2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 944 A Livestream That Changed the Battery Landscape (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
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"You're getting smarter and smarter."

The stock market performance over the past week has been lackluster, with traditional consumer stocks favored by institutional investors performing well, but other sectors continuing their downward trend.

Companies like Inco Medical, with small share capital and no involvement from large funds, were bound to continue their downward trend.

However, due to Tan Jincheng's involvement, Inco Medical, which has seen a significant increase in attention, saw its stock price rise from 17.58 yuan at the close of last week to 21.64 yuan at the close of this week, a surge of 23.09% against the market trend.

The transaction volume has increased from 1.63 million yuan last week to 5.16 million yuan this week.

Last week, the market value was less than 35 billion yuan, but this week it has exceeded 42 billion yuan. What's even more amazing is that the only stock that ByteDance Engine previously disclosed its holdings in, and which is still listed in the top ten shareholders list in the first quarter report, has seen varying degrees of increase.

Stocks like Midea Group and Kweichow Moutai, which are often held in close proximity, have already shown good growth. The fact that the massive amount of shares held by investors for several years has remained unchanged has only fueled speculation.

"No, no, it was just a coincidence, a coincidence."

"Stop pretending. You can use that to fool people who don't know any better."

A mature entrepreneur should stay away from politics, but he absolutely cannot be ignorant of politics. In the eyes of those who are discerning, Tan Jincheng's choice to appear in the stock market discussion at this time in an unconventional way must have a deeper meaning.

The specific reasons why he bought such an ordinary listed company don't need to be investigated; just look at the current stock market environment and you'll know.

What is the current stock market environment like?

On the one hand, the signs of institutional investors sticking together are becoming more and more obvious. Moutai is almost up to 1000 yuan per share. The more these stocks are held together, the better they will rise. On the other hand, stocks abandoned by institutions are doing nothing in the current environment.

Inco Medical is a prime example. Given the company's fundamentals and prospects, its market value is certainly more than 40 billion yuan.

Institutional investors have made a fortune by pooling their resources, while retail investors have suffered huge losses and are filled with resentment. It's a stark contrast. However, the biggest event for the stock market this year is not these two, but the opening of trading in the technology innovation sector.

On July 22, the Science and Technology Innovation Board will officially open for trading. The first batch of 25 listed companies has been confirmed, with a total fundraising amount of 370.18 billion yuan. In addition, related Science and Technology Innovation Board funds will be established.

In terms of funding alone, the first batch of funds established for science and technology innovation, plus the funds raised by the 25 listed companies, exceeded 100 billion yuan.

The Science and Technology Innovation Board, which was established quickly, has responsibilities that go beyond this. Strategically, it was created to address the bilateral trade frictions that began last year, with the aim of facilitating financing for high-tech companies with growth potential.

Getting more people to pay attention to the stock market and the Science and Technology Innovation Board is the biggest headache for relevant institutions right now. Tan Jincheng is trying to generate buzz in the stock market by leveraging his personal influence, and he's doing so in this controversial way.

The boatman would never believe that he hadn't seen any influence from this background.

Which companies are listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board? Chips, semiconductors, lithium batteries, artificial intelligence, and medical care. This guy has already invested a lot in the first four categories, and they have enough buzz. The only one missing is a breakthrough in medical care.

Choosing a company with a relatively small market capitalization and intervening in it in the way it always does quickly and decisively is the best way to create a breakthrough, and it's also what the higher-ups want to see.

Even the seasoned businessman, Brother Boatman, couldn't help but sigh that the young man in front of him was becoming increasingly shrewd. In fact, he thought that Tan Jincheng's move to use his own funds to acquire the company was something he had planned in advance.

I must say, this move is quite brilliant. In terms of personal assets, this kid is richer than anyone else. I wouldn't say he's resentful of the rich, but it's not good for him to never spend money.

"Of the 25 companies that went public on the Science and Technology Innovation Board this time, how much did you invest in?"

Boatman was invited to watch the live broadcast of Jinxindai's first battery puncture experiment. The first live broadcast, originally scheduled for May Day, was postponed to today due to traffic diversion and insufficient preparation.

Both Weilai and Jinshidai attached great importance to the first live broadcast. Lu Ruifeng, general manager of Jinshidai and vice president of Weilai, personally gave the presentation, and invited the heads of major domestic battery suppliers such as BYD, CATL, and Guoxuan High-tech.

Unfortunately, Ningde's CEO didn't have time to come, nor did he plan to appear on camera. Otherwise, it would have been even more interesting. You see, Ningde's main research focus is on ternary lithium, and from the perspective of puncture tests, ternary lithium definitely doesn't perform as well as lithium iron phosphate.

