Back to the 80s Machinery Factory

Chapter 426 Choosing a Processing Plant!
These scraps were piled up haphazardly, with half-removed protective skin still attached to the cut surfaces, and some even without rust removal.

Director Lu picked up a piece of scrap material, examined it, and held it up to Chen Luyang, saying, "The material has chipped teeth and large burrs at the cut. If we were to use this, at least 20% of it would be unusable."

This one won't do.

Chen Luyang mentally drew a small cross, and the two of them twisted the handlebars and headed straight for the next house.

……

The second factory specializes in turning parts.

The yard wasn't big, but it was swept clean, the iron filings were neatly arranged, and the water was running loudly as it was being rinsed.

Several older men were sitting by the door, smoking.

Chen Luyang parked the car, smiled, and walked over: "Master, can you make parts here?"

An experienced worker yelled, "What are you going to do?"

"spark plug."

As they were talking, Chen Luyang deftly pulled out a few cigarettes from his pocket and handed them over with a smile.

While the experienced workers reached out to take cigarettes...

Chen Luyang's eyes quickly glanced at the hands of the group.

These experienced craftsmen have thick fingertips and calluses distributed from the little finger to the base of the thumb, clearly the result of years of doing small tasks.

The experienced mechanic took the cigarette and tucked it behind his ear: "What can't you do with spark plugs? You can do it!"

Chen Luyang laughed and said, "Shall we go in and take a look?"

"bring it on!"

The experienced worker led Chen Luyang and Lu Quanyou into the factory.

Chen Luyang originally had extremely high hopes for this place.
Little did I know that my heart would sink the moment I stepped through the door.

Isn't the equipment in this factory way too old...?

Against the wall is a T52 lathe with faded paint, next to which is an old punch press from the "Seventh Five Factory". In the far corner, on the grinding machine, the wires are wrapped in cloth, and the switch makes a clunking sound when it is pulled.

These few old antiques were discarded by their factory long ago.
It turns out it's still being used here!

In astonishment,

Director Lu tapped the old, faded grinding machine in front of him, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.

"Wow! I haven't seen this machine in ages!"

"Of course!" The old master craftsman said with a look of deep emotion in his eyes.

"This is a valuable item issued by the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building. Back then, one unit cost more than 8,000 yuan! We used it to make motorcycle piston rods and also to make adjusting arm pins for the railway!"

Chen Luyang also remarked, "It really is a good product."

Pity……

The key equipment is too old and the dimensions are unstable.

Tolerances make it difficult to guarantee stability.

If the drawing specifies a tolerance of 0.05, the actual product may be 0.2 off.

Chen Luyang looked at the experienced craftsmen with regret.

If their machines were any more efficient, he wouldn't need to look any further.

The two went out and rode their bicycles eastward along the factory road. After only a few hundred meters, they saw a red brick factory building.
The next house was a brick building on the east side of the road.

The person in charge was a middle-aged man in his forties.

As Chen Luyang stepped through the metal door, a strong smell of engine oil mixed with Teresa Teng's "Tian Mi Mi" hit her.

A middle-aged man was squatting beside the machine tool, cleaning a micrometer with kerosene.

"Master, can you make this?" Chen Luyang took out a roll of blueprints from his bag and handed it over.

The middle-aged man casually rubbed his hands on his trouser leg a couple of times, took the blueprint, and subconsciously ran his index finger along the size line.

Upon seeing the line indicating φ6.5±0.5, his eyelids twitched slightly, but he remained silent. After a moment, he smiled and looked up.
"Minimum order of 300 pieces, 80 cents per piece."

Chen Luyang didn't reply, but instead shifted her gaze to the C616 lathe in the corner of the workshop.

There is a row of irregular engravings on the gearbox cover plate on the lathe, which shows that it was modified by hand.

"Have you modified the feed box on this machine tool?" Chen Luyang asked casually.

The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow: "Young man, you have a sharp eye."

"I've seen this machine with others before," Chen Luyang said with a smile. "Your machine is indeed very good."

The middle-aged man stood up, his tone not without pride: "In this area, my equipment is the best. If you really want to get something done, you can't go wrong choosing me."

"That's great, that's great!"

Chen Luyang smiled and took the blueprints back: "Let's walk around some more."

After leaving the small factory,

Director Lu sighed, "The machine was great, and the operator was skilled too, what a pity..."

Chen Luyang also lamented, "It's a pity he has such poor character."

Chen Luyang brought that blueprint with him specifically to test people.

Experts will first look for matching dimensions when looking at drawings.

The nozzle tube must be interference-fitted with the valve body, and the normal tolerance should not exceed ±0.1.

而图纸上面φ6.5±0.5的标注意味着允许6.0-7.0mm的加工范围，而实际装配要求±0.03（6.47-6.53mm）。

If you actually follow these blueprints, you'll basically have to throw them away as scrap.

