Reinventing the Millennium

Morningstar Semiconductor's initiative to visit Fang Zhuo was a bit unexpected, but the content of the marketing director's lobbying did not surprise him.

Philips' own production capacity and Jenny's arrogance are both expected.

But just as he lightly mentioned Yike's chip purchase, this was also a bargaining chip that could be heard.

Yike music players have always used Philips chips, and the purchase price is US$8 per piece. According to the growth trend that has not slowed down this year, the annual order for this chip alone is in the hundreds of millions.

If we can talk about the ice core, Yike can package the intention to sign the contract in the next two to three years. Anyway, so far, the performance of Philips chips on the machine is pretty good.

But if it’s really so unique that it’s irreplaceable, that’s not it.

For example, Apple's chips using Texas Instruments are also very popular. Both are among the best in the world. Yike has a lot of choice.

But, on the other hand, what is the arrogance of large Western manufacturers?

Arrogance means being unreasonable.

Moreover, communication between different departments in large companies is sometimes even worse. The actual outcome of the negotiations depends on actual contact. Maybe people do not agree with the rising trend of consumer electronics.

According to Fang Zhuo's plan, this is something we can start talking about in late February after the progress of the ice core is normal.

"I appreciate Morningstar Semiconductor's initiative. I also felt the sincerity of Director Tang and Director Wei during their trip today."

“It’s just that Ice Core’s current focus is entirely on production capacity.”

"Regarding Changhong's chip procurement, I can convey your sincerity to Mr. Ni. When the Spring Festival holiday is over, maybe you can meet together to discuss this matter."

Fang Zhuo replied politely.

Deputy Technical Director Tang Bingde had a disappointed look on his face. Marketing Director Wei Boyun didn't have much fluctuation. Although he didn't know what didn't tip the scales in Mr. Fang's mind, it was normal for this kind of transaction to require multiple contacts.

The point is that people are willing to talk.

But Wei Boyun was not sure where the limit of this person's willingness to talk was. It might be a coincidence that today, Mr. Fang had to ask about the ice core but was bored enough to look at the door. What about in a few days?

"Mr. Fang, we have already booked a restaurant." Wei Boyun greeted him with a smile, "I can show off more of my technical strength in the evening. Although our company, Morningstar Semiconductor, has not been around for a long time, our technology is quite strong."

"There is no need to eat. After the Lantern Festival, I will talk to Mr. Ni. After all, it involves Changhong's products, and they have to verify your strength." Fang Zhuo refused directly and said quite straightforwardly, " Our ice core is engaged in wafer foundry. If we really want to talk, we are welcome to talk when we have production capacity."

Wei Boyun didn't dare to guarantee this, because the departments involved had different powers, so he could only talk about the market.

But he is determined.

Wei Boyun said categorically: "President Fang, I will ask our vice president to talk about wafer foundry tomorrow."

Fang Zhuo smiled: "Mr. Wei, what can we talk about when he comes? There is no production capacity for ice cores and we can't quote you. Don't worry. If necessary, I will take the initiative to find you."

Wei Boyun insisted: "It's always good to have a chat. I can't interfere with the company's choices, but personally, I always admire the other party. I also benefited a lot from Mr. Fang's eight mottos about the company. I am willing to push Morningstar Semiconductor to become Ice Core’s first customer.”

Look at people and see how well they say this.

Small companies have to work hard to get orders.

only……

Fang Zhuo nodded first, and then said: "I don't think I have any motto for the company."

Wei Boyun: "?"

The scene is slightly embarrassing, but it does not affect the overall situation.

Since Morningstar Semiconductor insists on talking, even though Ice Core is not yet in production capacity, it can still make contact first.

Fang Zhuo is open-minded about ice core matters.

Wei Boyun and Tang Bingde said goodbye and left.

In fact, Fang Zhuo was also very interested in what Tang Bingde said about leaving a R\u0026D team in Luzhou. At first, he was a little puzzled by this approach. After thinking about it, he thought that Morningstar Semiconductor might not only target Changhong family.

Konka also has a production base in Anhui Province. If a team in Luzhou can capture two major customers, this is actually a cost-effective business.

But he didn't ask. Although Changhong would refer to his opinion, it was indeed too early to talk about this now.

Fang Zhuo sorted out the contact intentions of the two senior executives of Morningstar Semiconductor, sent the information to Ni Runfeng, exchanged a few words with him about Tesco's cooperation, and then began to prepare to observe Qiu Ciyun's face to judge today's progress.

It’s dinner time in the canteen, and the atmosphere of the New Year’s Day is quickly fading away.

After eating, the engineers discussed the processes they were responsible for in small groups in low voices.

Wafer manufacturing is a very delicate matter.

