The Fiery Era: Becoming an Industrial Giant

Chapter 97: Further Results and Ideas for Improving Machine Tools [Please Subscribe]

Once the Mid-Autumn Festival is over, the sweltering summer heat quickly disappears.

Although the production atmosphere inside the Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory is still bustling, at least the sweltering summer heat that used to make people irritable is gone.

A few days ago, right after the National Day holiday, the temperature dropped immediately, which the workers in the workshop felt was just right.

As the weather gets cooler, my mood improves considerably. At least when the workshop director and the technicians from the technical department urge us to meet production and tasks, the workers can accept it calmly.

dong dong!

There was a knock outside Zhou Zhiqiang's office. Without looking up, he called out, "Come in."

Then Chen Li walked in with some documents, and after entering the room, she sat down in the chair opposite Zhou Zhiqiang's desk as if they were old friends, and said...

"Section Chief, the Feilong mini seeder has completed its trials. Feedback from the four villages in Hongshu Township indicates that it can consistently sow approximately 17 mu (about 1.1 hectares) per day, and there have been no reports of damage so far."

As Chen Li reported, she handed Zhou Zhiqiang the on-site cultivation test report of the small seeder.

"Not bad, that's good, at least there were no more mistakes."

After listening to the report, Zhou Zhiqiang reviewed it again. The small-scale seeder was operating very well; one machine could sow all the fields in the entire village in about a month.

The small seeder developed and produced this time can be driven not only by a tractor, but also by human or animal power.

Moreover, if it weren't for the experiment, the rural areas would probably have used oxen or manpower to pull it.

Diesel fuel is so scarce these days that rural areas can't afford it and can't buy it. If it weren't for Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory getting a batch of diesel fuel to test the machine's performance, the rural areas involved in this experiment would definitely not have been willing to use diesel fuel.

However, using oxen to pull the cart is also quite effective, as it can greatly save a lot of farming time and manpower.

“Okay, Deputy Section Chief Chen, let Pang Guolong and the others come back. They've worked hard this time too.”

However, given the serious mistake they made last time, Deputy Section Chief Chen, what do you think should be done with them? Should they be given separate punishments and commendations, or should their merits and demerits be offset against each other?

Zhou Zhiqiang's last question was casually asked: This small seeder should have been completed half a month ago, and that was the same deadline he gave Pang Guolong and the others.

However, Pang Guolong, Yue Qidong, and several others wasted a batch of parts and delayed the project due to negligence in production guidance.

Zhou Zhiqiang did not punish them immediately, but he did give them a stern lecture.

This was a rare scene of Zhou Zhiqiang coldly reprimanding and scolding someone after he became a section chief, or rather, after he came to Dafeng Machinery Factory.

They weren't punished immediately because the tasks ahead were demanding, requiring them to fully dedicate themselves to the work and development.

"How about we offset their merits and demerits? I know that offsetting their merits and demerits is a bit lenient, but this is a task they were supposed to complete in the first place."

After pondering for a while, Chen Li said, "Our technical department is currently severely understaffed. Whether it's testing new agricultural machinery or training apprentices, we also have the responsibility of going to the countryside to help farmers with repairs. Punishing these few people will definitely create a negative atmosphere within the technical department."

Moreover, as the deputy section chief, I am the person responsible. I didn't check carefully at the time, so if anyone should be punished, it should be me.

"Alright, then let's call it even. When they get back, Deputy Section Chief Chen, you can talk to them and I won't interfere anymore."

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Zhiqiang said, "I'll talk to Deputy Factory Director Liu about the manpower shortage later. The factory has over two thousand people, but only sixteen technicians. Even the training arrangements are tight."
I mentioned it to my supervisor last time, and they said they'd give me an answer in a few days, but several days have passed and I haven't received a single reply.

From August until now, not long after the National Day holiday, the resentment of everyone in the technical department has visibly increased.

I'm busy every day, and it's exhaustingly busy. Even if I have a day off on the weekend, I basically can't get anything done.

After six busy days, I definitely need to go home to rest on the weekend and lie down all day without wanting to do anything. After the weekend, I have to work hard all day on Monday, from eight in the morning to nine or ten at night.

Those in the city are doing alright, but it's tough for those who go to the countryside. When testing small seeders, they also have to participate in farm work, which is truly exhausting.

However, Chen Li has stepped up. Zhou Zhiqiang initially thought Chen Li was just there to gain experience at the factory, but he didn't expect her to be able to really step up when needed.

I applied directly to live in the factory's dormitory. I was almost always among the last batch to go back with a few other female workers. Although there weren't many female workers in the factory, there were still a few who lived in the dormitory.

They arrived earliest, worked diligently without hesitation, and always tried their best to complete Zhou Zhiqiang's instructions and decisions.

