1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 81 From Light Bulbs to Industrial Layout (Second Update)
On September 9, Li Qiwei and his two companions set out from Brussels, took a train to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and then transferred to Eindhoven.

This is Li Qiwei's second time to come to Rotterdam. The last time he went to Germany via here.

Li Qiwei explained the history of the Netherlands to the excited Wang Luyao.

The Netherlands, like other small European countries such as Spain, Portugal and Belgium, were once wealthy by their ancestors but are now in decline.

In the 17th century, the Netherlands was known as the "Coachman of the Sea", and Rotterdam was known as the "Gateway to Europe" and was the second largest city in the Netherlands.

As for the capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, it is the largest city in the Netherlands and the birthplace of the world's first stock exchange.

However, the glory faded and the empire fell.

Now the Netherlands can only do the same as Belgium, sandwiched between the three major countries and missing its former dominant position.

After arriving in Rotterdam on September 9, Ridgway made a special trip to the nearby Leiden University to visit Professor Lorentz.

At this time, he was studying the magnetic splitting phenomenon of atomic spectra, for which he won the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Because this theory is extremely complex and cannot be described in plain language, Li Qiwei does not intend to explain it to readers.

After a pleasant chat, he treated Lorenz to a delicious Dutch meal, leaving the old man confused, not realizing that his Lorenz transformation was only rewarded with a meal.

Then, on September 9, the three finally arrived in Eindhoven, and Ridgeway saw the Philips factory for the first time.

In this era, don't think too highly of European companies.

There are no spotless workshops, neatly arranged machines, or strict safety protection measures.

In later generations, European and American companies were in a mess due to the Virgin Mary Watch.

Even the noise from the machines disturbing the resting stray cats can be made into a big deal, and a group of people will protest.

Not to mention the environmental issue, which is the trump card of some groups with ulterior motives, and they can catch anyone with it.

Countless companies are suffering but are powerless to do anything. Europe and the United States are thus killing themselves.

However, now, even the city of London is shrouded in exhaust smog all year round, but no one thinks it pollutes the environment. Instead, they think it is a symbol of power.

The violence and aesthetics of industrialization are presented to Li Qiwei in a steampunk way.

Gerard trotted over, wearing work clothes. He looked nothing like a gentleman before, but more like an engineer.

The factory environment was noisy, and he said loudly: "Bruce, you came earlier than I expected. Let's talk in my office. I'll change my clothes."

Li Qiwei waved his hand and shouted, "Take me to the production workshop first. I'll see what the situation is."

So the two of them walked towards the production line of tungsten filament light bulbs.

Damn, Li Qiwei had already made the lowest expectations, but he still overestimated it.

Various tools were scattered randomly on the dark and dirty ground, and an unpleasant smell filled the air.

Li Qiwei suppressed the discomfort in his mouth and nose and looked at the light bulbs that had been produced.

Fortunately, he was not disappointed. In the transparent lampshade, a tungsten filament was shining, and it looked like a high-quality light bulb.

Gerard enthusiastically introduced it to him. "I found the best metal processor in the Netherlands and finally produced an improved tungsten wire that meets the patent requirements."

“Its ductility and luminescence are amazing.”

"After preliminary testing by engineers, it is estimated that its lifespan can reach 5000 hours, which is ten times that of a carbon filament bulb."

“And the tungsten light is softer and brighter. It is truly a groundbreaking product.”

"Bruce, this product will be a big hit. We are going to be rich."

Li Qiwei was very calm, thinking to himself, if I can't even beat Edison, how can I be worthy of being a time traveler.

However, he was still very modest: "Are you encountering any technological problems at present?"

Gerard said, "Not yet. Your patent is very detailed, and Philips has been making light bulbs for more than ten years. The workers are very familiar with it."

Li Qiwei nodded with satisfaction, and then went to the office with Gerrard to discuss the problem. He really couldn't stay in this place anymore.

In the office, Li Qiwei was leisurely drinking coffee, listening to Gerard talking about his sales plan, and then interrupted him.

"Gerald, I don't think your idea is particularly good."

"For such a good light bulb, we should not take the civilian route, but the high-end route."

