Reborn Tycoon Rise

1990, Hung Hom, Hong Kong:

The waves of Victoria Harbor gently lap at the cornerstone of the guest pier. This is one of the reception piers of Whampoa Plaza, the second largest shopping paradise in Hong Kong. Every day, tens of thousands of locals and overseas tourists come here via the Star Ferry.

One side of Whampoa Plaza faces the sea, and the other side is lined with 22 commercial buildings. These are commercial office buildings, hotels, or high-end apartments. All properties are owned by Hutchison Whampoa Group. As housing prices in Xiangjiang rise, Whampoa Plaza has become Hutchison Whampoa’s most important core asset.

To the west of Huangpu Plaza is the headquarters of Midea Group, which consists of 6 commercial buildings. In addition to administrative staff, various R\u0026D departments and laboratories have also moved here. All departments are together, and the efficiency of cooperation between them is greatly improved. improve.

"Chairman, this is the new generation mobile phone we have recently developed." He Guoyuan opened a rimmed wooden box and took out an item that was only slightly smaller than the big brother.

Xu Zhi took it and frowned: "Can't this thing be smaller?"

He Guoyuan smiled bitterly and said: "Chairman, I also want to make it smaller, but if it is made smaller, there will be problems in heat dissipation and signal. We have designed dozens of different sizes and styles, and this is the best one." .”

"Well, it's much more convenient to be older than my eldest brother." Xu Zhi said helplessly.

For people in the 21st century, the design of Big Brother is simply anti-human. If you hold it up to answer the phone, people who don't exercise regularly will find it unbearable in just a few minutes. However, this is also an option. The technology of the 1970s can only It can be like this.

He Guoyuan smiled and said: "Chairman, this Dream-1 mobile phone weighs only 550g. It is definitely the lightest mobile phone in the world. It uses the latest TFT LCD technology and is equipped with text messages, calendar, schedule, alarm clock, It has various functions such as calculator, email, and games, and it also has the function of Bluetooth communication, which can connect to the local area network. This is definitely a product of cross-generational significance.”

Xu Zhi turned over the phone in his hand and asked, "Isn't there a way to install a camera?"

He Guoyuan shook his head and said: "I consulted Heda Company. With the current technology of digital cameras, it is impossible to shrink it to the point where it can be put into a mobile phone. Moreover, the current digital technology is not mature yet and the resolution is very low."

"What a pity!" Xu Zhi sighed. In the history of the development of mobile phones, incorporating digital cameras into them was a very revolutionary step. But now that the technology doesn’t support it, we can only wait a few more years.

Xu Zhi then asked: "Kodak shouldn't know that our information digital cameras are meant to be put into mobile phones, right?"

He Guoyuan shook his head and said: "Of course they don't know. I just provided the size data we need. But Kodak, they thought we were also going to enter the field of digital cameras, and they often belittled digital camera technology in front of the people we sent."

"They are just idiots without vision. The digital age is coming. If you don't embrace it, you will have to wait for death. Kodak is reluctant to part with the huge profits from film. If he hesitates, he will probably taste the consequences soon." Xu Zhi shook his head and said.

The bankruptcy of Kodak is one of the most famous cases in the history of human business. It knew that digital cameras would inevitably replace traditional tape cameras, and it had accumulated sufficient technology in the early 1980s and was the most advanced in the world. But for capitalists It is said that the biggest disadvantage of digital cameras is that they do not require endless "consumable" film. This is unacceptable to Kodak, which has become one of the top ten listed companies in the United States by selling film.

The final result of being reluctant to part with film profits was the rise of Japanese digital cameras and Kodak's entry into the bankrupt high-speed rail.

"Have the technical patents inside the mobile phone been authorized? This is a new product of ours. Once it is launched, there will be many jealous people. If it infringes on other people's patents, it will be troublesome." Xu Zhi then asked, Wireless Information Communication technology has been around for decades, and most of the basic patents have been formed. It is impossible for later companies to get around it and can only obediently purchase patent licenses.

He Guoyuan said with a smile: "We have reached basic patent licensing agreements with Ericsson and Motorola. You, the chairman, have taken precautions and suppressed these companies with the weapon of SMS, and they have to sit at the negotiation table. "

"We have no choice. We are a Chinese company and we don't have basic patents, so we can only take the wrong approach." Xu Zhi laughed. In 1986, after the SMS patent was obtained, there was no immediate charge. Instead, a global free policy was implemented for the first three years, and any company could use it.

