The Industrial Giant Reborn

Chen Zhiwen actually thought about producing snacks or food a long time ago, but it doesn’t matter if it’s earlier or later, because the first-mover advantage basically doesn’t exist. As long as these two supermarkets develop well, especially Costco, they will be able to bring a very stable market to their business.

Going from 0-1 is the most difficult, as is the case in any industry. This first step takes the most energy. It is extremely difficult to get the first customer to recognize it, especially a big brand customer, unless it is A special product like a Midea arcade machine.

The existence of Costco perfectly solves this problem. In terms of civilian products, any product can have the first customer.

However, like Coca-Cola, it is very difficult for the food business to develop into an international giant. Chen Zhiwen basically does not have any expectations. He is planning to do this now only because Costco needs it, as long as it can reduce Costco's operating costs If there is no cost, then it is worth investing in. Chen Zhiwen will basically not bother with this kind of business, because if there is no problem, there will be no loss.

After the domestic re-opening, you can also move this kind of business to the country, and use the lower domestic labor costs to develop more overseas markets. Success is naturally good. If it doesn’t work, then wait for the domestic market to further open up. , in seeking the domestic market, it should not be difficult to infer according to common sense, especially Chen Zhiwen also knows what kind of mainstream food will be popular in China in the future.

These are relatively distant things, and now we only need to take the first step. After asking the assistant to write down this matter, Chen Zhiwen rushed to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.

There are many female college students studying in New York City here, they all look up to Chen Zhiwen, but Chen Zhiwen is very busy during the day, so he has time to discuss the meaning of life with them at night.

After a night's rest, Chen Zhiwen had a hearty breakfast at the buffet downstairs, and then came to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. There were many treasures in it. After being invited, Chen Zhiwen was naturally willing to go to open his eyes.

"Eric, this is Van Gogh's original "Starry Night", that is Picasso's "Avignon Girl", and Monet's "Water Lilies", these are the most precious paintings in the world, and each one is unique. It's a national treasure." Henry Morgan next to him introduced with a smile.

"It looks pretty good, but I'm an ordinary person, and I really appreciate the beauty inside." Chen Zhiwen shrugged and said with a smile. These paintings looked pretty good to him, and he thought they were pretty, but he couldn't figure it out. What's the difference between these and the pictures painted by talented people at the stalls outside?

"Actually, I don't understand either, but apart from its historical significance, the most popular thing about this kind of art is that its quantity is stable and it is impossible to have more. This can be a good benchmark for currency value. "Henry Morgan said with a smile.

"Same as gold?" Chen Zhiwen said with a smile. Although gold itself has industrial value, the real reason for its value is its stable quantity and non-deteriorating characteristics. From ancient times to the present, gold has been used as currency for this reason, until the United States abolished the Bretton Woods system gold standard in 1971, but Whether it is today or in the future, gold is still a currency, which is recognized by all countries, but it is rarely used directly.

Another diamond is a proper IQ tax. Its production capacity can actually make natural diamonds reach the price of cabbage. However, De Beers, which monopolizes diamonds, can control global sales, resulting in less supply than demand. Hook up and earn sky-high profits from it.

"Almost." Henry Morgan nodded and said: "It's just a collection, Eric, if you like something, you can also buy it. After all, these things are very rare collections, and the price will become higher and higher in the future .”

"Can museum items be sold?" Chen Zhiwen asked.

"Yeah, basically everything is fine." Henry Morgan added: "In fact, many of the antiques in the museum are not from the museum, but are temporarily borrowed by some people. Why do these people borrow temporarily when they have nothing to do? Actually Isn't it just to attract interested buyers.

Moreover, the museum itself is also a business. As long as the price offered is acceptable, it can be negotiated, but not for these national treasures. "

"That's not bad. Let's go to other places to see. If there is something suitable, we can buy some." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said, there are also many works of art or antiques worth tens of thousands of dollars, and there are many varieties. If you really look at It doesn't matter what you buy.

"Eric, you don't regard me as a friend now, what do you fancy, I bought it for you." Henry Morgan said with a smile.

"It seems that the results of "Space Invaders" are even better than I expected, Henry, you have become so generous." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.

Since Henry Morgan brought 1,000 samples of the new game "Space Invaders" to the United States last month, Chen Zhiwen also got news from Henry Morgan. too clear.