She saved him a lot of trouble. If it weren't for Chen Li, it would have been his turn.
"I was just about to talk to you about this, Section Chief."

Chen Li took out two leave slips, handed them over, and continued, "Two more people in our technical department have asked for leave. I guess you'll have to cover for them tonight, section chief."

"Please go ahead, I've approved it. There's nothing I can do about it."

Zhou Zhiqiang saw the sick leave slips for the two men and signed them without hesitation.

There's no such thing as taking sick leave now. Their factory doesn't have a clinic, so you have to go to the hospital to get a sick leave certificate to take sick leave.

Hospitals won't cooperate with ordinary workers to falsify documents; they won't easily issue sick leave certificates unless the worker is genuinely unable to continue working.

"Deputy Section Chief Chen, please compile a summary of the field cultivation tests of the small seeder, and I'll go talk to Deputy Factory Director Liu about it."

Zhou Zhiqiang paused for a moment, then stroked his chin and said, "Although our technical department has developed and manufactured another good product, given the current situation of the factory, I'm afraid we simply can't spare the manpower and production lines to produce small seeders."

Production is expected to begin at the end of next year, but as long as it's not allocated to other factories for production, it should be fine.

Although this idea is a bit petty, it is still normal; it was made by Zhou Zhiqiang working day and night for more than a month, and then by several technicians and five workers working for more than a month.

If their superiors were to reassign them to other factories for production, they would definitely protest.

Even a planned economy wouldn't be planned like this; their factory can't afford to make such a sacrifice.

Chen Li nodded, then got up to go out and compile the data of the small seeder into a file, but stopped when she saw the unfamiliar drawings on Zhou Zhiqiang's desk.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Chen Li hesitated for a moment before asking, "Section Chief, are you researching something new? Do you need my help?"

She was also a top student who graduated from university with a major in mechanical engineering. Although she had learned a lot after coming to Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory, she had never participated in a single research and development task.

If there are research and development tasks, Chen Li certainly doesn't want to miss them and wants to contribute to the research and development.

"We've been working on some ideas for improving machine tools, and now we're trying to draw up some component drawings. It's not new R&D; it's just some ideas for improving existing machine tools."

After Zhou Zhiqiang finished speaking, he took out a notebook filled with dense handwriting and sketches, containing his ideas for improving the machine tool. He handed it to Chen Li and continued speaking.

"These are some summaries of my research on machine tools and my ideas for technical improvements. If you're interested, Deputy Section Chief Chen, take a look first, and then we can discuss it further."

It's not that Zhou Zhiqiang didn't call on others, it's that he couldn't.

He is essentially a labor-intensive transfer station, painstakingly collecting knowledge, then deducing it, and finally transmitting it into his brain for thorough understanding.

It's like suddenly having a complete understanding of all the knowledge he's collected and accumulated; he can only teach others, and there's not much he can discuss with them.

That's why Zhou Zhiqiang took notes, recording the machine tool's operating principles and technical improvement ideas.

It would be good if one more person could learn, as they could help him share a lot of the workload. Otherwise, the entire factory's technical process research and development would depend on him alone, keeping him constantly busy and unable to rest. After flipping through the notebook, Chen Li found that it contained her thoughts on machine tool improvements. She could understand some of them, but she was unsure about the others. She could only go back and think about them slowly, or ask Zhou Zhiqiang for advice.

"Thank you, Section Chief. I will read it as soon as I get back."

Chen Li paused for a moment, then mustered her courage and asked again, "Section Chief, if there's anything I don't understand, can I ask you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhiqiang immediately smiled and said, "Of course! To be honest, I hope you all learn it. It will be a great help to me; otherwise, it would be too tiring for me to do it all by myself."

Chen Li nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave Zhou Zhiqiang's office.

Nearly an hour later, Chen Li knocked on the door again and handed Zhou Zhiqiang a detailed summary of the actual tillage data from the small seeder.

After reading it, Zhou Zhiqiang nodded and told Chen Li to continue working, while he got up and walked outside.

------

dong dong.

"Enter!"

bang.

When Liu Fuhua heard the loud noise of the door being pushed open, he looked up and was about to scold him, but when he saw that it was Zhou Zhiqiang, he immediately took back his words.

"Zhiqiang, this is an old door of mine. If you damage it, I will suffer a huge loss."

After closing the door, Zhou Zhiqiang plopped down on the sofa and complained, "Uncle Liu, don't worry about the door, your nephew is about to vomit blood."

Two more people in the technical department have taken leave, and three others are busy in the countryside; now the technical department only has eleven people in total, and they are responsible for the technical training of thousands of workers in the factory.”

"Uncle Liu, our technical department works from day to night. Just now, Deputy Section Chief Chen came to me with the shift schedule, saying that the shift schedule couldn't be arranged, and I, as the section chief, had to step in."

