Rebirth 99 to become a car giant

Chai Hang felt that his good luck had been exhausted in the first ten years of his career.

Since leaving Nokia and coming to Samsung China, he found that he seemed to have fallen into another pit.

I originally thought that with the strength of Samsung Electronics, I would be able to live a very comfortable life in my new position.

But reality gave him a slap in the face.

Not to mention that the sales of Samsung smartphones are not ideal and are being suppressed by Honor Technology. Even Huawei's smartphone sales are almost catching up.

Just the inexplicable help he received some time ago to inquire about the cooperation between Nanshan Special Steel and Wenchong Shipyard to produce LNG carriers and develop Yinwa Steel made him very anxious.

Because the information I learned was not ideal, even if I had just taken action, Nanshan Special Steel was already producing samples.

So when he quickly collected some information and reported it to Samsung Heavy Industries, he was almost punched against the wall.

Obviously I am not responsible for this business, but I was inexplicably given this job, and then I was criticized.

The most important thing is that his boss Li Zailin has no intention of speaking for him, which makes him feel very heartbroken.

However, work must continue.

Immediately afterwards, the opening ceremony of Nanshan Semiconductor's new factory in Yangcheng was very grand, and it was officially announced that it has become the largest semiconductor company in China.

This makes Chaihang's life even more difficult.

Because Samsung Electronics not only sells terminal products such as mobile phones, computers, and televisions, they are also an important supplier of semiconductor components such as chips and memories.

The Chinese market is the most important market for Samsung Electronics, and the overall development speed in the past few years has been very gratifying.

But the situation in the past two or three years has begun to not look very good.

"Our new factory in Chang'an City is already under construction and will become the largest semiconductor factory in northwest China."

"Under such a good opportunity, our Samsung China sales have not achieved any growth. This is absolutely unacceptable."

Li Zailin did not regard Chai Hang as his direct subordinate.

In fact, the other party is not his direct subordinate.

He just regarded Chai Hang as a tool man.

Therefore, when he is under pressure, he will definitely find a way to transfer this pressure to the shoulders of Chai Hang and other Chinese middle-level cadres.

"Mr. Li, we have many products, many of which rely on sales from dealers."

“I think it’s appropriate to further transfer profits to dealers?”

"For them, whoever's products make more money will actively promote their products."

“After all, many dealers do not simply represent our products.”

Chai Hang took a deep breath and tried to calm down as much as possible.

When Li Zailin put pressure on him, he made various demands.

As long as the company cannot meet these requirements and the goals are not achieved, he will have something to say.

This can be regarded as a self-protection plan for him in Samsung China.

He has no background and is not a direct descendant, so that's all.

"The profit margin of our products is not particularly high. If we continue to give profits to dealers, how can the company's profits be guaranteed?"

Li Zailin retorted with an unhappy expression.

However, Chaihang was well prepared for this statement.

"Currently, many of our parts are assembled directly after importing components from Korea."

"Even if they are produced in China, most of them are subsidiaries established by Korean companies in China."

"In this case, the production cost will definitely be relatively high."

"If we can purchase some parts from local suppliers in China, it should be very beneficial to cost reduction."

Chaihang immediately put the blame on the purchasing side.

Anyway, what he said is true, and Li Zailin must also know this situation.

As for whether the company is willing to change, that's not his business.

"The quality of our products must be guaranteed. China's local suppliers are mixed, and they will not be adopted on a large scale for the time being."

"But if there are some suitable parts, we will try them."

After Li Zailin left an ambiguous reply, he immediately stopped struggling with Chai Hang on this issue and continued to force him to find ways to increase sales of semiconductor components and consumer electronics products as soon as possible.

Unlike Samsung's anxious mood, Transsion's side was full of joy.

Zhu Zhaohai returned from Africa this time. In addition to attending the commissioning ceremony of Nanshan Semiconductor's new factory in Yangcheng, the most important task was to report to Cao Yang on Transsion's overseas development.

Although Transsion currently sells almost no mobile phones in China, 99.99% of Chinese people do not know that China has such a large mobile phone brand.

