Technology: Start by selling mobile phones

Chapter 151 New Flagship——Brilliant S1

As early as after signing the transaction agreement with "Blackstone Capital", Li Zhi organized manpower to start expanding and transforming the "photolithography machine dust-free workshop".

Coupled with the experience of the last workshop renovation, this transformation was naturally a familiar process.

so,

When the six photolithography machines arrived at the industrial park, the circuits, cleaning, auxiliary equipment, etc. in the workshop were all ready, and they were almost seamlessly brought into the workshop and assembly and debugging began.

The arrival of six lithography machines made Li Zhi breath a sigh of relief.

Actually,

With the increasing number of "Yellow River Storage" business projects, it is not only necessary to produce 48-nanometer "Pony Crossing the River" NPU to supply "Nietzsche X2";

It also requires a large number of tapeouts and repeated testing of 32-layer "3D-NAND" flash memory particles to improve the yield rate.

We even have to arrange production capacity and time for the production of the "main control chip" of the Jinghong series TF memory card and the tape-out of other chips.

Not to mention the complicated business load, the most important thing is that too many projects make the use of this 32nm lithography machine inefficient, and it also causes a huge waste of materials and manpower, and increases production costs. This makes Li Zhi very distressed. .

Fortunately, these six photolithography machines have finally arrived, and the entire "chip production team" can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The next time is installation, debugging and trial operation.

Even without the assistance of the seller, this is not too difficult for the technical team of "Yellow River Storage".

On December 20, six lithography machines entered the production workshop. In less than two weeks, with the arrival of New Year's Day, on January 2, 2018, all six lithography machines were debugged and started up successfully!

This includes a world-class 22nm DUV lithography machine.

Li Zhi gave all the technical team members three days of extra leave, but Mo Ran was not so leisurely. On January 3, the day after the six lithography machines were successfully started up, he received Mr. Yan from Blackstone Capital in the office. Country CEO——Chen Yousheng.

According to the transaction agreement between the two parties, after installing the photolithography machine and confirming that there is no problem, Nietzsche will make a down payment of 500 million, and then the remaining 1.15 billion will be repaid with interest of 20 million per month, and the principal of 1.15 billion will be paid in one lump sum after maturity.

"Mr. Chen, we have paid a deposit of 50 million before, and now it is confirmed that the lithography machine is fine. I will arrange for the remaining 450 million down payment to be transferred to your company's account shortly."

"We will also pay the remaining 20 million monthly interest on time every month, don't worry."

Chen Yousheng picked up the teacup and smiled.

"Mr. Mo, I have never been worried about you. After all, we are old friends. I have never doubted your company's management ability."

Mo Ran hummed, with a smile on his face. It would be nice to hear such polite words.

The premise that I have never worried about is that the 700 million yuan I borrowed from "Blackstone Capital" before, and the monthly interest of up to 12 million yuan was paid on time!

"Actually, Mr. Mo...I'm not here today to urge you to pay the first payment."

After a slight pause, Chen Yousheng put down his tea cup and continued:

"President Adolf Bello was very happy to know that your lithography machine was fine. He specifically asked me to come in person to congratulate you on his behalf."

"You may not know that these six lithography machines are much more troublesome than we thought this time. It was President Adolf Bello who personally came forward and spent a lot of money to get them in smoothly."

Moran's expression did not change, but he was a little surprised in his heart, and the image of Adolf Bello appeared in his mind involuntarily.

I didn't expect that this Jewish CEO would take me so seriously.

"Thank you, President Bello. Please also ask Mr. Chen to say hello to President Bello for me."

"OK, all right."

Chen Yousheng responded. After a moment, he glanced at his watch and then stood up to leave.

"Mr. Mo, I won't disturb you now. If you have any business needs in the future, just come to us."

"Whether it is purchasing equipment or acquiring overseas assets, we can help match up or provide funds. Even if you want to be listed on Nasdaq, we also have our own channels and teams."

Acquiring overseas assets?

Listed on NASDAQ?

Mo Ran glanced meaningfully at Chen Yousheng who was standing up. As the contact deepened, he realized that the water of "Blackstone Investment" was much deeper than he thought.

After a moment, he shook his head and declined:

"Forget it about acquiring overseas assets, we have no such plan for the time being, and the Nasdaq listing you mentioned, Mr. Chen, is even further away..."

"It doesn't mean that it can't be listed in the future."

Chen Yousheng always had a smile on his face.

"As for overseas assets, I would venture to say that Mr. Mo has relatively few sources of information. In recent years, there are still many high-quality assets of big brands abroad that have been sold off due to economic pressure."

"For example, Jaguar Land Rover in the automotive industry, many Japanese companies in the home appliance industry, and even some of Europe's top technology companies."

"If you are interested, I can send you an email if there are high-quality overseas items for sale."

Chen Yousheng's insistence on "sales promotion" made Mo Ran no longer refuse.

After thinking for a moment that it wouldn't hurt to know more about it, he nodded and agreed.

but.

Just when Mo Ran thought that the meeting was over, Chen Yousheng, who had just taken a step forward, suddenly stopped again.