"Just give me a straight answer, when will the technician you promised be here?"

"Hey, Zhiqiang, you can't talk nonsense. I didn't give you a definite answer last time, I just promised to ask for you."

Liu Fuhua quickly explained that it was important to clarify things, and that he hadn't promised to help someone get the person last time.

However, Liu Fuhua also knew that the technical department was under a lot of pressure, and Zhou Zhiqiang, the head of the technical department, was even busier.

So I stood up from my chair, picked up the kettle and made Zhou Zhiqiang a cup of tea, and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Zhiqiang, I've already spoken to the Party Secretary, and he's promised to apply to the higher-ups."

But as you know, there are so many schools in Beijing, and so many places need people, so it's a bit difficult.”

There are indeed many technical secondary schools and universities in Beijing, but almost all of their graduates are already assigned to specific programs each year.

Research institutes, ministries, and heavy industrial zones can take away almost 80% of college graduates, while the rest go to large state-owned factories directly under ministries.

They're not even considered a major factory directly under a ministry, so it's very difficult for college graduates to get them, but vocational school graduates should have a better chance.

"Factory manager, shall I go and ask Secretary Yan for help?"

Zhou Zhiqiang said in a gentle voice, "It's not that I don't understand the leaders, but the workload of our technical department is too heavy. Two people have already collapsed from exhaustion, and the others are also listless."

If two more workers take sick leave, the evening worker training sessions in the technical department will be paralyzed.

Upon hearing this, Liu Fuhua realized it was indeed a serious matter. The number of workers in the factory had doubled, but the number of technical staff had not increased, and they had been working overtime for more than two months recently.

Even an iron man would rust and run into trouble if he kept going like that.

"How about this, Zhiqiang? I'll go find Secretary Yan later and try to get him to go to the Industry Bureau again."

Liu Fuhua said with determination, "If Secretary Yan doesn't give me a definite answer today, I'm not leaving his office."

"Okay, Uncle Liu, I'll wait for your good news."

Zhou Zhiqiang gave a thumbs-up and then took out a summary report of the practical testing of the small seeder, handed it to Liu Fuhua, and continued...
"But Uncle Liu, before you go to see Secretary Yan, take a look at this."

"This is... Oh, that small seeder you mentioned last time, has it been completed?"

Liu Fuhua talked while looking at the screen. He only had a vague understanding of the previous technical details, or perhaps he didn't understand them at all, so he went straight to the final result.

Liu Fuhua finally showed a happy expression when he saw that the average daily planting area was seventeen mu, and that it could be cultivated even with oxen.

"Great, I didn't expect the results to come out so quickly, that's really good."

After reading it, Liu Fuhua smiled and then asked Zhou Zhiqiang, "What suggestions do you have?"

"My suggestion is not important; it's up to your factory leaders to decide."

Zhou Zhiqiang shook his head and said, "Our technical department has developed and manufactured the product, and the factory can also produce it."

As for whether to produce it or not, and how much to produce, that's all planned by the leaders. What suggestions could a mere section chief like me have? Uncle Liu, that's all for now. I'm going back to work."

After saying that, Zhou Zhiqiang got up and walked towards the cabinet.

Upon seeing this, Liu Fuhua quickly said, "Why are you taking my tea again? It's all gone, really all gone. I only have that much left."

At first, he could handle it a few times, but for a period of time, Zhou Zhiqiang came eight times a month, under the guise of reporting on work, and after chatting for a few minutes, he would walk towards the cabinet.

Zhou Zhiqiang immediately switched to a more formal address and said in a serious tone, "Deputy Factory Director Liu, the technical department needs tea to refresh itself."

Otherwise, those technicians will be so tired they can't stay awake any longer. The technical department is under your jurisdiction; you can't shirk your responsibility.

"Fine, fine, I give up."

Liu Fuhua took out a packet of tea from the small cabinet next to him.

It weighed about three or four ounces, and I tossed it onto my desk with a bit of reluctance.

Liu Fuhua quickly waved his hand and said, "Let's go, let's go. I'll have the logistics department buy some tea for you another day, so you won't keep robbing me."

When Zhou Zhiqiang left, he left the leave slips of the two technicians behind. It was only right for Deputy Factory Director Liu, who was in charge of the technical department, to give them to him.

After everyone left, Liu Fuhua looked at the summary report on the small seeder for a while and couldn't help but laugh.

But he quickly remembered his business, so he picked up the report, then saw the leave slip on the table, picked them up together, and walked toward Secretary Yan's office.

The technical department has achieved another success. If they don't provide support, he won't be able to explain it to his subordinates. Today, Secretary Yan must go to the Industry Bureau to demand personnel.

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)