"The preliminary data analysis of "Space Invaders" is even more popular than "Magic Cube". Many young people in bars are rushing to play, and some almost fight. The bar owner has to raise the price. This is God. Great news, we succeeded again." Henry Morgan said with a light smile, if it wasn't for the people around him, he would definitely have laughed happily.

"That's good. Hong Kong has already started 24-hour production of arcade machines for "Space Invaders". The large batches are expected to arrive in the United States next month." Chen Zhiwen said casually. It is very easy for everyone to do the job, and only need to produce and deliver goods in Hong Kong.

"Understood, I will absolutely cooperate." Henry Morgan nodded, and said: "In addition, Eric, you commissioned me to find a state-of-the-art wafer production line, and I consulted a lawyer I know and an acquaintance Friends of White House officials said that the production line of this most advanced process is prohibited from being exported to the entire United States, not to mention Hong Kong, even Japan and Europe.

Unless you come to the United States to invest and build a factory in the United States, all employees are American, and you are only an investor, there is still room for negotiation. "

"Forget it, what's the difference between buying chips directly from the United States?" Chen Zhiwen shook his head and said.

"However, if you want the next-level chip production line, I can get it. The 3-inch wafer production line was the highest technology in the United States two years ago." Henry Morgan continued.

"A 3-inch one? That's fine too. You help me get through the relationship, and then give me a final quotation. If it's right, we'll buy it." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said.

In this era, except for the United States, no other country can buy equipment for chip production lines. Japan, the future semiconductor powerhouse, only started last year. The Japanese government is leading the way and several major electronics giants participate to conquer semiconductor-related technologies together. , From equipment production to chip production, everything is researched and developed.

In today's semiconductor technology, the technology gap is not very big. It took Japan four years to basically open up the industrial chain in 1980, and then began the wonderful scene of hanging American semiconductors in the early 1980s.

But now, even Japan has to import American production lines, and Chen Zhiwen has no choice here.

Henry Morgan said with a smile: "Actually, I have also asked relevant professionals. If you build chip production bases overseas, it may be better to start with low technology. Anyway, you are planning to make chips for home appliances."

"That's just self-consolation." Chen Zhiwen shrugged and said, it is good to have the most advanced ones. As for talents, it is enough to dig directly from the United States, Japan, or even Wanwan. This is a strategic level of technological investment. It's not a problem at all. Besides, the current chip technology is much worse than that of later generations. In the early 1990s, Samsung hired thousands of Japanese engineers to develop chip technology. Now maybe a few dozen are enough.

"Texas Instruments has a 3-inch chip production line that has only been in production for half a year. I can take it, and I also persuaded them to send a certain number of engineers to Hong Kong to guide you. The Ministry of Commerce is also Texas Instruments and me. Let’s solve it together. This is not the most advanced equipment, so the problem should not be big. The cost is about three to four million U.S. dollars, including installation, but Hong Kong also needs to build infrastructure according to the requirements of Texas Instruments.” Henry Morgan Said.

"No problem." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said, this price may not be cheap, but considering that it is for export and also lobbying the U.S. Department of Commerce for release, it is better to pay more. Those low-end electronic industry OEMs can also train relevant talents in Hong Kong. Even if the highest-end chip production equipment cannot be purchased due to various reasons in the future, at least as long as there is a medium-level chip production line, all kinds of home appliances can be produced by themselves.

Moreover, before the birth of TSMC, which is mainly based on foundry, except for general-purpose storage chips, all electronic companies built their own chip factories to produce their own products. If you don't work, you will miss a lot of opportunities.

"Okay, then I'll go to Texas Instruments to discuss this matter in two days." Henry Morgan said with a smile.

"Thank you very much." Chen Zhiwen said, it is most suitable for this kind of thing to be operated by someone who has some connections in the United States. It will take a long time, which is unacceptable in today's ever-changing semiconductor industry.

"You're welcome. We are also long-term partners and good friends. Helping partners and good friends is what I should do." Henry Morgan said with a smile.

The success of "Space Invaders" now makes him more certain that following Chen Zhiwen, he will surely have a big development. The entire arcade industry is basically monopolized by Midea, and there are many other players, even Hewlett-Packard and Texas Instruments. The giants in the world have branches trying to develop arcade games, but without exception, they are directly rejected by the market, and no one wants to break a bone.

