Reinventing the Millennium

"Mr. Fang, Samsung and Sharp both had fires in their factories and raised prices by 10%."

"66666."

"Mr. Fang, we have also asked other brands, and some of them are also on fire, and some have no excuses. They all have the same price increase."

"It made me laugh."

"Mr. Fang, Mr. Fang, don't be too happy. Give me an idea!"

Ni Runfeng's voice on the phone was a little anxious. After repeated confirmations, the price of the panel screen, which accounts for 60 to 70% of the cost of LCD TVs, has been raised uniformly.

Obviously, this was an organized and premeditated act.

Fang Zhuo looked at the time. It was 11:40 in the middle of the night. He yawned and said comfortingly: "Old Ni, don't worry, it's just a fire. Once it happens, it will be familiar again, and you will get used to it gradually."

Ni Runfeng listened to Mr. Fang's lazy voice and smiled bitterly: "Mr. Fang, please stop teasing me at this time..."

"Then what do you want from me!" Fang Zhuo suddenly changed and yelled, "Fight but not fight, retreat but never retreat, but why?!"

Ni Runfeng was speechless.

"Controlled by others, controlled by others, Lao Ni, I have told you this more than once, right? Hey, you said it was a coincidence or not, how could it really appear? Am I a prophet?" Fang Zhuo said with a smile, "Oh, because They are not philanthropic, and you have no right to speak, so you cannot make money however you want."

"Old Ni, Mr. Ni, what's the point of calling me?"

"Do you really think my hands and eyes can reach the sky or something?"

Fang Zhuo said unceremoniously: "Do you really think that I can save face by going to Samsung and Sharp? Do you think I have a bigger face or you have a bigger face? What are you thinking? Hey, if I were Samsung and the others, I would wish to burn them three times a day. Let’s see what you can do.”

Ni Runfeng was scolded.

But he didn't hang up the phone, and waited until Mr. Fang stopped talking before saying: "Mr. Fang, please calm down, it's not that I don't want to look at the long-term interests, it's..."

Fang Zhuo interrupted: "It's just that you don't want to, just retire in a year or two and leave it to the next generation. It would be great if Mr. Ni retires gloriously."

Ni Runfeng smiled bitterly and said: "Mr. Fang, that's not the case. As a manufacturer, don't I want to be powerful and have the right to speak? The problem is that the investment is large and the cycle is long. It is difficult for Changhong to participate in the upper reaches of the industry chain."

"Mr. Fang, your request to me is just like me asking you why the ice core equipment is not purchased from domestic brands..."

"The objective conditions are not mature. It is difficult for Changhong to handle it, and it is also difficult for me to handle it."

Fang Zhuo said calmly: "There is no domestic equipment that meets the ice core requirements, but since you are in Luzhou, you can go next door and ask. An ice core wafer manufacturing service alliance was established this year to inspect domestic manufacturers."

"It is difficult for the Changhong family to do this. From beginning to end, my suggestion is to join forces with other families, such as Konka, which has a base in Anhui Province."

"Old Ni, Mr. Ni, to be fair, I don't hold any stocks in Changhong, Meiling or even Konka, and my funds have not bought them. If you think it is difficult, then it is difficult. Is it my company? Suppliers start setting fires?”

Fang Zhuo smiled and said: "Since you don't do it, then accept the consequences of not doing it."

Ni Runfeng sighed: "Mr. Fang, I'm calling you today not only to know if you have any solution, but also to know if it's too late to make amends."

"There is no way." Fang Zhuo replied completely, "It's not too late to make amends."

He really has no choice.

Sony is making panels, but this declining giant is making plasma.

Ni Runfeng was silent for a while and then asked: "Mr. Fang, the panel production line will not be completed in a while. Do you have any suggestions for the current situation?"

Fang Zhuo thought for a few seconds and said: "I suggest you bargain. These foreign manufacturers cannot all have the same intention. There should be room for counter-offering with a 10% increase. Again, if you can't do it, just hold on. Let’s talk with other TV brands.”

"While haggling on the price, I'm also looking for administrative connections to negotiate, and I can more or less get a breakthrough."

"Since they have done this, they will not stop until they get the upper hand. Now they can save whatever they can."

Ni Runfeng wished that Mr. Fang would bow to him in front of him and asked, "Mr. Fang, can you help Kang Jia to make peace with him?"

Fang Zhuo agreed.

In fact, this is a common situation faced by domestic manufacturers, and it should not be difficult to negotiate.

But the longer-term lead investment panel does have difficulties.

