2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 253 The Flying Ambition

I woke up from my afternoon nap feeling refreshed.

Zeng Jixiang hadn't returned yet, and there didn't seem to be anything particularly important to do in the afternoon, so Tan Jincheng decided to take a look around the R&D department.

As Wu Zhenping passed by the marketing department, he was about to report to Tan Jincheng about the Spring City International Electric Vehicle and Parts Exhibition on the 10th of this month, which was an exhibition targeting Southeast Asian customers.

This is also the first exhibition in my country to attempt to export electric vehicles, allowing electric vehicle companies to try their hand at export business.

Since the beginning of March, there have been more and more exhibitions about electric vehicles. In the first half of the month, there were exhibitions in the capital of Henan Province and Kunming, and after the 15th, large-scale exhibitions will be held in cities such as Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Chengdu.

In March alone, there were five large-scale exhibitions across the country, demonstrating the strong support for electric vehicles. It is clear that the national government is going to start providing strong support for the electric vehicle industry today.

"The vehicles exhibited in Kunming have already been transported from Nanning, but unfortunately we still don't have enough models," Wu Zhenping sighed.

Lin Yumin was in charge of the exhibition in Henan Province, while Wu Zhenping was in charge of the one in Kunming. Although the two were at different levels in the company, they were both "veterans" and neither would show favoritism to the other. Letting the two compete fairly was the best approach.

"Quality over quantity; it's most advantageous to develop the potential of the few products we have first," Tan Jincheng said with a smile.

Currently, FlashTech doesn't offer many electric vehicle models. The FlashTech brand only has two models, in black and white. The Windspeed brand has several colors, but in essence, there are only two.

The R&D department is also working hard to develop new styles, and Tan Jincheng is going to the R&D department to check on the progress.

Strictly speaking, when a company's strength is insufficient, having too many styles is not necessarily a good thing. Currently, having two styles with multiple colors is more beneficial for FlashTech's development, as it allows them to focus on creating best-selling products.

After 2010, Geely pursued a multi-brand strategy for a period of time, launching a large number of models under sub-brands such as Englon. The final result was quite unsatisfactory. If it weren't for the Emgrand model, the multi-brand, multi-model strategy might have even dragged the company down.

The years of Geely's multi-brand strategy were probably the most difficult years for the company, and the subsequent integration undoubtedly proved that this strategy was a mistake.

In fact, Geely really started to develop after the launch of the Emgrand. Before the Emgrand, Geely's reputation was similar to that of Zhongtai. Everyone was copying each other, and in terms of quality, the older brother was not as good as the younger brother.

After the Emgrand was launched and sold out, Geely finally embarked on the path of independent research and development. After that, it gritted its teeth and raised money to acquire Volvo. After digesting Volvo's technology, the models became more and more attractive.

In 2006, although Geely had been manufacturing cars for many years, its progress was not particularly significant. Although Zhongtai started late, its speed was not slow. Before 2010, the gap between the two major car manufacturers in Zhejiang Province was not particularly large.

In fact, Chery is currently the one carrying the banner of domestic car manufacturing, and it was Chery, not BYD, that truly brought down the prices of joint venture cars.

Although the industries are different, Tan Jincheng believes that every industry should avoid blind expansion. FlashTech's two electric vehicle models are enough to support the domestic electric vehicle market in 2006. In addition, don't forget that FlashTech also has electric tricycles.

"If Mr. Tan has no other instructions, I will fly to Chuncheng tomorrow."

“Yes, go ahead. The Southeast Asian electric vehicle market has great potential. Keep an eye on it this time,” Tan Jincheng nodded.

After the domestic boom period for electric vehicles ends, it is inevitable for companies to go overseas. However, developed countries in Europe and America have strict regulations on electric scooters. They are generally managed in accordance with the standards for motorcycles. Users need to obtain a driver's license and pay taxes and insurance, which is not an easy threshold.

However, Southeast Asian countries are different. During the motorcycle era, they were always the target of our companies' dumping. Even after the domestic boom period for electric vehicles ended, this is still the case. In most Southeast Asian countries, the laws and regulations are actually similar to those in China.

You can use it by buying a small electric scooter, which is easy to get started with. The first choice for going overseas is definitely the Southeast Asian market. The Flash Motors affordable model is not expensive, and when necessary, it can be customized for the Southeast Asian market, reducing the requirements for parts and selling it even cheaper.

From now on, we will make some arrangements in the Southeast Asian market, establish some distributors, and prepare for large-scale overseas expansion in the future.

"Understood." Wu Zhenping nodded solemnly.

One step behind leads to another, and in the end, he lost the competition to Lao Lin, causing him to fall behind at every step. Compared to going to Henan Province, it is much more difficult to open up the southwest market or go overseas.

Everyone knows that the domestic electric scooter market is booming. With innovative designs and guaranteed quality, there is no worry about sales, especially since FlashTech has a very good foundation in Henan Province.

