2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 433 The Power of Connections among Huizhou Merchants

What are the most important production lines in manufacturing a car?
Generally speaking, automobile production has four main production lines: stamping, welding, painting, and final assembly.

Once these four production lines are in place, a car can be produced. Of course, in Tan Jincheng's view, the most important aspect of the automotive industry should be industrial design.

As a consumer product, performance and price are definitely the most important factors for consumers. However, among products with similar performance at the same price point, how can you get consumers to choose your company's products? You have to work on the appearance.

All humans are visual-motor beings, and physical appearance is always the primary concern for both men and women; this is probably what is meant by love at first sight.

In late July and August, Tan Jincheng and Gu Qingqing planned to conduct some inspections across the country, a trip that would take a relatively long time. During this period, Tan Jincheng also planned to visit some automotive companies across the country.

If there are any small companies that you like, you can acquire them if you can, or you can take a stake if you can't acquire them. At this time, domestic companies did not pay enough attention to industrial design, and everyone was busy copying.

You say you want to develop some kind of engine or something, but that's just bullshit for Flash. Do you think Flash can make that kind of thing?

In terms of manufacturing experience, Flashcar is not even a nobody in the automotive industry. To be honest, it is even inferior to the three companies that are often criticized later: Weixiaoli, etc. The fact that these three companies have become the leaders among the new forces and have managed to stay in business shows that they have some strength.

At least these people are able to attract a lot of investment, and there are capital willing to burn money for them, which is also a skill.

Looking to the future, being able to persuade so many internet capital investors to invest, and also getting the Luzhou government to make a firm decision to buy at rock-bottom prices, is quite an achievement, considering how much money they've been losing.

Speaking of which, this guy is from the same hometown as Tan Jincheng. He should be working on an automotive media website right now, right?

In the field of automobile manufacturing, it is no exaggeration to say that Anhui Province has half of the talent in the country. Among the bosses and managers, Tan Jincheng alone knows several car brands such as BYD, Nezha, etc.

The founder of Nezha, like the future, is also from Yicheng. This city is quite strange, and no one knows how it got there.

There are several well-known local entrepreneurs who own car brands, but they can't even build a complete car factory or an auto parts supply chain. It's no exaggeration to say that they are wasting their talents.

Besides the automotive industry, there are also many entrepreneurs from Yicheng in the electronics technology sector. For example, the chairman of Guoxuan, which Shanchi is currently cooperating with, and Tan Jincheng knows of several others, such as the chairman of Zhengwei.

There are so many well-known entrepreneurs from the same hometown across the country, whose companies have top-tier influence in the industry. However, their urban development has not kept up at all, and they are doing worse and worse. By 2020, they had little influence in Anhui Province.

In terms of location and status, Yicheng is not bad. In terms of human resources, it is a large city with a large population. In terms of historical heritage, it goes without saying that such a city cannot support even low-end manufacturing, let alone high-end technology. As a Yicheng resident, it is really hard to imagine it collapsing.

Oh, right, in my previous life, Andar was sold at a low price, and in this life, Andar is the same, except that it benefited Tan Jincheng. Perhaps the fate of this city was decided the moment Andar was sold.

There is also another fellow townsman of Tan Jincheng, A Qixing, the chairman of Changying Precision, who currently lives in Shenzhen. Tan Jincheng visited him in Shenzhen last time under the guise of being a fellow townsman.

Changying Precision was founded in 2001. It initially engaged in the import and export trade of electronic components. It was among the first batch of companies to do foreign trade after China joined the WTO. After making a fortune, it began to seek transformation.

In this respect, Tan Jincheng followed the same path as him, both of them started their businesses in foreign trade and then began to transform into their own research and development.

Tan Jincheng's last visit was based on the fact that he learned that Changying Precision was entering the field of electronic manufacturing, making mobile phone components and other businesses, and that it belonged to the same mobile phone industry chain as Dexian Electronics.

As a newcomer to the industry, Tan Jincheng, wanting to build connections wherever possible, inquired about several Anhui entrepreneurs in Shenzhen before going there, hoping to visit their companies.

The company I most want to visit is definitely not BYD. Visiting BYD at the beginning of the year was pointless. Even if they tried to poach some people like Lei Jun, I don't know where to put them. Let's leave this to Zhongtai.

Changying Precision has been transforming from an import and export business for nearly three years now, and has accumulated a certain level of technical strength. In addition, Tan Jincheng was once a retail investor in the A-share market.

Another company that Tan Jincheng is paying attention to is Yishite, located in Dongguan. The owner of this company is also from Yicheng and has the same educational background as Dong Jinggui and others, having only graduated from junior high school.

The owner of Yishite, who started with 3000 yuan, was younger than Tan Jincheng when he entered society. He started working at the age of 16. Currently, his company is larger than Changying Precision, with factories in Jiangsu Province and Dongguan City.

Italian Specialty manufactures UPS power supplies, just like Dexian Electronics and Jinxin Technology. They're all in the electrical business. Last time Tan Jincheng went to Shenzhen on a business trip, he didn't have time to visit Dongguan. This time, during his nationwide inspection tour, Tan Jincheng plans to pay a visit.

