The Industrial Giant Reborn

After a few days in Los Angeles, a small plane landed at a private Seattle airport at 3 p.m.

There are no international airport rules here. After the plane landed, the cabin door opened. Chen Zhiwen, Chen Tianfu and their mother Wu Xiuling got off the plane very quickly. Behind them were several assistants at work and bodyguards in charge of security.

"This plane is too bumpy. How could anyone buy this kind of plane? Apart from the bigger seat, it's not as good as an ordinary airliner?" Wu Xiuling said with some complaints, she almost couldn't stand up.

"Small planes are like this. Its advantage is that it is cheaper. In addition, it is convenient to stop and take off. It is enough to have a runway of several hundred meters. For this kind of farm, it is easy to take off or land. Large business jets are even private. , and have to abide by the rules of the big airport." Chen Zhiwen explained.

"Don't worry, Hong Kong doesn't have such a small airport, Ah Wen won't buy such a small plane, otherwise we wouldn't need to come to Seattle." Chen Tianfu was still full of energy and said with a smile.

"Let's go, the people from over there are coming." Chen Zhiwen watched a group of people walking towards this side in the distance. It was the business representative arranged by Boeing to pick up the plane. However, even if it is a private airport, the plane landed No one else was allowed on the runway, and they rushed over after the plane came to a complete stop.

Boeing's aircraft costs tens of millions of dollars, which is not a small order for even a Fortune 500 company. If this amount is in an ordinary small country, it is estimated that the No. 1 person may come in person.

"Mr. Chen, hello, welcome to Seattle. I'm Tom, Executive Vice President of Boeing Company." Tom, the leader, shook hands with Chen Zhiwen and said with a smile.

"Hello, Mr. Tom." Chen Zhiwen said after shaking back.

"You guys have been flying for several hours. You must be very tired. We have prepared a hotel for you. Please go there and rest for the night. Tomorrow morning, I will take you to visit Boeing." Tom said with a smile .

"Okay, thank you, I'm a little tired." Chen Zhiwen said.

"I hope that Mr. Chen can choose a suitable plane, so that he won't have to suffer from such a flight in the future." Tom said.

"Haha, okay, I hope so." Chen Zhiwen nodded, and then, led by Tom, got into a super-extended Lincoln commercial vehicle.

The hotel where several people stayed is actually a hotel owned by Boeing. It is very luxurious. It is specially used by Boeing to entertain potential customers. After all, a potential customer of Boeing is either a commercial overlord or a government representative. The hospitality is natural. Also needs to be in place.

The next day, after enjoying a very hearty breakfast, Chen Zhiwen and his team arrived at the Everett Boeing Super Factory, 48 kilometers north of Seattle.

As a mechanical fan in his previous life, Chen Zhiwen has always liked to watch introduction videos about super factories around the world, including the Boeing factory.

The 30-minute drive is fleeting, and in the distance, Chen Zhiwen can see the white buildings from the car. He also knew about this super factory before coming here. It covers an area of ​​365 hectares, which is equivalent to a 2 *A 2km piece of land has its own flight test track, a huge hangar and countless workshops larger than a football field.

Soon, the car drove to the gate. After a series of inspections, Chen Zhiwen and his team entered the world's largest factory.

The first step of Boeing’s reception itinerary is to take the guests to visit the inside of the factory. Chen Zhiwen is even more eager for this. You must know that as a potential customer, you can really visit the inside of the workshop instead of spending a lot of money. A few bucks on the workshop canopy for distance viewing.

The interior of the Boeing factory is very large, and the means of transportation for internal employees is bicycles, because in many cases, it is too far to go from one corner of the workshop to the other.

Chen Zhiwen and others took a short-distance electric tourist bus similar to a golf course, while Vice President Tom gave various introductions. They mainly watched the assembly process of the Boeing 737 and Boeing 747 production lines, because these two models The model is Chen Zhiwen's intended model.

Two hours later, the battery of the electric car was low. After a few people changed to another one, they drove to the airport outside the factory. A plane that hadn't been painted outside sprinted to take off on the runway.

"Mr. Chen, this is the final test stage before the aircraft is delivered to the customer. After the test is ok, it will be handed over to the interior and exterior decoration department, and then decorated according to the customer's requirements, so that an aircraft can be delivered." Tom introduced road.

"There's no need to look at these, let's take a look at the interior." Chen Zhiwen said.

"Okay, then we can go and see one of Boeing's own business jets, the 737." Tom said.

