2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 705 The Recruiting Plan Begins

P.S.: I've been busy these past few days, so these are all two-in-one chapters, but the update volume hasn't decreased.

People are often curious about what the boss does when he's alone in his office with the door closed.
Of course, I'm just slacking off.

There are definitely many workaholic bosses, but even workaholics need leisure time. Right now, workaholic Tan Jincheng is taking a break.

As a newly minted dad, Mr. Tan's recent hobby is browsing funny comments from other new dads and moms on forums when he's alone, which he finds quite amusing.

Therefore, you must knock before entering the office of a leader or boss.

It's quite awkward when you encounter your boss slacking off.

Another way is to read owner reviews of popular car models on car forums. These days, car forums are still very pure.

Although there was no shortage of mutual slander, the information posted by car owners was still quite useful.

The saying "there are experts among the people" is not just a casual remark. For example, the logo of Zhongtai was designed by an expert among the people, and many car owners have also helped other domestic brands change their logos.

The newly added Yulai Auto Yuechi A1 section on the car forum has gradually become more lively, starting from a quiet period with few posts.

As the owner, I feel quite proud to see my car forum gradually become more and more lively.

During the day, Chang Zeyu and other suppliers were arranged by Zhang Yong and others. For the dinner, the district government would arrange it, and Tan Jincheng only needed to accompany them, so he didn't need to worry about anything.

In the strategic cooperation with Mitsubishi, Tan Jincheng also assigned the purchasing department of Weilai Motors to liaise with the purchasing department of Mitsubishi Motors.

January is already halfway over, and sales of the Yuechi A1 and pickup trucks have been quite good in the past two weeks.

The subsidy policy for rural car purchases ended on December 31, 2009, but there were still many car subsidies available in 2010. Car sales did not decrease much because of this subsidy policy.

In the past two weeks, a number of new 4S stores have been added in Weilai. The addition of new dealers has increased the sales of Yuechi A1. If nothing unexpected happens, Yuechi A1 has a good chance of breaking through 10,000 units in sales this month.

It's true that making money from gasoline-powered cars is very profitable. The supply chain is mature, and all the parts can be sourced. To be honest, there isn't much difference between assembling gasoline-powered cars and assembling electric vehicles.

If you thoroughly understand the key points and control costs well, you can run a successful business without investing much in research and development.

The fate of an assembly plant is certainly not long-lasting, but the aftermath is actually quite simple: with some maneuvering, take advantage of the company's booming period to go public and raise funds, and then cash out on the secondary market until you can withdraw your funds.

Zhongtai, Lifan, and other car companies actually follow a similar pattern. Compared to Zhongtai, Lifan's fate was better, as it was subsequently acquired by a new energy vehicle company.

Actually, the logos of the two cars are quite similar.

If they don't want to make new energy vehicles, Weilai Auto has actually taken the lead over other automakers like Zhongtai, since the Yuechi A1 is almost certain to be a best-selling model.

Three days passed in a flash. During these three days, Tan Jincheng did not participate in any matters related to the supplier conference, but he did attend several cocktail parties.

The rest of the time was spent accompanying Nagasawa Yu on his inspection tour of the Mitsubishi Motors factory, meeting and socializing with district and city officials. His days were both leisurely and not leisurely.

A strategic partnership with Mitsubishi was also reached during this period.

1 month 19 day.

Mitsubishi, Weilai Mitsubishi, Weilai Motors, and the Beicang District Government jointly signed a strategic agreement to cooperate on parts manufacturing, engine and other technology research and development, production and manufacturing, and market promotion.

The cooperation between Mitsubishi and Weilai deepened from then on, and Weilai's senior management was very happy about this collaboration.

At this point, the executives at Weilai Motors are actually more concerned about the close cooperation with Mitsubishi, as Mitsubishi's technology will enable Weilai Motors to develop more smoothly in the gasoline vehicle market.

As for the battery cooperation between Jinsheng New Era and BMW, it is currently only something that Tan Jincheng and Zhang Yong attach great importance to.

Tan Jincheng understands the future direction of development, while Zhang Yong must keep pace with the boss. The executives' thinking is more focused on the present.

"I've introduced you to a group of people who went there. These were all people I used my personal connections to get, so you'd better make sure they're settled in properly."

