After hearing the executive out, Jiang Zhimin immediately asked angrily, "What?! Are you kidding me?
"As far as I know, the factory manufacturing this Aerodynamic Bicycle is just a small plant. Their production equipment is extremely outdated, nothing more than obsolete machine tools.
"They are not even comparable to one of our group's subsidiaries. If they can manufacture an Aerodynamic Bicycle like this, why can't we? Don't tell me our group's machine tools and other equipment are inferior to that little workshop."
"Director Jiang, we can indeed manufacture most of the components for this Aerodynamic Bicycle, but the biggest problems are its patents and core components.
"It is not that our group's equipment is inferior to theirs. According to the conclusions reached after the Product Research and Development Department dismantled and analyzed the bicycle—
"The factory producing this Aerodynamic Bicycle most likely hand-machined its core components using ordinary precision machine tools, with the work done by top-tier machinists. I suspect their factory has Level Eight or even higher-grade machinists, and far more than one of them.
"So without Ninth Grade Technicians like that, we simply cannot produce an Aerodynamic Bicycle identical to theirs." After hearing Jiang Zhimin's words, the head of the Product Research and Development Department stepped forward and said this.
"I don't care how difficult the technical challenges are. That is your problem. I have already given you enough funding and time.
"You must resolve these problems within a month. Whether you purchase high-performance machine tools or use ordinary lathes for processing, that is your problem.
"I only want to see our company produce this Aerodynamic Bicycle within one month. Otherwise, what is the point of keeping all of you around? I have made my position clear. You may all leave now."
After saying that, he turned to the board members and said, "Directors, please stay. I have something to discuss with you."
"Directors, we must attach sufficient importance to the new Aerodynamic Bicycle that has appeared on the market. I believe we should arrange for someone to contact the head of their company and, if possible, directly acquire their company and the resources they possess.
"You heard what the Product Research and Development Department said just now. The core components of their bicycle are all handmade.
"That means that although this factory is only a small plant, it possesses Level Eight or even higher-grade machinists, and not merely one of them.
"If we can obtain these Level Eight and Ninth Grade Technicians, it will be immensely beneficial to our group.
"The reason I asked you directors to remain is to discuss how much we should offer to acquire this company."
Jiangnan Province Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Group had more than twenty directors in total, but most of them were merely minor shareholders. There were only three major shareholders with actual decision-making authority in the company.
So although Jiang Zhimin had asked all the directors present, he was actually only asking the other two directors who, like him, held substantial shares.
"Director Jiang! I do not think we need to rush this matter. As far as I know, our company's Product Research and Development Department has been working overtime for several consecutive days analyzing this bicycle.
"I believe it will not be long before the Product Research and Development Department gives us a satisfactory answer." After hearing Jiang Zhimin's words, one of the minor shareholders present replied.
As soon as that minor shareholder finished speaking, some of the other minor shareholders nodded as well. Clearly, they did not want to spend money acquiring this small factory. After all, they had invested in Jiangnan Province Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Group only for profit, and asking them to put up more money now was exceedingly difficult.
He did not answer the minor shareholder. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the other two major shareholders.
"If you are counting on those people in the research department, then just keep dreaming. Don't you know what kind of people they are? If not for the fact that they are all longtime employees, I would have replaced them long ago. Why would I have waited until now?
"Think about it. Even a tiny mechanical factory can develop a product like the Aerodynamic Bicycle, but what about them? Since the group was established, how many products have they developed? Even the products they did develop were merely imitations, without the slightest independent innovation or patented technology."
After saying that, he shifted his gaze toward Jiang Zhimin and said, "Director Jiang, I agree with you. How much do you think we should offer to acquire this company?"
After one major shareholder finished speaking, the other nodded as well without saying anything. Clearly, he agreed too.
When Jiang Zhimin saw that both major shareholders agreed, he thought for a moment and said, "My opinion is that anything within ten million can be considered. Even if it exceeds ten million, it is acceptable as long as it remains below fifteen million. But it absolutely cannot exceed fifteen million. Any more than that would affect the operation of our group, since our working capital is not particularly abundant."
"Fine, I agree."
"I agree as well."
Clearly, once the three of them agreed, the opinions of the other minor shareholders no longer mattered. The shares held by the three of them combined already exceeded sixty percent by far, so they grandly ignored the opinions of the other minor shareholders.
Zhang Yi had been extremely happy these past few days. Not only had Huang Jie reported that sales of the Aerodynamic Bicycle in Hang City were booming, with all one thousand bicycles selling out in a single day, but she had also urged him several times to deliver more goods quickly.
At the same time, Zhang Yi had already shipped the goods to Hao Chen Pneumatic and received the remaining payment. Hao Chen Pneumatic had also placed another order for five thousand Air Motors.
Even online sales were steadily climbing, with ten or twenty bicycles being sold every day. Meanwhile, the research department's development of the Aerodynamic Bicycle production line was proceeding exceptionally smoothly.
However, because it was Zhang Yi's factory's first time building a production line, the line they developed this time was only a Semi-Automated Production Line rather than a fully automated one.
Even so, Zhang Feng was already thoroughly satisfied. After all, most electric vehicle manufacturers still used traditional manual production lines, with extremely limited output.
Even among those manufacturers whose production lines included some intelligent features, the efficiency was not particularly high. A daily output of one or two hundred units per line was already the absolute limit.
Yet according to theoretical calculations, if operated at full capacity, each Semi-Automated Production Line Zhang Yi's factory planned to build could produce at least one thousand Aerodynamic Bicycles per day.
That was more than ten times the output of traditional manual production lines, and that was despite the Aerodynamic Bicycle having a far more complex structure than conventional electric bicycles.
At the same time, this Semi-Automated Production Line could produce more than just Aerodynamic Bicycles. It could also easily manufacture conventional electric vehicles or bicycles, at speeds ten to fifteen times faster than traditional production lines.
Therefore, at noon on the day the production line blueprints were completed, Zhang Yi drove his small truck to the Zhou Tai City Patent Office to apply for a patent for the production line. This production line was different from the Aerodynamic Bicycle. Zhang Yi had purchased the Aerodynamic Bicycle blueprints from the Scholar Hiring System, whereas this Semi-Automated Production Line had been developed by them personally. He also intended to sell the production line externally once the time was right.
Thanks to: Playboy Kid 6, for the 500 Qidian Coin reward!
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