But in Africa, they have already achieved monthly sales of more than 3 million.

"Mr. Cao, according to our estimates, starting from next year, our sales in Africa will reach 50 million units, becoming the largest mobile phone manufacturer in Africa."

"Considering the impact of brand localization, we are preparing to build an assembly factory in Ethiopia."

"This will not only significantly reduce assembly costs, but also allow more Africans to think that our brand is their own country's brand."

"This potential impact is very important to the sales of Transsion mobile phones."

Zhu Zhaohai and Cao Yang reported on the various achievements of Transsion this year.

He himself is very satisfied.

According to this development rate, Transsion will soon become the top 5 mobile phone manufacturer in China.

As a local brand that started off by relying on copycat mobile phones, it is definitely not easy to achieve such results.

"If we build a factory in Africa, will there be any problems with management?"

"I heard that people over there are lazy?"

Cao Yang really has never been to Africa.

There is a high probability that I will never go there again in this life.

Therefore, he is still stuck in the impression promoted by some media regarding the situation in Africa.

"People in some places over there are really lazy. Even though their living standards are obviously very low, they spend it on food and drink as soon as they get their salary."

"Even the factory owners there have no way to ensure that those people will continue to come back to work the next day after their wages are paid."

Speaking of this, Zhu Zhaohai couldn't help but complain.

However, he quickly added and said: "The situation in Ethiopia is definitely not comparable to that in China, but compared to other African regions, it is still much better."

"Our mobile phone assembly line will be their first domestic factory to produce mobile phones."

"So all departments there will pay more attention to it, and there will be more high-quality talents among the people recruited."

"There are even many local college students who are willing to work as production line workers in factories."

Since Zhu Zhaohai was ready to propose to Cao Yang to build a factory in Africa, he must have done relevant research.

Therefore, he can quickly give his own analysis to Cao Yang's questions.

"In terms of demand in Africa, in addition to some low-end mobile phones, there should actually be a market for mid-to-high-end mobile phones, right?"

Cao Yang no longer worries about Transsion’s establishment of factories in Africa.

When I first invested in Transsion, I had already promised to respect Zhu Zhaohai and the others' management rights over Transsion.

Unless it involves issues of principle, he will definitely not stick to his own opinions.

Besides, he didn't have any opinion on this matter.

I just have some questions and want to express them.

"Yes, Honor Technology is now starting to make efforts overseas. I think Africa can also pay appropriate attention."

"Although it cannot be compared with markets such as Japan, Africa as a whole is still quite large, and there are many wealthy people."

"The poorer the area, the more serious the gap between rich and poor."

"Some rich people over there in Africa are actually very rich."

"Even many places are colonies of France and England, so the wealthy people there have the habit of imitating the lives of the French and English."

Zhu Zhaohai is not worried that if Honor Technology also enters Africa, it will bring too much impact to him.

Transsion mobile phones are positioned as mid- to low-end mobile phones, and he will not want to try everything.

He would never engage in high-end mobile phones.

"I'll talk to Xia Qingqing then and ask her to arrange someone to explore the African market."

"The number of Chinese companies in Africa is not particularly large. When the time comes, you can join forces together, and I will also communicate with Warwick. Their business in Ethiopia should also be relatively large."

Cao Yang has heard that many Chinese people like to cheat their own people when they are overseas.

Especially those Chinese people who come out like to do this thing.

Therefore, in order for related companies to develop better overseas, it is necessary to support each other.

"There are some chambers of commerce in every place, but the effect of the chambers of commerce is really not very satisfactory."

"It is indeed worth promoting to form a group of our own in Africa around the Nanshan Group."

"We can even consider some resource exchanges in Africa in the future to facilitate business expansion."

"For example, when some tribes cooperate with us, they can only exchange some minerals, but we at Transsion have no demand for minerals."

"But Nanshan Battery may be different, and Nanshan Investment may also have its own considerations."

“These are all things we can consider integrating resources.”

In the past few years, Zhu Zhaohai has also encountered countless strange things in Africa.

There are even cases where the balance payment cannot be collected, and people directly use a bunch of coffee to pay off the debt.

