2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 229 "Comrade Xiao Tan is a person with ideals"

For those who have played StarCraft, the biggest takeaway is that you can't let your units and resources sit idle.

Tan Jincheng is doing just that. His "soldiers," or workers, are working at a very high workload. The workers get one day off a week, but not all of them get off on Sundays. Instead, they take turns resting, and the production line runs smoothly 24 hours a day.

As for money, while ensuring the normal operation of the factory's working capital, I will invest the funds I have on hand as quickly as possible. Now that the amount of funds is large, Tan Jincheng is also trying his best to make the funds more efficient.

With funds flowing in the millions or tens of millions, outflows are delayed as much as possible, while inflows are made as early as possible. For this reason, salaries are paid at the end of the month to maximize the use of funds.

Unlike Xu Xueming's arrogance and focus on personal gain, the second boss became much more serious about his investigation after arriving.

Given his high rank and status as a local official, the district sent Zhao Jinsheng to handle the reception duties after learning about the situation from Zhang Xuhui. Xu Xueming had never received this treatment before.

Zhao Jinsheng was responsible for receiving guests, but he was also suspected of gathering information. The district didn't want to lose a sure thing.

As for Xu Xueming's last inspection? Nobody cared, because he wasn't high enough in rank.

Xu Xueming, who was still following along on the tour, felt uneasy. He naturally didn't dare to expect any hospitality from Beicang District, since they weren't affiliated with any other company. As a small leaf spring factory manager, he was already grateful that Flash Technology could make arrangements for him.

What made him feel uneasy was that, compared to the previous visit where he led the team, although Tan Jincheng was still away on a business trip, he promised to return within a day at the latest. In addition, the assistant named Zhang Xuhui was noticeably more respectful in his attitude.

As long as it doesn't involve company secrets, he answers almost every question, unlike last time when he was just given a perfunctory answer. If you say that there was no explanation from Tan Jincheng behind this, he would never believe it even if you beat him to death.

Perhaps his father's presence was partly the reason, but more so because he looked down on him.

"Perhaps, that kid saw through my hand a long time ago?" Xu Xueming thought to himself with a wry smile.

That's true. He's a young man who became famous at a young age, a billionaire with a net worth of over 100 million, and his business is booming. Why would he look down on a mere manager like me? Sigh, I should have listened to Old Li and been more humble. I should have paid a visit to his father. That way, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

Now things are much better. The second-in-command of the county has personally come to my door with the leaders of the Finance Bureau. At this point, there's basically nothing for me to do. Forget about any benefits, I can't even get any political achievements.

"I learned before I came that Shanchi electric vehicles have several exclusive stores in Wangjiang, and they sell very well, especially the 1999 yuan model, which is very popular. I've also heard that some people in the surrounding towns want to open such exclusive stores. Does your company have any restrictions on this?"

"There are no restrictions. Our boss has said that the Flash brand focuses on cost-effectiveness, and the township and rural markets are our important customer base. In addition, our electric tricycles are also ready to be launched, and they will be deployed in these markets in the future."

"We warmly welcome entrepreneurs from our hometown and other towns to contact our suppliers or consult us to learn about relevant matters concerning opening a store."

The second boss nodded and said, "Yes, this is good, this is good. Electric tricycles can solve the problem of short-distance travel and transportation for ordinary people. Your company has done a really good job in addressing the needs of ordinary people by starting from their actual situation."

"Not at all, the leader is too kind. We just did what we were supposed to do," Zhang Xuhui replied modestly.

Then the second boss turned to Tan Lihua, who was standing to the side, and said, "Comrade Lihua has given birth to an excellent son. I will definitely have the opportunity to exchange ideas with you on how to educate the next generation."

Tan Lihua quickly replied, "My son was just lucky. With the help of the Beicang District government, he was able to keep up with the national policies. He's not exactly outstanding."

To be honest, he's still a bit dazed. He was working at the factory when his boss called him into the office, only to find out it was a high-ranking official from his hometown. As someone who works within the system, he understands the significance of such a powerful official visiting his door.

Then, the other party invited me to come to Ningbo in the name of the county. Although I wanted to refuse, the leader was watching me closely, and the other party was very polite throughout the whole process, so I couldn't bring myself to refuse.

Sigh, but with this, I guess I won't have much peace and quiet in the factory from now on.

"Comrade Lihua is too modest. We just went to the canteen and had a meal there. The food there is quite good, which shows that Comrade Xiaotan has a good character."

To be honest, my son, Xiao Qin, privately asked a few ordinary workers about their wages. They said that including overtime pay, subsidies, and social security, they could earn around 4000 yuan a month, not including the year-end bonus. An entrepreneur who treats workers well in terms of food and benefits truly deserves recognition.