Mr. Zeng was also quite troubled. In fact, he didn't want Wei to conduct such an experiment in the form of a live broadcast, as it would have a great impact on the promotion of ternary lithium and Ningde's stock price.

As for the boatman, BYD is involved in lithium iron phosphate, so he was naturally happy to see such an experiment. In fact, BYD may also be interested in following up and riding on the wave of this event.

"I'm not too clear on the specifics, but we invested in all three companies in Zhejiang Province, and the stakes were quite substantial."

The Science and Technology Innovation Board (STAR ​​Market), which aims to raise funds for high-tech industries, seems to have performed poorly in terms of stock price performance, according to Tan Jincheng. The 50 yuan threshold has also prevented most retail investors from participating. The A-share market aims to have 1.6 million stock investors, but in reality, only a very small portion of them have more than 50 yuan in funds.

The Science and Technology Innovation Board has been promoted with great fanfare, but it doesn't seem to be very popular among retail investors. The starting point is certainly not wrong, but it must be profitable.

However, investment institutions like ByteDance cannot only consider the actual investment returns when investing in a company. There may be other factors behind it, such as business cooperation and personal relationships.

"I remember you invested quite a bit in Luzhou, didn't you?"

Of the first batch of 25 science and technology innovation companies, 5 are from Beijing and 5 from Shanghai, 4 from Jiangsu Province, 3 from Zhejiang Province, and the rest are distributed across five provinces including Guangdong Province. However, none of them are from Anhui Province. The time for ByteDance to go public has not yet arrived.

BYD has not made much of a mark in the investment field, and to some extent, the existence of DiChain is also affected by this. Brother Boatman envies Tan Jincheng's abundant funds, but he is powerless to change it.

It's already 2019, and most of the resources that could be used for profit have already been distributed. Back then, he was focused on batteries and complete vehicles and didn't understand the internet industry very well. BYD missed the best opportunity to make money.

If we consider BYD as a financial company, then Weilai is an investment company based on massive amounts of data, and one with very high investment returns. The difference between the two is so obvious that it goes without saying.

Working in finance can be very lucrative, but the risks involved are unimaginable. Investing, on the other hand, is much less risky; at worst, one investment might go down the drain.

“Running a real business requires a lot of money; there’s no other way.”

A factory and a high-end machine both require a large investment. Where does this money come from? It can't be paid by these business owners forever, can it? If they really do that, they'll end up working as sewing machines sooner or later.

Finance and investment are the best ways to give back to the industry. In essence, whether it is BYD, Geely or Wola, they are all taking the same path: raising money in other fields to subsidize the real economy.

But this is easier said than done. Different eras and different environments exist. In the era when BYD was founded, there was almost no concept of investment. The boatman was from a technical background, so it's not hard to understand why his understanding in this area was flawed.

Even Li Shufu, who has always been known for his long-term vision, didn't he also fail to understand the new forces a few years ago and made all sorts of outrageous remarks.

With the support of external cheats, Tan Jincheng can be said to have caught the best investment era. In the stock market, high-quality stocks such as Tencent and Moutai are almost at their lowest points since listing, and it is easy to find bargains in the primary market.

The first generation of internet entrepreneurs had good ideas and execution skills, but some bosses really didn't understand their own companies at all, didn't know their specific value, and many of them sold their shares cheaply.

Pony Ma almost sold Tencent for two million back then.

Wei Lai and even Shan Chi basically survived little by little by relying on this investment model. Of course, the seniors like Brother Chuanfu have also seen Tan Jincheng's investment and admire this young man quite a bit.

At the prime of his life, he devoted almost all his energy to his work and was very restrained in his personal desires. At one point, he even paid out of his own pocket to the company, which often led to him being jokingly called a sucker.

But without his seemingly foolish behavior and his wholehearted dedication to the company, where would Wei be today?
"Speaking of which, with the scale of your live piercing broadcast today, Old Zeng is going to have a headache."

Li Zhen, the first fellow townsman to collaborate with Tan Jincheng in the battery field, spoke with a Tongcheng accent as he slowly walked towards Tan Jincheng and the boatman. He had driven from Luzhou and arrived a little later than the boatman.

"Yeah, aren't you just making trouble for your investment company? What are you thinking?"

The boatman, whose topic had been diverted, also joined in the banter. The boatman is from Wuhu. The gathering of these three people from Anhui Province, who hold significant positions in the battery industry, attracted the attention of the CCTV reporter present.

The cameraman keenly captured this scene.

For his first live stream, Wei Lai not only invited many industry peers to witness the event, but also many media outlets, including a host from CCTV, as well as some car reviewers with considerable influence on the internet whom Li Xiang had been able to contact.