“From now on, Philips needs to build brand awareness so that when people hear the company’s name, they associate it with good quality and exquisite products.”

"Over time, the concept of Philips will be deeply rooted in people's minds."

“This is the foundation for a company to survive for a hundred years.”

Gerard muttered the word brand, the more he thought about it, the more awesome it seemed.

The way he looked at Li Qiwei changed. The other party actually understood marketing, and his understanding was so profound.

"Bruce, what you said is very good. There is really no need for us to compete with carbon filaments at low prices. Instead, we should raise the price."

"But will sales be affected by this?" Gerard was a little worried.

Li Qiwei smiled and said, "Don't worry, there is no shortage of rich people in this world, and rich people are often willing to pay a higher premium."

"Wait until tungsten filament light bulbs become popular, then you can expand the market for ordinary people."

“At the same time, we can make some beautiful, uniquely shaped lamps that continue to attract high-end customers.”

“This way, both high-end and low-end people can be covered.”

"Our goal is to get everyone in the world to buy a Philips tungsten filament light bulb!"

Gerard's eyes lit up and his heart was burning with excitement.

Li Qiwei waved his hand, saying that the tungsten filament bulb was just a small trick and an attempt on his part.

And he deliberately didn't mention that once the product becomes popular, there will definitely be competitors joining in, because the technical content of this thing is not high.

I'm afraid Edison will be able to crack it in the first place and avoid the patent, and then it will be a life-and-death battle.

However, when that day really comes, Philips probably won't care about a small light bulb anymore.

"By the way, how is the preparation of your science lab going?"

Upon hearing this, Gerard opened the drawer and took out a plan, which detailed the configuration of various instruments and staffing.

The laboratory is built around the factory, which makes it convenient to borrow tools and prepare small samples at any time.

Looking at the neatly laid out plan on the paper, Li Qiwei nodded. Gerrard was very concerned about this matter.

"A few days ago, at an academic conference in Brussels, I had an in-depth exchange with Marconi, the inventor of radio."

"I think there will be huge room for the development of radio technology in the future."

“So, for Philips’ first innovative product, I would consider making something related to radio.”

"As for the patent, I will write and submit it in the near future, and we will still cooperate with Philips at that time."

Li Qiwei had selfish motives in choosing this product.

Because after the Spark Project is launched, he will need to remotely control the country and grasp all kinds of information in real time, so he must have his own radio station. At that time, he will even establish a global network to send Chinese people abroad to learn technology.

All of these are inseparable from reliable and real-time communication means.

Now, he didn't have to worry about confidentiality, as there were no radio waves in the air.

In the later stage, when technology becomes more and more popular, his core secrets will require extremely high confidentiality requirements.

He will strive to build a stable radio station by the end of next year, so that He Yujie and his team can take it back.

As for Philips' products, he decided to make a radio, but it would probably take a few years before this thing could be commercialized.

Anyway, it is an innovative product. As long as the prototype comes out, there is no need to worry that Gerard will not buy it.

Li Qiwei couldn't imagine what a huge impact the radio would have on today's monotonous daily life.

After discussing the matters of the scientific laboratory, Li Qiwei suddenly made another request.

It turned out that he had been attending meetings frequently during this period and found that without PPT presentations, the reports were too restrictive.

When there are too many people, the blackboard cannot be seen in the back row, and even the words are too small for the front row to see.

As someone who is used to screen presentations in later generations, he feels the need to improve the way current scholars communicate.

Therefore, he wanted to make a writing projector.

Unlike slides, you need to record text or pictures on tape in advance and then project them.

The projector does not require a white screen, and can write in real time and project the written content onto the wall through a reflective lens.

There is no need for strict light shielding when using it, and it can produce large and bright images. It is indeed a must-have for scientific research personnel to show off.

When Li Qiwei described his needs, Gerrard patted his chest and assured him that there would be no problem.

"Don't worry, Bruce. I know someone at Zeiss. They are very familiar with this kind of optical product and will definitely be able to make it quickly."

Li Qiwei was surprised. "Is it the German Zeiss that specializes in various optical and optoelectronic products?"

Gerard didn't expect that Li Qiwei also knew about this company. "Yes, it is this company. Zeiss just set up a branch in the UK this year."

