2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 266 The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead

April 17, Shanghai International Expo Center.

At 8:30 a.m., a large banner hung at the entrance of the newly decorated exhibition hall: "Step into 'Bicycles' and Enjoy a Healthy Life!"

The 16th International Bicycle Exhibition, themed around this topic, will officially open here today.

"Holy crap! How come there are so many people?" Tan Jincheng couldn't help but curse when he saw the scene before him as soon as he stepped into the exhibition area.

Mr. Dong, who was traveling with him, couldn't help but laugh and said, "Of course, this exhibition has more than 900 exhibitors from 13 countries and regions. The exhibition area of ​​8.5 square meters is also the largest ever. Mr. Tan has participated in the Canton Fair. You can think of this as the Canton Fair of the two-wheeled transportation industry."

"So that's how it is. This is my first time participating, I'm a bit ignorant," Tan Jincheng said, scratching his head.

"Haha, not only electric vehicles, but also bicycles and motorcycles, and even parts manufacturers are exhibiting. Smaller companies can have enough to live on for the whole year if they are lucky."

Upon hearing Mr. Dong's words, Tan Jincheng smiled at the staff of FlashTech behind him and said, "Did you hear that? Perform well, and if we're lucky, we'll have an easier year."

"Mr. Tan, you're being too modest. There aren't many electric vehicle companies nationwide with total sales exceeding 10 units. I heard your company's target for this year is 20 units. That certainly doesn't qualify as a small company, does it?"

"Haha, that was just him bragging after having too much to drink at the annual meeting. It's just talk, Mr. Dong, don't take it too seriously."

"Slippery," Dong Jinggui couldn't help but think to himself.

A few days before the exhibition, Flash Motors announced to the media that its total sales of electric vehicles had officially exceeded 10 units. This was clearly a publicity stunt for the exhibition. Using total sales instead of this year's sales to promote the product, the figure of 10 units is indeed eye-catching.

These figures also remind people of Xinri, which ranked first in sales in the electric vehicle industry last year. They cleverly linked themselves to the top spot by taking a cut from their own data.

I bet Xinri is having a bit of a headache right now, isn't he?

In addition, the exhibition setup was made so mysterious, and it was announced that not only would its spokesperson Liu Yifei attend the exhibition, but also a mystery guest would be present, which was quite a gimmick.

Even before the exhibition started, it attracted attention from all sides. How could this be a company exhibiting for the first time?

This is also one of the reasons why Dong Jinggui was curious and wanted to meet this fellow villager.

By now, Dong Jinggui has come to his senses and even has become curious himself, which shows how successful FlashTech's publicity has been. Perhaps they will bring a different kind of surprise to their peers at this exhibition.

This truly shows how the younger generation surpasses the older.

"President Dong!"

Just as Dong Jinggui was chatting with Tan Jincheng, a powerful voice came from not far away.

Dong Jinggui looked up, smiled, and waved, saying, "President Zhang."

He then smiled and said to Tan Jincheng, who was standing next to him, "Come on, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Zhang Congxun, the general manager of Xinri."

Tan Jincheng looked in the direction the sound came from and saw a middle-aged man wearing a well-fitting suit and with the same buzz cut as him striding towards him.

He was also accompanied by a group of people.

Zhang Congxun walked over quickly and stood beside the two of them. Instead of catching up with Dong Jinggui, he smiled and looked Tan Jincheng up and down.

After a while, he said, "If I'm not mistaken, this must be Mr. Tan Jincheng, the CEO of Flash Technology, right?"

"Hello, Mr. Zhang," Tan Jincheng said with a smile, extending his hand.

The three were of similar height. Dong Jinggui was also wearing a suit, while Tan Jincheng was dressed casually and appeared thinner than the other two, who were showing signs of middle-aged weight gain.

Compared to Dong Jinggui, who started his business at the age of 31, Zhang Congxun, who started his business in his teens after graduating from junior high school and has been involved in the business world for 20 years, appears to have a more imposing presence, with a bright and piercing gaze.

"I've long admired Mr. Tan's reputation. Last year, our marketing director was even thinking of poaching you, but unexpectedly, you ended up poaching a few talents from our technology department instead."

Tan Jincheng clasped his hands together and smiled, "Excuse me, excuse me. Next time, I'll try to poach some from President Dong's company. President Dong won't mind, will he?"

Dong Jinggui smiled and pointed at Tan Jincheng, without saying anything.

In fact, all three of them were just using this as a way to start a conversation. In the industry, it's common for companies to poach each other's talent, and even top executives from other companies can't be stopped, let alone mid-level managers.

Even if the other party doesn't try to poach them, talented people may still leave to start their own businesses.

If you want to retain talent, there is no other way but to work on your own efforts. If a boss is really concerned about this, then he is being a bit too stingy.

"Tan Corporation has been making quite a splash lately. Are they planning to make a big splash at the exhibition?" Zhang Congxun asked with a smile.

Like Dong Jinggui, he was also very curious about Flashpoint Technology's promotional activities.

"I do have some ideas, but I'll keep them a secret for now. The exhibition is about to start, and you two will find out then."

