The Industrial Giant Reborn

"Port?" Yuan Geng was stunned for a moment. The central government established the Shekou Industrial Zone. The main purpose was to attract foreign investment in the manufacturing industry, not infrastructure. Besides, this port can be used not only for civilian purposes, but also for military use.

Although the central government has given him enough autonomy, the port is a bit big, but the person in front of him is not an ordinary Hong Kong businessman, and he can't directly refuse, so he said: "Chen Sheng, the current plan of the Shekou Industrial Zone is to first The industrial zone is built, and then the port is built according to the needs of the industrial zone. The products in the early stage will be exported to the port of Hong Kong, but if there is a chance in the future, I will definitely consider Chen Sheng's opinion first."

"That's right, I was thinking too far." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said, the normal logic is indeed like this, if there is no export of goods, what port do you need? But that’s fine too. If in two years’ time, when the results of pilot areas such as Shekou and Shenhai are improved, people’s attitudes towards foreign capital will be much better, and their own investment in infrastructure will be much better.

The port is an infrastructure project that Chen Zhiwen is more concerned about. Although the investment is large, once it is completed, it will have a stable long-term cash income, especially in several triangular areas in the country. Li Jiacheng in the past has seized these opportunities , Let Hutchison become the world's largest port operating company.

"Chen Sheng, the Shekou Industrial Zone currently needs manufacturing factories. With factories, all subsequent economic development will be possible. Just like Hong Kong a few decades ago, there will naturally be ports." Mr. Liang accompanied him. Said, relatively speaking, his relationship with Chen Zhiwen is better, and some things may be better for him.

"Investing in a factory?" Chen Zhiwen glanced around and said, "These lands are not leveled. It must be able to guarantee the most basic, right? And even if the goods are shipped to Hong Kong, there must be a better road, right?"

In fact, it does not cost a lot of money to level the land. After all, it only needs an area as large as the factory. Considering that the factory is also invested in installments, and the general industrial park, even if it is a foreign country or a later generation, it only needs to level the land slightly. It is still the investors who do it.

But all kinds of basic hardware facilities are indeed indispensable. Otherwise, how can the factory be opened?

Of course, he also knew that the Shekou Industrial Zone would be able to solve this problem in the end, but he couldn't agree to invest without these hardwares, and he should maintain normal logic.

President Liang and Yuan Geng looked at each other, and then said: "Chen Sheng, the current situation is like this. The industrial zone has no funds at present, so it is going to borrow money from banks in Hong Kong, but you also know that banks in Hong Kong generally have Risk management and control, so we hope that Chen Sheng can issue a written official letter, indicating that if the infrastructure in Shekou is ready, Midea or other companies under your umbrella can invest in Shekou.

I know it's a bit presumptuous, but if you have any requirements, you can also raise them. We are like doing business, so let's have a good talk. "

"This written official letter is fine. If you want it, why don't you ask my Baixin Supermarket to open one in Shekou?" Chen Zhiwen thought about it for a while, and found that there was really nothing to ask for.

When it comes to land, the domestic policy is relatively strict, so the port is not working now. In the original history, probably next year, many rich Hong Kong people came to the Shekou Industrial Zone and proposed to invest in the entire Shekou Industrial Zone, but Yuan Geng also rejected it.

Of course, this refusal is correct. If the group of real estate developers in Hong Kong really bought shares in the Shekou Industrial Zone and started real estate development, it is estimated that 80% of them will seriously affect the entire Shekou.

"Supermarket?" Yuan Geng frowned. He didn't expect such a request, so he said, "Chen Sheng, there is no such model as a supermarket in China. Moreover, the operation of a supermarket involves frequent foreign exchange transactions. Difficult to operate."

"It doesn't matter. I'm planning to trade in Hong Kong dollars only in this supermarket in Shekou, and only accept Hong Kong dollars or U.S. dollars. If Shekou develops in the future, there will definitely be many Hong Kong people or foreigners coming here. Their consumption may be satisfied with domestic products." Can't you miss them?" Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.

Shekou Industrial Zone, in the next few years, will become a model reference for the entire country's economy, and it will naturally invest heavily. At the same time, once the infrastructure in Shekou is completed, it will also be very attractive to Hong Kong businessmen. In the original history, Shekou's A supermarket has an annual turnover of more than 100 million Hong Kong dollars, even comparable to Costco in a non-first-tier city in the United States.

However, the main force of consumption is not the Hong Kong people who come to Shekou, but the tens of thousands of migrant workers from the Mainland in Shekou. Some of them are paid wages in Hong Kong dollars. to Hong Kong dollars.

Hong Kong dollars can be used to buy imported materials, which are urgently needed in the whole mainland. Naturally, many people buy them and send them to their homes in the mainland, or buy them on behalf of others. This is how Shekou Supermarket became popular in the 1980s. reason.

