Rebirth 99 to become a car giant

China's automobile industry has developed very rapidly in the past ten years.

In the past, the price of an Accord was more than 300,000 yuan, but now it has become a situation where the price of an Accord is more than 200,000 yuan and the price is not so good.

Not to mention the price increase.

Looking at China, there are only a handful of car companies that still need to significantly increase prices.

Against this background of rapid changes, various things happen every day.

Car recalls are relatively unfamiliar to Chinese consumers, but they are relatively common in the global automotive industry, and related requirements are becoming more and more mature.

"Mr. Cao, Toyota, Honda and Volkswagen have just announced the recall of a number of models due to fuel pump failure."

"The official reason for the recall is that due to deviations in the supplier's production process, the gap between the fuel pump impeller and the impeller housing is small, and the surface roughness of the impeller is large. Gasoline sediment is easy to accumulate between the fuel pump impeller and the impeller housing, causing the impeller to rotate incorrectly. If the fuel pump is not working properly, the vehicle may lose power in extreme cases."

"Volkswagen, Toyota, and Honda will replace the vehicles within the scope of the recall with improved fuel pumps free of charge to eliminate safety hazards."

"According to our understanding, the fuel pumps for these models are all produced by Dongying Denso, and the OEMs involved may not only be Toyota, Honda and Volkswagen."

Mi Ying had smiles on her face when she reported the news to Cao Yang.

It's a good thing when competitors have problems.

In particular, the problem was Denso's fuel pump, which is also produced by Nanshan Auto Parts.

But so far, except for its own brands, no car company is using fuel pumps from Nanshan Auto Parts.

Several major international manufacturers, such as Denso, Bosch, Valeo and Delphi, basically have a monopoly on the fuel pump component.

If it weren't for the emergence of Nanshan Auto Parts, it is estimated that independent brands such as Chery and Geely would have to purchase their products from these large manufacturers.

That price is completely different.

"Is this a recall for the Chinese automobile market or is it a global recall?"

Cao Yang, who later heard about various recall cases, was not surprised.

Objectively speaking, a car has tens of thousands of parts, and it is not particularly strange for some parts to have problems.

However, in the past decade or so, recall cases in the Chinese automobile market have been relatively rare.

There are naturally many reasons for this.

"Mr. Cao, this time we launched a simultaneous recall of fuel pumps for global problems, not just for the Chinese automobile market."

When Mi Ying was preparing to report the news to Cao Yang, she had obviously made some preparations for the questions that Cao Yang might ask.

These are all necessary tasks for being a secretary.

"Didn't those car companies like to play double standards in the past?"

"Why are you so self-conscious this time?"

Cao Yang asked while thinking about what benefits this recall case could bring to Nanshan Group.

"Mr. Cao, there may be part of our efforts behind this matter."

Dai Hanbiao next to him took over Cao Yang's question and began to explain.

"In 2004, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and other four ministries and commissions jointly issued the "Regulations on the Recall Management of Defective Automobile Products", and Peugeot China began to implement automobile product recall management."

"In recent years, many car companies have recalled overseas products, but there have been no domestic recall cases."

"When I asked them the reason, they said it was because they used different parts."

"But this is completely an excuse. Those car companies will not be willing to develop better parts for China alone."

"So we are also United Autohome. We have complained to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine in response to some defects that have appeared in the market, hoping to promote the recall of OEMs as soon as possible."

"The problem with Toyota's fuel pump is also one of the more obvious problems."

"We have also made some efforts behind the scenes."

Dai Hanbiao's explanation was a bit vague, but Cao Yang generally understood it.

He didn't ask anything too detailed.

As a leader, sometimes it is not a good thing if you ask too detailed questions, especially about peripheral matters.

"What type of recall is their car recall this time?"

Cao Yang did not dwell on what Dai Hanbiao had done, but further confirmed the situation of this fuel pump recall.

in order to make further judgments.

"According to relevant domestic regulations, the current recall methods of the automotive product recall system are different. According to the certification and recall methods, they can be divided into autonomous type, mandatory type and independent and mandatory combined type."

"Independent vehicle recall means that the company conducts research and development and production in accordance with the standards proposed by the state, and the company assumes full responsibility."

"The state conducts quality spot checks in the market. If defective automobile products are found, it will enter the relevant procedures of automobile recall management. It encourages voluntary recalls to eliminate the impact of defects. It represents the country as the United States. Basically, this kind of recall is done."

