2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 966 One of the Advantages: President Tan's One-Man Rule

"It is both a challenge and an opportunity."

The reporter from Beicang Daily came with a mission, but ultimately didn't dare to use Tan Jincheng's statement about having no goal as the title of the interview, even though it would have been very attractive. He really didn't dare.

So we used this quote from Tan Jincheng during the interview as the title.

"A sudden change has destroyed the entire system. We may face a more complex environment in the future, so there is really no need for large-scale publicity like before."

However, life goes on regardless. Factories in various regions have stopped production and supply chains have been disrupted. The resumption of work in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions was relatively early. Currently, only some of the factories in Jiangsu and Zhejiang have resumed production.

Although it may seem like only a few days' lead, those few days gave companies like Weilai, Geely, and Tesla ample time to react, because most factories worldwide have not yet resumed production.

BMW's announcement that most of its factories in Europe and the United States will postpone the resumption of operations until April 30 will have a very serious impact on industries in Europe and the United States.

"Restrictions on travel and transportation have indeed greatly suppressed car sales, but production must continue as usual, because this abnormal situation will eventually end."

"Mr. Zhang, please make arrangements and coordinate with Wei Lai. If any employees from Flashpoint want to work at Wei Lai, arrange for them to receive training as quickly as possible. Also, Flashpoint should be prepared to resume operations at any time."

Zhejiang Province reacted swiftly and quickly in this incident. The most popular buzzword on the internet right now is "copying homework," which originated from Zhejiang Province's response. It's only a matter of time before Flashcar resumes operations.

"In addition, we need to coordinate with local governments and transportation systems along the route to arrange for willing employees to return to work as soon as possible so as not to delay production."

On the issue of public services, Wei Lai has an unshirkable responsibility. For example, the production lines that were previously transformed with companies such as Wuling and BYD, as well as the materials produced by the production lines established by Inco Medical, have all opened up a nationwide free application channel.

As of February 10, more than 6 million units have been distributed free of charge, demonstrating the social responsibility of the car company and an entrepreneur, and gaining considerable goodwill.

However, a business is still a business, and its goal is to make money and sell products. Wei Lai's goal is naturally to sell more cars, and Tan Jincheng will definitely make use of the advantages established in the early stages.

"In addition to doing everything possible to resume production, we are calling on dealers across the network to open online stores and sell cars through live streaming. Although we cannot deliver, we can still maintain a certain number of orders."

The Weilai APP and online sales system are already quite mature. In addition, Tan Jincheng himself has internet resources and a certain understanding of the live streaming system. While most car companies are still hesitant, Weilai is ready to seize this market share as soon as possible.

The live streaming industry is also the industry that has benefited the most from this change. With everyone at home having nothing to do, what else can they do but watch short videos and live streams?

"Also, do everything possible to get our online office system working as quickly as possible."

On the day work resumed on the 10th, Tan Jincheng convened a massive meeting for executives from various companies, including Weilai, Shanchi, Orange, Lotus, Meizu, National Technology, and Leichi.

Those who can come in person should come in person; those who cannot should have a video conference.

At this point, Tan Jincheng's practice of summoning most of the senior executives back before the New Year showed its advantages. With most of the senior executives in Ningbo, communication was faster and instructions could be conveyed immediately.

"Does Mr. Tan mean to make long-term preparations?"

Lu Qi inquired that the concept of online office work had not yet been hyped up during the initial resumption of work. Although most physical enterprises resumed work on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the A-share market opened as scheduled.

The first wave of speculation is still in healthcare stocks, but the speculation is not very intense yet. On the one hand, most institutions have not completed their position building plans, and on the other hand, most people still believe that this matter will soon pass.

As of February 2020, the price-to-earnings ratio of the CSI Medical Index was 56.35, which is at the 32.39th percentile historically. This is a relatively reasonable price level. Although the medical sector performed well last year, the speculation was more focused on technology stocks.

Among the related concept stocks, the ones with the highest gains are naturally medical device companies such as Zhende and Yingke. These were the first to be hyped. Taking Yingke Medical as an example, from January 7th, the first day of the new year, to February 10th, the increase was 66.67%.

Currently, Inco Medical's stock price closed at 27.65 yuan, with a market value of over 65 billion yuan. In Tan Jincheng's view, this is just an appetizer, but retail investors in the market feel that the price is too high and that the speculation will eventually come to an end.

While stocks related to online office work have seen some fluctuations globally, the changes themselves haven't been significant.

Tan Jincheng nodded: "We can't guess what will happen next. All we can do is make all the preparations we've made before. As for whether we'll need them, I certainly hope we won't."

