After explaining everything about the market, Chen Zhiwen and his team once again contracted first-class accommodation on a plane with the team and returned to Hong Kong. They had been away for almost a month and it was already December when they came back.
After returning to Hong Kong, I first went home to report my safety so that my parents would not worry about me. Then I went to the twins of Shi Ya Shi Qian. Recently, a lot of zombie movies were released in Hong Kong. The twins were scared and needed Chen Zhiwen to comfort them. Their fearful hearts.
The next day, after arriving at the company. Chen Zhiwen immediately learned about the recent situation of each company. However, because he was out for a relatively short time, and there were no new changes in the business during this period, he just continued to develop in the original direction, and mainly discussed some internal details of the company. The problem ended after two hours.
After the meeting, Chen Zhiwen left Midea head Lei Shengli alone and asked, "How is the TV business developing recently?"
"We already have our own assembly production line, and our business is still mainly in Southeast Asia. We are also using the channels of Global Electronics. We have not yet entered the mainstream sales channels in Southeast Asia. It is estimated that in the first half of next year, the monthly sales volume will be in the range of About a thousand, unless we increase investment in advertising." Lei Shengli said without pause. When he reported before, because the scale of this business was too small and it was not the focus of the boss's attention, he did not report it. Unexpectedly After the meeting, I was asked specifically.
"It doesn't have any special advantages, and publicity is of no use. Korean and Wanwan TV sets are not inferior to ours in terms of quality or cost. Your publicity can only have some effect in the short term. In the long run, it is useless." ." Chen Zhiwen said lightly, in terms of labor costs, South Korea's Bay Area is now even lower than Hong Kong's. In terms of technology, because of its larger population and more talents, plus their large area and local picture tube industry, there is no cost at all. Ways to compete.
"Then what should we do?" As a senior wage earner, it is not appropriate to ask the boss such a question, but the TV business is strongly requested by the boss. If he were in charge, he would never enter this field without any advantages.
"Let's leave it like this for now. We can allocate some funds for publicity. We will discuss this later." Chen Zhiwen said slowly. When it comes to making TV sets, the main thing is to get familiar with the market first and be prepared until the mainland opens in the north. After that, it was the first to move the production line there. China also has its own black and white picture tube production line, plus cheap labor, which is enough to compete with the South Korean brand Wanwan in the market. It even has enough funds to build its own picture tube production base or make color tubes.
"This is a product we need to produce in the future. It's called an arcade machine. The main market for this thing in the future is Europe and the United States. Take a look." Taking out a photo, Chen Zhiwen handed it to Lei Shengli.
"Arcade machine?" After taking the photo, Lei Shengli took a look. It was a square metal box, about the same height as a person, with a monitor above it. However, because the photo was black and white, no information such as color could be seen.
Chen Zhiwen continued: "This is an electronic game console. The structure inside is very simple. It is surrounded by an aluminum alloy frame and sheet metal. There is a color picture tube on the top. Inside is a large circuit board and circuits, and a cooling fan. Except for the circuit boards, I have other arrangements for these things. For other things, you need to find a suitable supplier first. Don’t rush to decide on the size. Wait until colleagues in the United States have designed it before considering it.”
"These are the most basic things. There are many here in Hong Kong. The size of the fan needs to be determined based on the heat inside. There is also the problem of fan noise. For picture tubes, just contact RCA." Lei Shengli looked at the photos and made an estimate. said.
"Use the best motors. If we can't do it ourselves, we just buy standard motors on the market. This is Midea's main product in the future. Midea has to rely on it to turn around its losses." Chen Zhiwen said, the profits of the arcade machine It's so high that it's worth using the highest-grade parts.
"When will American colleagues be able to design it?" Lei Shengli asked.
"It shouldn't take long, maybe a month or two." Chen Zhiwen thought for a while and said. The most difficult thing about games is the content. What kind of games can be liked by countless consumers is a difficult problem for all companies. In terms of hardware, Wo Woz is best at reducing costs. Atari's Arkanoid was completed in four days. With Woz's ability and Chen Zhiwen's future creativity, the design of the game will not take long.
Of course, after the game is designed, it still needs a lot of testing, which is also very time-consuming.
"Okay, this is very easy. We can do a lot of it ourselves." Lei Shengli nodded and said. Although he was a little unbelievable that this thing would become Midea's flagship product, it is true that the structure of this thing is very simple and the most complicated. The control panel and monitor are all outsourced, and other frameworks and the like are too simple.
"That's it, you go ahead and get busy. Midea's current products, except for fans and radios, are not selling very well. You don't have to be too anxious. You can just develop the technology without worrying about funds." Chen Zhiwen laughed. said with a smile.
Fans are competing for the market because they are simple products and rarely for the purpose of profit. Radios are because their channels have been stable in the past. Both of them only have quantity but no profit. Air conditioners and refrigerators have been losing money. There is nothing that can be done about it. According to According to general business logic, a company should not develop these two high-tech products when it has little money. This was Chen Zhiwen's deliberate decision.
Now it's time to develop arcade machines. As long as the development goes smoothly, you can earn a lot of dollars in a year. By then, Midea will have enough funds to maintain research and development.
Use the creativity of future generations to develop the arcade industry with higher profits, and then use the profits from arcade machines to support the air-conditioning and refrigerator industry that requires a lot of funds for research and development. After a few years, we will have the technology and funds. At the same time, Chen Zhiwen's efforts in other areas will also be It is enough to open certain channels in Europe and the United States. When the mainland next door is opened and factories are built directly, the most benign development plan can be formed.
"Okay, I'll leave first." Lei Shengli greeted and stood up to leave.
After they left, Chen Zhiwen asked his assistant to call Zhou Jiayang, who was in charge of finance. This investment expert was hired from Standard Chartered Bank. After entering Galaxy, he was responsible for some of Chen Zhiwen's secret acquisitions, such as the acquisition of Wharf.
"How much Wharf stock has been purchased?" Chen Zhiwen asked directly after the people arrived.
"Sheng Chen, we have acquired a total of 17.3% so far today." Zhou Jiayang replied.
"17.3, OK, acquire slowly and ensure the lowest cost." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said. He did not intend to launch a challenge soon. Jardine is still very strong now and he is still gathering strength, so the acquisition will not be urgent. It was all done slowly, and at such a speed, it was basically impossible to be discovered.
"We have currently spent almost 120 million Hong Kong dollars. As long as there are no major fluctuations in the stock market, I estimate that we can acquire 30% of the share by spending another 100 million Hong Kong dollars. But by then, we will have to be very careful in our actions. It's easy to be exposed." Zhou Jiayang reminded.
"I know this, let's acquire it first. This battle may be inevitable." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said, although Jardine Land's holding ratio of Wharf is not high, maybe less than 20%, but except for Jardine In addition, there are many long-term shareholders. When outsiders acquire 30% of the shares, the liquidity of the stocks in the secondary market will be greatly reduced, making it easy for people to discover.
Chen Zhiwen continued: "The Wharf matter is not urgent for the time being. I need to start with another one now, and it must be fast."
"Which one?" Zhou Jiayang asked.
"Hutchison Group." Chen Zhiwen said with a faint smile.
(End of chapter)