"Haha, then we'll wait and see."

Dong Jinggui, 36, Zhang Congxun, 37, and Tan Jincheng, 21, stood together talking, each with a large group of people standing behind them.

This scene was quickly noticed by the media reporters who were waiting outside.

Unlike Tan Jincheng, who keeps a low profile, Dong Jinggui and Zhang Congxun frequently attend public events, making them easily recognizable to industry reporters. A reporter quickly snapped a photo, capturing the moment.

Two newly rich electric vehicle industry figures, one of whom was last year's top seller, stood on either side of each other, while a casually dressed young man stood in the middle, the three of them forming a triangle.

"Hey, who's that young man? Does anyone know him?" the reporter asked the person next to him as he pressed the shutter.

A reporter's instinct is to take a picture first, regardless of whether they know the person or not.

"I don't know it. Let's go up and ask around."

"it is good."

Zhang Congxun, who was most photogenic, was the first to notice that the reporters were paying attention. He then said to Dong Jinggui and Tan Jincheng, "Let's go in, there are reporters coming."

Dong Jinggui also noticed and nodded in agreement; it was not the right time to get entangled with the reporters.

With two industry veterans speaking up, Tan Jincheng had no objection, and besides, he didn't like facing the camera.

"Wow, it's running so fast, should we chase after it and ask it?"

"We definitely have to chase them, but there are so many people around them, we won't be able to squeeze in even if we try. Let's wait and see what happens."

"Well, that's all we can do. I'm still a little curious about who that young man is."

"I guess he works for some electric vehicle company? He's so young and doesn't lose out to his two senior colleagues in terms of presence. He must hold a relatively high position, right?"

"I do remember someone, but I don't know if it's him."

"Who?"

"I heard that the chairman of Flashpoint Technology is very young, only in his early twenties, but I have never met him, so I don't know if that's true."

"It's possible. The news that FlashTech's total sales of electric vehicles have exceeded 10 units has been circulating a lot these past few days. It's normal for the two seniors to have a chat with him."

"Let's go, let's go to Flashpoint Technology's exhibition and we'll find out."

Zhang Congxun and his two companions evaded the reporters. Like Dong Jinggui, they both sent their staff to their respective exhibition areas, while Zhang Congxun and Dong Jinggui followed Tan Jincheng to the exhibition area of ​​Flash Technology.

"Now you can unveil it, right, Mr. Tan?" Dong Jinggui said with a smile to Tan Jincheng.

Tan Jincheng smiled and waved his hand. Zhao Xinyi, who was beside him, quickly went over to arrange the unveiling.

The dark curtain was slowly drawn back, and the first thing that caught the eye was a row of Flash Motors electric vehicles, the Flash Motors series. These were nothing special; they were all Flash Motors products currently on the market.

However, when the two saw a row of electric cars with gold bodies, their pupils shrank in unison!
They had never seen this car before!
The car has a light gold body, paired with a black dial, handles, and black tires. The seat is also gold, but a darker shade than the body. The front and rear sides of the car are painted with the Flash Lightning logo.

This car is incredibly cool and has an aesthetic that is ahead of its time.

"A new model?" Zhang Congxun asked in a deep voice, his expression grave.

He's an expert. This car is so cool, with a perfect streamlined design. You can tell at a glance that it won't be cheap. It's obvious that this model is FlashTech's way of targeting the high-end electric vehicle market.

As the current leader in the high-end electric vehicle market, this model will be a major competitor in the future.

“That’s right, we named it the Fengchi Guanneng series,” Tan Jincheng said proudly.

The development of the exterior molds for Guanneng is not yet complete. These are a batch of 20 samples that Tan Jincheng requested the technical department to work with the workshop to "hand-craft" using 3D printing.

As for accessories such as headlights, interior parts, motors, and seat cushions, they are easy to solve. Some are readily available, while others are samples that were rushed out. It is entirely possible to produce 20 samples in a little over a month.

The exterior parts are a bit ugly because they are 3D printed, and they are not as perfect as those made from molds in terms of function. However, with some repairs, minimizing the gaps, and painting, they can still be used as exhibition samples.

"Wind Chaser Crown Energy?" Zhang Congxun muttered to himself, his feet already unconsciously walking towards the Crown Energy series area.

The same goes for Dong Jinggui. Yadi hasn't made much of a mark in the high-end market yet, but his understanding of this model is the same as Zhang Congxun's.

For some reason, Dong Jinggui always felt a pang of heartache when he saw this car model: "Why isn't it Yadi?"

Upon approaching the vehicle, Dong Jinggui and Zhang Congxun could easily discern that the outer shell was 3D printed, suggesting that the mold development process had not yet caught up.

But so what? The samples are already here, which means their product is already mature.

This already puts them one step ahead.

“Guan Neng? Guan Neng?” Zhang Congxun muttered to himself, unusually losing his composure.

At that moment, he couldn't help but have the same thought as Dong Jinggui: "The Yangtze River's back waves push the front waves forward."

As for the promotional photo in the center of the booth, which showed several elderly men riding electric bikes and included a picture of them in their youth, they no longer paid any attention to it.

(End of this chapter)