Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

960 Factory, cafeteria.

"Come, Director Fu, I must offer you a toast." Qin Yang raised his glass: "You've come all the way from the grasslands to the capital, and brought these veteran masters with you. We at Factory 960 will remember this kindness!"

"Originally, we planned to help you process some gun barrels to ensure you wouldn't fall behind on the foreign trade schedule. We didn't expect to be showing off our meager skills before experts." Fu Ansheng raised his glass: "However, I still hope to leave these workers here so they can learn from you. I wonder if you would agree to that?"

As soon as this question was raised, the expressions on everyone's faces at the table changed slightly. What did this mean? Were they here to steal our skills? To learn our techniques and then use them in their own production?

We can't agree, absolutely can't agree!

However, Qin Yang didn't hesitate at all, and immediately nodded: "No problem, these veteran masters coming to our factory is an honor for us. When it comes to making cannons, you veteran masters are the most professional; you are the main force. Even if it's just a temporary assignment, our factory will still pay them a salary, and their benefits will be the same as our factory's regular workers!"

Of course, Qin Yang wouldn't care. After all, the most complex part of those CNC machine tools was the program design, and they had already been debugged and were running normally. No matter how much those experienced veteran masters observed, they wouldn't be able to figure it out.

On the contrary, their presence could actually help us. If there were any problems with the parts machined by the machines that required manual modification, these veteran masters could be useful.

Besides, the benefits at Factory 960 were not something ordinary factories could compare to. Once these people came to Factory 960, why would they go back to the grasslands? They could settle down here in peace. As for Factory 447's dissatisfaction? That didn't matter, it was the veteran masters' own choice.

Qin Yang quickly thought of these pros and cons and immediately agreed.

Qin Baoguo no longer needed to worry. Since Qin Yang had agreed, they should accept these workers from the brother factory!

Rong Shijie was very excited. He had been a boring worker for half his life and never thought he would be replaced by a machine. Coming here had opened his eyes, and he wanted to understand the principles of these machines! A thirst for knowledge welled up in his heart.

After a few glasses of wine, the atmosphere became more and more lively.

"Director Qin, you've recently come up with countless inventions. Could you give Factory 447 some guidance so that our factory can also thrive in this tide of the market economy?" Fu Ansheng said.

Qin Yang thought for a moment and said, "Director Fu, your company specializes in making cannons. Have you ever thought about technological innovation to make cannon manufacturing easier?"

"Director Qin, please enlighten us." Fu Ansheng's attitude was very humble.

"Our traditional cannon manufacturing involves creating a steel ingot, then drilling a hole in the middle, expanding the bore, and turning the outside to create a seamless steel pipe. Have you ever thought about getting a professional vertical extrusion machine to directly extrude the steel ingot into a large-diameter, thick-walled seamless steel pipe?"

China had seamless steel pipes, but they were all thin-walled. This kind of thick-walled pipe was truly a blank slate. If needed, it would have to be made like a cannon barrel, with complex processes and high costs.

"How is that possible?" Hearing Qin Yang's words, the veteran masters from Factory 447 present couldn't believe it at all: "If we did that, how much pressure would it take?"

"That's right, it would probably take a 10,000-ton hydraulic press, right?"

"10,000 tons is not enough. If we had a 30,000-ton vertical extrusion hydraulic press, we could directly produce ordinary artillery." Qin Yang said.

30,000 tons?

Everyone clicked their tongues. Impossible! Do you know how many 10,000-ton hydraulic presses we have in the entire country? 30,000 tons, you really dare to think!

The traditional process was too wasteful. Therefore, in 2009, Factory 447 built the world's largest 36,000-ton vertical extrusion machine, producing 50,000 tons of seamless steel pipes annually. It could not only be used as a cannon blank but also play a huge role in power plants, petrochemical industries, and coal chemical industries. The market for this kind of thick-walled seamless steel pipe was very broad.

Factory 960's current scale was not large enough, and it had only received a production contract for 200 tank cannons. There was no need to invest in such a project. Factory 447 was different; they were professional cannon manufacturers and needed this kind of advanced processing technology. If they could develop it now, not to mention using it themselves, they could also export it in large quantities. The prospects for this kind of thick-walled seamless steel pipe were very broad, and the price was also very high.

Qin Yang was planning to continue忽悠(hū yōu - to coax, to wheedle) for a while when Zhang Chao came to Qin Yang's side and whispered something. After hearing his words, Qin Yang was immediately overjoyed.

Riding his beloved sidecar motorcycle, Qin Yang headed to Institute 201. Fortunately, in this era, those who could drive had status, and the sidecar motorcycle was no exception. The police generally wouldn't check it. In this era, overloading was for the construction of the motherland and was even encouraged. As for driving under the influence, he had only drunk three or five glasses, just enough to rinse his mouth. After all, this was just lunch; dinner was when they would really let loose.

By the time Qin Yang arrived at Institute 201, there were already several more people present.

"Everyone, we have provided you with our diesel engine. You need to install it on the tractor as soon as possible for testing. During this period, we need someone to be responsible for guiding your work." Michael pointed to the person next to him and said, "This is Perkins Company's technical engineer, Christopher."

Christopher was also a tall foreigner, appearing to be in his thirties. He nodded arrogantly: "During this period, I have the right to see this machine at any time, and I also have the right to recover this machine at any time. I want to tell everyone that our engine is very advanced. We are confident that there will be no problems within 3,000 hours of use. Therefore, the entire system must not have a single screw removed, otherwise it will damage the performance of the machine."

The expressions on the faces of the people present were a little unsightly.

Everyone understood what was going on. These foreigners wouldn't generously give the engine to them. They were here to sell engines, and they didn't want the advanced engine technology to be learned by the Orientals. Therefore, they sent someone to supervise them.

With this Christopher here, everyone shouldn't even think about taking the machine apart to look at it.

A plate of braised pork was right in front of them, but they could only smell the aroma and not eat it!

"That's for sure, not to mention 3,000 hours, there won't be any problems even after 10,000 hours." Just then, a voice came from outside: "It's great that a technician has arrived. Quickly guide us to install this engine on our crawler tractor!"

Old Zhu and Zhang Baozhong and the others were overjoyed. Director Qin was here! There would be a solution!

This is the thing, the extrusion machine was made all at once.