The Fiery Era: Becoming an Industrial Giant

Chapter 51 Cadres Serve Me
"A cadre position? How did you get transferred there? With your theoretical knowledge and R&D capabilities, you're definitely at the level of a seventh or eighth-grade engineer."
It's hard to say. Even a level 7 or 8 engineer might not have your mechanical R&D skills. You're doing well as a technician, why would you want a management position?

Professor Zhang said with some distress, "Is being a cadre easy? There are tons of trivial matters; it completely hinders technological research and development."

Zhou Zhiqiang nodded and said, "That's true, but cadres have a say. If you want to establish a project, you can't bypass them. Purely technical personnel have too little say."

Although I'm currently the deputy section chief, I basically have the final say on technical matters. Once I become the head of the technical department, at Dafeng Machinery Factory, I can basically develop whatever I want.”

"Moreover, my position as a cadre is not to handle those trivial matters. This position serves me and is also for better research and development of technology."

The position is there to support his research and development of technology, not the other way around.

When he was the deputy section chief, the section chief was responsible for trivial matters; when Zhou Zhiqiang was the section chief, the deputy section chief was responsible for trivial matters.

In short, Zhou Zhiqiang became a cadre in order to reduce the resistance he encountered in scientific research and technology.

Fortunately, the section chief, deputy factory director Liu, and factory director Zhao he has now encountered value technical personnel and are able to give him room to perform.

If Zhou Zhiqiang were to encounter someone who doesn't understand technology but likes to meddle, he would truly have a lot of skills but no opportunity to use them.

He was lucky to be at Dafeng Machinery Factory; elsewhere, he might have encountered the same situation.

This one uses diesel fuel.

Why use diesel? Diesel is so expensive! We need to save money for the country. Can't you just boil water?

No, we must use diesel fuel.

Why don't you take a look at it, overcome this obstacle, and figure out how to boil water? Isn't that exactly what you tech people are supposed to do?

"Factory manager, take a look at this. I said to use diesel, but the section chief insists on using water."

Go find your section chief!

If Zhou Zhiqiang were to encounter a leader like this, he would be completely helpless, with virtually no choice but to play dumb and act like a slacker.

"Indeed, having a technically savvy manager would save a lot of trouble on many projects."

After listening to Zhou Zhiqiang's words, Zhang Deli also sighed and said that he had really encountered leaders who pretended to know what they didn't.

However, without such a person's approval, the project could not proceed. So at that time, Zhang Deli spent a lot of time and effort, almost talking himself hoarse, before he finally convinced the other party.

If you encounter someone who respects knowledge and technology, then he's a great professor; but if you encounter a cadre who doesn't understand technology but likes to meddle, then unless he's appointed by a higher leader, the project can be stalled.

If the project falls apart, it's still the fault of those technical staff.

A simple statement like "He didn't explain it clearly, I can't take the risk" shifts 80% of the blame onto the technical staff.

"Cadre positions and technical positions are pretty much the same; they both serve industrial development."

Zhou Zhiqiang paused for a moment, then explained his purpose to Zhang Deli: "Professor Zhang, although our factory's technical department has some people, their foundation is too weak. Many people in the technical department do not meet the requirements in terms of mechanics."

So I've come to ask for your help this time. Those students you brought last time were quite good. Do you think we could have them come and work at our factory? It would be even better if they could come work for us after graduation.”

"Um"

Zhang Deli pondered for a moment before speaking: "It's not a problem to participate in just this one project. They need to combine theory with practice to verify the mechanical theories they've learned, and I can make that decision on my own."

However, whether they go to your factory after graduation is not up to me; that's a matter for the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Machinery. Generally, university graduates are assigned to various ministries based on their majors, and then the ministries allocate personnel according to the needs of their respective units and directly affiliated large factories.

This is not something that Professor Zhang Deli alone could handle; his connections are not as strong as Guo Linhua's.

At this point, Zhang Deli paused for a moment, then smiled and continued, "I remember your father-in-law worried a lot about your job. Now it seems he made the right choice; he'd rather be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond."

Zhou Zhiqiang smiled and said, "My father-in-law is very good to me."

Since we can't get permanent staff, let's not bother with that for now. Getting a batch of temporary staff would be fine too.

Once the small hand-held tractor was manufactured, Dafeng Machinery Factory had its own trump card.

After selling small hand tractors all over the country, they can also go abroad to earn foreign exchange.

At that time, apart from Zhou Zhiqiang, who had just come up with the idea, probably only Xiao Rizi was developing small hand-held tractors.

They also switched to developing small agricultural machinery after introducing America's large agricultural machinery, due to the obstacles in their own terrain.

The prototype of the "Little Daily" should have been developed and put into production by now, but it will still be a few years before it is exported. If Zhou Zhiqiang remembers correctly, the "Little Daily" only started to be exported slowly in 1960.

Small agricultural machinery and equipment still have a considerable market share in the international market. Countries in Latin America, Southeast Asia, South Korea, and other regions that have not yet achieved large-scale farming practices all need small agricultural machinery and equipment.

Now that they're developing, maybe they can catch up in three or four years. They can't let Xiao Rizi and Amei eat all the meat.

Once the Dafeng Machinery Factory's small hand-held tractor project is successful, the factory will definitely expand production, adding several thousand workers, and it might even become a factory directly under a ministry.

Becoming a factory directly under a ministry has both advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage is that production is less autonomous, and project establishment must be reported to the ministry. However, the advantages are also obvious.

With the promotion, he, as the deputy section chief, could also be promoted to a higher rank, enjoying better benefits and priority in resource allocation, which would make him look good.

Moreover, if their factory can export small agricultural machinery and earn foreign exchange, it would be in line with the national key projects and strategic material production, and there is some hope of becoming a factory directly under the ministry.

However, it's too far off now. We need to confirm the project after the New Year and then develop and produce it as soon as possible.

Only if the feedback from domestic users is positive will the government consider exporting.

Zhou Zhiqiang and Zhang Deli then talked for a long time.

The longer they talked, the more surprised and delighted Zhang Deli became by Zhou Zhiqiang's ideas on mechanics.

It wasn't until dusk, when Guo Yuting peeked in a second time, that Zhou Zhiqiang came to his senses; they should go back.

If they stayed any longer, Professor Zhang's family would be providing them with dinner, but Professor Zhang didn't seem to be wealthy.

He received help from his neighbors when he was being hunted down by the Japanese, and now that he has settled down, he wants to give back and help his neighbors.

Although the professor's monthly salary was high, he had a large family and most of his neighbors were poor, so Zhang Deli couldn't save much money. Even if he had to provide a meal for the couple, it would be quite difficult for Professor Zhang's family to make ends meet.

So after agreeing on the plan to have the students come to Dafeng Machinery Factory after the New Year, Zhou Zhiqiang got up and prepared to go home.

Although Zhang Deli tried to persuade Zhou Zhiqiang to stay for dinner, Zhou politely declined.

(End of this chapter)