October 4, 1863.
After several long months of waiting, Ernst finally saw the finished product. By pulling strings and throwing money around, he found a metallurgical expert at an arms factory in Berlin, and the blade problem finally had a solution.
Experts truly were reliable. With years of experience and profound knowledge behind him, the moment Ernst stated his requirements, the expert immediately had an idea of how to crack the problem.
In the end, armed with a mature plan, Ernst went to a Berlin factory specializing in custom industrial equipment. With product patents and sketches, he successfully produced the first-generation blade-smelting machine for the T-shaped razor.
This also caused Ernst's little treasury to shrink rapidly, but at least he had results to show for it now.
Having the necessary machinery was only the first step. A single set of equipment was not enough for mass production—but how was he supposed to solve the funding problem?
This was where the advantages of being the son of nobility came in. As the heir of a top-tier noble family, he could naturally and righteously reach out to his old father to "borrow money."
Prince Constantin had naturally been keeping an eye on his son's life in faraway Berlin. Then, on an ordinary afternoon, he received a letter from Berlin asking for help, leaving him caught between laughter and tears.
To Constantin, this was no small sum of money, but he could still afford to give his son the capital for his first venture. As a major German landowner, collecting rent was quite a lucrative line of work.
This counted as their family's first investment in industry. To Constantin, cultivating his child's independence was more important than anything else. Only by letting him act and make decisions for himself could he become a good heir in the future. As for failure, it was no more than the cost of trial and error.
While he had not yet grown old and feeble, training Ernst's abilities was far better than leaving him mountains of wealth.
For a noble, experience and worldly knowledge were the finest wealth. Only after taking society's brutal beatings could one walk the necessary road to becoming a qualified noble.
Prince Constantin's generous and straightforward support greatly accelerated Ernst's industrial production.
Thanks to his noble status, all the relevant procedures went through smoothly as well. No one dared make things difficult for the son of a prince—especially a prince of House of Hohenzollern.
Well-informed nobles all knew that old Prince Constantin's son was setting up a factory, though most of them were not optimistic about it.
Although some nobles had entered industry these days, the highest-ranking great nobles rarely stepped into the field personally. An odd talent like Ernst, who handled everything himself, was practically unheard of.
After renting the factory building and getting workers and other necessary facilities in place, Ernst's factory opened for business.
The machinery required large numbers of workers to operate it. People came and went through the workshop, constantly watching the machines' operating conditions. The furnaces and steam conveyors consumed enormous amounts of energy, and black smokestacks rose from the ground.
Black haze shrouded Berlin's sky, while wastewater was discharged directly into rivers on the outskirts. Such was the norm in early industrial nations.
Of course, this was the combined achievement of countless factories. Ernst's little factory was utterly insignificant among them.
As the conveyors turned, molten iron was shaped and cooled, then carried along steel wheels before the workers, where it was finally formed.
Afterward, workers used machines to cut the thin sheets. Workers at the next stage collected them, and in the end, they were packed in oiled paper.
That was the blade production process. Beyond that, there was also a separate production line developed for the razor handles.
Everything used assembly-line operations, greatly reducing waste from intermediate steps and increasing production efficiency.
At that moment, Ernst held a finished razor produced by his own factory. To test its practicality, he decided to try it out "personally."
"Peter, sit still. Don't move," Ernst ordered.
Peter sat tensely in the chair, not daring to move a muscle, as though he were waiting for some great terror to descend.
Ernst took the razor himself. He first worked soap into a lather and applied it to the victim's face. Then he waved the handle left and right, and as the blade scraped across it, the beard fell smoothly to the floor.
As the first victim, Peter nervously enjoyed his employer's service. Although the new razor was marketed for safety and convenience, who knew what unease came with having one's fate in another's hands?
Fortunately, everything went smoothly. When the final stroke fell, Ernst handed Peter a towel to wipe his chin clean.
"How does it feel?" Ernst asked curiously.
"Boss, judging purely by the product's quality control, there is absolutely no problem. But whether it can sell for a good price is hard to say."
Peter was not particularly optimistic about the market prospects. After all, it was difficult for people to accept such a novel thing in a short time.
Moreover, similar products did exist on the market, though they worked on different principles. As for why his boss insisted on developing this uncertainty-filled new razor, Peter felt that perhaps the boss was merely playing around. After all, he was young.
Ernst had never explained the reason. As long as his people could produce the finished product, that was enough. In truth, this razor, which looked old-fashioned in his previous life, had simply been too successful.
Even in the age of smart appliances, people still used these purely mechanical old-fashioned T-shaped razors. A classic was something one could simply copy outright.
Gillette, the inventor of this razor, had originally worked in sales. Drawing on his life experience, he invented this inexpensive grooming product that required no sharpening and was relatively safe.
Moreover, this razor had a novel profit model. Unlike traditional straight razors, whose blade and handle were one piece and whose blades could not be replaced at will, making them hard to discard.
Gillette razor blades were very cheap. Once they became dull, they could simply be thrown away, saving the trouble of sharpening and saving time. The cutting edge was clamped between metal sheets, making it look safer than those straight razors that could slit a throat.
Of course, there was still a long road ahead before this new razor could be promoted. The first issue to solve was how to get the handles into the hands of the masses.
That was a major problem. It took time for the public to accept something new. Only once they truly had such a razor in their hands could blade sales be increased afterward.
Ernst decided to use three methods to market the new razor. The first was door-to-door promotion by salesmen, the second was finding distributors, and the third was increasing advertising investment.
The first was the most conventional approach. Salesmen could explain the advantages of the new razor, strike directly at customers' pain points, and achieve a high closing rate.
The second was more troublesome, because his product did not yet have much name recognition, and distributors might well look down on it.
Therefore, advertising became an essential supporting measure. As for the advertisement's content, Ernst already had a rough idea.
He would put up posters. They could not be too small; they had to be large—large enough to take up an entire wall if possible.
Only then could they popularize the new razor's method of use and its advantages.
Then there had to be a comparison. Find a male model, and he had to be handsome. Make two contrasting images: one using an old-fashioned razor and cutting open his face, showing an injury. Beside it, another using the new razor, looking refreshed and invigorated.
The words "Safer" had to be displayed in huge letters at the very top. Then the product's durability had to be highlighted—reusable razor handle—and finally, how it saved time and effort—replaceable blades that were not expensive.
After two months of promotion, the "Gillette" razor was freshly launched. That was right—Ernst had even copied the name. He did not even bother to pretend otherwise.
Just as Ernst had expected, the "Gillette" razor's sales did not explode overnight. Fortunately, after two months of sales efforts and advertisements, Berliners now knew about the product.
And among the households that had already used it, many had become repeat customers. After all, that metal handle would probably last for decades, while the only ongoing expense was replacement blade sets, achieving small profits and quick turnover.
For now, they only needed to ensure product quality. There was actually not much else to do. Ernst had already appointed Peter acting factory manager, while he himself would make time to come inspect the factory.
As for the profits, they would be used to expand advertising and promotion, spreading from Berlin to other cities, and eventually throughout the German territories. The current production line could fully meet the product demand of the entire German territories.
Only after Ernst's product covered the entire German territories would he consider the next step. At that time, he might increase production and formulate plans aimed at the entire continent, even the Americas and other regions.
Or perhaps he would invest in new industries. The prerequisite for all of this was that the razors sold like hotcakes.
All of this required time. Ernst currently had neither the time nor the money to do anything extra. Only after the razors turned a profit could he consider the next step.