The news that Orange Technology's core business, Happy Farm, has been sold to Tencent's QQ Space has gone viral online. Happy Farm has been a national game for the past few years, and its influence is enormous.

Over the years, Orange Technology has consistently adhered to the policy of exchanging items from Happy Farm for free fruit.

This service has been integrated with Orange Club. Users can receive daily tasks through the Orange Farm on the Orange Club website, plant fruit trees themselves, and exchange them for various fruits. In addition, they can also exchange them for easily transportable household supplies such as rice, flour, and oil.

Although the daily tasks are rather tedious, the combination of the two is ultimately free, and in the past few years, there has not even been a shipping fee.

Orange Technology has been very generous in its rewards to Happy Farm users. As the number of users has increased, the scope of its agricultural assistance has also expanded. Orange Technology has made some contributions to promoting the local agricultural economy.

That is why, despite the criticism that Happy Farm has received over the years, just like other games, it still has the prestigious reputation of helping farmers, so no one can easily mess with it.

The news about Happy Farm being sold is everywhere, and it goes without saying that Tencent is using this news topic to divert attention.

Little Ma is indeed particular; he actually sent a group of software engineers, and Tan Jincheng has already asked Gu Yanning to help receive them.

Orange Technology is about to move out of the FlashDrive headquarters building, but the floors they used before will not be vacant. The W3D Intelligent Driving project, which is currently being prepared, will move into this building in the future.

Because Gu Qingqing was pregnant, the task of settling the engineers was temporarily handed over to her cousin.

However, it's unlikely that Pony Ma called at this time just because he was concerned about these engineers.

"No problem, we definitely won't let them feel neglected, Brother Ma, you can rest assured."

"Hey kid, how many times have I told you not to call me Brother Ma? It sounds like you're some kind of... well, you know."

"Haha, really? Don't you think it's a really impressive name?"

Does it resemble him? Your style of doing things is far more domineering than that of Mark Gor in Hong Kong movies. One slap in the face during the Q coin incident wasn't enough to make you behave. It was only after being warned following the 3Q War that you changed your style.

The reason for this call is simply that Orange Technology wants to cooperate with Tencent on some promotional activities.

Well, after this thing is sold, we still have to give users an explanation. Kaixin.com's Happy Farm will continue to operate, and the project to help farmers will continue.

In the past few days, Happy Farm users have been asking about this matter on the Happy Farm forum on the Happy Farm website.

It's time to issue an announcement to give an explanation to the users of Kaixin.com and Kaixin Farm, and it's also necessary to cooperate with the publicity.

Several dozen days have passed in the blink of an eye, and the atmosphere of the New Year is getting stronger and stronger.

The shops along Beicang Street have already put up banners advertising New Year promotions, adding a touch of liveliness to the otherwise quiet street.

“During the Spring Festival, there are far fewer cars and people on Beicang Street.”

Tan Jincheng held Gu Qingqing's hand as they strolled along the streets of Beicang. Not far behind them, Li Yaohui and Liu Suman walked side by side.

"Yes, Ningbo becomes much quieter in the cold winter. I guess that's the problem with the influx of people into cities?"

"It's not necessarily a problem; at least things are much more peaceful now, and the citizens are probably happy."

"There are good and bad aspects."

The advantage is that it has indeed brought some peace and quiet, but the downside is that some businesses will be affected.

By 2010, the discrimination against outsiders in Beicang was not as high. Even some of the old-fashioned people had changed their minds. You have to understand that in 03 and 04, no matter how rich you were, you were still considered a "foreigner" in the eyes of the locals.

This term "foreigner" is not an exaggeration; it carries a great deal of discrimination, and Tan Jincheng and Zhang Xupeng have experienced this kind of discrimination quite often.

"Look at this street, there are more and more Yuechi A1s."

Gu Qingqing pointed to the street, where there were not many cars, but every now and then a Yuechi A1 would speed past her, her eyes full of pride.

"Yes, although we didn't sell 10,000 vehicles this month, we still ranked third, surpassing the RAV4."

Tan Jincheng's eyes were also filled with pride. Over the past few months, the Yuechi A1 had consistently ranked among the top sellers, with sales steadily increasing, and now it had firmly secured a place in the top three. The RAV4 sold 7800 units in January, while the Yuechi A1 sold 9871 units, a difference of more than 2000 units, firmly suppressing the RAV4. The CRV, which ranked ahead of it, only sold exactly 10,000 units in January.

