Back to the 80s Machinery Factory

Chapter 464 5k5 Super Super Super Mega Chapter: When the East Doesn't Shine, the West Does.

“Okay, every little bit helps!” Chen Luyang said decisively.

"Xiaolong, you've worked hard these past two days. Go to the scrap yard and the old industrial area and bring back as many scraps as you can find. Let's gather a batch for the emergency."

"There's no need to aim for perfection the first time; just gather a semi-finished sample that can run the process smoothly."

Jiao Long: "Okay, Brother Chen, I'll take care of it!"

Chen Luyang nodded.

It would be best if Jiao Long could get his things back.

If he really couldn't get the materials back, he would go back to the school to find Zhang Diancai or Lian Yinghua to see if he could apply for a subsidy for the trial production materials from the "project topic" or get a material usage list approved.

If all else fails, just include these materials in next month's "Industry-University-Research Pilot Project" application materials, and then compile a list and submit it together.

Putting the materials aside for now, the next thing to worry about is connecting with the vocational school.

"Director Chen, what are your plans for the next step?" Director Lu asked from the side.

"I haven't thought it through yet," Chen Luyang said honestly.

"First, follow the map and knock on doors to ask."

"Pian'er City is so big, we should be able to find a few schools that can help us produce parts."

"I'll go with you," Director Lu said.
"More people means more mouths to feed. It's better for us to work together than for you to run around aimlessly by yourself."

"Forget it." Chen Luyang shook her head. "It's almost the end of the year, there's a lot of car repair work, and the factory has a ton of maintenance to do."

"You just need to keep an eye on the repair shop; I'll handle the rest."

After lunch,

Chen Luyang flipped through the maintenance logbook, glanced at the vehicle's maintenance history over the past two days, and then walked around the workshop to make sure there was nothing urgent before slinging his backpack over his shoulder and leaving the repair shop.

The wind from Pian'er City blew into my collar in gusts, stinging my face.

Chen Luyang stood under the bus stop sign outside the West Railway Station.
He held a rolled-up city map in one hand, flipped through a small notebook he carried with him in the other, and had a half-eaten pencil lead dangling from his mouth.

The notebook was scrawled with a string of school names and addresses:

"Fengtai Technical School... Haibian Mechanical School... Guanghui Second Light Industry Technical School..."

"If I can finish three runs today, that will be a success."

As he spoke, he raised his right leg, unfolded the map, and placed it on his thigh, tracing the bus route step by step downwards:

"This one is closest to the bus stop, let's go there first."

"If the talks don't work out... we can always make a trip to Guang'anmen later."

He muttered to himself, put away the map, and stepped onto the bus that had just arrived at the stop.

……

Just as Chen Luyang went out to find a technical school to cooperate with,
The third floor of the Municipal Science and Technology Commission office building

The review meeting room was filled with smoke.

Several gray-haired experts sat in a circle around a long table, on which lay a thick stack of application materials.

The tea was steaming hot, cigarette butts lay scattered haphazardly in the ashtray, and the air was filled with the smell of tea and tobacco.

Following the Ministry of Education's issuance of a document promoting "pilot programs for cooperation between higher education institutions and local industries," encouraging students to step out of the classroom and go deep into grassroots communities,
The Municipal Education Commission and the Municipal Science and Technology Commission have jointly launched the selection and awarding of "University Student Engineering Practice Bases". They have issued notices to key universities in the city to solicit youth science and technology projects with certain technical foundations, implementation conditions and industrial integration prospects. The plan is to select a number of typical projects that are "transformable, demonstrative and effective" for awarding and supporting them.

As soon as the notice was issued, several key universities in Pian'er City submitted their reports.

Tsinghua University submitted a "High-Efficiency Solar Collector Trial Production Plan".
Aerospace colleges have submitted a report on "fatigue testing platform for aluminum alloy structural components".
The "Automatic Leak Detection Device for Urban Heating Pipelines" at the University of Science and Technology of China
The "Mining Drill Bit Wear Modeling Project" at the China University of Geosciences...

Each one is quite prestigious, being selected as a "key university-level project" by various universities.

It's either a professor personally guiding the project, or a group project in the lab.

The review panel members worked day and night, reviewing each item meticulously, afraid of missing any valuable projects.

Who's next?

The director who presided over the review pushed up his glasses, his tone tinged with fatigue.

The staff quickly flipped through the materials.

"It is Peking University's 'Exploration of Common Automotive Parts Generalization and Standardization Practices - Experimental Research Based on Joint Trial Production by Factories and Universities'."

"Oh? From Peking University?"

Several experts around immediately looked up.

"Which department submitted the report?" the deputy group leader asked casually.

"The Department of Economics and the Department of Mechanics jointly submitted the report."

