Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 631 Hear a Greeting
Workshop 1 of the machinery factory, the new product laboratory.

Deputy Factory Director Xue took the small stick from the workshop director, held it in his hand for a moment, and then swung it forcefully. What was originally only 15 centimeters became 40 centimeters in an instant.

He brandished the short stick a couple of times, then turned to look at Chen Fan. "What can such a small stick be used for?"

Chen Fan took another baton from the workshop director, swung it once, and it cut through the air with a shrill whistling sound.

He walked to the side, aimed at a red brick that had been prepared on the table, and smashed it down hard, breaking the brick in two immediately.

Especially where the stick struck, a cloud of dust billowed out, as the object was smashed to pieces.

The workshop director said from the side, "This is the best special steel that our machinery factory can currently access. It is generally used for key components such as axles. A short stick made of this extremely tough steel can cause serious injuries, ranging from minor cuts and lacerations to broken bones. Its lethality is astonishing."

Deputy Factory Director Xue's eyes lit up instantly. He picked up the short stick in his hand, quite fond of it. "This thing doesn't take up much space when stored away. You can put a sheath on it and clip it to your waist. It can be very useful in a critical moment!"

He immediately said to the workshop director, "Make more later and assign them all to the security department."

After he finished speaking, he turned back to Chen Fan and explained, "The security personnel only have guns. If they touch those things, they'll either be killed or injured. If we replace them with short sticks, it will be much easier to catch those petty thugs in the future."

Chen Fan twirled the baton and laughed, "Since it's for the security department, why use a baton? This thing is complicated to manufacture and is mainly prepared for places like jungles where movement is inconvenient."

"Why don't you just equip the security department with rubber batons? It's simple, convenient, hurts, and won't easily injure anyone."

Deputy Factory Director Xue thought about it and felt that it made sense, so he nodded and said, "Then I will assign this task to Workshop 3. They have rubber parts there, so let them handle it."

Upon hearing this, the workshop director breathed a sigh of relief.

This special steel is not cheap, and the process is complex. Ordinary low- to mid-level workers are not capable of making the parts. If we really have to make hundreds of them, who will pay for it? Where will we get the workers?

The main problem is that this wasn't part of the planned task, so the materials are hard to come by!

At this moment, several experienced craftsmen walked over from a short distance away. One of them handed over a three-fold entrenching tool. The leader was full of pride. "This thing is made with extraordinary craftsmanship. Ordinary craftsmen really can't make it. It took us old guys a lot of effort."

Chen Fan, Deputy Factory Director Xue, and the workshop director each took one.

Deputy Factory Director Xue unfolded the entrenching tool, his eyes filled with surprise. "Looking at your blueprints, I only thought this thing was unusual, but now that I see it, it's a multi-purpose shovel."

The workshop director nodded repeatedly, "It can be used as a shovel, a machete, and even a saw. It can also be used as a weapon in critical moments."

The experienced craftsman next to him continued, "It's not just that. Try unscrewing the top cap and see."

Chen Fan had already started screwing on the lid while he was speaking.

The so-called cover actually has two layers, one thin and one thick. The thicker part is the handle, which can be unscrewed to pull out a multi-functional jungle tactical knife. The thinner part is the knife's hilt cover, inside which are hidden several small steel spikes.

Deputy Factory Director Xue examined it carefully, then turned to Chen Fan and said, "I remember the blueprints said that matches and dry rations could be hidden inside the handle of this knife?"

"It's the handle of the shovel. The knife is hidden in the first section of the handle, and the dry rations are hidden inside the second section."

Chen Fan explained, "A rope can be hidden inside the third section of the shovel handle that is connected to the shovel. A fixed compass can also be installed on the top handle cap."

Deputy Factory Director Xue couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "Your design is truly ingenious."

Chen Fan smiled slightly and looked at the master craftsman beside him, "It takes the craftsmen to have the skill to make it."

Upon hearing this, the experienced craftsmen all grinned from ear to ear.

my country equipped its engineering corps with the first generation of entrenching tools long ago, which were commonly known as "shovels".

That's right, the first-generation entrenching shovel wasn't much different from a regular shovel, except that the handle was a little shorter.

(First generation entrenching tool)

This type of entrenching tool originated in Germany and was later introduced to my country via the Soviet Union. It was directly adopted by the Chinese army and often replaced the role of bayonets and broadswords on the battlefield for direct combat.

The effect is quite good.

So it was used like that until the 80s, when the second-generation entrenching shovel was invented.

However, compared to the first generation, the second generation shovel only had an added folding function, and was not very useful otherwise, so it was not widely adopted.