"Orange Group needs to coordinate in this regard, since you are more professional in this area and should provide more assistance to your sister companies."

"No problem, we will optimize these services as soon as possible and launch the new version at the fastest speed."

As a leading intelligent mobile office platform in China, Lu Qi also realized that this was an opportunity for Dingding. Currently, the Dingding team is working overtime to advance the latest version.

How is Dingding doing right now?

Tan Jincheng also paid close attention to Dingding. After raising it for so many years, it had not made a profit. Although the number of users was constantly growing, it did not have the explosive growth of software like WeChat.

Now, even Pony Ma has created an enterprise version of WeChat, attempting to seize this market share.

"Currently, we have over 400 million users and more than 17 million organizations. However, the biggest changes have occurred in the last two months. In January, our monthly active users were only around 100 million, but in February, starting from the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, they surged to 220 million. Daily active users also exceeded 100 million for the first time, which is quite impressive."

Dingding's downloads increased by more than 300% month-on-month, and it once topped the Apple App Store's free app chart. Currently, Dingding holds a dominant position in the office software market, with a market share far exceeding that of WeChat Work and Lark.

Each of these three software programs has its own advantages. WeChat for Business has an absolute advantage in terms of interoperability with WeChat, making it convenient to communicate with external customers. Regardless of how Tencent ultimately designed WeChat, by 2020, WeChat had essentially acquired most of the functions of office communication.

Lark excels in expedited instant messaging, pin functionality, online document permission settings, and integration with IM, and also has unique features in schedule management.

However, Dingding's strength lies in its comprehensive functionality. It boasts rich enterprise management features and excels in security and confidentiality. These are Dingding's advantages and one of the reasons why it has become a mainstream office software.

"We must seize this opportunity and maintain our advantageous position. As for losses, we shouldn't worry about them."

Tan Jincheng was quite satisfied with Dingding's data. With over 100 million daily active users, it meant that the software was a true success. Dingding was of strategic importance to the entire business system, and he didn't care about the losses at all.

Just like Gaode Maps, Tan Jincheng's current status on the internet does not come from vertical e-commerce, nor from investments, nor from games; these are merely tools for making money.

Their true status comes from the fact that Dingding and Gaode Maps, representing several loss-making companies, are the best at providing basic services in any industry.

Lu Qi smiled and said, "It's just that our rating on the App Store is getting lower and lower."

Among the more than 1700 million organizations, there are a large number of enterprises, schools and government agencies. The sixteenth day of the first lunar month is the time when most students start school. Obviously, they can't start school now. So, learning online on Dingding is the best way.

Universities and colleges have already notified students and parents to download Dingding, which is why Dingding downloads have surged. This involuntary download method is obviously making the highly individualistic student population uncomfortable.

In addition, Dingding's "read/unread" function was retained after much consideration due to its office functionality during the initial design phase. This is one of the biggest criticisms of Dingding among its users.

From a user's perspective, Tan Jincheng also felt that this function was an absolutely bizarre design. However, from an office perspective, this function does have its significance. When a leader issues an instruction, whether it has been read or not indicates whether the employee has received it.

This is actually quite important in the workplace.

"There are always gains and losses. You can't have all the benefits. Don't focus on that. What you should focus on is the actual user stickiness."

"In addition to doing a good job in online office work, you also need to do a good job in online education. When necessary, you can also invite some well-known educators to do live broadcasts on Dingding. There are still many students who love to learn. You can refer to the learning section of Bilibili in this regard."

"Boss, this is for little Tan Jinyue, right?"

Many executives who couldn't attend in person participated in the video conference, such as Lin Yumin of Flash, who stayed in Tan Jincheng's hometown of Wangjiang to oversee the overall situation and ensure the operation of Flash's largest industrial base.

Wu Zhenping, another key figure from Shanchi, remained in Ningbo to assist Zhang Xupeng in overseeing the work.

Lin Yumin, who resigned at the age of 35 to join Tan Jincheng's team, has unknowingly worked at Flash Motors for 15 years. As the head of the world's highest-selling two-wheeled electric vehicle company, Lin Yumin, realizing that the meeting was a bit dull, cracked a small joke to ease the atmosphere.

As a veteran of 15 years, Lin Yu-min making such a joke is perfectly acceptable.

Tan Jincheng laughed as well. Lin Yumin's joke made him realize that the atmosphere of the meeting was indeed a bit tense, a tacit understanding formed over a long period of cooperation. "Yes, Tan Jinyue is a first-year high school student this year. We don't know when things will get better, and I don't want her studies to fall behind."