Each company's situation is different, just like Changhong. Its goal this year is to reduce inventory and install LCDs. Its book funds are not sufficient, and it also faces administrative factors in Sichuan Province. Its management is not good, and others may not be as strong. .

In this case, who produces more and who gets less, production line location, production capacity, and technology are all problems.

but……

Either move, or live with it.

Fang Zhuo ended the call, stubbed out the cigarette in his left hand, put the phone on the table, and the thoughts in his mind were spinning up and down.

After a while, he said to Xu Keden in the room: "This is not quite right."

Xu Keden's main task today is to contact the technical talents of American OmniVision Technology. He is still waiting for a reply late at night. He just listened to the one-sided conversation for a while and roughly knows what happened.

He had vaguely heard other people's gossip about Mr. Fang going to Chengdu and discussing liquid crystals and plasma.

"Mr. Fang, what's wrong?"

Fang Zhuo slowed down his voice and sorted out his logic as he spoke: "LCD panel manufacturers' joint efforts to raise prices this time are a bit... reckless. Although I am optimistic about LCD, plasma manufacturers are still alive."

Although LCD technology won in the end, this victory requires process and time. It does not mean that the east wind prevails over the west wind in one or two days, one month or two months.

On its own terms, if it were an LCD manufacturer, it would have to wait until it defeated its major enemy to take advantage of the lack of panel production capacity in mainland China. Panasonic is still struggling to develop plasma, and the competition among manufacturers should be focused on technical routes.

Xu Keden thought for a while and asked: "Could it be that they see that domestic TV brands are too easy to pinch, so they can't help but pinch them?"

Fang Zhuo: "..."

It also makes sense.

Maybe it’s because the persimmons are too soft and they don’t have much say in the industry chain, so people just cut off the meat at will.

"Teacher Xu, please go back first and check out the situation of Haowei Technology tomorrow night." Fang Zhuo shook his head, "I came to Tokyo for vacation to spend time with my family. There is a shareholders' meeting on the 2nd, and we have an inspection project on the 3rd. I have to accompany them to see Mount Fuji during the day tomorrow."

Xu Keden picked up the document and responded: "Okay, I will try to make sure there is good news tomorrow night."

The technical director goes out.

The suite fell silent.

Fang Zhuo re-examined the news he had received. Samsung was the leader in this price increase. The joint manufacturers included Sharp, AUO, and LG, and requested a 10% price increase. The scope was mainland TV manufacturers.

What purpose can this achieve besides cutting the meat downstream?

After thinking about it, Fang Zhuo got a vague answer.

Enter into an offensive and defensive alliance?

Samsung wants to form a combative alliance to deal with plasma panels?

So, based on this logic, the sacrificial flags of mainland manufacturers are used?

Fang Zhuo is not sure whether this guess is correct, but if it is true, manufacturers such as Changhong and Konka may usher in a wave of short-term benefits.

The battle over technical routes requires a business ecosystem. In this case, it is not that the higher the unit price profit of the LCD panel, the better. Instead, demand should be used to create economies of scale and reduce overall costs to seize the market.

If this was the case, he suddenly became curious as to whether this old man would remember to eat and not to fight.

Grasping immediate and long-term interests is indeed a difficult trade-off in business.

…

It's March.

On this first day, Fang Zhuo finally put down his cell phone and various other matters, and spent a peaceful day off.

When I came here, I said I was going to spend time with my family, but my time was divided up between Sony affairs.

It's just... Fang Zhuo actually doesn't like climbing mountains.

In the evening, the family returned.

"Brother, are you thinking about work? I saw that you had several phone calls just now." My sister Zhao Suqi said with a smile, "Is it too difficult to come to Tokyo this time? Is it a big deal at Yigou?"

Fang Zhuo shook his head slightly: "I believe Su Wei."

Mother Zhao Shumei came over and asked, "Then do you believe more in Yu Hong or Su Wei?"

When she asked this question, the whole family looked over.

Fang Zhuo said slowly: "Boss Mr. Su and Mr. Yu are very capable people. There are many talents in Yike Company, including Mr. Xu, the technical director who came to Tokyo this time, and Mr. Sun who was transferred to Yiguo. Able to stand alone.”

"I didn't ask you anyone else, I just asked you which of the two you believe more." Zhao Shumei refused to follow suit.

Fang Zhuo was silent.

"Brother, is this problem so difficult? Is it more difficult than becoming a director of Sony?" Zhao Suqi said with a smile.

"It's really not difficult to be a director of Sony. Yes, I haven't told you this in detail. That day I arrived at Sony's headquarters to participate in the temporary board of directors." Fang Zhuo found a topic to talk about and winked at his sister.

Zhao Suqi made a listening gesture.

