The Fiery Era: Becoming an Industrial Giant

Chapter 286 Yu Zhongguo Returns, Avoiding the Whirlpool
Zhou Zhiqiang was not surprised by the high price; custom-made parts are more expensive than buying mass-produced car bodies and chassis directly from car factories.

Moreover, the Second Machinery Factory of Beijing was not originally a manufacturer specializing in car bodies and chassis; they just happened to be able to manufacture them. Naturally, they would charge some fees for opening up a new production task for the Jiuzhou Machine Tool Factory.

"Let them give me a quote first. As long as it's not too outrageous, I'm open to considering it. I'll call their deputy factory manager tomorrow to ask about it."

Zhou Zhiqiang changed his mind and said, then after thinking for a moment, he instructed, "You should continue to contact the Jilin Provincial Automobile Factory and try to finalize all the other parts."

"Afterwards, you might need to make another trip with the purchasing department to make a corporate purchase, and the quantity might be quite large..."

"I understand, factory manager. We will definitely finalize and confirm the list this month, and we guarantee to depart next month."

Liu Jingchuan quickly replied, then asked with some curiosity, "Factory manager, is our factory missing an engine when buying these parts?"

"Such an important thing should of course be made by our own factory. If we use other factories, then why should I bother with all this effort?"

Zhou Zhiqiang said with a smile, "Only the core components of the car are produced by our factory, and the body is also designed by myself. You'll see when it's finished."

Another technician said with a look of surprise, "Factory manager, I didn't know you could manufacture engines."

"I only know a little bit. I've read quite a few books over the years, and very few mechanical-related topics have stumped me..."

Zhou Zhiqiang said, "You can also read more books in your spare time; what you learn will truly belong to you."

Although he has collected deduction assistants, he has continued to learn on his own by reading books and various materials over the years.

Putting aside everything else, the technical books on the three bookshelves in his office alone have been replaced twice in batches, and he has now read all of them.

After his mind was enhanced, Zhou Zhiqiang's ability to absorb and understand knowledge was greatly improved. He could read ten lines at a glance and had a photographic memory, making him read books very quickly.

"Yes, factory manager, we will definitely make the most of our time to study."

"Okay, I'll head back now. Don't work too late, go home and rest when you should."

After Zhou Zhiqiang finished speaking, he got up and walked out of the office.

After getting into the car and leaving the factory, Zhou Zhiqiang hadn't gone far when he saw Wu Xiaojun and Zhao Tiandong and a few others. So he stopped the car and called them to get in and go back together.

It was a bit crowded, but it was still better than walking back.

"Brother Zhiqiang."

On the way back in the car, Zhao Tiandong suddenly asked, "When is the next worker-level assessment? Will it even be held?"

"I'm not sure, but it might be difficult."

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Zhiqiang said, "The factory used to have some autonomy, but now the grading system is regulated by higher authorities."

The worker evaluation two years ago was only approved because the higher-ups recognized our factory's significant contributions and the hard work of our workers..."

As for that, no new job grade assessments have been arranged for two years since then.

Zhou Zhiqiang could guess the reason to some extent: the economy suffered setbacks in those years, so people tried to save money in every aspect.

The wage increase for workers is also gradually shifting from performance-based assessments to seniority-based assessments, which means that there may no longer be any more performance-based assessments for workers in the future.

To get a raise, you have to rely on your seniority.

If a worker is promoted one level, the annual wage expenditure will increase by 60 or 70. For a factory of this size like Jiuzhou Machine Tool Factory, if one or two thousand people are promoted, the annual expenditure will increase by more than 10,000.

With so many factories across the country, the total amount of money involved is considerable, so for financial reasons, the grading exams have been temporarily suspended.

Are household expenses too high?

Zhou Zhiqiang turned his head and asked, "If you need money, I'll go back and get you some later."

"No need, no need, there's no urgent need for money right now."

Zhao Tiandong quickly explained, "I just want to prepare for the future, since we have children now."

"I can't do anything about the certification exam. Even if I apply to higher management, it's unlikely to be approved, since there are other factories involved."