Located at the foot of Jiufeng Mountain, the laboratory that Wei Lai built at great expense was surrounded by a large number of people, all preparing to witness this experiment initiated by the car company, apart from the core experimental area.

"Forget about making a fool of President Zeng, think about me first. If this experiment goes wrong, I'll be the biggest joke."

The first live stream, touted as "safety is the ultimate luxury," has garnered significant anticipation across the internet thanks to the planning and promotion by Wei Lai. Even before the live stream has started, over 5 people are already watching online.

This live broadcast was simultaneously streamed on Orange Live, CCTV.com, Weilai's official website, and Weibo. Among the media present were high-level representatives from CCTV, Zhejiang TV, and Anhui TV.

In addition, many professional media outlets from the automotive and battery industries also came. "You're just bragging; if it backfires, you'll just have to accept it. But the fact that you've made such a big fuss shows that you have absolute confidence in your technology."

Li Zhen remained noncommittal. More than a decade ago, this fellow villager, who was in his early twenties, contacted them through connections with the Luzhou government, seeking cooperation in the field of power batteries. At the time, he was quite curious.

Back then, getting into power batteries was practically suicide for most people. At that time, Guoxuan relied on businesses like lead-acid batteries to survive, and he never expected that a young man with little ability would have such courage.

Li Zhen did not refuse Tan Jincheng at the time. After all, Tan Jincheng had connections with the Luzhou government and was also a fellow townsman. In addition, Li Zhen admired Tan Jincheng's courage.

Just as Li Zhen had thought, between 2007 and 2010, Jinshidai was struggling and faced the risk of bankruptcy at any time. Even Lü Ruifeng once thought that the company could not survive.

Fortunately, BMW's timely arrival brought the highest industry standards to Jinshidai and also determined Jinshidai's R&D direction. Like a guiding light, Jinshidai's technology has been on a rocket-like trajectory ever since, quickly making it a leading company in the industry.

Guoxuan has also become one of Jinxin's suppliers. Now, like Shanshan, Guoxuan is a supplier of positive and negative electrode materials for Jinxin New Era. In just over 10 years, its status has undergone tremendous changes.

It's quite a contrast that my younger brother has become one of the industry leaders.

"I have confidence in our technology and colleagues, but who can predict what might happen, right?"

Rather than calling today's live broadcast of a puncture test, it's more like a launch event for Weilai's new blade battery. The reason for such a grand spectacle is largely due to this. It's impossible not to be worried at all.

These industry leaders and media outlets are all here for the blade battery. How this battery structure, which differs from the traditional model, performs in extreme environments is what everyone is most concerned about.

The direct theme that Wei Lai emphasized—that safety is the greatest luxury—is also worth exploring in detail.

With May more than halfway through, the landscape of the automotive market has undergone significant changes. The SUV market has cooled down and returned to rationality, while domestic brands have become increasingly polarized, with automakers such as GAC Trumpchi and Changan experiencing sharp declines in sales.

While leading SUV brands Great Wall and Wynn achieved growth against the market trend thanks to their new energy vehicles and product strength, they were also significantly affected.

The phasing out of new energy vehicle subsidies and the underperformance of rural car purchase programs have put pressure on major automakers, while luxury brands have seen a rapid increase in sales.

"From the National V to the National VI emission standards, everyone is busy clearing out their inventory, and luxury brands are no exception."

By claiming that safety is the ultimate luxury, the starting point is definitely battery safety. However, Wei Laiye does have some opinions about the current car consumer market and wants to use this as a pretext to promote himself.

Let Wei Lai be associated with "luxury".

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. These century-old car companies are really good at lowering prices."

奥迪A4L起售价降到了22万元，奔驰GLC低到了32万元，宝马5系跌破36万元，洗浴之王更是直接放大招直接优惠8万到10万元。

Even Volvo, which has always focused on high-end safety, has significantly reduced its prices. The starting price of the Volvo S90 has dropped to 29 yuan, while the lower-end models of first-tier luxury brands such as BBA (such as Mercedes-Benz A-Class, BMW 1 Series, and Audi A3) have dropped to the 15 to 20 yuan range.

Can you handle this?

Which should I choose: a Mercedes-Benz A-Class or an ET5 priced at 15 yuan?
Not all consumers will buy a car based solely on its brand, but the price reduction is simply too significant. The century-old heritage of these car companies gives them the confidence to engage in such loss-making practices to gain market share.

The ET5 can be considered to be on a different track, but this kind of price reduction has a huge impact on domestic gasoline vehicles.

"Now it seems that you two have been focusing on the new energy sector from the very beginning, which is really good."

They're all old foxes. Everyone knows Wei's little scheme. He's just trying to ride the wave of popularity of luxury brands. If today's puncture test is successful, it will leave an impression on consumers.