"Compulsory automobile recall means that national manufacturers propose product standards and go to relevant national agencies for certification. After passing the product standards and ensuring production consistency, it can be put into large-scale production and use. The country assumes responsibility for society. To ensure the safe use of cars, most countries in Europe and Japan adopt compulsory certification."

"China, after referring to the models of the United States and Japan, uses a combination of independent and mandatory recall methods that combines the company's own discovery of defects and recalls and the recall in accordance with national instructions."

"This time Toyota, Honda and Volkswagen will launch a recall of fuel pumps. Part of the reason must be the pressure put on them by the General Administration to force them to launch a recall."

"But judging from the final implementation results, it is equivalent to a model of corporate voluntary recall."

Dai Hanbiao's words were a bit convoluted, but Cao Yang finally understood.

To put it bluntly, few car companies are willing to take the initiative to recall cars.

At this time, we can only rely on force.

However, China also hopes that the automobile industry can develop rapidly, so it does not want to use coercive measures at every turn. This will cause some car companies to have unnecessary worries about the prospects of China's automobile market.

In the end, a recall method emerged that was different from those in the United States, Japan and other countries.

"Denso should be the industry leader in the global fuel pump market. After this incident, some car companies may also be worried about continuing to use Denso's fuel pumps."

"In addition to Toyota, Volkswagen and Honda should consider introducing some new fuel pump manufacturers."

"This is an opportunity for Nanshan Auto Parts, an opportunity for Volkswagen and Honda to consider using our fuel pumps."

"At the same time, we can also take this opportunity to see if we can enter the fuel pump supply chain of General Motors, Ford Motor, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and other automobile companies."

Cao Yang's words were not at all what Dai Hanbiao expected.

Dai Hanbiao himself thought that way.

Soon, Dai Hanbiao personally took the fuel pump technical team and started various business trips to promote the products in person.

After all, for Nanshan Auto Parts, this is a good opportunity to break through the supply chain of functional parts in major international manufacturers.

The function of the fuel pump is to suck gasoline from the fuel tank and press it into the float chamber of the carburetor through the pipeline and gasoline filter.

It is precisely because of the fuel pump that the car's fuel tank can be placed at the rear of the car away from the engine and lower than the engine.

Early automotive systems used mechanical fuel pumps driven by the engine's camshaft.

Modern vehicles often feature electric fuel pumps, which provide greater control and reliability.

Electric fuel pumps come in a variety of designs, but two types are popular in modern cars: in-tank fuel pumps and in-line fuel pumps.

The in-tank fuel pump is immersed directly in the tank, providing inherent noise dampening properties. Being immersed in fuel reduces the noise generated by the pump during operation, resulting in a quieter driving experience.

When the vehicle is idle for a long time or runs out of fuel, the fuel lines will become empty, causing difficulty in starting.

The fuel pump helps prime the fuel system by filling the lines and restoring fuel pressure, making the engine easier to start.

Basically all passenger cars use this type of fuel pump.

In-line fuel pumps, on the other hand, are mounted externally, usually near the tank or along the side of the cabin, as is the case with some commercial vehicles.

The fuel pumps produced by Nanshan Auto Parts are currently electric fuel pumps placed in the fuel tank.

"Manager Li, our electric fuel pump works according to the positive displacement principle. When power is supplied, the pump's motor starts, creating a vacuum to draw fuel from the tank through the inlet valve."

"Fuel flows through the fuel line to the engine through an outlet valve actuated by a piston or diaphragm."

"During this process, several factors influence the design of the fuel pump, including the vehicle's engine size, fuel type and required fuel flow."

“Pump efficiency and durability were also critical considerations.”

"Each manufacturer must strike a balance between cost-effectiveness and meeting the required performance standards..."

Dai Hanbiao’s first stop was not Yangcheng Toyota, nor Yangcheng Toyota, but Volkswagen.

Compared with Japanese car companies such as Toyota and Honda, European and American OEMs have done relatively well in terms of the openness of their supply chains.

Dai Hanbiao feels that it will be easier to promote it to other car companies after making some breakthroughs with Volkswagen.

“Fuel pumps are designed to operate within a specific temperature range, reducing the risk of vapor lock and ensuring continuous fuel delivery even under demanding conditions.”

