Qian Jia Optics

Qian Jia Optics!

It was a publicly listed company that 99% of people had never heard of. Even some people in the electronics and optics industries knew little about it, or had never heard of it at all.

Yet in the nation's screen optical materials industry, Qian Jia Optics was a name that simply could not be avoided.

Most people in society only paid attention to what was on the surface.

For example, Zhongzheng Mobile, Oupai Mobile, Weiwo Mobile, Xiaomai Mobile, and so on—companies that dealt directly with hundreds of millions of ordinary people and marketed themselves until they became household names. Any minor development involving them could spark widespread discussion and even make the Hot Search.

But companies hidden behind those phone makers, the companies that supplied them with materials, were rarely known.

People only knew of a few industry leaders or companies whose core technologies were restricted, such as mobile phone glass giants BE and HE, mobile chip company TJD, lithography machine manufacturer ASM, and so on.

But in truth, if one dug deep into the many materials involved, behind every single kind stood company after company—some giants, some small businesses.

In optical materials, Qian Jia Optics was a giant, competing with Di Guang Optics for the top two spots.

Of course, that was excluding foreign companies.

On a global scale, King Material was the true king, unparalleled and unique.

However, due to its high prices, difficulty in purchasing its materials, long delivery times, and a series of other issues, King Material's market share was not actually that large. The companies holding the real bulk of the market were still Qian Jia Optics and Di Guang Optics.

In the global mobile phone screen market, Qian Jia Optics and Di Guang Optics together held nearly 40% of the market. They undoubtedly possessed the status of "pseudo-hegemons."

They were called pseudo-hegemons because a true hegemon could cause massive global upheaval in its industry with the slightest movement, leading to price hikes or shortages. Qian Jia Optics and Di Guang Optics had not reached that level. Their absence would not affect price fluctuations across the entire industry, hence the "pseudo."

Even so, with a market capitalization of ten billion, Qian Jia Optics remained a giant that could not be underestimated in the entire optical market.

"President Peng, what happened today?"

Qian Jia Optics Sales Manager Deng Guangyi had waited for more than half an hour before finally seeing Peng Fan, Zhong Wei Technology's purchasing manager. The moment they met, he asked with a grin.

He was annoyed as well. He was, after all, the sales manager of a major company. Being left hanging for more than half an hour for no reason was not something he could easily swallow.

But a small arm could not twist a thick thigh. Zhong Wei Technology could stop using Qian Jia's materials and switch to Di Guang's, another supplier's, or even King Material's foreign products. But Qian Jia could not afford to lose a major client like Zhong Wei. If his boss learned that he had offended Zhong Wei Company, there would be only one outcome for him: getting kicked out.

So Deng Guangyi had no choice but to suppress his anger, put on a smile, and pretend nothing had happened, as if he did not care at all about being left waiting for more than half an hour.

Night fell, and the Xiaoxiang Farmhouse Restaurant in the outskirts switched on its bright lights, glowing brilliantly against the darkness.

Deng Guangyi, along with a male salesperson and a female assistant under him, made up a group of three accompanying Peng Fan.

The female assistant was slender and sweet-looking. She followed behind Deng Guangyi with a bright smile and greeted Peng Fan, "President Peng, you left in such a hurry last time that you never even had a drink with me. We have to have a few proper drinks today."

"It's Xiao Liu."

With men and women together, work never felt tiring. Peng Fan's previously stern face broke into a smile. He nodded and said, "I have no problem at all. It depends on how much Xiao Liu can drink."

At a dinner table with drinks, the atmosphere easily warmed up, especially when there were both men and women present.

After they had eaten some dishes and gone through three rounds of drinks, Deng Guangyi no longer cared about Peng Fan's attitude. Instead, he asked about Oupai Company's bidding matter from last time.

Oupai Company's optical materials were basically selected from either Qian Jia Optics or Di Guang Optics. It was always Qian Jia or Di Guang, without exception.

Every additional project they won meant an increase in the company's revenue and profits, and it also meant more money for him.

This was the only purpose behind Deng Guangyi inviting Peng Fan to dinner.

"Hmph!"

The moment Deng Guangyi brought it up, Peng Fan's expression turned cold. He said irritably, "Don't even think about it. Our company didn't get into that project either, so you have even less chance."

"What happened?"

Deng Guangyi was immediately shocked, unable to understand why something like this had suddenly occurred.

Peng Fan said coldly, "Speaking of this, it makes me angry. Qian Jia Optics is supposed to be one of the top players in the domestic screen optical materials industry. How come you still haven't produced an outstanding product after all these years?"

Deng Guangyi's mind raced, and he immediately asked, "President Peng, could it be that some domestic company has developed a material that offers better value for money than ours and Di Guang's?"

Qian Jia and Di Guang had competed for the top two positions and tangled with each other for so many years mainly because their materials were essentially on the same level. Today, you released a high-brightness product; next year, I released one with the same brightness. The gap between the two companies was minuscule. Although there were differences in manufacturing processes, cost control, service standards, and other aspects, they basically could not change the overall situation.

Peng Fan's words undoubtedly meant that a more cost-effective material had entered the competition between Qian Jia and Di Guang—and defeated them.

As a result, Zhong Wei Technology, which had quoted using materials from those two companies, had also lost its advantage at Oupai Company, causing it to fail the bid.

Peng Fan said, "Do you remember that on the day of the bidding, someone recommended a new material called FY-01?"

Deng Guangyi thought for a moment. "I seem to remember it. Right, was it the one where he claimed his material outperformed King Material? President Peng, you can't be saying that was true, can you?"

As he spoke, even Deng Guangyi himself was stunned, and a trace of gravity flashed across his face.

"What do you think?"

Peng Fan cast him a sidelong glance.

Deng Guangyi immediately drew in a sharp breath. The heat rising in his body from the alcohol instantly cooled, and even his hands and feet turned somewhat cold. He blurted out, "How is that possible? How could it possibly surpass King Material?"

Xiao Liu, the female assistant, forced a smile. "President Peng, you're quite the joker. How could anyone in the world possibly develop an optical material with performance better than King Material's? And it was a domestic company, too?"

It was not that the two of them did not believe it. The news was simply too shocking.

How many years had it been? Half a century, perhaps. King Material had remained invincible all that time.

Even in recent years, the Little Country, whose days had been going rather well, had developed optical materials with brightness comparable to King Material's. But after getting the actual products and testing them, they still found them three to four percentage points below King Material, with all kinds of other problems cropping up frequently. Yes, they were a whole level brighter than Qian Jia's and Di Guang's materials, but compared to King Material, they were still far behind.

Peng Fan said coldly, "Do I look like someone who jokes around? Hua Long Technology is already using this material. You can ask around at Hua Long Technology. Don't you have connections there too?"