Reborn Industrial Tycoon

Chapter 459: Helping in times of need

As the forefront of reform and opening up, the Special Economic Zone is full of endless opportunities throughout the city.

Many so-called technology companies are born here every day, and many technology companies close down every day.

Biddy Technology Co., Ltd. is a newly established small company with only more than 20 people. It mainly produces rechargeable batteries.

In the mid-1990s, BP machines have become popular in mainland China. Rich businessmen have also begun to use mobile phones that cost more than 10,000 yuan. Chinese people have entered the era of digital products for the first time.

However, at that time, not only the battery capacity was small, but the mobile phone was also very power-hungry. Unlike now, mobile phones can last a day with a full charge.

The first-generation mobile phone in the 1980s could only provide 30 minutes of talk time after one hour of charging.

Although the mobile phone in the 1990s has improved, it still takes seven or eight hours to charge once, and the talk time is no more than an hour.

Therefore, the rechargeable batteries used by mobile phones have become a product with strong demand.

Those born in 2000 may not know that all previous mobile phones used removable batteries.

Some people even asked on the Internet why mobile phones don’t use removable batteries, so that the battery can be replaced when there is no power. Then a lot of people later posted pictures of universal charging.

In fact, in the past, when mobile phones left the factory, they would be equipped with two batteries, one for use in the phone and the other for charging on the charger.

In the 1990s, two batteries were not enough, and busy people needed four batteries, plus two mobile phone chargers.

At that time, businessmen had to carry not only a fully charged mobile phone but also one or two fully charged batteries when they went out, so that they could be replaced at any time.

A mobile phone costs more than 20,000 yuan, and the original rechargeable battery of the mobile phone also costs 2,000 yuan.

But in fact, the production cost of a battery is less than 300 yuan. Therefore, the production of mobile phone batteries is a very profitable business.

In the early 1990s, there were many factories on Hong Kong Island specializing in the production of mobile phone batteries. Later, businessmen on Hong Kong Island found that labor costs were lower in the mainland, so they moved all battery factories to the mainland.

However, in the rechargeable battery industry, Hong Kong Island enterprises are only small-scale enterprises and have not cultivated well-known large enterprises.

The real leader in the rechargeable battery industry is Japanese companies. In the field of rechargeable batteries, Japanese companies are almost in a monopoly position.

Biddy's current main business is the production of mobile phone batteries.

The general manager of Biddy Company is named Wang, nicknamed Boatman Brother. He has a master's degree in non-ferrous metals. He has been engaged in battery research since 1987. After graduation, he became the head of a research laboratory of non-ferrous metal researchers in Beijing.

In 1993, Brother Boatman was sent to the Special Administrative Region to serve as the general manager of a state-controlled battery company.

However, it was an era when all the people went to sea, so Wang Chuanfu gave up his position as general manager and resolutely chose to go to sea and founded Biddy Technology Company.

There are many types of rechargeable batteries, such as nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, lithium-ion batteries, lead-acid batteries, etc., and Biddy Technology Company mainly produces nickel-cadmium batteries.

The reason why Boatman chose nickel-cadmium batteries is mainly because Japan announced that it will no longer produce nickel-cadmium batteries locally.

Brother Boatman believed that this was an unprecedented opportunity, so he decided to get involved in the production of nickel-cadmium batteries and strive to replace Japanese companies in the nickel-cadmium battery supply chain.

At that time, many domestic companies were blindly pursuing modernization and would spend a lot of money to introduce internationally leading production lines. However, due to high production costs or insufficient technical reserves, the products failed to gain market recognition.

However, as a battery professional, Boatman has adopted a strategy of independent research and development from beginning to end. From the process, raw materials, quality control, and even cost reduction, Mr. Wang has done everything himself.

However, this independent research and development strategy is definitely more difficult than spending money to import it, especially before the technology is mature, the quality of the products produced is far inferior to foreign products.

Although the recently established Bidi Company has made great strides in the research and development of nickel-cadmium batteries, it has not actually achieved much economic benefit and is still in the stage of burning money.

This is also the biggest headache for Brother Boatman. Once Biddy runs out of money but has not received orders, Biddy will probably go bankrupt by then.

On this day, Brother Boatman was in the laboratory, conducting experiments and research with several engineers, when his men hurried in.

"Mr. Wang, there is a guest outside who wants to see you. This is his business card."

The boatman took the business card and looked at it carefully, and was shocked.

"Li Weidong, Chairman of Puppy Electric!" Brother Boatman couldn't believe his eyes.

Although the status of Puppy Electric in the domestic home appliance industry is not as good as that of first-class companies such as Haier and Gree, its reputation is definitely not small. At least, it has never stopped advertising on major TV stations every day.

In the middle of a popular TV series, commercial breaks will begin, and you will definitely see Mr. Ge popping up to bring goods.

