo in its previous life, leaving it with nowhere to go...

Therefore, for the sake of Torch Group’s Zorro lighter, it is also necessary to eliminate those domestic copycat metal lighter manufacturers.

Upon hearing Li Dongling's announcement that he wanted to rectify the domestic market for counterfeit metal lighters, Gu Xiguang, Wang Yongyu and others looked at each other and nodded to each other.

If we can take over the overseas disposable lighter market, what would happen if we could wipe out those small metal lighter workshops in China that only know how to copy and fight among themselves?

Gu Xiguang and his colleagues can clearly distinguish between the big and the small, and those counterfeit metal lighters are also making outrageous profits, with profits even lower than disposable lighters, and they have also ruined the reputation of domestic lighters.

The Economic and Trade Commission and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce cannot allow Torch Group to be affected by them. For the sake of the jobs, taxes and foreign exchange brought by Torch Group, they have to be eliminated!

"Bick Group is willing to cooperate with... the Lighter Import and Export Association!"

Antoine and Rousseau returned, "However, some details of the cooperation need to be re-finalized. BIC Group is willing to help. The old European Lighter Association withdraws the anti-dumping lawsuit against mainland lighters!
We are also willing to allow Torch Group's products to enter old Europe, but we hope that these collaborations can be completed through your... sorry, the Global Trading Company in Hungary.

Torch Group and other mainland lighter brands entered the old European market through it. BIC would recommend Global Trading Company to join the Old European Machine Association.

There are also some other things, such as the distribution of the old European lighter market, as well as the future standards and pricing power of the old European lighter market. BAK will fully support Global Trading Company.

However, BAK Group cannot sign any paper documents for these things, if it does not want to be investigated by the old European Trade Commission for antitrust violations…”

To be honest, the Bic Group also wants to save face and does not want to be accused of being a traitor to Europe. It does all this through the Global Trading Company. Although it is like covering one's ears and stealing the bell, everyone knows that the Bic Group is a traitor, but there is always a veil between them, and the Bic Group can still make excuses.

Li Dongling and Zhang Xiaocheng looked at each other and nodded slightly in agreement.

"Torch Group and the Inland Lighter Import and Export Association only want fairness!
In order to express the sincerity of the inland lighter industry, the Inland Lighter Import and Export Association will carry out a rectification of the metal lighter industry and shut down the copycat and imitation lighter workshops and companies. The inland will no longer engage in extreme price wars in the metal lighter market!
But in order to maintain the order of the metal lighter industry, future orders for old European metal lighters in the mainland will also need to be supervised by the Lighter Import and Export Association! "

Zhang Xiaocheng's words obviously exceeded the expectations of Rousseau and the other two, and they both showed a look of surprise on their faces.

This is too much information. If the Mainland Lighter Import and Export Association really shuts down the inland copycat and imitation metal lighter workshops, then the metal lighter industry will provide a way out for overseas lighter manufacturers.

Of course, Zhang Xiaocheng’s last sentence is that in the future, foreign metal lighters that are manufactured in China must go through the Inland Lighter Association. This is the only way to maintain the Lighter Import and Export Association’s control over the industry.

If this condition is met, it will be relatively easy for BIC to operate global trade, join the Old European Lighter Association, and give up the disposable lighter market!
However, before Antoine and Rousseau could be happy, Li Dongling said something else.

"However, in the metal lighter market, inland lighter manufacturers including Torch Group should push their own metal lighter brands to old Europe and compete fairly. They will not encounter any obstacles, right?" Li Dongling asked the two of them.

"This... this is natural!"

Antoine laughed dryly and said, however, he felt that as long as there was no price war and they only compared design, marketing, brand style and so on, would the old European lighters be afraid of it?

(End of this chapter)