As for the top spot, it still belongs to the Great Wall Haval H3, which ranked first in January sales with 10500 units sold.

The large volume of H3 sales over the past two months is largely due to their model update. With the new generation model about to be launched, Great Wall Motors is taking advantage of the ongoing subsidy policy to clear inventory before the new model is released, which is a common marketing tactic for every automaker.

The sales of the H3 do not pose a threat to the Yuechi, and the sales of the RAV4 can no longer catch up with the Yuechi. Only the CRV has a slight edge over the Yuechi, and the gap between the two is no longer that big.

In less than four months, the Yuechi has won the favor of consumers with its stylish appearance, solid materials, highly cost-effective price, convenient and fast delivery process, and continuously improving after-sales service.

Although the Yuechi A1 still lags behind excellent joint venture brand models, it is undeniable that the Yuechi A1 is already an excellent domestic brand model.

The Yuechi A1 was also named the most stylish car of 2009.

Officially, the Yuechi A1 has received high praise. Compared to domestic brands that completely copy other models, the Yuechi A1 does have many similarities, especially in its interior, which is almost identical to the CR-V.

However, it must be said that the Yuechi A1, which is derived from the second generation of the legendary car, can truly be considered a domestically designed model in terms of design language.

Many local governments have shown considerable interest in purchasing the Yuechi A1 as an official vehicle.

With strong sales in the consumer market, if the Yuechi A1 can also capture a share of the market in the procurement of official vehicles by major government agencies, its take-off is almost a certainty.

Once the January sales figures were released, many media outlets felt that the management of Weilai Auto had been too conservative in their sales forecast for the Yuechi A1 in 2010.

The sales target of 12 vehicles seems far from sufficient.

"That's about enough. Sales surges like those in 2009 are impossible to achieve every year. It's simply impossible for Dizi to achieve sales of 40 last year and then claim 100 million this year."

Just like the stock market, excellent stocks always have an annual increase of 10% to 50%, rather than a sudden surge of several times in a year, followed by endless decline.

Sustainable development is the foundation for a company's long-term survival.

With a projected sales volume of 12 vehicles in 2010, Weilai Auto could maintain profitability. With profits, more funds could be invested in research and development, and if it could maintain a certain level of growth each year, or at least not decline too drastically.

This way, more and more funds will be invested in research and development, and with continuous research and development, one day Weilai Automobile will be able to make a name for itself.

"I don't need the company to grow too fast. I just need it to maintain healthy growth every year and then invest the profits in new research and development to keep the company stable."

This was Tan Jincheng's response to the media.

The contrast between this and Bidiz's claim of 100 million units in sales this year is like night and day. Both companies have invested heavily in new energy vehicles, one large and one small, but their founders have completely different attitudes toward the domestic car market in 2010.

As February arrived, things became increasingly difficult for Dizi, and Boss Wang was probably starting to realize the crisis by now.

Here we must mention the development background and current status of the photovoltaic industry.

On December 8th last year, the three major international rating agencies successively downgraded Greece's sovereign debt rating, and the European debt crisis first broke out in Greece. It is said that Greece went bankrupt because of hosting the 2004 Olympic Games.

But to be honest, this was just the beginning of the US exploiting Europeans. The 2008 subprime mortgage crisis caused the US huge losses, so it had to make up for it by spending money all over the world.

Since they haven't gained any advantage from us, they can only try to take advantage of Europe, their backyard. This has been the case after every financial crisis.

Greece is the first to suffer, but it won't be the last.

However, the Europeans are not without options. They have started targeting the photovoltaic sector, and many regions have begun to impose sanctions on our photovoltaic companies. Dizi has a large amount of photovoltaic business in Europe, and it has suffered heavy losses since the sanctions began.

If we're talking about which industry has been most successful at creating wealth since 2010, it's definitely the internet. But if we shift the timeline back to around 2000, and ask which industry was most successful at creating wealth, it would undoubtedly be photovoltaics.

Suntech, Hanergy, the richest man in Hebei Province, and the richest man in Jiangxi Province all come from the photovoltaic industry. In 2006, the owner of Suntech already had a net worth of 186 billion yuan, which was only five years after his company was founded.