Afterwards, the driver stepped on the switch immediately, and the car speeded up. After a while, it arrived at the parking garage on the other side. In the garage, a Boeing 737 with a very new appearance was parked here.

"Lisa, let me introduce our valued customer, Mr. Chen." After everyone got out of the car, Tom came to a blonde girl and said.

"Okay, Mr. Chen, this way please." Lisa nodded and agreed, and led a group of people into the interior of the Boeing 737 business jet.

Under Lisa's introduction, Chen Zhiwen learned that this is a business jet purchased by an American oil giant, which is specially used by high-level or major shareholders, and the relevant personnel are contracted to a subsidiary of Boeing, because the two companies The high-level relationship with the company is also good. Boeing will occasionally use this aircraft as a display aircraft to show to large customers who intend to purchase business jets. After all, such customers are still relatively small, and there may not be several in a year. Boeing There is no need to build one yourself.

The interior of the aircraft is decorated in French style. There is a separate bedroom at the rear of the aircraft, with a toilet and bathroom. The exterior is composed of 24 air seats. The space is very large. Each seat is designed according to ergonomics, specially matching children, For the bodies of adult men, women and the elderly, 8 of the seats can all be laid flat and used as a cot.

"What do you think, Mr. Chen?" Tom has been following Chen Zhiwen's family, observing the changes in everyone's expressions. He can see that Chen's parents like this plane very much, but Chen Zhiwen has always been very easy-going, as if there is no trace of it. Surprised, it made him a little unsure.

"Do you have a Boeing 747 business jet? Or photos are fine." Chen Zhiwen didn't answer, but asked suddenly.

"747?" Jim was stunned for a moment, and said, "Mr. Chen, Boeing 747 is usually used for airlines or the special plane of the president of a big country. Do you want to transform a Boeing 747 into a private jet?"

"Can't you?" Chen Zhiwen said lightly.

Although it has been more than 6 years since the outbreak of the first oil crisis, the suddenly rich Middle Eastern rich have also started to play with luxury cars, mansions, luxury cruise ships, private zoos, lions and cheetahs and other pets, but it has not yet spread to airplanes. In this field, this thing is really too expensive, and in recent years, the relationship between Middle Eastern countries and the United States has not been good.

But in just a few years, the local tyrants in the Middle East will put their minds on the plane. On the Internet in later generations, the luxurious palace of the Airbus 380 is enough to make everyone envious, but now, Airbus has not yet been born, the real sky giant Pa, only the Boeing 747.

With such a plane, not only can you enjoy the luxury, but it can also reflect the strength of the owner of the plane. You must know that many juniors do business only by looking at the car. Only when the car is good can they show their strength. Driving a Mazda , No traffic jams and no one can afford it.

In the 1980s, there would be countless golden opportunities in mainland China. At the same time, it was the same in Europe, America and Southeast Asia. Although Chen Zhiwen was well-known in Hong Kong and a little famous in the United States, but in the non-Internet age, who would know you when you go abroad? With such an aircraft, it can better reflect its own strength.

"Of course." Jim was overjoyed. A Boeing 747 was nothing to Boeing, but it was a big surprise to him personally. So he said: "We have a Boeing 747 that is about to be completed. Mr. Chen can go and have a look."

"Okay, let's go." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said.

After a while, a group of people came to the other side of the warehouse.

The 737 just now, Chen Zhiwen felt that it was quite big, but when he got to the bottom of the 747, he realized what a real behemoth is. When he looked up, he felt a sense of oppression. This is the real crown of human industry.

However, the plane was still in a messy state, and there were still many steel structures and cables inside, so Chen Zhiwen and others didn't go in to watch it.

"How far is the flight of this plane?" Chen Zhiwen asked.

"I don't know what Mr. Chen's requirements are for the range. Our aircraft can be designed differently. For example, if it can carry weight, the range will be reduced, and vice versa." Jim asked.

"There is no need to carry a load, as long as the battery life is long enough, it is best to be able to reach anywhere in the world at one time." Chen Zhiwen thought for a while and said.

Since you want to buy the most expensive 747, you must also consider the flight range. If you can fly directly from any city to another city, it will save a lot of time. After all, I am not an airline that takes off and lands regularly. Any landing needs to be reported in advance. A one-time direct flight is the best choice. Otherwise, one more take-off and landing in the middle will cost a small amount of money, but the time wasted is not worthwhile, and no matter how comfortable the plane is, Not as good as ground or cruise ships.