As the three talked, the live stream was also about to begin.

Wearing work clothes, Lü Ruifeng walked quickly toward Tan Jincheng and the other two.

"Boss, you really want me to go and say it? I have no experience with this. What if I mess it up?"

Old Lu is an old-school technician who lived a secluded life when he worked at the Institute of Physics. After he came to Weilai, Tan Jincheng protected him very well and assigned him a young "assistant" named Zhang Xuhui, so that he could concentrate on research and development without being disturbed by external factors.

Tan Jincheng asked him to commentate on the first live broadcast. He didn't think much of it at first, but seeing the scene on site, he was actually a little intimidated.

Because he knew that this live broadcast was extremely important for Weilai's battery business and for Jinshidai.

"What are you afraid of? That's the kind of contrast we want. Just go for it. Besides, you'll have CCTV hosts to help you out."

"However, when you are explaining, please try to use language that the audience can understand, and try not to use too many technical terms. Also, you should clearly explain the advantages and disadvantages of ternary lithium and lithium iron phosphate."

"Why don't you go, boss? Your popularity is much higher than mine now. I just checked backstage, and a lot of people came for you, including some who are into stocks."

Tan Jincheng was amused by Lü Ruifeng. It was rare for this man to be so unsettled. Indeed, people are always hesitant when it comes to the unknown.

"Go ahead, I believe in you, Engineer Lü; of course, I'll definitely be there if you need me, I'll be right here watching."

The boatman and Li Zhen, who were standing nearby, also laughed. Wei Lai's way of getting along with his superiors and subordinates was really interesting. At the same time, they also noticed how Tan Jincheng addressed Lü Ruifeng.

It must be said that this young man has a lot to teach others when it comes to winning over his subordinates. In public, he never refers to them as "my subordinates" but rather as "my colleagues."

He showed great respect to people like Lü Ruifeng, who was one of the earliest to join the company, and was much more approachable than General Manager Lü.

"That's right, Mr. Lü, what are you afraid of? He's the one who put up this show. If it gets messed up, you can only blame him. It has nothing to do with you."

The boatman chimed in from the side, and to be honest, he was actually looking forward to seeing the car crash and overturn. He had just looked around at the staff who had come to participate in the live broadcast and spotted quite a few familiar faces.

Although a long time has passed and these people's faces and demeanors have changed considerably, Brother Boatman still remembers them. He is certain that these familiar faces are the project team members he poached from the BYD Research Institute back then.

"Damn it, could it be that their blade batteries were developed by people they poached from us?"

From a cooperation perspective, Tan Jincheng is definitely a business leader welcomed by partner manufacturers. The contracts are clear, the responsibilities are well-defined, and most importantly, he pays promptly and never delays payment or tries any tricks.

However, from the perspective of competitors, Tan Jincheng is definitely not a good person, especially when it comes to poaching talent; he is truly ruthless.

He wiped out several project teams at BYD Research Institute. Most of the engineers who were responsible for liaising with Jinshidai back then are now working in Weilai. He also poached one of their senior executives in cooperation with Dongfeng, who is now the CEO of Proton.

Although SAIC did not directly poach its employees, Zhang Hailiang, who joined Weilai after leaving SAIC and is now the chairman of Weilai, was one of SAIC's youngest vice presidents at the time.

Of course, the most ruthless was the one who poached the number two figure in the Great Wall.

The completely revamped supply chain system of Weilai this year was all spearheaded by this legendary female executive. There's a big joke circulating in the automotive industry that people both want to visit and cooperate with Weilai's CEO, but are also afraid that he will actually come to the factory.

"He's shameless when it comes to poaching people. Even if it's just an ordinary technician, as long as he thinks they're suitable for Wei Lai, he'll put aside his pride and invite them."

The boatman chimed in, and Li Zhen and the others added a few words of encouragement. After hearing this, Lü Ruifeng could only grit his teeth and enter the laboratory.

The laboratory, enclosed by explosion-proof equipment, contains two machines with long needles pointing at two batteries fixed below, one of which is a blade battery based on lithium iron phosphate technology.

The other is a traditional ternary lithium battery, which is clearly different in shape.

As CCTV host Lu Jian and Jinshidai General Manager Lü Ruifeng entered the venue, various media outlets outside the transparent glass wall picked up their cameras to record the moment.

"This is a live-streamed experiment that is enough to change the commercial supply landscape of power batteries."

As of 2019, influenced by the new energy subsidy policy, in order to improve the driving range, the market share of ternary lithium batteries reached 61.7%, while the market share of lithium iron phosphate batteries was only 32%.

"Although I'd love to see you make a fool of yourself, I still hope your technology is as trustworthy as you claim."

(End of this chapter)