In fact, even today, many grassroots units still use the first generation of entrenching tools.

What Chen Fan took out was less a third-generation entrenching tool and more a completely new piece of wilderness survival equipment.

It can be used for digging, chopping, sawing, poking, shoveling, prying, and even opening beer bottles... Disassemble the handle to find a variety of survival equipment inside, including dry food, ropes, matches, daggers, steel needles, spikes, compasses, first aid medicines, and more.

In other words, the machine factory had a lot of special steel, various mechanical equipment, and highly skilled level-eight craftsmen, which was why it could be manufactured in such a short time.

If it were in a different place, Chen Fan would only be able to play mahjong.

There were only three items: a baton, an entrenching tool, and a multi-functional hand axe. However, several structural drawings were made.

In addition, multi-functional storage bags, tactical uniforms, and ghillie suits need to be made.

However, these things are beyond the capabilities of the machine factory; we need to go to the cotton mill to resolve them.

The cotton mill not only has the most complete range of textile fabrics in the Yunhu area, but also has two subordinate garment factories, which is enough to solve all your needs in one go.

After leaving the blueprints behind, Chen Fan took all the equipment he had built and headed straight for the cotton mill.

Turn right after exiting the gate, and in about five minutes, the car will drive into the cotton mill.

Like the machinery factory, he was also an advisor to the cotton mill, so he didn't need to announce his arrival and went straight to the factory director's office.

We greeted each other along the way, and it took quite a while before we arrived at the factory manager's office. We knocked and went in, where Jiang Heng was wiping his face with a towel.

Upon seeing Chen Fan, he was utterly astonished, even forgetting to put down the towel. "Where did you hear this news from?"

Chen Fan went inside, closed the door behind him, and asked, his face full of confusion, "What news?"

He glanced at Chen Fan, draped the towel over the washbasin stand, and walked over, saying, "Don't you know I just arrived? What brings you here?"

Chen Fan was immediately surprised. "You just got back? Where did you go?"

Jiang Heng gestured for him to sit down and laughed, "Where else could we go? To the provincial capital, to run some business on down jacket fabric." He picked up the kettle, brewed two cups of tea, brought them over and placed them on the coffee table, then plopped down on the table, letting out a long sigh, "Ugh, this has really worn me out."

He gestured to Chen Fan, "I've been running around for over a month on this matter. If your Lujiawan doesn't set up a down jacket factory, it would be a waste of all my hard work."

As they were speaking, there was a sudden knock on the door. Jiang Heng looked up and called out, "Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Shen Xueyi walked in, closing the door behind her. She greeted Chen Fan first, "Xiao Fan's here! When did you get back?"

Chen Fan chuckled dryly twice. "I went back to Lujiawan a couple of days ago."

I've been back in Yunhu for half a month, but I'm only getting here today. It's because I had something to do, so I guess I'm being a bit carefree.

Shen Xueyi asked casually, then sat down next to Jiang Heng and looked at him, saying, "Is the matter settled?"

Jiang Heng nodded, his eyes still showing some excitement. "Last month I went to the provincial department. The leaders there were also interested in this project, but they didn't know much about it, so no one dared to make a decision for a while."

To understand the current situation, I, along with two supervisors, traveled to several places including Shanghai, Ningbo, Wuxi, and Jiangxi, and also went to Beijing and Guangzhou to investigate the sales of down jackets.

He turned to Chen Fan as he spoke, "Based on the information we have, it's similar to what you said before. Currently, there are only a handful of companies in China that produce down jacket fabrics, and the number of factories in China that produce down jackets is less than the size of a palm."

However, according to the trade records of the Canton Fair, down jackets are selling very well overseas.

He picked up his teacup, blew on it to cool it, took a few sips of water, and then put it down before continuing, "According to what we learned from the Guangdong Import and Export Company, down jackets come in two types. One type is thinner, and these are generally sold to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia."

The temperature in this kind of place is not low in winter, so the requirement for clothing to be warm is not high, and down jackets are mainly lightweight.

Another type is naturally cold regions, such as the United States, Canada, and Europe, where there are very specific requirements for the thickness and length of down jackets.

In addition, the fabric manufacturing process of down jackets also varies greatly. For example, lightweight down jackets generally use two or three layers of fabric, but usually not a single layer, because a single layer is prone to down leakage.

The thicker versions can have up to six or seven layers of fabric, more than twice as many as the thinner versions. This is because the thicker versions require a greater amount of down; if the fabric is insufficient, not only will the down leak out, but it won't even be able to keep out the cold air in the air.