Therefore, in the eyes of Brother Boatman, Puppy Electric is a big company, and Li Weidong is also a big entrepreneur.

"Why would Li Weidong, such a big entrepreneur, come to a small factory like mine? Could it be a swindler?" Mr. Wang thought to himself.

But now that everyone is here, regardless of whether it is a fake or not, Brother Boatman still fell in love at first sight. So he put down the experiment in his hands and ran to see Li Weidong.

"Chairman Li, I have long admired your name!" Brother Boatman looked slightly surprised after seeing Li Weidong. He did not expect that the chairman of Dou Dang Dou Electric Co., Ltd. was actually the same age as him.

At the same time, Brother Boatman was also sure that Li Weidong in front of him was definitely not a liar.

After all, Li Weidong can be regarded as the top private entrepreneur in the country. He has the aura of a billionaire, but he can't fake it.

Brother Boatman has been in the Special Administrative Region for such a long time and has met many big bosses and has a lot of contacts, so he confirmed Li Weidong's identity with just one glance.

Li Weidong also looked at Mr. Wang and thought to himself that the difference between this "Boatman Brother" and the one he remembered was not very big. He was not yet thirty years old, but he looked like a forty-year-old man, very mature.

.

After the two exchanged some pleasantries, the boatman asked, "Chairman Li is here. What are his instructions?"

"Instructions are irrelevant. I'm here to buy batteries from you." Li Weidong said, taking out a sample of the puppy shaver from his bag and handing it to the boatman.

"Mr. Wang, this is a razor produced by our Puppy Electric. This razor currently uses two AA dry batteries. I want to change the dry batteries to rechargeable batteries," Li Weidong said.

"Is it an AA rechargeable battery?" Brother Boatman paused, then said, "The performance of that thing is not as good as ordinary dry batteries."

The price of AA rechargeable batteries at that time was about ten times that of AA dry batteries, but the capacity was smaller than dry batteries, and they were not durable. The more times they were charged, the less the capacity was, and they would be scrapped after just a few charges. It was practical.

Sex is not high.

Therefore, most people will still choose ordinary dry batteries. Only the elderly who listen to the radio all day, or children who play with four-wheel drive vehicles, and whose battery consumption is relatively large on weekdays, will use AA rechargeable batteries.

Li Weidong explained: "What I want is not the type of AA rechargeable battery, but a rechargeable battery that is directly fixed inside the shaver. It's like the kind used in mobile phones. It should be called a nickel-cadmium battery, right?"

The boatman nodded suddenly: "I understand. But the big brother and the shaver are two different products after all, and the parts that consume power are also different. I didn't know that nickel-cadmium batteries are used in shavers.

, can it be done?”

"Of course it works. Don't Philips, Panasonic, and Braun shavers all have rechargeable models? This is enough to prove that nickel-cadmium batteries can be used in shavers." Li Weidong said.

"It makes sense!" Brother Boatman continued: "Then I just need to buy a Philips rechargeable shaver, take it apart and take a look, and I will know what structure their battery system uses."

"Mr. Wang, you don't need to bother, I've already brought a Philips rechargeable shaver." Li Weidong said, taking out a Philips HQ40 shaver from his bag.

The boatman took the razor and said, "Chairman Li, wait a moment, I will take it apart and take a look."

After the boatman finished speaking, he took out the screwdriver and other tools from the drawer, and took apart the razor in three strokes.

As an engineer who studies non-ferrous metals, Brother Boatman's hands-on ability is still very strong, and he quickly took out the battery from the shaver.

"It's Sanyo's nickel-cadmium battery." Brother Boatman went on to explain: "Sanyo is the largest rechargeable battery manufacturer in the world. In terms of nickel-cadmium batteries, even Motorola, Nokia and Ericsson in Europe use Sanyo batteries.

.It seems that Philips is also using Sanyo batteries.”

"Can you make this kind of battery?" Li Weidong asked immediately.

The boatman thought for a while and said: "The structure of the rechargeable battery is not complicated, the key is the material. If you use imported materials, it should be possible, but in that case, the price will be more expensive."

"Can't domestic materials be used?" Li Weidong asked again.

Brother Boatman shook his head: "The performance of domestic materials is not as good as that of imported materials, and the performance of batteries made with domestic materials is not up to standard. I don't think it can be used in products like razors.

For example, nickel-cadmium batteries require nickel-plated sheets. Domestic nickel-plated sheets are easily corroded, causing the battery to break down quickly. However, imported nickel-plated sheets are resistant to corrosion and have a much longer service life.

However, the price of imported nickel-plated sheets is too high. The price is fifteen times different from that of domestically produced ones. That is to say, if imported nickel-plated sheets are used, the cost of raw materials alone will increase by fifteen times!