"By the way, Mr. Mo, I almost forgot, there is one more thing."

"Didn't you borrow 700 million from us last year using the 'film and television copyright' as a mortgage? This is due to expire in four months. Do you think you need to apply for an extension?"

Exhibition period.

Mo Ran is very aware of this professional loan term, which means extending the loan period and continuing to pay interest every month.

Before Mo Ran could react, Chen Yousheng continued:

"You mortgaged 700 million last time. If you apply for an extension, you don't have to pay back the principal temporarily."

"Moreover, the headquarters has also increased the amount of 'film and television copyright' you used to mortgage from 700 million to 1.3 billion."

"That is to say, if you continue to mortgage, we can also lend you another 600 million in cash."

Extend the period and increase the limit.

Mo Ran found that he still underestimated the capital. This was one temptation after another that made him borrow money.

When I first found "Blackstone Investment" last year, the amount I was promised was only 700 million. More than half a year later, the same collateral and the same method were actually given 1.3 billion, nearly doubling.

It really fits that sentence, capital is an unscrupulous frame.

When you are down and out, you won’t even look at you, but if you show any ability to make money, you will immediately beg to come to your door and wait to fuck you.

Mo Ran also stood up. He had not yet made detailed plans for the previous loan.

After thinking for a moment, he shook his head slightly:

"Mr. Chen, there are still four months left for this loan. It's still early. Let's talk about it then."

"also."

The conversation between the two ended abruptly, and after sending Chen Yousheng away, Mo Ran was the only one left in the office.

Chen Yousheng's purpose this time was very clear to him, which was to take the initiative to show his goodwill, hoping to develop more business cooperation with Nietzsche.

Although I'm not sure why Blackstone Capital suddenly thinks so favorably of me, it's not a bad thing after all.

After a while, Mo Ran was too lazy to think about the matter again, and immediately called the financial director Qian Decheng.

Nietzsche's financial situation has been very volatile in the past few months. The sales terminal has launched several new products, and the R\u0026D team has also recruited dozens of technical staff. It can be said that while income has increased, expenses have also reached a record high.

He wanted to see where Nietzsche's financial situation was now.

After a while, Nietzsche's financial data in recent months and the 2017 annual report appeared in his hands.

At the end of September, Nietzsche's single-month net sales profit reached 110 million yuan, with 826 million available funds on the books and 1.1 billion in liabilities.

In October, due to the launch of "Nietzsche X2", the net profit of the mobile phone business department ushered in a small explosion, reaching 151 million.

In November and the past December, although "Nietzsche X2" was affected by Meat 10 and Iphone X, overall "Luban 8" and "Nietzsche X2" belong to the "new model running period" Sales are still increasing steadily, becoming Nietzsche's main source of profit.

The net profit of the mobile phone business unit reached 162 million in November and 169 million in December.

But what makes Mo Ran most happy is the TV business.

Previously, the Nietzsche E55 LCD smart TV was priced at 3,199 yuan.

This price was indeed cheaper than other brands a year ago, but nearly a year later, with the price reduction of screens, electronic parts and improvements in technology, most TV manufacturers on the market have begun to reduce the price of 55-inch TVs by RMB 300. - ranging from 500 yuan.

Most brands of 55-inch LCD TVs in the market are reduced to 2,999 yuan.

Under the general surrender, Jiang Lan did not follow the tide.

After careful market analysis, while launching the new flagship 65-inch LCD TV, it also launched the revised E55 and X55 smart TVs.

Compared with the previous generation TV, the new E55 has improved screen quality and processor performance, and its hardware configuration has reached the mid-to-high-end level in the market.

And naturally, the price has remained firm at 3,199 yuan!

After this operation, Mo Ran was surprised to find that although the Nietzsche E55 TV has changed from a "price troublemaker" to the current industry's "price stabilizer", the sales of the Nietzsche E55 have not been greatly affected.

at the same time,

Other TV manufacturers' net profit margins have fallen below 10% due to price cuts. Only Nietzsche TV's net profit margins have not fallen but have risen, from 9% to 15%!

Mo Ran knew that there were welfare reasons such as free "film and television copyrights" and free memberships.

But it has to be said that Nietzsche’s brand premium has gradually become apparent.

Under such a change, the net profit of Nietzsche's TV business unit naturally and inevitably ushered in another explosion.

In September, the monthly net profit was 37 million yuan. After the launch of E65 and the facelift of E55 and X55, the net profit of Nietzsche TV business suddenly surged to 72 million yuan in December.

certainly.

In addition to the good news from the mobile phone business department and the TV business department, the air-conditioning business department inevitably ushered in the off-season with the end of summer.

Even if Huanghai tries to develop the Southeast Asian market, the air conditioning market is indeed sluggish in winter.

In September, the net profit of air conditioners dropped to 25 million yuan, and in October, November, and December, the total net profit for the three months was only 26 million yuan.

In the final calculation, after deducting interest, research and development expenses (Nietzsche), salary expenses and miscellaneous expenses, Nietzsche's single-month operating profit reached 160 million;

In November, it was 153 million;

200 million in December.