No matter how good a supermarket's business is, Chen Zhiwen actually doesn't care much about it. But with the first one, it will be much easier to enter after the Shenhai Special Zone becomes a re-opening position. Even if the people behind that enter the arena again, it will be very difficult for them to stand up.

In the future, Shenhai City will not be inferior to Hong Kong in terms of economy. At the same time, when foreign investment is allowed in the domestic supermarket industry in the 1990s, as long as the reaction is quicker, the Pearl River Delta will become the foundation of ParknShop or RT-Mart.

"If this is the case, there should be no problem." Yuan Geng thought for a while and said, in fact, in order to attract Hong Kong capital, in addition to the most basic water circuits, etc., some life aspects also need to be prepared, such as hotels, supermarkets, etc., hotels In other words, as long as they have money, they can build it, but the supermarket is indeed a bit troublesome, because it needs to purchase a large number of different commodities, and they don't have the energy or ability to do it. If it is handed over to the large supermarket groups in Hong Kong, It's not bad, as long as it doesn't lead to the loss of domestic foreign exchange.

"Okay, but to invest in building a factory, it's not just infrastructure, but more importantly, people. If I don't have the corresponding qualified workers, I can't invest, because it will affect the quality of my products." Chen Zhiwen said again.

"Then I don't know what kind of workers Chen Sheng needs?" Yuan Geng asked.

"For ordinary workers, it is best to go to junior high school and be able to recognize most Chinese characters. About 1,000 people are needed, and about 100 people who are above high school are needed. If possible, some college students are also fine." Chen Zhiwen thought for a while and said , College students may be a bit difficult, but it is not harmful to bring it up.

"1,000 junior high school students? 100 high school students?" Yuan Geng was a little surprised. This requirement is quite high. Even junior high school students can now get a good job in some domestic factories or government departments. High school students are the key training targets, as for college students? The Guangdong Provincial Party Committee probably wants to grab it.

"My products are mainly exported to supermarkets in Europe and America. Once there is a quality problem, the loss will be huge. Therefore, the quality of the employees is also required." Chen Zhiwen said, this is indeed true. If the quality cannot be guaranteed, then the domestic Here, labor is free, so he will not come. Even if the salary is higher, it is necessary to select the best people. This is actually the epitome of Shekou and even the special zone in the next few years. The wages of many factories are much higher than those in the mainland. But the requirements for the quality of personnel are also high. You must know that the number of junior high school students today may be even smaller than that of undergraduates in later generations. If they are asked to come to the workshop to screw screws, their wages will naturally be high.

"I don't know, what factory does Chen Sheng plan to invest in Shekou? We can also report to the higher authorities to gain the support of the higher authorities." President Liang said.

"I want to invest here in a factory with an annual output of 3 million fans." Chen Zhiwen said.

The fan is a product that Midea does not intend to use to make money. It is also the first home appliance that can produce most of its components. Under the extreme operating mode, the cost is reduced to a very low level, and the quality is also very good. At least it can meet The basic requirement of European and American customers not to break down for a year, anyway, these wealthy people basically change one every year.

Due to the high cost performance and Chen Zhiwen’s investment in the European and American terminal retail markets, Midea’s electric fan orders are doubling every year. Last year, it exported 7.35 million fans, and this year’s current orders are also the same as last year. increased badly.

Although the current labor in Hong Kong is not too expensive compared to Europe, the United States and Japan, it is a bit too wasteful to produce fans. Not to mention that the sales of air conditioners and refrigerators are also gradually increasing, even the home game consoles and handhelds that may be formed soon. It requires a lot of labor. At present, these two devices have entered the final stage of research and development. After subsequent optimization and various tests, they can start production.

The Midea factory also urgently needs to transfer the electric fan project which is the least profitable but the most labor-intensive. If the mainland does not open, then Wanwan is a good choice, but now, of course, it can be placed in Shekou first.

"3 million electric fans? Are they all for export?" President Liang asked with bright eyes.

"Of course, can the mainland still allow me to sell?" Chen Zhiwen said with a smile. The policy at the beginning of the reform was to use domestic labor and land to build OEM factories. This is the logic of three-year compensation, but three-year compensation The products are not allowed to be sold domestically, unless they are necessary supplies that cannot be produced in China, such as automobiles, industrial processing equipment, and precision instrumentation and measuring equipment, because these products have always been directly purchased in foreign exchange domestically, and localized production is not only You can save foreign exchange, and maybe you can learn technology. This is the origin of "market for technology".

"May I ask, what is the ex-factory price of Midea's electric fan?" Yuan Geng hesitated for a moment, but still asked, he needed to know the specific value before reporting it upwards.

"The ex-factory price is about US$4." Chen Zhiwen said, it's not a big secret, he is not the only manufacturer of fans in Hong Kong, the others are slightly more expensive, Midea's current advantage may lie in the brand It has been established, plus the advantages of technical quality control, and the terminal price in Europe and the United States is about 8-10 US dollars. With the salary of ordinary people in the United States, you can buy a fan in half a day.