In a conventional sense, if a process reaches 99%, it is a very good performance. However, wafer manufacturing often involves hundreds or thousands of processes. If each process is an excellent 99%, and the number of 600 processes is taken, then the final result will be What comes out is approaching...0.

0.99^600=0.0024.

The overall yield of 0.24% is no different from 0.

So, optimize, optimize and optimize.

During dinner time, Qiu Ciyun's face became more solemn than during the day. He didn't say anything more, but said that he would continue to work overtime in the evening.

However, Wu Jingang from SMIC comforted him and gave Huahong Group an example.

"The goal does not need to be so high. Huahong was very confident at the beginning. In the early stage of research and development, we hoped to achieve a yield rate of one TO, and the yield rate of two TOs would exceed 90%. The three TOs would directly risk production, and the time and space for process fine-tuning are very limited."

"It's high-profile in the early stage, frustrating in the mid-term, and repaired in the later stage."

"Don't be too ambitious, this is how we get here."

Wu Jingang said this.

Fang Zhuo nodded: "I will listen to Mr. Qiu."

"Well, Mr. Qiu said he would work overtime in the evening. Mr. Fang, would you like to work?" Wu Jingang found that Mr. Fang was not as closed to strangers as rumored, and he spoke much more openly.

"Jiajiajia, whenever you go to bed, I will go to bed." Fang Zhuo said without hesitation.

Wu Jingang opened his mouth, wanting to say it was useless, but he didn't say it.

Maybe it would be useful for morale?

He thought so.

The canteen was in a state of turmoil, with engineers coming and going in a hurry.

The wind was too cold at night, so Fang Zhuo did not go outside, but handled some administrative contacts in the office, and also fulfilled the tasks entrusted by Yu Hong.

Yu Hong's father was named Yu Zhengxiang, and he held a cadre study meeting in Luzhou from the day after tomorrow.

Fang Zhuo thought about the gifts her daughter could buy for her father during the Chinese New Year. After much deliberation, she chose the conventional pens, tea leaves, and tea sets. They were all in the name of Yu Hong anyway. She would definitely pick other things when she returned home.

I contacted Yu Zhengxiang on the phone. The other party's voice was quite deep and polite. They made an appointment to pick up the gift the day after tomorrow when they had time.

Fang Zhuo originally wanted to go to the door in person, but Yu Zhengxiang repeatedly insisted that this was not necessary, so he had to give up.

I worked overtime until one o'clock that night, and I don't know whether it was because of the serious situation or because Qiu Ciyun was adhering to the idea of ​​​​"making the best use of everyone's talents" and squeezed SMIC's experts hard.

Anyway, Fang Zhuo's expression didn't change much.

January 30 was the fourth day that SMIC experts came to Luzhou.

Bingxin's canteen is replenished with fresh ingredients specially transported from Shanghai, including everything that flies in the sky, runs on the ground, and swims in the water.

If it is not convenient to drink during working hours, Fangzhuo can also provide good wine to meet various needs.

Because by the second day of the Lunar New Year, the intensive New Year greeting messages have passed.

In addition to the sporadic polite words such as "Wish Mr. Fang a happy old age", Fang Zhuo continued to look at the door wrapped in his coat this morning. By the way, he communicated on the phone with the leader Sun Ruolong whom he met last time.

February 15th was the original scheduled visit to the ice core risk trial production, but as soon as the news came out, Sun Ruolong made a special trip to have a chat.

Ice core will be a key project in his future term. On this point, he and Leader Wang have a consensus.

Such an enterprise is not only about scale itself, it can also drive the development of the industrial chain and the advancement of related scientific research.

Not to mention anything else, the most basic thing is that if students from the relevant majors of the University of Science and Technology of China do one tape-out, the cost will be greatly reduced. The lower the price, the more they do, the more experience they have, and the better their level will be.

In addition, Luzhou also wants to use this to strive for higher-level industrial planning.

Coastal economically developed areas always have more favorable policies and funding support. Integrated circuits are a good acceleration opportunity for inland provinces like Luzhou. Bingxin is the only semiconductor company in the country that can purchase internationally advanced equipment.

Who doesn't want the ice core to be good? Sun Ruolong was the first to disagree.

The two communicated on the phone for a long time, treating each other openly and honestly.

Fang Zhuo is not a person who is difficult to talk to, and this kind of communication makes him very understandable.

Therefore, it was very smooth for him to postpone the visit on February 15th.

Let’s wait for the results of expert assistance to come out first. If there is really no assistance, then some of it will depend on people who wasted their time.

Near noon, Morningstar Semiconductor's car parked quietly on the roadside again yesterday.

Wei Boyun arrived in front of the ice core factory with some embarrassment and responded to the situation: "Mr. Fang, our vice president Xu Kuang is in some physical condition. He was supposed to go to Luzhou today. He was hospitalized in Shanghai last night. Now Bao There is another vice president flying over as quickly as possible on the other side of the island."