This method of text communication quickly became a trend, and in terms of usage, it is not much lower than the phone function.

Three years later, when the text messaging function became a habit for everyone, Midea began to implement a charging policy. Manufacturing companies and telecommunications companies were required to pay patent fees. Although it was not much, it was an extremely stable income. With the popularity of mobile phones, Gradually becoming popular, the text messaging function has become one of the essential functions of all mobile phones.

When Midea was developing its own mobile phones, it was only possible to successfully negotiate the various basic patents it needed by having tools like text messages in hand. Otherwise, in this era when mobile phone manufacturers are also communication technology monopolies, they would not have enough capital to even negotiate. There is no way to enter this industry.

He Guoyuan then asked: "Then what is the price of our mobile phone?"

Xu Zhi asked: "How much does it cost?"

He Guoyuan has already been prepared and said: "If mass production is carried out, we will produce both LCD and memory chips ourselves. If the production line is moved to the mainland and the low labor force there is used, the cost of each mobile phone should be controlled within 600 US dollars." .”

"Then we will set the ex-factory price at US$800 and try our best to use our own group's resources to lower the final retail price." Xu Zhi thought for a moment and then said.

He Guoyuan asked: "But if this is the case, wouldn't the price of our mobile phones be similar to that of ordinary mobile phones?"

"It's just like other mobile phones. Our functions are much better, but the price is the same. How do you think consumers will choose?" Xu Zhi smiled and shook his head: "The purpose of making mobile phones is not to take the high-end route. For common civilian products, the more profitable they are, the first to occupy the market. As long as the brand comes out, there will be various opportunities."

High-end products have high profits, but the market is limited. The simplest example is the automobile industry. Companies such as supercars or Rolls-Royce have gone bankrupt countless times in recent decades.

He Guoyuan thought for a moment and said: "If this is the case, we must prepare large-scale production lines in the mainland first. Otherwise, we may not be able to supply goods by then."

"Then get ready first. You can discuss it with Hutchison and get this matter settled as soon as possible." Xu Zhi nodded and agreed.

In the field of home appliances, Midea builds and produces all its own factories, because home appliances are not as profitable as other high-tech electronic industries, and profits are limited. In particular, they need to cooperate with Midea's price war strategy, so outsourcing is unrealistic.

However, the production lines involved in the manufacturing of computers and future mobile phones are not as stable as those of home appliances. Therefore, Midea mainly outsources these businesses, like Foxconn in later generations. In order to expand its influence in the mainland, Hutchison Whampoa also seeks a business. As a new business, it took over most of Midea's personal computer orders. At the same time, relying on its high-quality cost advantage, it also won orders for HP and some IBM computers.

Hutchison Electronics already has the trend of "Foxconn" in the future.

"This should not be a big problem. The investment in the assembly line is not large. When we were developing this mobile phone, we had already cooperated with Hutchison Whampoa. If we want to expand the scale, we can directly copy the manufacturing workshop and production line. Yes." He Guoyuan paused and then said: "If this is the case, we also need to hold a product launch conference and conduct advertising at the same time to let people around the world know about our products first, and then decide on the production plan based on subsequent feedback."

"You can take care of this!" In terms of management, Xu Zhi is not as good as He Guoyuan: "TVB satellites cover the entire Southeast Asia. Although due to some legal reasons, the TVB channel has a limited transmission range, most TV stations in Southeast Asian countries They all have leasing relationships with our satellites. Cooperation in this area will be a lot more convenient.

In terms of per capita income in Southeast Asia, it is not as good as European and American countries, but it is better because of the large number of people. Western companies often encounter problems with the climate. This is our basic base, and we must manage it well. "

He Guoyuan nodded and said: "There are dozens of countries in Southeast Asia, which is really not easy to deal with. But fortunately, the sales network of previous game console products has been laid, and there are also some strong local partners, and the sales of mobile phones Shouldn't be a problem.

In the United States, we have Best Buy and the Disney Channel, a powerful advertising tool. I think Europe is our weakness. "

Xu Zhi smiled and said: "You need to manage the American and Asian markets well first. In Europe, as long as our products are ready, the channel merchants will deliver them to our doorsteps. This is a revolutionary product."

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