For Henry Morgan, only by being tied to Midea's warship can he obtain the greatest benefit, but this "channel" that has already been built is actually of little value, and Midea can be discarded at any time and replaced by another one. My own value, as long as I have value, then Chen Zhiwen will definitely continue to cooperate with me.

And this value can only be found in other aspects. For example, when Chen Zhiwen wanted his home appliances to enter other large supermarkets, Henry Morgan used his family relationship to find the vice president of procurement of Celtic Supermarket to sell Midea's electric fans. It opened a small door. When Chen Zhiwen wanted to acquire a high-tech production line with certain restrictions in the United States, he also used his relationship to find a suitable seller, and he would work with the seller to find a way to persuade the Ministry of Commerce.

Try to let Chen Zhiwen directly get what he wants, so as to have the greatest value, which is also the basis of business cooperation, if there is no value, then it is not worthy to cooperate with the strong.

"Okay, by the way, if you are going to Texas Instruments, I will ask a few people to go there together. They need to verify the 3-inch production line you mentioned." Chen Zhiwen said again.

Chen Zhiwen doesn't understand such things as chip production lines, and he doesn't know how to put a state-of-the-art lithography machine in front of him. Professionals do professional things, so naturally professional people check the equipment.

Last month, Midea's team in the United States recruited several engineers who had some knowledge of chip equipment and processes, and these people happened to verify it.

"No problem, I'll ask Texas Instruments later to see when I'm free these days, and then we'll go together." Henry Morgan nodded and said.

On the fourth day, Henry Morgan brought Chen Zhiwen and his party to Texas Instruments, a chip factory in Chicago.

"Woz, how about this production line?" Chen Zhiwen said to the fellow who was wearing a white dustproof suit and could only see two eyes. If it wasn't for the names on the clothes and the different voices of everyone speaking, Otherwise, it is really not easy to distinguish who is who.

After arriving at the Texas Instruments factory, after a short greeting with the factory executives, everyone began to visit the factory. At this moment, they are in the chip production workshop, and everyone is wearing dustproof clothing.

"I don't know much about the manufacturing process of the chip, but I can see that it is very professional here. I will just take out some chips to test the performance later." Woz in the white dustproof suit said.

"Okay, let's go." Chen Zhiwen looked around. He didn't understand the equipment here. His subordinates had a good exchange with the engineers of Texas Instruments for a while, and it seemed to be pretty good. Depends on Woz.

Although he did have some talents under his command, Chen Zhiwen was a little worried about his professionalism, so he gave Woz a call and pulled him over. It happened that Apple's Apple 2 computer was very successful. In a short time, Woz's research and development tasks will not be very heavy. This is another rare opportunity to visit the chip factory, and Woz is naturally happy to come.

Everyone walked to the end of the chip production line. This is a flow belt with a large number of chips on it, which are picked up one by one by employees wearing gloves and placed in fixed plastic boxes.

In the 1970s, induction technology, motor technology, and PLC control technology were not developed enough, and the end of the chip could not be automatically collected, and it could only be done manually.

Woz's subordinates brought a large amount of equipment, as well as an Apple 2 computer. After a while, several people filled the table with various electronic control boxes and cables, and then took the chip and put it in a circuit board.

Everyone is looking at the screen. Although the Apple 2 computer has become a sensation in the United States, it is still controlled by codes. There is no operation interface for later generations. Chen Zhiwen can only see Woz constantly inputting various codes, not a single one. Yes, but a few engineers around him are watching the interface intently, and occasionally communicate with Woz.

After a while, Woz stood up and said to Chen Zhiwen: "Not bad, but these quantities are still too small. If I can take out some of them, I can conduct batch testing."

"No problem, there are a thousand chips in this box, you can take them out for testing, but pay attention to static electricity protection, your test also needs to be in a clean room, otherwise the static electricity will break down the circuits in the chip." Ted, vice president of chip business at Texas Instruments, said.

"Okay, then I'll take this box away." Woz said unceremoniously.

"I will pay for these chips separately." Chen Zhiwen said again.

Ted smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. This kind of ordinary chip costs only a few dollars a piece. Our business is more important. If you confirm the quality as soon as possible, we can move on to the next step."

Compared to a multi-million dollar transaction, this chip is just a drop in the bucket, and a few dollars is the terminal price, so the actual production cost will only be lower.

"Okay, let's go out then." Chen Zhiwen said, "Can my subordinates stay here?"

