After news of the Toyobo Group's bankruptcy spread, it was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, shocking the global chemical fiber industry.
On China's largest materials forum, countless users were discussing this explosive piece of news.
"Holy crap, even Toyobo got taken down! Awesome! I'm calling up some old friends for hot pot tonight and we're having a few drinks!"
"Never thought I'd see the day. The mighty Toyobo, king of insulation fibers, actually ended up like this."
"If you ask me, Toyobo might not have gone under this time if insulation fibers hadn't been its main business. Too bad they were unlucky enough to run into the red-hot Kunlun Company."
"Exactly. This collision was absolutely brutal. Toyobo's insulation fibers accounted for 60 percent of its total revenue, and Kunlun Company wiped out half its sales in one hit! Bankruptcy was inevitable!"
"That's why companies can't rely on a single product. Once they run into an unreasonable monster like Kunlun Company, they won't even get a chance to run before they go under."
"At the end of the day, Kunlun Company is just incredible! Boss Gao is incredible! They'd been in the chemical fiber field for less than half a year, yet they developed two super fibers in a row, led the entire industry, and even crushed the famous Toyobo into bankruptcy!"
"That's nothing. Toyobo is only the beginning. More companies will definitely go bankrupt next. X Fiber's insane promotions clearly aren't about selling products. There have long been rumors in the industry that Boss Gao is determined to clear the field before spring!"
"Clear the field? Boss Gao is awesome!"
"Of course! Even the PLA is backing Kunlun Company. They placed a massive order to outfit the entire military."
"They sound so powerful. I'm planning to switch jobs after the New Year, but I wonder if they're still hiring?"
"They've always been hiring, and the pay is great. Just check their website. They want talent from fields beyond materials and chemistry too. Their ambitions seem huge."
"Thanks for the information. I'll give it a try later."
No matter what, with the PLA's powerful endorsement, Kunlun Company's reputation had completely broken out of its circle. Not only was it thriving in the chemical materials field, but countless ordinary consumers around the world now knew the name Kunlun Company and remembered its distinctive mountain logo.
Whether for an individual or a company, fame always brought many benefits.
For instance, recruitment was now proceeding extremely smoothly. Outstanding graduates from every field flocked to them, and in just a few months, Kunlun Company's R&D department had expanded to more than three hundred people.
Thinking back to last July, the R&D department had consisted of only Gao Yuan, Dr. Xu Qingzhou, and more than a dozen of Dr. Xu Qingzhou's students, guarding an enormous laboratory. Things had truly changed beyond recognition.
Yet Gao Yuan was still dissatisfied with this scale. After all, the development direction they had set from the beginning was light assets and heavy R&D.
To date, although Kunlun Company's products had long been selling worldwide, it still did not own a single factory. Everything was manufactured by its partners.
That allowed Gao Yuan to devote more energy to more important matters, such as the development of X3 type fiber.
At present, both Kunlun Company and Gao Yuan himself were receiving fanatical support in China, and their momentum was unmatched.
Meanwhile, Kunlun Company's partners had been charging forward with unstoppable momentum, aggressively conquering markets around the world and rapidly devouring the market share once held by Western companies, especially Japanese ones. They had become thorns in the West's side.
Promotional lotteries, buy-one-get-one offers, and advertising were all merely supplementary methods. What truly made Kunlun Company unstoppable was the power of technology.
Quietly, the nickname "locusts" had spread throughout the West. It represented a scorched-earth capacity for strategic cleansing, as well as Gao Yuan's partner strategy: concentrating China's superior forces and launching a united assault in one powerful wave.
"Damn Toyobo Group! What the hell were they doing!? They actually let Huaxia people drive them into bankruptcy. What a disgrace!"
"Didn't Toray claim to be Japan's number one materials conglomerate? Why haven't they struck back!?"
"What happened to the second-generation Thinsulate jointly developed by DuPont and 3M? Why is it taking so damn long?"
Unlike the jubilation in China, the chemical fiber sectors in Japan, Europe, and America were filled mainly with doubt and abuse.
Although China's production capacity was extremely formidable, only four Chinese companies ranked among the world's top fifty chemical fiber giants. It was a typical case of high output but weak quality and R&D.
Name one of the world's bestselling, highest-performing chemical fiber products that was invented in China.
The answer was almost none.
That was why they displayed uncontrollable fury at Kunlun Company's sudden emergence, its rapid seizure of the technological high ground, and its sweeping conquest of the world with the X series products.
The former laborers had suddenly transformed into bosses? That was what they found most unacceptable.
Though the outside world was in turmoil, Gao Yuan himself remained unusually low-key.
He used an unused factory building to partition off a separate laboratory for himself. Whenever he had nothing else to do, he stayed in the laboratory. Aside from Dr. Xu Qingzhou, Cao Feiyu, and the young assistant named Zhou Helin, Gao Yuan rarely saw anyone else.
The laboratory blackboard was covered with numerous specifications: tensile strength, elongation, rebound rate, heat resistance, acid and alkali resistance, and so on.
Gao Yuan constantly handed synthesized fiber samples to Zhou Helin, who then sent them to the testing team next door for measurement. The final results were written on the blackboard.
If Gao Yuan was dissatisfied, he adjusted the fiber samples and tested them again.
Why were biology, chemistry, environmental science, and materials science known as the four great dead-end majors?
First, employment prospects were poor and salaries were low.
Second, the work was dull and tedious, with endless experiments from morning to night.
Although the R&D department had already surpassed three hundred people, with the National Laboratory's top experts assisting them, they still could not rest for even a moment and often worked overtime until late at night.
Life remained full and busy until early January, when news arrived that Toyobo had declared bankruptcy. Only then did Gao Yuan finally leave his laboratory.
Jiangnan was cold and damp at this time of year, making even burly men from the Three Eastern Provinces complain bitterly. Yet Gao Yuan wore only a shirt as he stood in the largest open area of the factory grounds, facing the noon sun.
After thinking for a moment, Gao Yuan took out his phone and dialed a number.
Before long, Han Chang's voice came through from the other end.
As everyone knew, the PLA had placed a huge order with Kunlun Company to provide new winter uniforms for the entire military.
Unfortunately, the matter involved too much, and the military had always been frugal. They could hardly throw away their stockpiles of old uniforms, so this replacement program would be carried out in stages over two years. This year, only frontline troops would receive the new uniforms, while most people would have to wait until next winter.
Gao Yuan was now an important supplier to the military and had a fairly good relationship with Han Chang. After exchanging a few greetings, Gao Yuan got straight to the point. "I sent some new samples over to you. If you have time, I'd appreciate it if you could evaluate them and offer some valuable suggestions."
Han Chang was slightly taken aback. He knew Gao Yuan's situation well, so he said in surprise, "Samples? Does that mean X3 type fiber has begun shipping!?"
"That really is excellent news, worth celebrating! But X3 type is an elastic fiber, so the military won't need a particularly large amount of it. Don't expect to get another huge order from us."
Gao Yuan chuckled. "Not necessarily. You might end up liking it."
Han Chang asked in confusion, "Why do you say that?"
Gao Yuan said calmly, "Don't forget, elastic fiber is a very broad concept. Kevlar, which the DuPont Group uses to make bulletproof vests, is also a type of elastic fiber..."
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