Zhao Jinsheng chimed in with a smile, "That's right. Mr. Tan's Flash Technology is the first private enterprise in our district to provide social security for all its employees. They really do a good job in treating their workers. The Social Security Bureau and the Labor Bureau often discuss this. If all companies were like Flash Technology, they would have much less to worry about." "See? Secretary Zhao said so too."

The second boss was genuinely envious. The factory had over 600 employees, and there were two trading companies he hadn't visited yet. The industrial base was under construction, and the company's products sold well and had a good reputation. He thought it would be wonderful if such a factory were located in the county.

It's often said that the wealthy people of Yicheng are not in Yicheng, and it seems to be true now. These entrepreneurs who have left don't seem to have much interest in returning to their hometown to contribute to its development, even young people like Tan Jincheng who are easily fooled.

Young people are often passionate and love their hometown. Just a few kind words can make them very interested in serving their hometown. But from Xu Xueming's description, this young boss Tan seems to have no interest at all.

He also inspected the first phase of the industrial base project; sigh, if he had taken this plan back to his hometown, he could have easily acquired 500 mu, let alone 150 mu, and the land acquisition cost wouldn't have been as high as in Beicang.

But the other party didn't even consider it before going directly to the Beicang government, which is really heartbreaking.

Xu Xueming's words may be somewhat exaggerated, but he has traveled to other places to attract investment over the years, and has also visited Ningbo a few times, but with little success. The economic and technological development zone established by the county is just a wasteland.

There's no place like the Beicang Export Development Zone. If you're talking about leadership, coastal cities are better; it's easier to achieve results there.

"Comrade Xiao Tan will be back tomorrow, right?" the second boss asked Zhang Xuhui.

"Yes, our CEO Tan has already bought the earliest flight for tomorrow. It's really a bit of a delay, as our CEO Tan is currently on a frequent business trip."

"It's alright, we were being presumptuous. We should have let you know beforehand. By the way, I hope this hasn't interfered with Comrade Xiao Tan's work?"

"It won't affect anything. This trip to the capital is also to do some follow-up work on a cooperation agreement we reached before the new year. Secretary Zhao should know that."

Zhao Jinsheng nodded. Before Tan Jincheng went to the capital, he had asked him if he was free to come along. Based on Zhao Jinsheng's understanding of Tan Jincheng, he figured the guy was just trying to get some benefits from him, so he decisively refused.

Hang New Energy is just a subsidiary of Flash Technology. Strictly speaking, it has little to do with the district government or the district government. Last time, the district government's influence was used to help make the connection, which is why I went along.

The second boss looked at the two of them and asked Zhang Xuhui with some curiosity, "Could you ask Comrade Xiao Tan what project she was going to the capital for this business trip? Of course, if it involves the company's trade secrets, Secretary Zhang doesn't have to answer."

Before arriving, and on the way, the second boss learned about FlashTech and the domestic electric vehicle industry chain. FlashTech's current supply chain system is mainly concentrated in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

The target market is mainly in the southeastern coastal areas and the provinces of Anhui and Henan. If they want to develop the northern market or build a new industrial base, they should go to Tianjin, not Beijing, which is the important production base for the northern electric vehicle market.

Zhang Xuhui glanced at Zhao Jinsheng beside him, and Zhao Jinsheng nodded almost imperceptibly. Only then did Zhang Xuhui say, "It's not exactly a secret. Our company reached a cooperation agreement with a research institute in the capital before the new year to prepare for the development of batteries. This time, our CEO Tan went on a business trip to set up a battery R&D team and solve the problem of venue."

"Has your company already started battery research and development?"

"Yes, our CEO Tan once said at the annual meeting that while we are increasing sales this year, we also need to improve ourselves internally and enhance the company's R&D capabilities. A company without R&D capabilities will not last long."

"Currently, apart from the exterior parts of our electric vehicles which are independently developed, everything else is provided by suppliers. Our self-development capabilities are still relatively weak. In the future, we will develop our own batteries and motors, and strive to achieve full self-development of core components. Only in this way can we live up to the name of technology."

After listening to Zhang Xuhui's account, the second boss couldn't help but sigh, "Yes, no matter what kind of company it is, investment in research and development is essential for long-term development. Comrade Xiao Tan is a person with ideals."

One of the key factors contributing to Andar's rapid downfall was its weak independent research and development capabilities and its failure to focus on internal improvement.

A young man who has just turned 20, whose personal wealth has rapidly expanded to the level of hundreds of millions of yuan, is still able to calmly plan for the future of his company.

As the assistant just mentioned, the company's profits are mainly used to invest in its own development, and now it is focusing on research and development.

Unconsciously, Tan Jincheng's image in the second boss's mind rose to another level. He was friendly to the lower-level workers, ran the factory in accordance with laws and regulations, and was able to focus on improving the company itself. Such a young man was extremely rare.

(End of this chapter)