"This time, Denso's fuel pump was recalled because it would fail under special working conditions."

"Do you have any different strategies in this regard?"

Li Jianfeng naturally knew the purpose of the Nanshan Auto Parts people's visit today.

As one of the people who finally dealt with Nanshan Group, Li Jianfeng had a good impression of Nanshan Group.

But he also knew that the relationship between Volkswagen and Nanshan Group was not good, and there were even many conflicts.

So unless Nanshan Auto Parts’ fuel pumps have technical and cost advantages that people can’t refuse, he doesn’t think Volkswagen will use each other’s fuel pumps.

"The key part of the oil pump is the plunger. The plunger and plunger sleeve are very precisely processed components."

"There is an inclined groove on the plunger body, and a small hole on the plunger sleeve called the suction port. This suction port is filled with gasoline."

"When the plunger tilt groove faces the suction port, gasoline enters the plunger sleeve."

"When the plunger is pushed to a certain height by the camshaft, the inclined groove of the plunger is staggered with the suction inlet, and the suction inlet is closed, so that gasoline can neither be sucked in nor pressed out."

"At this time, as the plunger continues to rise, it presses the gasoline. When the pressure of the gasoline reaches a certain level, it will open the one-way valve and flow out into the oil pipe."

"When the plunger rises to the top dead center and then moves downward, the plunger inclined groove will meet the suction port again, and the gasoline will be sucked into the plunger sleeve, and the above action will be repeated again."

"This process requires the plunger to maintain very high processing accuracy and wear resistance at all times, and no accidents can occur."

"Our plungers use high-standard special steel produced by Nanshan Special Steel. Its wear resistance, strength, corrosion resistance and other related properties are better than materials used by other manufacturers."

"In addition, we use a CNC five-axis machine tool customized by Nanshan Equipment to process the plunger. The machining accuracy of the parts is very high, which cannot be matched by other competitors."

"So far, our fuel pumps have been used by many car companies including Xingchen Motors, and the supply has exceeded 1 million vehicles."

"There were no problems or complaints during this period, and the quality has completely stood the test."

"The most important thing is that while maintaining high quality, our fuel pumps cost 20% less than other manufacturers such as Denso."

"And all our components are produced in China. Once there is a model switch, there is no need to worry about some sluggish materials."

"Like Denso, the situation is completely different."

"As far as we know, although their fuel pumps are made in Yangcheng, 80% of the components are still imported from Japan, the United States, or Southeast Asia."

"Even the so-called domestic components, the raw materials are imported from Japan."

"I even heard that for their individual parts, the materials are produced in one country, the processing is completed in two other countries, and finally transported to Yangcheng for assembly into the assembly."

"Under normal circumstances, apart from the higher cost, there is no problem with this model."

"But once supply is tight or temporary design changes are required, it will be critical."

"The communication between various places is not smooth, and there is a big time difference. I don't know how much time will be wasted."

Dai Hanbiao came prepared.

Li Jianfeng can tell a lot of truths just by asking him casually.

The key is that these truths are difficult to refute.

Because these things are objective facts.

"Since automobile fuel pumps are immersed in gasoline for a long time, the selected materials need to have good oil resistance and chemical resistance. As far as I know, in addition to a small number of special steel materials, PPS is also used, right?"

As a professional purchaser, Li Jianfeng is not easily fooled.

He easily found a counterattack point in Dai Hanbiao's words.

"Manager Li, you are so professional."

"Yes, one of the biggest features of PPS is its good chemical resistance, and its chemical stability is second only to F4."

"PPS is stable to most acids, esters, ketones, aldehydes, phenols and aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, chlorinated hydrocarbons, etc. There is currently no solvent that can dissolve PPS below 200°C."

"Since automobile fuel pumps need to cooperate with the movement of pistons and other movements, materials need to be selected that are dimensionally stable and easy to process."

"PPS modified plastic has very little water absorption, generally only about 0.03%, and has low molding shrinkage. It shows excellent dimensional stability even when used under high temperature and high humidity conditions."

"Compared with special steel, PPS materials have excellent processing properties and can be processed by different processing methods such as injection molding, extrusion, and molding. The products can be processed twice to avoid unnecessary waste."

"At the same time, since gasoline is flammable, the selected materials must be anti-static and have good flame retardant effects."