He Sitang Jincheng, the owner of Yisite, got involved with Dong Jinggui. He initially made his fortune in Jiangsu Province, and he and Dong Jinggui were close by, both having served in the military and sharing very similar experiences, so their acquaintance isn't surprising. As a retail investor, I'm familiar with Changying Precision, one of the giants in the mobile phone supply chain. There's definitely no opportunity to invest now, but what about the future? If all else fails, investing before the IPO is still an option.

The same applies to Italian companies, which are also A-share listed companies. Tan Jincheng remembers some of Guoxuan and other A-share listed companies that have not yet appeared. These companies are the target targets for investment in the first-tier market of ByteDance's future investment engine.

Haha, I wonder if this counts as Shunwei Capital's cheat code-like success?
Automotive industrial design, supply chain, mobile phone-related projects, internet technology, warehousing and logistics, and other businesses were the key areas of focus for Tan Jincheng and Gu Qingqing's nationwide inspection tour. Tan Jincheng was responsible for the physical aspects, while Gu Qingqing was responsible for the internet-related supply chain.

Integrating the connections of some Anhui merchants was also one of the purposes of Tan Jincheng's nationwide inspection tour. Manufacturing cars requires connections in related fields, and having these connections would be more beneficial for Flash.

Tan Jincheng has some advantages in this regard. Anhui Province regards him as a rising star among Huizhou merchants, and Zhejiang Province also has a good impression of him. The headquarters is located in Zhejiang Province, and he has a considerable business in Beicang. Zhejiang merchants also regard Tan Jincheng as part of their business community.

After all, Tan Jincheng was selected as one of the 2006 Emerging Economic Figures of the Year as an outstanding Zhejiang businessman thanks to his Flash Group, which is an honor for both Ningbo and Zhejiang Province.

Whether they were Anhui merchants or Zhejiang merchants, they were all willing to accept Tan Jincheng, a rising star who had made a name for himself. Tan Jincheng regarded other businessmen as his resources and connections, and other entrepreneurs did the same.

It is well known that the three major telecom operators look down on their old customers and try to curry favor with new customers. Tan Jincheng, a rising star and powerful entrepreneur, is a new customer of local governments.

With Tan Jincheng accompanying her on field inspections across the country, Gu Qingqing felt much more at ease.

The nationwide inspection plan during the summer vacation was planned in advance. The CEO needs to have some understanding of his own industry, and also needs to reassure and comfort the local employees and understand the operational status of the various regions under his jurisdiction.

The same applies to Tan Jincheng. His company expanded too quickly, making it impossible for his reach to extend to every corner of the business. Inevitably, various problems arose during the development process.

It's not terrible for a company to have problems; discovering and solving problems is an essential step in the process of a company's development.

Traveling across the country in two months was not an exaggeration in an era when transportation was not very developed. For Tan Jincheng and Gu Qingqing, it was a novel experience.
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July 14th, Saturday, is also the first day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar.

The villa was comfortable and pleasant, but the weather outside Ningbo was extremely hot. This day marked the beginning of Tan Jincheng and his entourage's nationwide inspection tour.

"Is everything packed?" Tan Jincheng asked the people in the living room downstairs as she carried a suitcase downstairs. Gu Qingqing, who was following behind her, was also carrying a suitcase.

"All packed up, all packed up."

Before Zhang Suzhi and the others downstairs could answer, Tan Jinyue, speaking in a sweet, childlike voice, spoke first. Dressed in short sleeves and shorts, with a small hat and a small backpack on her back, Tan Jinyue looked extremely excited.

Tan Jincheng and the people downstairs exchanged smiles.

This trip will be quite long, and the inspection will take us back to my hometown. Although the work is tedious, it's relatively easy because it doesn't involve discussing many investment projects.

Therefore, Tan Jincheng let Zhang Suzhi and Tan Jinyue come along as well, just like going on a trip.

When you go back to your hometown, you can also visit your relatives and old friends, so that you don't leave your wife and son at home for a month or two in this hot weather and get too bored.

Besides his mother and sister, the entourage accompanying Tan Jincheng and others this time was much larger than before, including two full-time drivers, Lai Yiu-fai and Lau Su-man, as well as Tsang Kei-cheung and three newly hired assistants.

In addition, Gu Yanning, as the CEO assistant of Orange Technology, was also in the travel group. Besides her, Orange Technology also arranged a technician and a person in charge of the logistics and warehousing business segment.

In addition, Tan Jincheng was accompanied by staff from ByteDance's advertising platform. They said they were going to visit him, but what if they reached an investment agreement? Right?

It's just a matter of the travel expenses for two more people. Based on the principle of taking it one step at a time, bringing two more people isn't a big deal.

This was also the largest entourage Tan Jincheng had ever traveled with.

I'd like to recommend a historical novel by one of the authors in this group. Those interested in history might want to check it out.

Book Title: I, Who Wanted to Be a Treacherous Minister, Actually Restored the Han Dynasty
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(End of this chapter)