After a pause, Zhou Zhiqiang said, "The only thing the factory can do is to increase the overtime pay."

Normal working hours are eight to nine hours. If you work longer than that, the factory will give you some subsidies and provide a late-night snack. That's the best they can do.

"Don't tell anyone about this. Just keep it to yourselves. Once you get to the factory, don't reveal it to anyone."

Zhou Zhiqiang advised, "The workers ask every year, but there's never been an answer. Most of them should already know the answer in their hearts."

However, their factory is alright. There are many benefits within the factory. As long as you don't have a lot of children, you can live quite well even without taking any certification exams.

Moreover, at Jiuzhou Machine Tool Factory, there was still the hope of being allocated housing, something workers in other factories wouldn't even dare to dream of.

The car stopped in front of Zhou Zhiqiang's house, and Zhao Tiandong, Wu Xiaojun, and others got out of the car.

Now that they're here, they can walk about 200 meters to get home; they don't need a car to take them anymore.

After saying goodbye to the group, Zhou Zhiqiang went home.

"Zhiqiang, you're back. Did you eat at the factory?"

Guo Yuting, who was resting inside, smiled and asked Zhou Zhiqiang as he entered, "If you haven't eaten, I'll cook you some more noodles?"

"Then have some."

Zhou Zhiqiang said, "I was so busy that I forgot about dinner time. By the time I realized it, the cafeteria was probably already closed."

"Okay, then you wait."

As Guo Yuting stood up, she complained, "Next time, remember to eat before you get busy. If you really can't, have your assistant remind you. Don't you have a full-time assistant?"

In fact, Zhang Yaoguo had reminded Zhou Zhiqiang, but Zhou Zhiqiang was busy with some things at the time and casually said that he would talk about it later.

Zhou Zhiqiang waited until the night shift workers started their shift before he finally finished his work and prepared to go home.

Meals at home are eaten quite early. Usually, Guo Chenghua and Zhou Bocai come home from school and the family starts preparing dinner. Once mid-August is over, Zhou Bocai is also sent to school. Although he is a year younger, it doesn't matter. Nowadays, it's rare for children to start school according to their age; there are even cases where children start first grade at the age of nine.

A short while later, Guo Yuting brought in a bowl of noodles, then turned around and went out to get some mahjong tiles and pickled vegetables.

"It's pretty good to be able to eat this for dinner," Zhou Zhiqiang said, picking up his chopsticks and starting to eat.

"By the way, Zhiqiang, Aunt Fang came to our neighborhood office to see me today and told me that I should spend the Spring Festival with them this year."

While Zhou Zhiqiang was eating, Guo Yuting continued, "It seems that Uncle Yu sent a letter home saying that he will be coming back this year and may stay in Beijing afterward, so he wants our family to spend the New Year with them this year."

They said some friends will be coming, probably just Chen Li and her family. Zhiqiang, what do you think?

"He's coming back? I remember he only comes back once every four years."

After swallowing, Zhou Zhiqiang asked, "You won't be going out anymore?"

"I don't know. The letter didn't say much; it just asked for our family's opinion."

After Guo Yuting finished speaking, she looked directly at Zhou Zhiqiang, saying that it was the family's opinion, but basically Zhou Zhiqiang made the decision alone.

"Let's go. Their place is a bit bigger, and it's only for a few days during the Lunar New Year."

After finishing his last bite, Zhou Zhiqiang said, but he wasn't thinking about the New Year; he was thinking about Yu Zhongguo staying in Beijing.

He originally thought it was good that Yu Zhongguo was stationed abroad as a military attaché, as the things he faced were simple and he could avoid those turbulent years for the next few years.

But it turned back anyway.
It's also possible that considering Yu Zhongguo's advancing age and numerous merits, he might be promoted by half a rank or transferred to a ministry as a deputy. The Ministry of National Defense is the most likely destination for him, but it's also where the greatest risk lies.

"Did he say when he'll be back?"

After hearing this, Guo Yuting thought for a moment and then said, "Aunt Fang didn't seem to say, but it should be at the end of the year, right? She will definitely be back before the New Year, otherwise she wouldn't have mentioned the New Year."