A craftsman who can improve the box and do thousandths of a millimeter of machining cannot possibly fail to see the problem.

But the man saw through it, yet he didn't say a word and went straight to offering a price.

This isn't a matter of skill, it's a matter of character.

"Uncle Lu, there's a noodle shop up ahead. Let's go grab a bite."

I visited five or six places in the morning, like I was on a dating trip, but I didn't make a move on with any of them.

Chen Luyang decided to fill his stomach first, and then continue looking for factory work.

"Okay, let's go~" Director Lu agreed cheerfully.

Chen Luyang is naturally generous, especially when it comes to food, she never skimps on herself.

Entering the noodle shop,

He ordered a large bowl of mutton offal noodles for himself and Director Lu, along with several side dishes.

The two ate with great relish.

After finishing the last drop of soup, Chen Luyang was about to get up to pay the bill when Director Lu grabbed her arm.

"Hey, Director Chen, please have a seat."

Director Lu chuckled and said, "I'll pay for today's meal! I brought my own food allowance."

Chen Luyang rolled her eyes: "Come on!"

"Don't think I don't know what your meager food allowance is! Don't try to take it from me today. You've come out here working so hard, do you think I'd let you pay me?"

Director Lu said in a serious tone, "Director Chen, you've really misunderstood. This money is really for food expenses."

Chen Luyang's eyes lit up: "The money from the factory has arrived?"

Director Lu nodded with a smile: "We've arrived."

Chen Luyang sat up straight immediately: "Tell me quickly! How much money did the factory give you?"

The last time he called Wang Qingzhou to ask for money, the old factory director readily agreed, but didn't tell him how much would be approved.

This made Chen Luyang worry about it every day.

Seeing Chen Luyang's anxious look, Director Lu said with a sly smile:

"Guess~"

"5??"

"No, guess again."

"To overestimate or underestimate?"

"Guess too much!"

"That 10 million?"

"Guess again!" Chen Luyang's eyes widened: "The million??"

Director Lu almost spat out his mouthful of hot noodle soup.

"It was just 10 a moment ago, how did it jump to 100 million in an instant?"

Chen Luyang was somewhat disappointed: "So it wasn't 100 million after all... How about more?"

Director Lu looked at Chen Luyang speechlessly and held up two fingers.

"20?!" Chen Luyang lowered his voice, but his eyes shone brightly.

Director Lu nodded.

Chen Luyang's hands trembled...

It has to be Factory Director Wang! He just gave away 20 yuan!
With this 20, let alone making small parts, it would even be enough to cover some of the working capital for new equipment!
He sat up abruptly: "Then I absolutely cannot let you pay for this meal!"

Director Lu was taken aback: "Why?"

Chen Luyang insisted, "Good steel should be used where it's needed most. I'll pay for this meal!"

Director Lu didn't understand: "The factory has already approved the funding, so let's just use that funding. Why would we need to spend our own money?"

Chen Luyang shook his head seriously: "The factory needs money to manufacture cars, toys and airplanes. It's already very difficult for them to allocate 20 yuan to us. We have to be careful with the money."

Director Lu's gaze towards Chen Luyang gradually shifted from surprise to doubt to relief to admiration.

"Okay! I'll eat at Director Chen's restaurant this time."

"OK!"

Chen Luyang happily paid for the meal.

While paying, Chen Luyang cheerfully asked the noodle shop owner:

"Comrade, I'd like to ask around, which factory in this area is reliable?"

Perhaps because Chen Luyang and Director Lu ordered quite a few dishes, the noodle shop owner pointed enthusiastically towards the door:
"Turn into that road ahead, there's a family factory left over from the restructuring of an old state-owned enterprise. The craftsmen there are quite skilled. Many of them work there making spare parts and such."

Chen Luyang said happily, "Thank you, comrade. Let's go take a look."

Following the directions of the noodle enthusiast, Chen Luyang and Director Lu arrived at the family-owned factory.

The yard wasn't big, but the waste materials were neatly stacked.

The factory was humming with activity, clearly in operation. Chen Luyang stood by the door and looked around.

The main machine tool in the workshop is an old-fashioned C616 lathe made in Shenyang, and there is also a multi-purpose milling machine that is quite old, but it is well maintained.

Although the equipment is a bit old, the tool adjustment platform and guide rails are clean and neat, clearly indicating that it has been regularly maintained.

As usual, Chen Luyang took out the bait diagram he had prepared in advance and handed it to the old master craftsman in the factory.

"Did you write the inner diameter incorrectly?"

The experienced foreman looked at the blueprints and frowned, saying, "The tolerance shouldn't be this large. Who drew these blueprints? This is a scam!"

Chen Luyang feigned surprise: "Really? What's wrong?"

The experienced craftsman pointed to an obvious error on the blueprint: "The error here is ±0.5. How can you write such a large number like this... With such a large tolerance, how are we supposed to assemble it after it's finished?"

