2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 598 The familiar recipe, the familiar routine.

As many have speculated, Mitsubishi's ambiguous stance stems from its assessment of the financial crisis.

The new plan allows for equal shareholding, expands the joint venture's dominance, and increases the scale of its business in China. Mitsubishi is actually quite willing to proceed with the new cooperation plan.

On the other hand, there is also the consideration of raising the acquisition price.

These days, when it comes to technology imports, foreigners like to rip us off when they cooperate with us; it seems to have become the norm.

Actually, it's not just in this area; all collaborations are showing this trend. Take the domestic operating rights of the outlet mall, for example. When we talked to them in the first half of the year, they quoted an unacceptably high price.

However, after the financial crisis, their attitude became much more honest, and they even took the initiative to invite Zhang Xupeng to talk again.

They become obedient when they are short of money.

On the second day after arriving in Xiaori, there was no formal work. The consulate had arranged some activities, and Mitsubishi had also arranged a tour. Whether or not there would be cooperation was another matter, but normal reception activities still had to be carried out.

During the visit, Leader Gu quietly asked, "What do you think?"

"Well, I've visited quite a few domestic car factories, and they are indeed much more advanced than ours. There's really no comparison."

The first thing you see is that everything is well-organized and the workers are clean and tidy. This image is much better than most factories in China. Don't be fooled by the fact that many companies in China are implementing 5S and 6S management systems. In practice, many companies still fail to achieve the desired results.

Take Changfeng Xiangcheng Industrial Base or Zhongtai Beicang Factory as examples, their management is a complete mess, looking like a large workshop. The same goes for Dizi's factory.

Poor quality is not just a matter of technical aspects.

The level of automation application is unmatched by domestic companies, which mostly rely on sheer manpower. Of course, our boss Tan doesn't plan to implement that many automation projects.

With labor costs so low now, the primary concern in various regions is solving employment issues, rather than industrial upgrading.

The so-called "mega-factory" concept is not necessary at the moment.

Being half a step ahead is genius; being a full step ahead is madness.

“Indeed, the workers’ mental outlook is also very different. I have only seen this kind of mental outlook in your electric vehicle factory. Your garment factory doesn’t have this kind of mental outlook.”

Leader Gu nodded in agreement.

He also inspected many factories. Although each factory presented its best image to him, the workers' spirit and energy could not be faked and could be seen at a glance.

Tan Jincheng smiled. Isn't that obvious? Ordinary workers don't have that many thoughts. They're happy when they earn a lot, but can they be happy when they earn a little?

Within the entire Flash Group, the best employee benefits are naturally found at Flash Technology's Beicang Electric Vehicle Factory. Other factories are better than their competitors, but still cannot compare to the electric vehicle factory.

This was something Tan Jincheng did intentionally after adjusting the salary strategy.

The workers at the headquarters' electric vehicle factory make up only a small portion of the group's employees. The equipment is updated the fastest, and the benefits are the best, all in order to create a benchmark.

Tan Jincheng also wanted to get the same super-benefits as Pang Donglai, but he couldn't. He didn't have the ability. The group was getting bigger and bigger, and there were more and more workers. He simply couldn't afford the welfare benefits of the Beicang factory.

Boss Tan isn't that arrogant yet.

"The lower-level employees in the group jokingly say that the electric vehicle factory in the district is the group's eldest son, so it's only natural that it gets better treatment than the others," Gu Qingqing replied softly.

"Haha, is that even a saying?"

This was the first time the accompanying leaders had heard this statement.

Tan Jincheng smiled and explained, "Improving workers' treatment is something we've been doing all along, but unfortunately, due to limited resources, we can only implement it gradually. FlashTech has grown from 200 employees to what it is now. If we were to treat all employees the same as the initial 200, the wages alone would be a heavy burden."

"But don't worry, leaders, I will continue to work hard. Only when workers' wages are improved will they dare to spend money and buy houses and cars."

The leaders from Hunan Province smiled and nodded. Selling Changfeng Group to Shanchi would also present a problem: the workers would be taken over. They were actually quite worried about this. What if the workers were all handed over to the local government?

They had heard about Tan Jincheng's actions at Yangzi Automobile before; those were truly ruthless methods.

Yangzi Motors only has a few employees, while Changfeng Group's headquarters has many more. They are afraid that Tan Jincheng will use similar methods after taking over.

Everyone who visited had a different perspective, and not many could truly understand the technical aspects. The translators arranged by Mitsubishi didn't focus on translating these technical aspects either.
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"Mitsubishi was one of the first Japanese brands to enter the Chinese market, but if I were to comment on its actions after entering the Chinese market, it would be that it got up very early but arrived late."