He made his fortune much faster than Tan Jincheng, that cheater. Foreign media called him the godfather of photovoltaics, and in Wuxi, where Suntech is located, his bust is erected in the streets and alleys.

At that time, Europe was vigorously promoting renewable energy under the background of environmental protection policies. Countries such as Germany and Spain increased their photovoltaic subsidies. The global photovoltaic market size increased by 61% year-on-year, and the photovoltaic installation capacity of many European countries led the world with an annual growth rate of over 100%.

In the photovoltaic industry, the prevailing view a few years ago was that as long as production was started, profits could be made.

At its peak, even manufacturers selling socks, underwear, and even animal feed (Tongwei) entered the photovoltaic industry, with more than 600 cities across the country planning to build photovoltaic industrial parks.

At that time, the ambitious Dizi also laid out his photovoltaic business. Although his battery manufacturing business was very successful, his car sales were only so-so, so it was normal for him to set his sights on photovoltaics.

However, Dizi is indeed amazing. He succeeds in whatever he does. It's true that batteries are his original business, but in just a few years, he has also captured a large market share in the photovoltaic industry in Europe.

A later critic once said: "Any field we enter on a large scale will eventually become dirt cheap and have overcapacity."

That's not entirely wrong. Despite occupying half of the global photovoltaic market, they haven't actually made any money and have instead created a crisis.

There's no other reason than that we rely on imports for 90% of our raw materials.

From a hindsight perspective, this actually seems more like a conspiracy by foreigners.

In 2005, the price of polysilicon on the international market was $40 per kilogram; in 2008, the price of polysilicon rose to $500 per kilogram.

Also in 2008, when polysilicon was priced at $500 per kilogram, domestic photovoltaic companies signed huge long-term contracts to stabilize silicon prices and lock in silicon production in advance.

Some companies even signed long-term contracts for 10 years at once.

Then came the financial crisis of 2008.

Does this look familiar? That's right, it's the exact same trick used on soybeans.

In the years that followed, this scenario repeated itself repeatedly, but there was no way around it; few people could resist the temptation of huge profits.

So it's absolutely true that this world is a makeshift operation; you can find the answers to all sorts of nonsense in history.

On one hand, there are high-priced, long-term contracts with huge compensation for non-compliance; on the other hand, there are companies that are squeezed to the extreme, selling at rock-bottom prices, and relying on the profit margins supported by countless migrant workers, which are becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.

The Europeans, who were already struggling to survive and were being exploited by the US, quickly reacted and attempted to use policies to cut us again and recover their losses, making it even more difficult for photovoltaic companies to survive.

Dizi is really stuck in the photovoltaic industry. This situation is so bad that even a reborn person with a system would be helpless. There is no other way but to cut his losses quickly.

Unfortunately, many companies lack the courage to do so; not everyone dares to wield this knife.

Europe's anti-dumping and countervailing duties are fatal to domestic photovoltaic companies. As the most successful entrepreneur in 2009, this Lunar New Year's Eve is destined to be a difficult one.

Whether to cut losses or try other ways to salvage the situation is a difficult decision.

However, for Dizi's competitors, this may not be a bad opportunity.

Starting from the end of January, Tan Jincheng secretly mobilized a group of trusted confidants to be stationed in Shenzhen. He also collaborated with several well-known headhunting companies in China, ready to take advantage of any situation to destroy you.

To this end, Tan Jincheng even asked Qin Junchao to set up a shell design company in the name of Dexian Electronics.

Since before the Lunar New Year, all the engineers we could find, including those in the Dizi Battery Business Unit and the New Energy Vehicle Business Unit, were poached and employed by him.

Unlike Zhongtai, who was focused on Xia Bing, Tan Jincheng was mainly targeting Dizi's technical personnel in the fields of batteries and automotive systems. These people were relatively low-key and not easily noticed.

According to the information provided to Tan Jin by the headhunter, some of the more well-known design talents in later generations have been with Dizi for no more than five years.

Some of them have only been with the company for one or two years.

For Dizi, these people are all new employees who haven't yet established a trust relationship with the founding team, so there's still a good chance they could be poached.

Just wait and see, the power battery system, the blade battery, might just be from Wei Lai.

(End of this chapter)