"Economics Department?" The deputy group leader raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but click his tongue.
"The economics department is doing parts prototyping? That doesn't make sense!"

"Shouldn't this be an engineering job?"

The staff member flipped through the materials and explained, "Because the applicant is a freshman in the Department of Economics named Chen Luyang."

"The project leader from the economics department? And he's only a freshman?"

A committee member wearing reading glasses frowned slightly. "Is it really not some teacher who's just using someone else's name as a shield, and the students are being used as scapegoats?"

"It doesn't seem like it." The staff member turned to the appendix.
"According to the information, the applicant is also the head of an off-campus auto repair center."

"The trial production has actually completed the initial prototypes of common parts such as spark plugs, gaskets, and nozzles. The Department of Mechanics also participated in the drawing and data measurement."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

Then came the rustling sound of turning over papers, as many people began to flip through the materials.

"Um……"

The deputy team leader pondered as he read:

"This is the only one among all the submitted projects that has been implemented at an off-campus entity and has actually produced a sample."

“The project concept is quite good,” a young judge interjected.
"But this repair center, which is said to be a cooperative factory, is actually just a small repair shop in a remote location, and it is not very large."

"Isn't it a bit too low a threshold to be rated as a 'municipal-level practice base'?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the experts looked at each other, their faces showing some hesitation.

Don't rush to conclusions.

Sun Qiming, the director of the Science and Technology Achievements Division who presided over the review, did not rush to express his opinion.
"They just delivered supplementary materials this morning, and the philosophy department has also joined in, signing a cooperation agreement, saying they will provide theoretical support."

"Philosophy Department?" Several people looked up almost simultaneously.
The previously somewhat quiet conference table became lively again.

This is not "interdisciplinary collaboration" in the ordinary sense.

That's a methodological approach.

That is the theoretical foundation and logical framework of the entire technological direction.

The experts quickly flipped to the special topic "Analysis of the Social Value of Technological Generalization" submitted by the Department of Philosophy. The more they read, the calmer they became, and their eyes became more and more focused.

"This is quite a commotion, with arts, sciences, and engineering all involved!" a committee member said softly.

"With specifications like this, how could it be something students messed up?" someone nearby chimed in.

"It looks like the professor was behind it."

The deputy team leader did not respond, but thoughtfully turned to the last page of the project application, his gaze lingering on the signature section.
"Project manager... Chen Luyang, that name sounds familiar."

Suddenly, someone spoke up: "I know this person."

Everyone was taken aback and turned to look at the middle-aged expert.

"The last time the Ministry of Education evaluated the 'Excellent College Textbooks,' the 'Practical English Communication Handbook' published by Peking University was written by him."

After the middle-aged expert finished speaking, the conference room erupted in chaos.

"He wrote it?"

"What exactly does this person do?"

"Doing repairs, prototyping, and writing teaching materials all at the same time?"

……

Everyone was talking at once, discussing this "student who doesn't seem like a student."

at last,

The deputy team leader clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back to the project review.

"okay."

"No matter who submitted the project or how special the background is, it all comes down to the results."

He patted the application materials filled with trial production progress and sample data, and began to speak:

"This project has a complete process, prototypes are ready, and it is supported by interdisciplinary collaboration."

"I agree to approve the project."

“I agree,” an older expert chimed in.

"agree."

"agree."

"agree."

A moment later, there were no more objections in the meeting room.

Sun Qiming put away the materials and solemnly placed the slightly crumpled application form into the "Filing Approved" folder:
"it is good."

"This project has officially entered the approval process for the 'Municipal-level University Student Engineering Practice Base'."

"The Science and Technology Achievements Division is responsible for filing and preparing to recommend it for selection as a key demonstration project for the year."

The final decision was made on the spot during the review process.

……

Monday morning, the compound of the Municipal Economic Commission.

A cold wind had just passed, and the branches of the Chinese scholar trees beside the red brick wall were covered with specks of frost.

Administrative secretary Kobayashi was carrying a stack of documents and knocking on doors to distribute them.

Reaching the door of Liang Zhongwei's office, he raised his hand and knocked, saying softly:

"Director Liang, this is the material of the approval results of the Municipal Science and Technology Commission's 'University Student Engineering Practice Base' project. We have also sent a copy to you."

"Let me take a look." Liang Zhongwei took the document and his eyes fell on the first page.

Although the Municipal Science and Technology Commission and the Municipal Economic Commission belong to different systems,

Any project that includes the phrase "industry-academia-research collaboration" and involves "the possibility of industrial transformation" generally needs to be copied to the Economic Commission for record-keeping. Sometimes, joint promotion or funding coordination will also be initiated at the same time. As he looked through the documents, Liang Zhongwei focused on one of them.