It's worth noting that the first step in developing the Flash series was Henan Province, so exhibiting and selling cars there would obviously be much easier.

But that's okay. If we do well in the Southwest market and open up the overseas expansion plan, we can still make progress. You know, Mr. Tan started out earning US dollars. Compared to doing well in the domestic market, Mr. Tan has always been particularly fond of selling products to foreigners and making money from them.

In Mr. Tan's words, this is called staying true to one's original aspiration. If he can truly open up the Southeast Asian market, it will be of great significance to both himself and the company.

This may also be his only chance to surpass Lin.

At the very least, he could be on equal footing with Lao Lin, with Lao Lin in charge of the domestic market and him in charge of overseas business.

"Alright, if you don't have anything to do today, go home and pack your things. Be careful over there. It's okay if the business doesn't go through, but you and your team must be careful."

Tan Jincheng gave a brief explanation and then got up to go to the R&D department.

"I know, thank you, boss," Wu Zhenping said, somewhat touched.

To be honest, Mr. Tan, this young boss, is actually quite humane. Every time he goes on a business trip, he always tells his subordinates to pay attention to safety, not just for himself, but for all business travelers.

Logically speaking, someone in his early twenties like him shouldn't have experienced the chaotic period of the last century. I don't know why he values ​​safety so much. Even when his uncle was renovating his house, he specifically told him to be careful.

Could it be that something happened during the year or so you worked at sea?
That shouldn't be the case. Xiao Zhang boarded the ship with him, and he doesn't have the habit of reminding others to be careful.

Tan Jincheng didn't care what he thought. In fact, the public security was not that good at the beginning of the century, but it was much better than in the 1980s and 1990s. As long as you are careful and don't get your wallet stolen or lose your ID card, there shouldn't be any problems.

Tan Jincheng wasn't worried about seasoned veterans like Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping, as they had their own survival experience. However, it was different for the other employees in the marketing department. Since they were paid a base salary plus sales commission, the turnover rate in the marketing department was relatively high within Flashpoint Technology.

Many new employees are young and inexperienced, so if they lose their wallets or ID cards, the company has to send someone to retrieve them, which is quite troublesome.

FlashTech's R&D department has been relocated to the new factory. Compared to the factory in Xiapu Industrial Zone, the factory here is more standardized, has more complete functions, and is also safer.

The security here refers to data security.

After several rounds of expansion, the R&D department now has more than 30 people, including those responsible for product development, testing, and mold design, all still under the leadership of Wang Chao.

Wang Chao was poached by Tan Jincheng from Xinri. Although his position at Xinri was not high, his abilities were not a problem.

Currently, FlashTech's self-developed technologies focus on batteries and exterior design. In the future, Tan Jincheng also plans to directly acquire a manufacturer of motors and controllers, striving to achieve self-development of all core components.

Yadi has already started developing motors, and FlashTech aims to compete with them in the future, so it certainly needs to invest heavily in this area.

Acquiring motor and controller manufacturers with independent R&D capabilities is the fastest way to catch up with competitors.

From beginning to end, in Tan Jincheng's mind, FlashTech has always regarded YaDi as its hypothetical competitor in the electric scooter market.

Ignoring Chip Day, using Aima's success model to block Aima's development path, learning from Yadi's technological advantages, and competing with it in the electric scooter market!
But whether it's an electric vehicle or a car, the core internal components are very important, but the exterior design is equally important. The exterior components must be distinctive so that buyers can immediately recognize that it is your company's product.

From Flashspeed to Windspeed, Flashspeed Technology's R&D department, with the help of Tan Jincheng's visionary thinking, has put a lot of effort into this area, resulting in a design that surpasses modern standards and is a major weapon for Flashspeed Technology in the market.

The R&D department is currently secretly developing a new product. This product is still under the Fengchi brand, but it has a more high-end style. Whether the market will accept it is still unknown. However, Tan Jincheng's purpose in developing it is not simply for the market.

Why did Audi, one of the three German luxury brands (BBA), outperform BMW and Mercedes-Benz during this period? The reason is simply that Audi replaced the previous official vehicles and became the new official vehicle, thus quickly becoming popular.

Fengchi's brand positioning is mid-to-high-end. In order to make more people accept Fengchi's pricing, in addition to brand ambassadors, the most important step is to let the brand participate in a major event to complete its transformation.

The new model of the Flashspeed, which is being secretly developed, is prepared for the transformation of the Flashspeed brand. As for major events, Tan Jincheng is aiming for the Olympics two years later!

Make Fengchi the official vehicle for the Olympic Games to be held locally two years later!

Preparing two years in advance might seem early to some, but Tan Jincheng believes it's not early at all. Flash Motors isn't the only company eyeing the official vehicles for the Olympics; the more thorough the preparation, the higher the chance of success.

Feng Ya Song, another reader, has given a tip! You're too kind, thank you!

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(End of this chapter)