"PPS has inherent flame retardancy and is an intrinsic flame retardant material, allowing it to achieve high flame retardancy UL94V-0 without adding flame retardants."

"Even after PPS has been modified, it has excellent antistatic effects."

"So PPS is the best processing material for the pump body of the fuel pump. The PPS of our Nanshan Auto Parts is modified and processed by Nanshan Chemical after purchasing the base material from outside. Its related performance is better than any competitor on the market. The PPS used must be good.”

"If Manager Li is interested, we can share the relevant PPS test report with you later."

This is the time to give full play to Dai Hanbiao's professionalism.

If you don't know the situation of the fuel pump or the PPS, you may be really confused when you are suddenly asked by Li Jianfeng.

Then the effect of continuing to promote downwards will be greatly reduced.

Therefore, for sales in the auto parts industry, they must not only understand sales, but also need to understand some technology.

This is also the reason why many auto parts companies like to rotate some personnel from the technical or project side to engage in sales.

Even many European and American sales managers have technical backgrounds.

No matter what, you also have an engineering background and have some basic understanding of these technologies.

"This time around Denso's fuel pump recall, if this part was produced by you, how would you improve it?"

Regarding Dai Hanbiao's explanation, Li Jianfeng was noncommittal.

Instead, he changed it to a new issue that he was most concerned about.

Although this issue theoretically does not require him to worry about, it is something that the R\u0026D personnel of Denso and Volkswagen need to worry about.

But he also wanted to hear how Nanshan Auto Parts solved this problem.

"Manager Li, Denso's oil pump failed this time. We don't know the specific reason."

"However, judging from the information in the recall announcement, it is because Denso experienced a production process deviation during the processing of the fuel pump."

"The gap between the fuel pump impeller and the impeller housing is small, and the surface roughness of the impeller is large. Gasoline sediment is easy to accumulate between the fuel pump impeller and the impeller housing, causing the impeller to rotate poorly, the fuel pump to work poorly, and in extreme cases, the vehicle loses power. .”

"In this case, in addition to design flaws, poor processing accuracy is a very important reason."

"Especially in the processing of impellers, if the roughness is too high, it is most likely caused by the insufficient processing accuracy of the processing equipment."

"This problem will never happen inside Nanshan Auto Parts."

"As we all know, most of the equipment for Nanshan Auto Parts is produced by our sister company Nanshan Equipment."

"So far, Nanshan Equipment's various machine tools have won the first prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award once and the second prize three times, as well as countless other awards."

"Compared with internationally advanced machine tool companies such as Yamazaki Mazak and Mori Seiki, our machine tools are not bad at all."

"The most important thing is that we are willing to invest high-precision machine tools in the production of parts, so that the processing accuracy of our parts can fully meet or even exceed the requirements of the drawings."

"So if Denso's fuel pump is left to us, we only need to adjust the gap between the fuel pump impeller and the impeller housing, and improve the machining accuracy of the impeller, and the problem can be completely solved."

In the process of explaining, Dai Hanbiao naturally wanted to step on the electric equipment and raise the Nanshan Auto Parts.

This is what every supplier is doing.

"Mr. Dai, according to what you said, this problem is actually not difficult to solve. Why has it not been solved in electrical equipment for so many years?"

Li Jianfeng's question is probably a common question on many people's minds.

However, Dai Hanbiao gave the answer easily.

He coughed slightly and said: "This matter is simple to say. I'm not saying that the technology of Denso is not good."

"As the world's leading parts manufacturer, Denso has its own uniqueness in many fields."

"If they really want to make the fuel pump good, they can theoretically do it well, otherwise you wouldn't continue to replace Denso's fuel pump after the recall."

"But success comes with failure. Denso has always been the leading fuel pump company in the industry. Their production lines and production equipment have been invested in for many years."

"And from the beginning, they were reluctant to buy the best equipment, which resulted in the performance of the parts they produced not being as high as everyone imagined."

"For some accuracy issues, it is difficult to detect its impact in simple tests."

"It's like the roughness of the impeller is relatively high, which may eventually cause the engine to lose power, which is difficult to find during the test."

"But once the quantity produced is large enough, slowly, related problems will be exposed."

"At this time, the advantages will be more obvious if we use some manufacturers with advanced technology, advanced equipment and relatively new production lines to produce related parts."

Dai Hanbiao went around in a circle, still praising himself.

This also gave other colleagues who followed him a lot of experience!