In this way, plus the 820 million in cash on hand at the end of September, the company should have accumulated 1.33 billion in funds.

but……

Mo Ran couldn't help but frown slightly when he saw the last currency data.

At this time, the statement stated that the liabilities were still 1.1 billion, but the available funds on the account were only 600 million.

If you take a closer look, you will see that, yes, within three months, Nietzsche's account injected capital into "Yellow River Storage" five times for research and development, with the five transfers totaling 730 million yuan.

But he just frowned, and then simply closed the annual financial report.

He will no longer consider giving up and discontinuing the chip. Isn't it just burning money?

Burn it!

but.

Although Mo Ran didn't even blink when he spent money, he also realized that after Nietzsche transferred the money to "Blackstone Capital", there was really not much cash available in his account.

In addition, with the arrival of six photolithography machines, technical personnel, R\u0026D expenses, etc. will inevitably increase. If you are not careful, Nietzsche, this cash cow, may not be able to fill the hole in the "Yellow River Storage".

"The best way to find a way to increase some liquidity is to get some low-interest bank loans."

"In addition, the most important thing is to increase Nietzsche's sales profits. Huawei's annual net profit is 50 billion, Xiaomi's 13 billion, Viov's 6 billion, and Nietzsche's total is less than 1.5 billion."

As he thought about it, Mo Ran tapped his fingers on the desktop, and the Galaxy S10 mobile phone under development came to his mind.

"The share of high-end mobile phones, Nietzsche...is certain!"

…

Mo Ran’s firm belief has also affected the entire “Nietzsche Mobile Phone Business Unit”.

On January 10, 2018, the Galaxy S10 engineering prototype was successfully produced after more than a month of research and development.

Galaxy S10 has very distinctive features. In addition to its unique and elegant design, the first one to bear the brunt is the first ultrasonic under-screen fingerprint recognition technology.

Ultrasonic under-screen fingerprint recognition technology can complete fingerprint unlocking even if there is water damage, and it is fast and safe.

Nietzsche certainly did not have this technique.

However, the "Nietzsche Mobile Business Team" found a domestic company that also focuses on "off-screen fingerprint unlocking" and has similar results - Goodix Technology.

Coupled with Nietzsche's original "3D face recognition" technology, the new flagship not only has the same under-screen fingerprint unlocking as the Samsung Galaxy S10, but also has more high-end face recognition than the Galaxy S10.

And other excellent performance data of Galaxy S10, such as:

4000mAh high endurance battery;

Gorilla glass body;

Carbon fiber liquid cooling system;

And the three rear cameras, including a telephoto lens, a wide-angle lens and an ultra-wide-angle lens that can take panoramic shots, are all perfectly reproduced by Nietzsche at a 1:1 ratio.

Do you think this is over?

No.

On this basis, the "Nietzsche Mobile Business Department" has added the consistent features of Nietzsche Mobile.

TF memory card slot,

Removable battery model,

35W super fast charging;

Tudou OS dual system;

It can be said that the new flagship not only has the original advantages of Samsung Galaxy S10, but also incorporates many ecology and features of Nietzsche mobile phones.

The complete new flagship is already as good as Huawei and Apple in terms of appearance, details, ecology, battery, and functions.

but……

None of this is the most important.

The Galaxy S10 is equipped with Snapdragon's top processing chip - Snapdragon 855. Coupled with three ultra-high-definition rear cameras, the Galaxy S10's camera imaging effect has reached a level that is not inferior to that of Apple and Huawei!

But Mo Ran is planning to add another NPU chip with powerful computing power, specifically for the optimization of photography and imaging!

That's right.

Mo Ran is preparing to install the "Little Horse Crossing the River" NPU chip that has not been renamed on the "Nietzsche The ultimate camera phone!

But the 48nm, 1TOPS computing power "Pony Crossing the River" NPU obviously does not meet the temperament of a top flagship.

On January 25, good news came.

After the "Yellow River Storage" NPU chip R\u0026D team improved the "42nm process", the "Little Horse Crossing the River" NPU chip was updated again.

The 38nm "Pony Crossing the River" NPU chip was successfully taped out, and the chip performance has also been improved from 1TOPS of the first generation 48nm to 1.65TOPS.

Surpassing the computing power of Huawei Kirin 970NPU!

Mo Ran nodded, and the NPU chip model installed on the new top flagship was decided.

38nm, "Little Horse Crossing the River High-end Edition", referred to as "Little Horse Crossing the River Pro".

On February 10, just after the Chinese New Year, Nietzsche’s top flagship mobile phone based on improvements to the Galaxy S10 was put into small-scale mass production. At the same time, the name of the new flagship was also determined.

"Brilliant S1".

In the conference room,

The executives and technical elites of the "Nietzsche Mobile Phone Business Unit" were all present, and everyone looked excitedly at the top of the conference table.

Mo Ran was holding a brand-new white "Brilliant S1" in his hand. It was all shiny and radiant. It hadn't been turned on yet, but just holding it in his hand, his eyes couldn't help but flash with a sparkle.

First impression - perfect.