"Looking back now, it was so lucky that Mr. Tan didn't let Tan Jinyue study abroad. If she had been abroad, I don't know how worried Mr. Tan's family would have been."

Just kidding, but on a side note, the atmosphere at the meeting was definitely much more relaxed.

Tan Jincheng laughed as well: "That's right. In this situation, my parents would definitely ask me to find a way to bring her back."

The outside world is actually more chaotic than we are now. In terms of efficiency, no country can compare to us. Everyone thinks the boss is joking. In terms of educational resources, how could Tan Jinyue be lacking?

But what they didn't know was that Tan Jinyue's online learning experience lasted for three years.

"Oh, right; let Meizu donate some phones, but don't do any publicity. Also, the Meizu Blue series can be priced lower, targeting students."

"For details on how to cooperate, you can contact Mr. Huang from Pinduoduo. Li Nan can take charge of this."

Li Nan is the head of Meizu's Meilan series. When it came to the pricing strategy for Meilan phones, Tan Jincheng asked him to conduct research across the country and not just focus on first- and second-tier markets. When the lower-tier market exploded in 2019, Meilan's prices also rose accordingly.

Li Nan, who was in Zhuhai, immediately responded: "Okay, I will arrange it as soon as possible."

Li Nan instantly understood which group his boss was targeting when he mentioned donating phones. With the full-scale explosion of the lower-tier market in 2019, he understood the importance of his boss's previous strategic adjustments for Meizu.

As for why they partnered with Pinduoduo instead of their own Orange Products Club, one reason is that Orange Products Club's main user base is in the apparel industry, which is not advantageous in the 3C industry. Another reason is that their user base is also not advantageous.

Pinduoduo clearly has a strong advantage in this regard. Partnering with Pinduoduo and participating in its 10 billion yuan subsidy program will give you a greater advantage.

"Also, don't actively promote it."

Li Nan and Zhou Ao's marketing methods both have a sinister edge, and Tan Jincheng was a little uneasy if he didn't remind them. He didn't want a good thing to end up turning into a bad thing.

"Understood, boss, don't worry."

"Regarding national technology, we should first maintain communication with local governments to determine the resumption time. As for research and development, you should continue to invest as usual. Mr. Sun and Mr. Cheng should keep an eye on this."

"I heard that companies in Guangdong Province are running a shared employee program. You guys can take a look. If it's suitable, you might participate. If not, then forget it. The main thing is to keep R&D going."

During this extraordinary period, many companies are worried about when they can resume work, but Tan Jincheng is not in a hurry for National Technology. At present, National Technology's automotive-grade chips are not yet at the level to enter the supply chain.

At this time, there is no performance pressure to delist, and it is also during the rectification period. Stopping the market can actually make some people who are restless leave on their own, and allow the technical staff who are truly willing to devote themselves to research and development to settle down.

"There's not much to say about Leichi. Employees who are willing to work at Weilai, or who want to work at Shanchi after Shanchi resumes operations, can be arranged as you see fit. Those who are unwilling are also fine. We will ensure the basic living needs of our employees."

Work has stopped, but wages still need to be paid. Lei Chi is the least important person in the whole system; he's just a money-making tool. Tan Jincheng usually doesn't bother with him; Zhao Xinyi is basically the one keeping an eye on him, and he doesn't even need to report to him.

If the money Lei Chi earned before was still somewhat useful to him, he now really doesn't care about it anymore. The 600 million yuan in red envelopes he gave out during the Lunar New Year is enough for Lei Chi to earn for several years. The only reason he brought Lei Chi to the meeting was because Lei Chi was still in Beicang.

The Leichi executives who participated in the meeting clearly knew that the old man's car was not very important in the boss's business system, so they just listened quietly.

However, they are actually quite satisfied with the current situation of Leichi. The explosion of the lower-tier market has also brought about changes in Leichi's production and sales. Leichi's sales have increased significantly last year. Making a fortune quietly is almost a consensus among Leichi employees.

"Alright, that's about it. As for Mr. Liu, just follow your plan and cooperate with the government's arrangements. I have no suggestions."

Inco Medical, the last company to join the system, maintains absolute independence. As a whitelisted company, Inco Medical was the first to start operations. Tan Jincheng did not intend to include Inco Medical in this expanded meeting; it was Liu Fangyi who took the initiative to propose it.

Liu Fangyi nodded without saying anything.

Among the executives and bosses who participated in this meeting, his feelings were the most complicated. The equity change was officially completed during the National Day holiday, but the situation changed drastically just two months later, and everything was different four months later.