He looked at Chen Fan seriously and said, "I gave the leaders my assurance that Lujiawan could produce qualified down jackets. Only then did the leaders approve the addition of a down jacket fabric production line at Yunhu Cotton Mill and send a letter to relevant units in Shanghai to provide us with the necessary fiber raw materials and production equipment."

If all goes well, the production line should be operational by the end of this year at the earliest.

Xiao Fan, you'd better keep a close eye on things at Lujiawan. Don't let me down. I've made a solemn promise.

Chen Fan nodded repeatedly, "Don't worry, I just came from Lujiawan today. Lujiawan has already submitted an application to the county commerce bureau to set up a garment factory. In order to ensure the electricity supply for production, we have even cooperated with the neighboring Qingshan Commune to build a small hydroelectric power station."

He then looked at Shen Xueyi and continued, "During the summer vacation, I took a student to Shanghai. Lili and the others know that the student studied tailoring in Shanghai for more than a month and learned how to use an industrial sewing machine."

Upon their return, the production team specifically established a clothing training school to train production workers for the soon-to-be-established clothing factory.

A year ago, this garment factory would most likely have failed, because garment manufacturing had already gone beyond the scope of a rural "side business".

Unless it's "washed velvet", it's more like it.

However, this year, policies in various aspects have begun to loosen up, especially in the legendary Huaxi Village, which not only openly set up factories but also turned the entire production team into a tourist attraction.

The news was even published in the newspapers. While it may not be universally known, almost everyone who needed to know it did.

Under these circumstances, setting up a factory in Lujiawan would be no big deal at all.

In any case, the Lujiawan Production Brigade is still a collective, and a collectively run enterprise is ultimately a people's enterprise, which is fundamentally different from a private enterprise. So, being a little more lenient is perfectly fine.

Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, Jiang Heng couldn't help but show surprise. "You even sent someone to Shanghai for further studies, specifically to learn about industrial sewing machines? And then you started a clothing training class after they came back?"

Shen Xueyi, who was standing next to her, also remarked with admiration, "Your preparations are very thorough."

Jiang Heng continued, "What surprised me most was that you were actually planning to use industrial sewing machines. That's a huge investment!"

Chen Fan looked at the two of them, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "It seems there are two garment factories under the cotton mill, right? Don't they use industrial sewing machines?"

This time, Jiang Heng didn't speak, but Shen Xueyi shook her head repeatedly and said with a wry smile, "What? One of those two garment factories was set up to solve the livelihood problems of some employees' families in difficulty, and it used household sewing machines produced by the machinery factory next door."

The products manufactured in this factory are quite simple, mostly bed sheets and work clothes.

The other company was slightly more formal, mainly supplying goods to supply and marketing cooperatives and the city department store, and also providing household sewing machines.

Industrial sewing machines are a vital resource; there aren't enough to go around supplying major garment factories, so how could it be our turn?!

Chen Fan blinked; Shen Xueyi's words were unexpected.

A garment factory using household sewing machines?

How many pieces of clothing can they produce in a day?!

At this moment, Jiang Heng looked at him and asked, "You're planning to use industrial sewing machines. Do you have a confirmed source of supply? Do you have any spares? Could you introduce them to our factory?"

Chen Fan made an "uh" sound and said somewhat awkwardly, "There is no source of goods. The brigade secretary submitted an application to the Commerce Bureau through the commune, and the Commerce Bureau said it would do its best to facilitate it."

After saying that, he paused for a moment, then added, "Yeah, that's it."

It seems that this better demonstrates confidence.

Unfortunately, Jiang Heng had little confidence in him and said speechlessly, "We can't even buy it through the Provincial Department of Commerce. Is your Gufeng County Bureau of Commerce so powerful that you can buy an industrial sewing machine for a factory?"

Chen Fan rubbed his face, clicked his tongue, and said, "Since that's the case, then we have no choice but to play our trump card."

Jiang Heng raised an eyebrow. "You actually have another trump card up your sleeve? Tell me about it."

Chen Fan pointed to the east, "The machine factory can make motors, right? Let them think of a way. If that doesn't work, buy two industrial sewing machines, take them apart and study them, and then produce them for us."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Heng nearly fainted.

Do you think this machine factory is your private property? You think they'll just build whatever you tell them to? This is a huge machine factory; they only ever listen to…

Thinking of this, Jiang Heng's eyes flickered slightly, and his gaze towards Chen Fan became quite complicated.

If it were anyone else, they certainly wouldn't be able to command the machinery factory; even the local commerce bureau would have to consult with them.

But if this little guy were willing to talk, the machine factory might actually listen to his call!
(End of this chapter)