Chen Luyang?
Upon seeing the project manager's name, he instinctively pulled out that page and flipped through it again.

The project recommendation statement prominently states: "This is currently the only project in the city that has produced prototypes, is affiliated with an off-campus factory, and has received support from the arts, sciences, and engineering departments simultaneously."
Liang Zhongwei raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise and approval flashing in his eyes.

"This Chen Luyang... is quite a character."

Ever since he returned from the repair shop, he has been thinking about the possibility of a collaboration between the vocational school and the repair shop.

To promote the coordinated development of vocational education driven by mechanical industry projects in the three districts of Pian'ercheng, we need to find a lever to change the existing pattern and a fulcrum to break the deadlock!
It's just a pity:

The No. 3 Machine Tool Factory in Xicheng District, as an old state-owned enterprise with a solid foundation, failed to keep up with equipment upgrades in previous years.

Machine tools are generally aging, technicians are retiring in batches, and there are fewer and fewer skilled workers. The remaining stock of machine tools are so rusty that even vocational school students can't muster any enthusiasm for them.

The packaging machinery factory in Fengnan District is quite resilient in its restructuring. Last year, it introduced a batch of light industrial production lines, and the factory even took the initiative to sign a three-month practical training agreement with a technical school.

Although the cooperation was established, the students only did odd jobs, did not get to touch the core equipment, and did not learn anything real, so in the end, neither side was satisfied.

There are quite a few technical schools in Xuanxuan District, but they are basically still at the stage of "drawing blueprints and explaining theories".

Students can read diagrams but are afraid to use the computer. Theory is one thing, practice is another; when they actually stand in front of a lathe, their hands tremble.

Ultimately, simply shouting slogans won't be enough to transform "the mechanical industry in textbooks" into "actual operations in the workshop."

Everyone is talking about "industry-education integration" and "industry-academia-research collaboration" these days.
But once it's actually implemented, either there's no equipment or nobody cares.

Otherwise, no one is willing to be the middleman who "pleases neither side".

To truly promote the coordinated development of vocational education driven by mechanical industry projects, a bridge is needed to connect school textbooks with factory production lines.

But Chen Luyang right now...

Student-led, off-campus implementation, prototype production, and support from three departments!

The philosophy department even provided methodological support.

Isn't this a typical interdisciplinary, small-scale pilot practice platform?

Liang Zhongwei stared at the project introduction, his gaze growing increasingly profound.

Don't let the small size of the repair shop fool you; they handle all sorts of serious matters.

The phrase "standardization of common parts" sounds easy, but it's not.

But if it were actually made, which part wouldn't involve model, structure, process, and automotive specifications?
It not only needs to be functional, but also durable, easy to promote, and acceptable to the market...

Furthermore, Chen Luyang is currently contacting technical schools to promote practical training cooperation.

This leaves room for maneuver.

Liang Zhongwei tapped the table lightly, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

If this small repair shop can really take this on...

That might mean it can be included in the pilot system of "industry-education linkage" and supported as a practical training sample.

only……

Although he had visited the repair shop under the guise of getting his car repaired, and had also talked to Chen Luyang face-to-face.

However, if you want to include repair shops in the "industry-education integration pilot program", you can't rely on just one or two observations.

Project budget, equipment standards, student training arrangements, division of responsibilities between factories and schools... every item needs to be investigated, filed, and processed.

Even if he agrees in his heart, he still needs to organize a round of "formal process" investigation.

After a moment's thought, Liang Zhongwei picked up the phone and dialed Section Chief Du of the Equipment Department:
“Old Du, could you take a couple of days off and bring two of the younger cadres to visit the small car repair shops near the West Railway Station?”

"We'll conduct a thorough investigation of the equipment status, trial production capabilities, mentorship conditions, and management systems, and then write a comprehensive report upon our return."

After hanging up the phone, he called his secretary in.

"Contact this repair shop and let them know that we are planning to send someone over for an on-site investigation. Let them know in advance when the time is set."

"Yes, sir."

……

While Liang Zhongwei was reviewing the project proposal,
Chen Luyang walked out of Shishan Technical School with a dejected look on his face.

Finding a vocational school is proving difficult...

In some schools, students are "trained in a specific field," and upon graduation, they go directly to work in designated factories. The teaching schedule is so tight that students can't even schedule their own teaching and internships in the factories, leaving them no time to take on external projects.

Some people worry that since the repair shop is a new establishment, dealing with standard parts and employing students, the students might leave and disrupt the teaching process.

Anyway,

I've encountered plenty of setbacks and received my fair share of cold shoulders.

But Chen Luyang wasn't one to give up easily.

Ultimately, this is a job where you have to "knock on the door even if you get scolded."

As long as one company is willing to negotiate, his trip won't be in vain.

That's what they say, but actually going to each and every one of them is really not easy.