"I'll contact them and send you the samples when the time comes."

"I think Zeiss would like to meet a top physicist like you."

Li Qiwei didn't care about his flattery, but recalled the information about Zeiss.

Founded in Germany in 1846, Carl Zeiss has been committed to making precision mechanical and optical instruments since its inception.

This year, Zeiss has been a leading optics company and even launched several camera lenses.

Most importantly, Zeiss is one of the few German companies that currently implements an eight-hour workday.
Even so, it is still one of the world's top technology companies, which fully demonstrates that success does not depend on overtime work.

At this moment, Li Qiwei suddenly thought of his next layout of China's industrial system.

Famous companies such as Schneider, Renault, Skoda and Krupp are all his coveted targets.

Of course, there are also some specialty small factories that you should pay attention to.

Don't look down on some small companies, as they may be able to strangle large companies in key components.

Li Qiwei in later generations had seen many such cases.

His requirement for China was to focus on heavy industry and supplement it with light industry.

After all, when one’s own safety is not guaranteed, light industry is not very urgent no matter how you look at it.

He must now deliberately start contacting these companies and building good relationships so that it will be easier for them to send people to learn technology later.

Therefore, he urgently needs a strong identity.

At this time, Li Qiwei hoped very much that he could win the Nobel Prize, which would then complement his status as a Cambridge professor.

He will definitely be a guest of honor in all technology companies.

In this era, physical and chemical theories played a very important guiding role in industry, which was different from the serious disconnection in later generations.

String theory and God particle are too far away from actual production.

In other words, theory is far ahead of experiment.

Seeing that Li Qiwei had been silent and deep in thought, Gerrard thought that the other party did not believe in Chase's ability.

"Bruce, don't worry, Zeiss will definitely be able to make a sample for you within a month."

Li Qiwei came back to his senses, "Oh, I believe in its strength, I was just thinking about something."

"By the way, Gerald, let me show you this. This is my suggestion for improving the Philips factory."

As he spoke, Li Qiwei handed Gerard a few more sheets of paper, on which were written in detail his explanation of the concept of assembly line production, as well as innovative rules and regulations.

He wrote all of these on the train on the way here, mainly drawing on the operations of large companies in later generations.

After Gerrard looked through it, his eyes widened as if he had found a treasure, and he was full of admiration for Li Qiwei.

Only those who have actually run a factory can understand the value of Li Qiwei's document.

He even suspected that Li Qiwei was not a physicist, but an entrepreneur, and the head of a super large enterprise.

Otherwise, how could there be such a high-level perspective?

"Oh my god, Bruce, did you really write this?"

"Aren't you a physicist? How do you know so much about the operation of the company?"

Li Qiwei made up a story: "My family is quite big in China, so my father took me to manage the business when I was very young."

"These are the conclusions I drew from observations in the factory. I think they are of some significance in improving efficiency."

Gerard said quickly: "It is not only meaningful, it is a groundbreaking feat. Bruce, you should be an entrepreneur and make a lot of money."

Li Qiwei shrugged, looking very cool, "You know, I studied physics because I hated doing business because it was too tedious."

Gerard laughed, "He is indeed a genius. No matter what he does, he can be the best."

No matter how aloof Li Qiwei was, he felt very comfortable being photographed, and he was photographed by a big shot whom he could only look up to in future generations.

Amid Gerrard's flattery and reluctance, Li Qiwei finally ended his holiday trip and returned to England with Wang Luyao and Li San.

Li Qiwei gained a lot from this long journey.

His various connections in physics, chemistry, industry, etc. will be powerful assistants in helping him achieve his future ambitions.

He was unwilling to make friends with so-called prime ministers and other politicians because in his eyes, he did not need to talk big and could stand up on his own.

When Li Qiwei traveled to this world, he wanted to prove that science and technology are the primary productive forces and that people in science and engineering can make their own decisions!

Finally, and most importantly, the long period of solitude seemed to have made the relationship between Li Qiwei and Wang Luyao break through some kind of limit.

Apart from the fact that the little witch firmly disagreed and wanted to stay on the wedding day, Li Qiwei could have tried more.
Please pre-order. Thank you all. The third chapter will be a little late.

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(End of this chapter)