The Fiery Era: Becoming an Industrial Giant

Chapter 23 Talking at the Dinner Table

"Come on, Professor Zhang, Lao Liu, and Comrade Zhiqiang, try the cooking of our factory's chef."

Although he was only a level seven cook, I only got him a job after I asked him to.

After sitting down at the table, Xie Desheng said, "I have to go to work this afternoon, so I can't drink alcohol. I'll toast you with tea instead."

After a brief gesture of greeting, Xie Desheng invited them to try the dishes.

Three meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a bowl of soup—that's a pretty good meal. You'd get that for at least six or seven yuan outside.

Zhou Zhiqiang also picked up a piece with his chopsticks and tasted it. It tasted like home-style cooking, but the seasoning and cooking time were fine.

To put it simply, if the cooking time and ingredients are fine, then the dish won't taste bad.

Although Zhou Zhiqiang's cooking skills are average, he eats a lot and can still tell the difference between good and bad food. Today's meal is much better than the communal dishes.

During the meal, Xie Desheng and Liu Fuhua started discussing business at the table, which is a long-standing tradition; discussing matters at the dinner table has a high success rate.

"Old Xie, I have some great news for you this time. Our factory's technician, Zhou Zhiqiang, has developed a new material formula and process, and Professor Zhang also thinks it's very feasible."
Therefore, I'm thinking of establishing a new materials process reform team between our two factories. We'll borrow some space and equipment from your factory, and we'll provide the personnel to work together to achieve this result.

After saying this, Liu Fuhua immediately gave Zhou Zhiqiang a look.

Zhou Zhiqiang also presented Xie Desheng with the final calculated data for the new alloy. If production were carried out according to the material processing flow provided, the new alloy would undoubtedly be the most widely used alloy in China at present, and might even directly replace carbon steel.
Even on an international scale, it's top-tier alloy steel, but exporting it is proving difficult.

Domestic industrial construction currently relies on using as much steel as possible, resulting in significant shortages in most areas. They simply cannot afford to manage exports anymore.

They still buy iron ore from abroad, but Western countries impose blockades on them, forcing them to buy it from Africa or other third-world countries.

Xie Desheng listened and watched intently. After a while, once he finished reading, he looked up at Zhang Deli and asked...

"Professor Zhang, I would like to hear your opinion on how likely this new material process is to achieve what was described above."

"To be honest, our department was also researching new alloy steels before, but Zhiqiang developed it ahead of us, and many of his ideas are very similar to ours."

Zhang Deli solemnly explained his thoughts to Xie Desheng, paused after speaking, and then continued.
"Deputy Factory Director Xie, my suggestion is that we can form a project team to try out the new material process. If the results are successful, it will be worth trying many more times."

After hearing Professor Zhang Deli's words, Xie Desheng nodded, but did not say anything immediately. Instead, he silently weighed his options.

It certainly sounds like a good thing, and Professor Zhang Deli also believes there is a high probability of success, so there's no problem for their second steel rolling mill to facilitate the project team.

If a new alloy steel is indeed produced, it will replace the previous carbon steel and become the most needed steel in China.

Their second steel rolling mill will no longer lack production tasks, and the alloy steel it produces will be supplied to all institutions and factories across the country that need high-grade alloy steel.

The factory will be expanded then, and it's unlikely to be upgraded, as they are already directly under a ministry. At most, they might get some upgrades in other areas. However, there will definitely be many benefits.

Xie Desheng had considered the possibility of failure, but he was known as "Bold Xie" in the army. With so many benefits to success—for both the country and himself—why wouldn't he dare give it a try?
After thinking it over, Xie Desheng said, "Professor Zhang, I personally agree with this, but I still need to bring it up at the factory's Party Committee meeting. After all, the new alloy steel production process experiment requires the approval of the factory director and the Party Secretary."

All major matters within the factory must be approved by the Party Secretary, and production matters also require the approval of the Factory Director. Without their approval, Xie Desheng simply cannot get things done.

Xie Desheng added, "However, there shouldn't be a big problem. With Professor Zhang's opinion, the factory director and the party secretary will definitely agree."

Moreover, our factory's production schedule isn't particularly tight lately; if we squeeze things out, we can even spare a workshop to help test new alloy production processes.

"Professor Zhang, don't worry. Our factory will definitely send an experienced person in charge who will not only report to you constantly but also oversee the entire process."

After Xie Desheng finished speaking, he basically made it sound like the matter would be handled smoothly.

However, before he could finish speaking, Liu Fuhua interrupted him, saying, "Hey, Lao Xie, you've already run away from our factory."
"Good heavens, so our factory produced the most important technical theory, and then you just kicked it aside?"

Xie Desheng was puzzled. At this moment, Professor Zhang Deli also spoke up: "Deputy Factory Director Xie, this new alloy process was developed by Comrade Zhou Zhiqiang."

If we're looking for someone knowledgeable, then Zhou Zhiqiang is definitely the most suitable person to lead this project team.

"Professor Zhang, I know this was researched by Comrade Zhou, but he's still a technician, and besides, you weren't there to help."

Xie Desheng quickly said that if Professor Zhang Deli were to come, it would be a result of the integration of factory and school, combining theory with production practice.

But what kind of logic is it to add Dafeng Machinery Factory into the middle of things, and to make someone from Dafeng Machinery Factory the project leader? He can't explain it to the factory director and the party secretary.

Although the new material process was developed by Zhou Zhiqiang of Dafeng Machinery Factory, he can be rewarded personally, which is completely different from making him the project leader.

"Deputy Factory Director Xie, the production and testing of new material processes may, no, it should be said that there will definitely be many changes. At that time, how to deal with the changes is what we need for someone with solid theoretical and technical knowledge."

Zhang Deli advised, "Even if I were to do it, I could not possibly achieve the level of innovation that Comrade Zhiqiang has reached in the new alloy process."

I recommended him, not for any other reason than to ensure the experiment could proceed smoothly; otherwise, how much waste would there be if it failed several times?

Liu Fuhua chimed in, "Exactly! You can't do this, Xie Dadan; you take our factory's stuff and don't want our factory's people involved. Do you think that's appropriate?"

"Go away, you know that's not what I meant. If we really succeed, the rewards won't be any less. It's not like that."

Xie Desheng felt that the more he explained, the more confused he became, so he waved his hand and stopped talking.

But Xie Desheng also took Zhang Deli's words to heart.

After a while, Xie Desheng spoke up: "Professor Zhang, I will convey your opinions to the factory director and the party secretary in full. You are right, we do need to consider these things."

(End of this chapter)