If there are no good channels on hand to digest these resources, there will be no way to fully utilize the advantages of these resources.

For example, in later generations, Warwick once sold red wine and beef as payment for goods from a country in South America.

A communications company's shopping mall started selling red wine and beef, which refreshed everyone's outlook.

But if one of Warwick's partners is engaged in e-commerce, then the connection can be seamless.

The Nanshan System has a great influence, and Zhu Zhaohai naturally sees this benefit.

No matter how bad it is, it is also a good plan to directly use part of the goods as annual benefits for each company.

"I support this matter. You can contact Mi Ying and ask the General Manager's Office to assist you in promoting this project."

"In Africa, many business units actually have a lot of room for development."

"It's just that overseas markets are too big, and we don't have that much energy to develop these markets."

Cao Yang didn't think for too long and directly answered in the affirmative.

Next, the two continued to chat about the African market before ending the meeting.

After meeting Zhu Zhaohai, the first thing Cao Yang thought of was not to talk to Xia Qingqing, but to communicate with Zeng Tingting about the sales of Xingchen Motors in Africa.

The Middle East market has already opened up, and the sales volume of the Big G series in the African market is also okay due to various previous publicity.

But this potential has obviously not been fully utilized.

Transsion can play new tricks in the African market that everyone looks down on, and Xingchen Automobile can also give it a try.

It doesn't matter how much money you make in these places, as long as you don't lose money, selling as many cars as possible is very beneficial to improving brand influence.

After all, in these places, only the rich can afford cars.

The potential impact of allowing these wealthy people to recognize Xingchen Automobile's models is immeasurable.

It can even benefit other brother companies such as Honor Technology.

If that doesn't work, then use minerals in exchange for cars.

"Mr. Cao, I feel that if we want to expand the market in Africa, in addition to doing it ourselves, it is best to find a few more powerful agents."

"By stimulating the enthusiasm of agents to make money, we can further increase our sales."

Zeng Tingting obviously has her own considerations about the African market.

The attention before was not enough, but now that Cao Yang pays attention to it, she will naturally increase her attention.

"Of course there is no problem with this, but our models are relatively expensive. For many agents or dealers, it is difficult to spend so many dollars to buy them."

"You can cooperate with Nanshan Investment to promote the plan of using local mineral resources to offset the payment for goods."

"I estimate that many tribes will be interested in such a plan."

Zhu Zhaohai just mentioned the mineral deposits in Africa. Cao Yang felt that not only the mobile phone business could be connected with it, but also the automobile business could be developed well.

Whether it is lithium ore, nickel ore, cobalt ore, or mineral deposits such as iron ore and coal, they all have their value.

In order to expand these businesses, Cao Yang is even considering letting Yangcheng Bank set up a base in these countries in order to better handle funds at home and abroad.

"This is a very innovative plan. I guess there are really many tribes interested in it."

"Next month I will personally fly to Africa to find several partners to jointly promote the development of Xingchen Motors in Africa."

The plans proposed by the boss are definitely good ones.

As a senior professional, Zeng Tingting’s awareness is definitely very strong.

"Xingchen Automobile has developed to this point and has some history. There will be some second-hand cars circulating in the market one after another."

"These second-hand cars will be much more cost-effective. You can also consider transporting the second-hand cars to Africa for sale."

Although there are many rich people in Africa, the overall economy is definitely not rich.

As a luxury brand model, the price of Xingchen Motors is definitely incomparable with similar products from Toyota and Nissan.

So at this time, letting second-hand cars come out is a good alternative.

Cao Yang is even planning to launch a trade-in program at various Xingchen Auto 4S stores to stimulate more consumers to buy Xingchen Auto's new products.

"The used car market is a blue ocean, and future sales are likely to be similar to new car sales."

"However, the second-hand car market is a mixed bag, and it is still difficult to do this part of the business well."

Zeng Tingting has mainly focused on the automobile sector in recent years, so she naturally has some understanding of the second-hand car market.

However, she feels that it is very difficult to capture this market.

"We will start with the second-hand car business of Xingchen Motors and Jaguar Land Rover, so that our second-hand cars can be circulated, so that many people will not have some concerns when buying new cars."