"Then the annual export can reach 12 million US dollars?" Yuan Geng almost couldn't hide his excitement. He didn't expect that Shekou could get such an investment before the construction of the industrial zone started. Although the contract has not yet been signed, as long as Report it, it will definitely attract attention.

You know, the whole country adds up, and the annual export is only more than 10 billion US dollars, but most of them are oil and mineral resources, and the others are mainly agricultural products. In the past two years, there has been a serious foreign exchange deficit every year. At present, the domestic foreign exchange The reserves are only a few hundred million US dollars. If it weren't for the soaring oil price and the export earnings of Daqing Oilfield had doubled, the domestic economy would have been even more difficult.

"Exports can reach more than 10 million US dollars, but a large part has to import raw materials from Hong Kong, such as the core motor of the fan, unless there are enough talents here, and it will be possible after the technical and quality department in Hong Kong Moving here, at the beginning, Shekou still focuses on assembly, and then gradually localizes parts and components.” Chen Zhiwen added. This is actually the process of Midea’s development in Hong Kong in the early days.

"I understand. I will immediately send a letter to the central government to ask for people." Yuan Geng nodded and said. You can only do the most basic assembly.

"Okay, if people arrive, they can be sent to Hong Kong. I need them to actually work in Hong Kong for a period of time, especially those high school students or college students." Chen Zhiwen added: "In this regard, Xinhua News Agency also needs help."

"No problem." President Liang nodded.

"If you can go to Hong Kong to work, it will be easier to attract people. College students should be able to attract a lot of people." Yuan Geng also said that recently, the country is going to send a group of people to study in Europe and the United States, and a bunch of college students are crowded. Broke my head and wanted to go.

Hong Kong is indeed much worse than Europe and the United States in terms of technology and economy, but it can be regarded as a golden opportunity. At least it can allow ordinary people to see the world and earn some foreign exchange.

"Okay, let's settle down like this first." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said, looked around again, and said with some regret: "This place is actually quite suitable for investment, but the area is too small."

"2 square kilometers, Chen Sheng still thinks it's small? How big does your factory need?" Yuan Geng asked.

"It's estimated to be 0.5 square kilometers. The main reason is to consider the subsequent expansion of production capacity. If it is suitable, it can become 6 million or more in the future, or other products will also be produced here, so the area is not enough." Chen Zhiwen said with a light smile.

Chen Zhiwen attaches great importance to Shekou because it was the only place before 1986 where wholly foreign-owned factories could be built. Even in Shenhai City, which will be built in just over a month, foreign investment had to be a joint venture.

Of course, it is not absolute. If the investment is large enough and all products are exported, it can also be discussed, but if you limit yourself in this way, it may become a trouble in the future, and the process requires central approval, and the time is difficult to control, which is not conducive to preparation. Rapidly expanding Midea Group.

"What does Chen Sheng mean?" Yuan Geng was not sure what Chen Zhiwen meant.

"If the area here is large enough, I can consider transferring some of Hong Kong's talents. It is estimated that the annual export can exceed 100 million U.S. dollars." Chen Zhiwen said lightly.

"100 million US dollars?" Yuan Geng's eyes almost popped out. If Shekou wins this project, it is estimated that the export of the entire eastern Guangdong Province will not be as good as its own industrial zone. If it really happens, I don't know what will happen impact on the whole country.

"What Chen Sheng said is true?" President Liang on the side also almost held his breath.

"Of course, 100 million US dollars is nothing to Midea. President Liang should be very clear." Chen Zhiwen said lightly, the current Shekou is too small, and this area is not enough for Midea's family. If Midea really wants to To do well in the Mainland, we also need to transfer the relevant industrial chains. In addition, not only Midea, but Galaxy Trading has a large number of daily necessities orders. This can also be used as a condition to persuade many bosses in Hong Kong to invest here. In the end, It can also make the price of Galaxy Trade more advantageous, which is also good for Costco.

China only allowed sole foreign investment in 1986. In 6 years, Midea, Galaxy, and Costco could not wait in vain. Now the only place that can invest on a large scale is Shekou. While it is still in the early stage, everything has not yet been finalized. At that time, he had to give enough temptation to let Yuan Geng and others go to the central government to apply for a larger area.

"Actually, the above said to give me 30 square kilometers, but I was worried that the area would be too large to do it, so I only needed 2 square kilometers, but if Chen Sheng said so, I would go and ask for all other land areas. "Yuan Geng thought for a while and said.

"That's the best. The bigger the area, the better. Things like industrial production capacity need to be highly integrated in order to minimize costs and maximize efficiency. Anyway, it's a phase-by-phase development. You can still do it first." Develop the land we are in now." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said.