Other materials also face the same problem, such as the cadmium and cobalt used in the negative electrode. The performance of domestic materials cannot meet international quality requirements at all. If we want to make nickel-cadmium batteries like Sanyo, we must use imported materials."

Li Weidong thought to himself, if all imported materials were used, there would be no need to come all the way to find your boatman brother!

So Li Weidong smiled and said: "Mr. Wang, you are an expert in batteries. You should be researching the localization of nickel-cadmium battery materials, right?"

The boatman hesitated for a few seconds, and finally nodded: "Indeed, we are studying it."

"How is the research progress?" Li Weidong asked immediately.

"It's okay!" Brother Boatman gave an ambiguous answer.

Li Weidong knew that things like research progress were commercial secrets, and Boatman didn't want to reveal the details.

So Li Weidong said: "Mr. Wang, if you can make considerable progress this year, I can give you an order for 500,000 razor batteries."

"Five hundred thousand?" The boatman was shocked.

The profits from rechargeable batteries are still huge. For example, you can earn dozens of dollars from a rechargeable battery from Big Brother.

The rechargeable batteries for razors will earn less, but even if one earns three yuan, 500,000 can still earn 1.5 million. For a small business like Biddy with more than 20 people, it is already

It's a huge amount of income.

So the boatman nodded: "Okay, I will try my best to make big progress before the end of the year."

"Strive for it?" Li Weidong smiled and shook his head: "Mr. Wang, this is not the answer I want."

Brother Boatman understood what Li Weidong meant, and he said: "Chairman Li, no one can say that scientific research will be possible. Especially research on materials requires relatively high experiments, and it is likely that hundreds of experiments will be performed.

, and no progress can be made at all.

Moreover, some experiments need to consume some imported raw materials, and the experimental cost will be relatively high. Before doing the experiment, we also need to make careful calculations as much as possible to avoid the waste of materials, which can also save experimental funds."

"Mr. Wang, are you short of money now?" Li Weidong asked immediately.

Li Weidong is obviously more interested in this topic.

The boatman brother smiled and said, "Who is not short of money? Especially for companies like ours that engage in research and development. They spend money like water and don't have much income yet, so of course they will be short of money!"

Li Weidong immediately said: "Mr. Wang, if you are willing, I can invest for you."

The boatman was stunned. This potential customer suddenly became an investor. He really didn't realize it for a while.

After a few seconds, Brother Boatman came back to his senses, and he confirmed: "Chairman Li, are you willing to invest in my company?"

Li Weidong nodded and said seriously: "My puppy appliances are made for small household appliances. The use of rechargeable batteries for small household appliances is also the future trend, so I need a stable and cheap rechargeable battery supplier."

Li Weidong's reason was very reasonable, and Brother Boatman had no doubts.

If someone came to invest, Brother Boatman would certainly not refuse. He immediately replied: "If Chairman Li is willing to invest in us, I will definitely be happy to ask for it!"

The current Biddy Company is still in the stage of product research and development and is burning money every day. If there is an injection of funds at this time, it will really be a timely help.

The boatman then asked: "Chairman Li, I wonder how you plan to invest?"

"How else can I invest? I don't understand battery technology, so I can only give you money!" Li Weidong smiled, stretched out five fingers, and continued: "I plan to invest the money first, Mr. Wang, can you

Don’t be too little!”

"Five hundred thousand? A lot, a lot!" Brother Boatman nodded quickly.

Li Weidong shook his head: "It's not half a million, but five million!"

"Five million!" Brother Boatman was surprised again.

The total assets of the entire Biddy Technology Company are less than five million!

Li Weidong continued: "Mr. Wang, I haven't finished speaking yet. I will invest five million for you. In addition to the shares, there are additional conditions."

"Sure enough, there are other conditions!" Brother Boatman thought to himself. He felt that Li Weidong's additional conditions would definitely not be low, and he might even swallow up his Biddy Company!

However, for the five million investment, Brother Boatman still asked: "Chairman Li, if you have any conditions, just tell me!"

"In the future, you will give me priority in supplying all products produced by your Biddy Company!" Li Weidong said.

"No problem!" The boatman replied without hesitation.

For the current boatman brother, he is very happy if he can sell the product, and he will not consider who to sell to first and who to sell to later!

Li Weidong continued: "The right of priority in supply I am talking about is for all companies, including your own Biddy Company."

"What do you mean?" the boatman asked subconsciously.

"For example, if I need a batch of razor batteries, after you produce them, you must give priority to selling them to me. Before meeting my needs, you cannot sell them to others. Even your Biddy company has to use this batch itself.

Batteries must be supplied to me first, and then it is your turn to use the rest!" Li Weidong explained.

"No problem, we Biddy don't produce razors anyway!" the boatman replied with a smile.

Li Weidong also smiled and thought to himself, you are the most unprofessional company in China! Let alone razors, you even dare to touch Glock pistols. There is nothing in the world that you cannot OEM!

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