"Oh, Mr. Wei, just say it on the phone. You even came over here." Fang Zhuo nodded in understanding, and then said, "I told Mr. Ni from Changhong about your affairs yesterday, and he is willing to talk. You No need to rush."

Wei Boyun was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly. He no longer had any doubts about the rumored Chinese influence in Changhong.

He came alone today, and now Mr. Fang had to take him to the office, so he simply moved a chair out of the door booth and accompanied him to create a relaxed atmosphere as much as possible to introduce Morningstar Semiconductor.

Fang Zhuo had a certain interest in Morningstar Semiconductor, so he asked the question in his mind.

"What's the tape-out quotation the Taiwanese reporter gave you?"

"Where's the price?"

Wei Boyun was embarrassed for the second time: "Mr. Fang, this, this, they are very strict about customer confidentiality. We are a small company."

"Hey, just chatting, just chatting." Fang Zhuo didn't embarrass the director of a small company who went out to run business on the first day of the new year. He asked curiously, "You still have a vice president in Shanghai? Isn't the headquarters of Morningstar Semiconductor in Hsinchu?" "

"We have dispatched teams in Shanghai, Pengcheng, and Luzhou, in order to solve customer problems as quickly as possible." Wei Boyun answered seriously, "The same goes for foreign customers, Japan and South Korea. Someone."

Fang Zhuo asked: "How about developing foreign markets? This is not an easy task."

Wei Boyun said subtly: "It's not as easy as in China."

"Hahaha, indeed, companies always need opportunities to develop." Fang Zhuozhen chatted casually, "The current development wave of LCD TV is very good. I think it is really good that your company can specialize in this field vertically."

Wei Boyun's mood suddenly surged.

The effect of words spoken by different people is completely different.

Who is this person in front of me?

Business strongman and the richest man in mainland China!

He all agrees with the direction chosen by the company!

"Yes, Mr. Fang, although market development requires a lot of energy, I am confident." Wei Boyun tried his best to calm down his surging emotions.

"It's not easy. When Yi Ke first went to New York to sell machines, there was a heavy snowfall and the city was closed. I didn't feel bothered at that time, so I just thought about the connection channels." Fang Zhuo said with a smile, "Mr. Wei, do you smoke?"

Wei Boyun took the cigarette from Mr. Fang, thanked him, and lit it for Mr. Fang first, and then lit his own.

Soon, the marketing director of Morningstar Semiconductor discovered at the entrance of the ice core factory that the richest man in the mainland was a very talkative person, with humorous words and a kind attitude, which was quite different from the legendary image.

"Don't leave at noon, just eat in the cafeteria, and you can watch the gate with me after you finish."

Fang Zhuo saw that it was almost time and left to drop off the guests.

Wei Boyun was a little confused about Mr. Fang inviting him to eat in the cafeteria, but he soon discovered that the food in this cafeteria was of a very high standard, not inferior to some of the top restaurants he had eaten at.

In the afternoon, a president and a director continued to sit at the door of the ice core factory.

Fang Zhuo chatted with Wei Boyun all the time, and answered the phone from time to time, but the former did not open his mouth to chase people away, and the latter simply sat aside and waited for the opportunity to chat and answer the phone.

In the evening, Fang Zhuo said a little funny: "Mr. Wei, you are very persistent in sales. If you don't want to be in Morning Star in the future, you can come to our Ice Core."

"Mr. Fang, then I will train again at Morning Star." Wei Boyun replied tactfully.

Fang Zhuo smiled.

Just as I was finishing another cigarette, a Santana with WAN H drove up in the distance. When it stopped on the side of the road, a thin man in formal clothes got out of the back seat.

Fang Zhuo stood up a little surprised, and another person came early.

"I made an appointment with your leader. I'll make a call." The thin man said when he saw the guard coming forward to check.

"Is it Uncle Yu?" Fang Zhuo guessed the person by looking at the license plate.

The person coming was none other than Yu Hong's father, Yu Zhengxiang. He arrived at the provincial capital early today and wanted to take care of personal matters first, but he didn't expect that one of the two people at the gate would be the rightful owner.

"Are you...Mr. Fang?" Yu Zhengxiang was not sure.

Fang Zhuo smiled and said, "It's me. Uncle Yu just calls me by my name. Yu Hong and I are good friends."

Yu Zhengxiang glanced at the other guard from the corner of his eye and said politely: "Mr. Fang, I'm sorry, I've never had the chance to thank Mr. Fang for taking care of Yu Hong, so I'm going to trouble you again this time."

He maintains the title of "Mr. Fang".

In fact, during this trip to Luzhou, I also listened to colleagues chatting for a while, and among them was Mr. Fang’s style and personality as the leader’s guest.

This is not an easy person to get along with.