"If you want to change the current market position of Mitsubishi, you must change." After being ignored for several days, and only officially negotiating on the 20th, Boss Tan continued his style when negotiating with Changfeng Group, and was blunt and outspoken from the start.

Seeing the stunned expressions on the faces of the delegation members, Li Jianxin chuckled to himself.

"That kid is still so arrogant, but it's good to teach them a lesson."

When you're being beaten, you feel wronged, but when the same treatment is applied to someone else, the feeling seems different after comparison.

The leaders present were somewhat anxious, fearing that Tan Jincheng might anger the other party and cause the cooperation to fall through.

Well, these days local governments are really sucking up to foreign brands. They don't care about the public's opinion; what the superiors like, the subordinates will follow.

I had only heard that Tan Jincheng was very arrogant during negotiations, but none of the leaders had ever met him in person. Who would have thought that this guy was arrogant not only in China, but also abroad.

"Then, Mr. Tan, what are your thoughts on Mitsubishi's products in your country's market? What caused Mitsubishi's current situation?"

After a moment of silence, the translator on the other end finally spoke.

"It's very simple. Your models, whether in terms of exterior or interior design or engine technology, can basically only be described as outdated. They are no longer the Mitsubishi that once dominated the off-road vehicle market."

“Look at your competitors Toyota, Honda and Nissan. If you want to win back consumers, you have to show sincerity.”

As the translation progressed sentence by sentence, Mitsubishi's expression became increasingly strange. This was blatant criticism. Mitsubishi liked to emphasize seniority, and the reason they initially chose Changfeng was because Changfeng had impressive seniority.

As a state-owned automaker established around the same time as FAW and Dongfeng, Mitsubishi's early development was very rapid. It's hard to say that Mitsubishi chose the wrong partner.

In a country that values ​​seniority, young people have few opportunities to get ahead. Many members of the Mitsubishi negotiation team were older than Tan Jincheng's grandfather, so being scolded by such a junior must have been a bit embarrassing for them.

But it has to be said that what he said is true. Honda, Toyota, Nissan and other newcomers are doing very well, while they are struggling.

"Here it comes again, it's that trick again." Li Jianxin, who was just watching the drama unfold, was completely dumbfounded.

Back when we were negotiating with Tan Jincheng, that kid immediately launched into a tirade against Changfeng, saying things like, "You're not selling any new cars," and "Your stock is about to crash," using every nasty thing imaginable.

The same old routine, the same old formula.

"Our market is becoming more mature and rational, and competition is becoming more and more intense. Change is necessary, and we are Mitsubishi's best partner. It is no exaggeration to say that by cooperating with us, Mitsubishi will win new development opportunities."

First they criticize, then they make empty promises, and finally they show their sincerity—the familiar three-pronged approach.

Tan Jincheng speaks very quickly and doesn't give others a chance to speak. His usual assertive style makes Mitsubishi's leaders and his own side very uncomfortable.

"Why us? Because we are young enough, we have the aesthetics of young people, our designs can keep up with the times, and we also have a professional car manufacturing team that can work with you."

"Our country overcame a series of difficulties in 2008, and our Olympic Games were a great success. Even in the current environment of the global financial crisis, our economy has maintained rapid growth, and our market continues to expand."

"With superior labor costs and changes in the international economic environment, you have all the right timing, location, and people on a macro level. You don't need to worry about not getting your investment back. You can conduct market research on this."

"Let's go back to the advantages of our own company, Weilai Motors. In addition to what I mentioned earlier, we have money, and the most important advantage is that I am only 23 years old this year and I am very passionate about the automotive industry."

"Even if it's just a matter of enduring, I can outlast my competitors!"

After finishing speaking in one breath, Tan Jincheng said to the translator, "Translate the next sentence completely, without embellishment."

Arrogant, so arrogant! Li Jianxin was incredibly impressed. They could use their power to intimidate each other during negotiations because everyone was of equal status.

But to dare to use this attitude in the face of such a multinational giant is simply too arrogant, not to mention that there are so many high-ranking leaders present.

But why does it always feel so satisfying?

Whether it will work or not is another matter, but it's incredibly satisfying.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was extremely strange. The management team, who were not good at humor, were very uncomfortable with Tan Jincheng's arrogant negotiation style. In the past, everyone in the country fawned over them, and they had never encountered such a situation before.

"I have stated my position. Do you have anything to add?"

(End of this chapter)