He doesn't own a car and relies entirely on public transportation to get around.

Standing in the cold wind waiting for the bus is a common occurrence.

After getting off the bus, you still have to walk a long way, and sometimes you have to ask people for directions to find the school gate.

Sometimes, when things get really hectic, I don't even have time to eat.

As soon as get out of class ended at noon, he would grab two steamed buns from the school cafeteria, eat them as he walked, and rush towards his next destination like he was going to a market.

He had high hopes for this Shishan Iron and Steel Technical School.

As expected, they suffered another defeat.

Shishan Iron and Steel Technical School is a technical school directly under Shishan Iron and Steel Plant.
The main purpose is to train workers for steel mills; most graduates go directly into the factory to work.

These long-established technical schools that integrate factory and school operations have almost no contact with outside companies.
There's absolutely no way they'd pay attention to Chen Luyang's request for cooperation, which is essentially a "repair shop doing project work."

On the contrary, the nearby Shishan Technical School extended an olive branch, offering to help manufacture some parts.

Shishan Technical School is different from Shishan Iron and Steel Technical School. It is not directly affiliated with the steel plant, but is a district-affiliated school.

The major is also related to mechanical processing and electrical engineering.

Although it's far from Peking University, it's still an option.

After leaving Shishan Technical School,
Chen Luyang turned around and looked enviously at the big eagle at the entrance of Shishan Steel Plant.

When he first arrived in Pian'er City, he was full of ambition, thinking he would put up two little eagles in front of his repair shop to make it look more impressive.

Now, let alone the Eagles, even the project is almost impossible to move forward.

But speaking of it...

This Shishan Steel Plant is truly impressive!

The red brick gate, stone lions, and large iron eagle—it's clearly the kind of respectable, large organization that commands respect from everyone.

Chen Luyang couldn't help but glance inside a few times.
...I wonder what it looks like inside. I wish I could go in and take a look.

Just as Chen Luyang was looking on with envy and preparing to turn and leave,
Suddenly he stopped in his tracks!
Although he failed to get into the vocational school.

However, as a member of the External Relations Department, he also had the task of securing sponsorships for the "December 9th Movement" cultural performance!

Shen Fei had told him before,

Factories, newspapers, restaurants, shops, research institutes... those are all good places to make money.

It's entirely possible for a large factory like Shishan Steel Plant to donate a venue and supplies to Peking University's patriotic themed activities!
A technical school is a technical school, but transporting supplies is transporting supplies!

Let’s put one thing at a time!
Thinking of this, Chen Luyang suddenly looked up, took out her External Relations Department ID from her bag, and

Shake off the feeling of disappointment.
With high spirits and firm steps, they walked towards the gate of Shishan Steel Plant.

……

Shishan Steel Plant

Inside the gate

Two security guards in dark gray uniforms were sitting inside drinking tea, with a telephone, registration book, and red armbands all neatly arranged beside them.

I caught a glimpse of a young man walking towards me from afar, and one of them walked out from the gate:

"What do you do?"

"Hello comrade, I am from the External Relations Department of Peking University. This is my identification."

Chen Luyang greeted him with a smile and promptly handed over the letter of introduction from the External Relations Department, the "Letter of Inquiry for the December 9th Commemoration Activity," and his student ID.

The security guard took the ID, checked the information, glanced at him, and spoke in a more polite tone:
"Is there something you need at our factory?"

"Comrade, December 9th is just around the corner. Our school would like to ask your steel plant for some printing materials."

The security guard glanced down at the letter again, confirming the school's official seal and the issuing organization of the letter, and nodded.

"You wait."

The gatekeeper turned and went into the guardhouse, picked up the phone, and spoke in a low voice, but the words "from Peking University" still floated out through the glass window.

Less than two minutes later, the security guard pushed the door open again and came out.

"The factory office said they want you to come over there. I'll take you there."

Chen Luyang was overjoyed and quickly picked up her bag to catch up.

Passing through the guardhouse,

This was the first time he had stepped into the factory area of ​​this famous factory in Pian'er City.

A straight road stretched out in front of us, lined with factories on both sides, and power lines crisscrossed overhead like a net.

In the distance, blast furnaces were spewing billowing white steam, and huge molten iron ladles clattered along the tracks, their roars echoing in our ears.

The air was filled with the familiar smell of hot iron, the smell of furnace fire, and the smell of sweat and dust mixed together as workers worked.

Several workers whizzed past on old-fashioned bicycles, tool bags and lunch boxes strapped to the rear racks.

Chen Luyang's nose twitched.

He tilted his head slightly, looking at the workshops below the chimney, and remained silent for a moment.

The wind blew through the factory area, stirring up sand and dust from the ground.

I miss home.

(End of this chapter)