"Based on the weight of the airline, this plane can fly almost 6,000 miles, but if it is used as a private jet, the weight will be much smaller, and the aircraft's battery life can be at least 8,000 miles. If you add auxiliary fuel tanks, 10,000 miles It's not a problem." Jim said.

"Then add an auxiliary fuel tank, otherwise Hong Kong and New York will not be able to fly directly." Chen Zhiwen thought for a while and said, Hong Kong and New York have a flight distance of about 13,000 kilometers, which is about 8,100 miles, and considering that the fuel must be added to ensure safety, After all, private jets don't calculate refueling amounts as extreme as airlines do.

"Okay, after adding the auxiliary fuel tank, some internal space will be reduced a little, but the effect is not great." Jim continued: "Mr. Chen, there is no corresponding business jet for the 747, or I will ask a professional designer to come communicate with you?"

"The matter of the designer is not in a hurry. I will choose the designer through bidding. Let's discuss the price." Chen Zhiwen said lightly.

"Okay, this way please." Jim took Chen Zhiwen to a room next to him and said: "Mr. Chen, I won't talk about the quotation on the plane, I can give you a quotation from a large airline." The purchase price is US$75 million. If Mr. Chen has any modification requirements for the aircraft, it will be settled separately."

"The price is too expensive." Chen Zhiwen shook his head and said. Boeing announced the price of the aircraft, 747 is 120 million US dollars, but it includes other models are actually on the high side, whether it is business, it is the same, my price is a little higher, but there can be discounts, in this way, It is also convenient to talk about business.

"Mr. Chen, with your connections, I think it is possible to find out the authenticity of this, and I don't need to lie." Jim said very "sincerely".

"You are indeed telling the truth, but the time is wrong. This is the purchase price before the oil crisis broke out two years ago. Now, I am afraid that there are not many airlines purchasing it." Chen Zhiwen said with a light smile.

Two years ago, before the outbreak of the second oil crisis, the wave of globalization began to bring great benefits to a large number of countries in Asia, Central and South America. All countries needed a large number of air routes to increase their economic activities, so Boeing aircraft The business of the company is naturally very hot, and the waiting time for ordering an aircraft may take more than 3 years.

However, the outbreak of the oil crisis has paralyzed the global economy. At the same time, the high oil price has also doubled the price of air tickets. In this case, the airline can guarantee that it will not die. There is no money left to purchase aircraft, even those who have already purchased aircraft have begun to break contracts in large numbers.

Chen Zhiwen waited until today to buy it, but he seized this opportunity.

"Mr. Chen, although the economic environment is not good, the cost of an aircraft has actually increased. Our price is already very sincere." Jim said.

"Mr. Jim, as long as I release the news, there will definitely be a large number of airlines willing to resell their aircraft to me. Even if you want to find an aircraft that has never flown, it is not difficult, and the price will definitely be much lower. I hope I can Purchase directly from Boeing, but if the price difference is too much, then I have no choice." Chen Zhiwen said lightly.

"How about this? Mr. Chen, can you give me some time, if you need more discounts, I need to ask the board of directors." Jim didn't want this big order to disappear from his hands, so he said.

"Okay, then I'll wait for your good news, but don't take too long, I can't wait indefinitely, if I reach an agreement with other airlines, then this cooperation will be gone." Chen Zhiwen said.

"OK, I understand." Jim nodded and said.

After seeing the plane, Chen Zhiwen met with Ron, who was in charge of the US legal affairs of Midea Group, in the evening, and asked him to send a team to negotiate with Boeing.

In the next 7 days, Chen Zhiwen also took his parents to the famous Newport News Shipyard in the United States, and bought a luxury cruise ship with a length of 80 meters and a value of 35 million US dollars. The one who placed the order before, but it went bankrupt recently, and the cruise company was facing a blood loss, so Chen Zhiwen finally won it with 26 million US dollars.

The 80-meter-long cruise ship is currently considered one of the largest cruise ships in the world. It can easily carry enough fuel to sail 5,000 miles. It is also equipped with various state-of-the-art equipment and is always connected to satellites to grasp the weather for hundreds of nautical miles nearby. and various situations. The most convenient thing is that this cruise ship will be completed soon.

And Ron also successfully negotiated with Boeing, and finally purchased a Boeing 747 aircraft at a price of 61 million US dollars.

The interiors of the airplane and the super cruise ship still need to be redesigned, but there is no rush. After completing the acquisition of these two luxury goods, the Chen family and their group chartered a plane and returned to Hong Kong.