Zhou Zhiqiang nodded. He felt that he should have a good talk with Zhongguo after he returned.

Otherwise, he might get caught up in the vortex in a few years, which would implicate everyone connected to him.

Zhou Zhiqiang knew the future direction, and he had managed the Jiuzhou Machine Tool Factory very well. No matter how chaotic things got, he was confident he could extricate himself from the situation.

But if Yu Zhongguo goes to the Ministry of National Defense, things might change. Who knows who he might get involved with in the next few years? I'll definitely have a good talk with Yu Zhongguo at the end of this year.

------

The Mid-Autumn Festival is fast approaching.

As was customary before, they placed an order with the food factory well in advance, buying more than 30,000 mooncakes.

Everyone in the head office and branch factories, every worker, can receive two.

From Zhou Zhiqiang, the Party Secretary and Factory Director, down to the cleaning team in the factory, everyone received two mooncakes, no more and no less.

The workers won't have to fight with others at the supply and marketing cooperative. One mooncake, cut in half, is enough for everyone in the family to have a bite.

However, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, there was no rest for more than a few days, or even a single day. The sound of machines processing at the Jiuzhou Machine Tool Plant never stopped.

It's almost October, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and their factory still hasn't completed its export orders.

Moreover, the First Machine Tool Plant had some bad news: by the end of September, they had only produced 675 CNC machine tools.

Even by the end of November, the maximum production will be around 860 or 870 units.

Those tasks that couldn't be completed ended up back on the shoulders of Jiuzhou Machine Tool Factory.

Because of this incident, Director Ren even called Zhou Zhiqiang and Director Wang of the First Machine Tool Plant to the ministry for a meeting.

In front of Zhou Zhiqiang, he gave Factory Director Wang a severe scolding. This was already considered a serious production accident.

Factory Director Wang kept apologizing to Zhou Zhiqiang and Director Ren, explaining that their production planning had been poorly arranged, and due to other reasons, they had failed to complete their production tasks for three consecutive months.

That's why this situation has arisen.

Zhou Zhiqiang had no choice but to agree to try his best to complete the extra production tasks for their factory.

Fortunately, Zhou Zhiqiang is used to leaving himself enough leeway. With the current production efficiency of Jiuzhou Machine Tool Factory, it can complete an additional one or two hundred units. It just means that the front-line production workers will have to work overtime for a while.

After the main factory's production efficiency improved, Zhou Zhiqiang gradually eliminated unnecessary overtime and started implementing a two-shift system. In the future, it may even be possible to implement a three-shift system, allowing workers more rest time.

But this unexpected event at the end of the year temporarily disrupted his plans.

Moreover, the extra production tasks have squeezed the productivity of composite CNC machine tools. There is no way around it; now we can only prioritize fulfilling foreign trade orders.

If they can't deliver by November, it will be considered a breach of contract in China.

Director Ren was already very angry, and it was only when the First Machine Tool Factory realized that it was about to fail that they reported to him.

Fortunately, Zhou Zhiqiang was able to take over. If it weren't for Jiuzhou Machine Tool Factory's support, their First Ministry of Machine Building would have really caused a major foreign trade accident, and everyone from top to bottom would have been criticized by name.

When Director Wang left Director Ren's office, his face was very pale and he looked somewhat mournful.

Zhou Zhiqiang was curious and wanted to ask Director Wang what had happened at their factory, but judging from his expression, he knew it wasn't the right time to ask.

After everyone left, Director Ren sighed and said, "He's really useless. He can't even manage the factory's affairs properly. Zhiqiang, I now think that appointing him as both secretary and factory director was the most correct decision made by the leaders."

"Director Ren, what's the situation at the First Machine Tool Plant?"

Unable to contain his curiosity, Zhou Zhiqiang asked, "What will happen to Director Wang? Shouldn't the ministry punish him?"

"Deputy Leader Wu went to discuss it with Leader Sheng, after all, Wang Zhijun is also a level 14 cadre."

Director Ren shook his head and said, "We'll let him stay in his post until the end of the year, but where he goes after the New Year is up to the leaders to decide."

(End of this chapter)