Director Lu looked terrified: "Oh dear, it's true! If we had actually done that, all of them would have been scrap."

The experienced craftsman returned the blueprints to them, saying, "Draw the blueprints carefully before you come back."

Chen Luyang nodded and tentatively asked, "If we revise the drawings and make fifty trial production units, how will the price be calculated?"

The experienced worker said, "Trial production and mass production are priced the same. If it doesn't meet the standards, we'll rework it."

Chen Luyang: "If we really make 500 pieces, when can we deliver them?"

"I'll start work when you give me the blueprints." The experienced foreman pointed inside.

"Our equipment works ten hours a day and can finish the job in a week."

Upon hearing this, Chen Luyang felt much more at ease.

But he still pretended to be cautious on the surface.
"How about we revise the drawings a bit more, and then bring over samples to finalize the process with you?"

"Okay, follow the drawings. You can check the dimensions yourselves before making a decision. I guarantee that it will be made to the tolerances."

"it is good!"

……

It was already quite late when we left the "family factory".

Chen Luyang and Director Lu rode their bikes one after the other, heading back towards the repair shop.

"Uncle Lu, I think this one is good."

As Chen Luyang rode, he said, "He's a reliable person, and what he said hit the nail on the head. Although the machine is old, it's really well maintained."

"It's indeed quite reliable," Director Lu nodded.

"If you want to switch to a different supplier, they'll quote you a price directly, and half of it will have to be turned into scrap metal."

Speaking of which,
Director Lu looked at Chen Luyang and chuckled, "Director, your blueprint is really cunning, leaving such a pitfall just to tease people."

"I'm not being sarcastic, but we have to try it," Chen Luyang grinned.

“We don’t have time to slowly make friends now; we have to screen them step by step. Think about it, if there’s a problem with the drawings, they won’t even look at them and will just start making them. Even if we get a cheap bulk price, it’ll all be for nothing if there’s a problem.”

“That’s right.” Director Lu paused, then asked, “So what’s your plan for the process? Will you just start working on it as soon as the blueprints are finalized?”

"This can't be rushed. When I get back to school, I need to go to Zhang Nan's place to get the drawings first, and Teacher Zhang also needs to take another look at the two drawings."

"Once the drawings are confirmed, I'll bring samples to the factory to test the dimensions. If we really want to start trial production, we'll begin with fifty pieces and try it out once."

Chen Luyang pondered: "We need to be careful with the 200,000 yuan from the factory; we can't be reckless."

"Hmm," Director Lu responded, then smiled.

"Director, whatever you say, we'll do it!"

Because there are classes at school the next day,
After returning to the repair shop, Chen Luyang quickly ate a bite of food and rushed back to school.

It's getting dark.
Chen Luyang had been busy all day and originally planned to go back to her dormitory to rest.

But when I got to the bottom of the student affairs building, I inexplicably turned inside.

Zhang Chongshan's speech draft, which he was supposed to submit for review, was still in his bag. He had to hand it in first to avoid Shen Fei nagging him again.

On Sunday night, half of the student affairs building was dark.

The hallway was so quiet that even the sound of Chen Luyang's shoes rubbing against the floor tiles was amplified.

Chen Luyang hurried upstairs, and just as she was about to open the door, she discovered that the door was ajar!

Is someone there?

Chen Luyang gently pushed open the door.

In the external relations department's office, Shen Fei, with his disheveled hair, sat motionless against the corner of the wall.

Upon seeing Chen Luyang, Shen Fei jumped to his feet.

"Where did you go?!?"

"I've gone to deliver the invitations."

Chen Luyang suspiciously took out Zhang Chongshan's speech and handed it to Shen Fei: "Why are you so excited?"

Shen Fei's voice almost cracked: "Give me back why I'm so agitated. You went to the Chinese Academy of Sciences on Saturday to deliver the invitation letter, and then you disappeared. I went to your dorm to ask, and they said they hadn't seen you either. I thought you were lost."

Chen Luyang was speechless.

"How could someone my age get lost?"

Shen Fei said, "Then who knows what you look like!"

"But it's good that you're back~"

Shen Fei picked up Zhang Chongshan's speech and looked at it, then said:
"I will send the speech to the school for review tomorrow, and then you can prepare according to the requirements."

He paused, then added, "When you went to Zhang Chongshan to deliver the invitation, did he give you any trouble?"

"No, it's fine." Chen Luyang answered readily. "He was very polite and even invited me in to sit for a while."

"That's good." Shen Fei breathed a sigh of relief.

"In our line of work, you encounter all sorts of people. Being rejected and given the cold shoulder is a common occurrence. You'll inevitably run into people with bad tempers in the future, so be prepared."

Chen Luyang laughed and said, "Oh! It's nothing, as long as no one gets hit."

"Besides! If it really comes down to it, most people can't beat me."

(End of this chapter)