Although most Chinese consumers do not consider the issue of value retention when buying a car.

However, there is absolutely no way to avoid this problem. In many mature markets, it is even an important basis for consumers to buy cars.

So there must be some consumers who care about this thing.

This is especially true for those who have some money but are not very rich.

"If this is the case, then it may be necessary to consider setting up a separate used car business department and let them promote the development of related businesses."

Zeng Tingting promptly made a request of her own.

In the workplace, if a leader simply increases the workload for his subordinates without thinking about benefiting his subordinates or expanding the organizational structure, then such a leader will not go far.

Zeng Tingting obviously understands this truth.

So when she scolds her subordinates, she does so fiercely; but when she fights for the interests of her subordinates, she also fights fiercely.

I have to say that people like this are the most suitable for a mixed career.

"This is not a problem. If necessary, it will be established. If not necessary, it will be abolished. No matter which branch it is, the organizational structure is not static."

Cao Yang agreed without any hesitation.

The used car business is definitely promising.

This will even become a useful tool in the future.

Now we will start with Nanshan Automobile Group’s own brand, and later consider spinning it off to establish a separate company to make used cars. Maybe it can be the first listed company within Nanshan Automobile Group in the future.

With this instruction from Cao Yang, Zeng Tingting naturally took action immediately.

After talking to Zeng Tingting, Cao Yang called Zhao Siyu from Daystar.

"Mr. Zhao, both Transsion and Xingchen Motors are expanding into the African market during this period."

"I think the drone business in Africa is actually worth looking forward to."

"We can set up an office in some African countries and work with Transsion, Honor Mobile and Xingchen Automobile to find local talents to sell our drones."

Although Daystar has always promoted itself as a company that produces civilian products, everyone knows what is actually going on.

Things happen every year in some countries in Africa, where most places have no air defense capabilities.

In this case, the advantages that drones can bring into play are even greater.

After all, if there are fighter jets, bombers, etc., not to mention that the price is too high and those people can't afford them, just the need to build supporting airports is a big problem.

But drones are different.

Whether it is the Scorpion drone, the upcoming unmanned helicopter and other products, or DJI products, there is a lot of room for development.

Others may not have thought that much, but Cao Yang knew how powerful drones could be on the battlefield.

Especially in a battlefield environment like Africa, drones are simply the natural enemies of ground-based armed forces.

"Our main focus was on the Middle East market, and we will start making arrangements for Africa immediately."

Zhao Siyu is naturally very active in expanding the market.

Especially since Cao Yang has started the layout himself, all he needs to do is implement it as soon as possible.

"To work there, you need to be bolder and more creative."

"I'll have someone put together some special plans for selling drones later and give them to you."

Cao Yang believes that in order for everyone to realize that Venus’ drone products are very powerful, the most important thing is to let the products show their strength on the battlefield.

Even letting pirates use drones to attack cargo ships is a very effective publicity plan.

Of course, the actions here must not be too exaggerated, otherwise the gains outweigh the losses.

"Well, I will contact DJI later and we will work together to provide customers with different combinations and choices."

"Then I will also communicate with Pan Jun and ask him to help contact relevant companies that export ammunition, and we will go to Africa to expand business together."

Zhao Siyu quickly understood some of Cao Yang's ideas.

Although Daystar produces products for civilian use, if customers use them for military use, there is nothing they can do.

They can even provide a note telling customers that they cannot modify it in this way.

Otherwise Daystar will not bear any responsibility.

"This is a good idea. The small drones from DJI also have special uses in some situations."

"But I think the most promising thing in Africa is the unmanned helicopter that we are about to launch."

"As long as a heavy machine gun is simply installed on it, it can play a huge role in many conflicts in Africa."

"As for the Scorpion drone, it may be too high-end for them."

"The payload capacity of DJI drones is relatively limited. Although there is a market in Africa, it is estimated to be relatively limited."

Since they are all talking within the company anyway, Cao Yang naturally doesn't have to hide it.

Let’s make it clear directly to avoid misunderstanding by the people below.