"No problem, as long as you follow the safety rules of the workshop." Ted nodded in agreement.

Several people went out again according to the procedure, and took off the dust-free clothes when they were outside. The moment they took them off, Chen Zhiwen felt that his breathing was much easier.

"Eric, you're not used to this kind of clothes, but it's the same if you get used to it." Ted seemed to see what Chen Zhiwen was thinking, and said with a smile.

"Then I'll never get used to it." Chen Zhiwen shook his head and smiled. As the boss of the company, he basically didn't go to the factory. At most, I spend a few days a year to walk around and have a look.

"That's right." Ted nodded and understood what Chen Zhiwen meant.

Afterwards, several people came to the conference room of an office building in front of the factory.

"Eric, although I am the vice president of Texas Instruments' semiconductor business, I actually don't understand the technology very well, so how about the engineers discussing the technology while we discuss the price?" Ted smiled Said.

"Yes, as far as I know, the new equipment for a 3-inch wafer production line is about 3 million US dollars. Considering the terminal installation, personnel training, and restrictions from the Ministry of Commerce, I can bid 3.5 million US dollars. How about it?" Chen Zhiwen said.

"The price is too low, and everything else is easy to talk about, but if we want to persuade the Ministry of Commerce to sell it, we at Texas Instruments have to use a lot of connections. It is definitely not a question of money." Ted said.

"Any problem is a matter of money. This is not a device that is strictly prohibited by the U.S. Department of Commerce. It just needs to be reported for approval. There is a lot of room for manipulation." Chen Zhiwen added.

"There is a lot of space, but it also requires a lot of cost. Our quotation is 4.2 million US dollars. We can guarantee that the equipment will be shipped to Hong Kong, and we will guarantee the installation and follow-up production guidance for half a year. How about it?" Ted said.

"How about this, how about we discuss it after my people have identified the capabilities of this production line?" Chen Zhiwen smiled and said, at this time, the other party is clinging to the export issue, which is an endless loop, and there is no point in arguing any longer .

"Okay." Ted nodded and said, he also knew that a transaction involving millions of dollars could not be negotiated in a few days.

After a delicious meal, after Chen Zhiwen and others left Texas Instruments' factory area, Chen Zhiwen asked Henry Morgan who was sitting opposite him in the Lincoln limousine: "Henry, besides Texas Instruments, which other companies are preparing to sell?" Your own second-hand production line?"

If he can buy new ones, Chen Zhiwen is naturally willing to buy new ones, but as far as he knows, many equipment suppliers on the chip production line are absolutely monopolized in the United States, and the export of different equipment, even if it is not the latest, may require permission from the Ministry of Commerce , he is not interested in this, and go to the relationship one by one. Besides, these manufacturers are rushing to produce the latest equipment, and the old ones may not be produced. Second-hand sets are more reliable.

"Many chip manufacturers are replacing new-generation production lines. There are still some second-hand ones, but TI's equipment is relatively high-end. I knew that I couldn't buy the highest-process chip production lines, so I was more optimistic about TI. This set." Henry Morgan asked again: "Eric, do you want to see other equipment?"

"Let's take a look? Maybe it's not as good as Texas Instruments' set, but it doesn't mean it's useless. Besides, when did I say that I would only buy one set?" Chen Zhiwen shrugged and said. There are so many electronic foundries in Hong Kong. , as long as the localization of chips and integrated circuits is really realized, that one production line may not be enough, and the reduction in cost also means that Hong Kong foundries can get more orders, and Midea's chip factories will also have better business , to achieve a virtuous circle.

Again, other production lines can also be used to lower prices for Texas Instruments.

"Okay, according to my arrangement." Henry Morgan agreed.

In the following week, Chen Zhiwen did not participate in the visit to the factory. The chip production line is enough to visit once, and it is meaningless to see more, but the poor female college students in the United States, everyone is different, blond, black, and yellow. , red-haired, looks more valuable.

During this week, Henry Morgan took Woz and others to visit several chip factories one after another, and at the same time deliberately let out rumors to indirectly inform people in the industry.

You know, many chip factories are also thinking about how to dispose of old equipment. This is a sleepy pillow.

Ted of Texas Instruments naturally also knew about this, so he also came to New York in person, sat down with Chen Zhiwen and Henry Morgan and talked for a long time, and finally sold the production line they had watched before for 3.8 million US dollars. beautiful.