Zhao Shumei didn't ask further for Qi Qi's sake, but this time she met Yu Hong in the United States, and her perception was indeed good.

Fang Zhuo glanced at the watch on his wrist as he spoke. It was almost six o'clock.

This means that it has been almost nine hours since Tesco went online at nine o'clock in the morning.

Fang Zhuo received a call from Su Wei when he went down the mountain, but did not hear the data report.

I guess it's not a very exciting start.

He does not plan to judge the situation here in Tokyo. He plans to see whether Tesco's system is suitable for today's e-commerce market after returning to China.

In the evening, technical director Xu Keden brought good news as promised yesterday. Chu Dingzhang, the technical team leader of OmniVision Technology in the United States, found a colleague who was willing to switch jobs to Yike, and the associate professor from Tsinghua and his students also Already set sail for Tokyo.

Tomorrow evening at the latest, a small team that can judge Sony's CMOS image sensor technology will appear here in Tokyo.

"Very good. I guess we won't be able to have dinner together tomorrow night. You can entertain me and try some of the wagyu here."

Fang Zhuo will attend Sony's shareholder meeting tomorrow, and presumably there will be entertainment with Stringer in the evening.

From the temporary board meeting the day before yesterday to today, there has been no new news about the leader Nobuyuki Idei who left the company angrily. It is probably as expected that there will be no waves.

In other words, tomorrow will probably be a dull shareholders meeting.

Fang Zhuo fell asleep with indescribable expectations.

When it came to the Sony Annual Shareholders Meeting on the 2nd, President Yike sat on the stage in a suit and tie, and in the audience were a number of Sony shareholders and executives.

As a nominated director, Fang Zhuo could see the expressions of everyone in the venue at a glance.

Although he really didn't care about this director position, looking at the expressions of some senior executives who clearly recognized him, he still felt a subtle emotion in his heart.

The former challenger sat on the stage with great dignity and became at least the nominal leader. This is really a trick of fate.

Fang Zhuo did not avoid looking at himself occasionally, his expression was full of innocence. I really didn't come here on my own, it was your next head who invited me here.

The shareholders' meeting was long and complicated, and there were no surprises at all.

However, when it was actually announced that the foreign leader Stringer would become the board of directors and group CEO, there was still a unanimous voice of surprise in the audience.

Compared with this unprecedented news, the fact that there is a certain degree of competition and cooperation between Chinese people serving as outside directors is just a small disturbance.

What will the foreign leader bring?

Can it stop Sony's decline?

Such questions lingered in the minds of everyone at the venue.

However, just like Stringer was ignored here last year, when he successfully passed the vote at the shareholders' meeting, he still did not encounter any questions.

It was as if the foreigner was not sitting at the venue, but in distant New York.

Calm, awkward, boring, confused, and maybe a little hopeful.

Fang Zhuo's nomination as a foreign director was also successfully passed.

After becoming the foreign director of Sony Music, he once again became a foreign director of the group and can participate in discussing and voting on many Sony strategic issues.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, the shareholders' meeting ended.

News about foreign leaders circulates and reports the fastest. Many media have compared this appointment with Nissan's successful reform, and the news that a Chinese person has appeared on the board of directors has also been widely reported.

When it comes to this Chinese, we have to review his performance and his well-known nickname of "Sony's Enemy".

Now it's better, we are screaming, Japan's pride will be saved by "Sony's enemy".

Even if the facts are very different, this feeling can't help but fill the hearts of many media and audiences.

The evening was for socializing and a celebration of Stringer's success.

Fang Zhuo took a break to drink and chatted with Stringer again about the inspection of Sony's R\u0026D projects. This time, the current head of Sony agreed more simply and asked his foreign director to also give him an inspection. result.

Fang Zhuo expressed his heartfelt thanks to the boss for his trust.

On the morning of the 3rd, following reports such as "Sony's Enemy Becomes Group Director", "Sony Changes", "Where Will This Sony Go", "Sony in the Abyss" and other reports, Fang Zhuo, who has always been very efficient, led a small technical team composed of hot-blooded people. Started inspecting CMOS image sensor project.

"Why are people at Sony always so respectful to each other?"

Liu Quanpeng, an associate professor from Tsinghua University, noticed the elements on the road. This did not seem to be the kind of Japanese politeness.

"Mr. Fang is the leader of Sony, Professor Liu." Xu Keden answered the question, "Today you must judge the situation objectively and impartially. Otherwise, Sony may ax this project if Mr. Fang gives an order."

Liu Quanpeng was hesitant and confused by Mr. Xu's words. Which company is Mr. Fang from?