It's impossible for Liu Fangyi, who lost over ten percent of his shares and relinquished his position as the largest shareholder, with his stake dropping to 26.62%, to have no thoughts about it. Based on Yingke's current market value, those ten percent of shares are worth around one billion yuan.

Of course, the most important thing is his status as the largest shareholder. A few months ago, his peers were envious of him for hooking up with Tan Jincheng, a big shot, who provided Inco Medical with a lot of financial and resource assistance, and he himself cashed out a large amount of money.

A few months later, some of his peers started to laugh at him.

Of course, from a business perspective, Liu Fangyi accepted it. After all, he was weak. This was a market where big fish eat small fish, and besides, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing that Tan Jincheng became the largest shareholder of the company.

Judging from Tan Jincheng's strategy, Liu Fangyi felt that this guy seemed to have known certain information in advance. Perhaps it was really as rumored in the circle: Tan Jincheng's special information channels and cautious style helped him.

In addition, over the past few months, Liu Fangyi has truly realized that Tan Jincheng has absolutely no interest in controlling the company. Apart from suggesting that they be more generous with donations, he doesn't care at all.

According to Liu Fangyi's analysis, Tan Jincheng's investment in Inco Medical is more out of consideration for corporate security. As the most scarce resource at present, the nearly 20 employees and their families in Weilai do not lack this thing.

After the production line was upgraded, the first batch of production capacity was quietly absorbed by ByteDance's engine. Back then, this issue hadn't even occurred yet. While ensuring the supply to the front line, nearly 20 employees in Weilai received 30 regular masks and 10 N95 masks in January, and the same was true in February. This greatly alleviated the morale of the employees.

With the entry of cross-industry enterprises such as car manufacturers and petrochemical companies, the daily production capacity has rapidly increased from the initial 20 million units, and is expected to reach 100 million units per day by the end of the month, with a total monthly scale of 3 billion units, which has greatly alleviated the demand on the front line.

However, the general public is still very nervous because the price of this stuff has risen sharply. But the employees of ByteDance don't have this worry at all, as the company distributes it to them on time every day.

"I've talked quite a bit today."

The meeting went on until 9 p.m.

"There's no other way. At this point, trying to gather collective wisdom would be irresponsible to both ourselves and the company."

He took the water glass from Gu Qingqing and moistened his slightly hoarse throat. He had personally chaired today's meeting, and he had also personally made all the arrangements for the meeting. He was also the one who spoke the most.

The founder is the soul of a company, especially in a system where each company has its own agenda. The founder can usually leave it alone and let them do as they please.

However, at critical moments, the key figure must take responsibility. Regardless of whether Tan Jincheng's instructions are right or wrong, he must issue instructions to the major companies and ensure that they strictly implement them.

Moreover, only his instructions would be followed without hesitation by the heads of major companies.

Today's meeting is the most concentrated one in the entire ByteDance system. Previously unknown companies, newly joined National Technology, Meizu which has always maintained its independence, and even Inco Medical, which Tan Jincheng had not originally planned to attend, all participated.

Doing so might reveal the various arrangements in advance, but it's not exactly a secret anyway. Tan Jincheng made this choice because of efficiency considerations.

Weilai is concerned about production capacity and dealer sales after resuming work. Shanchi's problems are actually similar to Weilai's, just in different sectors, but Shanchi's problems are relatively more complicated.

Unlike Weilai's mature online sales system, the sales of two-wheeled electric vehicles mainly rely on offline stores and dealers. It seems that Weilai is facing the most difficulties, but in fact, it is Flash Technology that is facing the most difficulties.

Compared to these two companies, Meizu is in a much better position. In today's mobile phone market, although all companies are making a lot of investments in offline stores, sales are still mainly online, so the impact on the sales system is relatively small.

The four major consumer goods systems, including Leichi, have been significantly impacted. This is where Orange Group's role becomes apparent. As a pure internet company, Orange Group has an obligation to help its sister companies.

"Orange Cloud and Dingding, after so many years of investment, it's time for them to play their role."

These two sectors involve huge investments, and there is no hope of profitability for at least three years, all for the purpose of playing a supporting role at critical moments.

"Nobody wanted these things to happen, and we've done everything we could. Don't worry about it too much."

As her husband, Gu Qingqing had witnessed Tan Jincheng's hard work since November of last year. Not to mention the month and a half of running around from November to mid-December, even on New Year's Eve and the first day of the Lunar New Year, Tan Jincheng was still dealing with work.

(End of this chapter)