Back to the 80s Machinery Factory

Chapter 492 Vocational school students are quitting?

"need."

Zhang Nan answered decisively: "The position of the washer is the core of the limiting point. If it is installed incorrectly, the positions of the subsequent couplings will be all messed up."

"Recording is to allow us to review and verify every step we take."

The man frowned and muttered, "Is this work or writing a paper?"

Zhang Nan explained, "We're not writing a thesis; we're building a complete process chain to ensure that every step is traceable, verifiable, and adjustable."

“But that’s a laboratory.” The boy shook his head.

"We're really doing real work on the machines."

“Some processes rely on our feel and experience. Filling out these cards... is pointless except for wasting time and paper.”

As soon as he said that, the students from other vocational schools echoed his sentiments.

"Yes! When we're working, we might just note the dimensions, but who fills out a form every single cut?"

"Besides... Zhang, don't you guys at Peking University seem a little hesitant about us?"

One student held up his craft card and asked directly.

"This thing looks like a check-up log... We have to fill out everything. If there's even a small mistake, will we be blamed?"

The words weren't particularly harsh, but the atmosphere instantly froze.

Zhang Nan immediately lost her composure.

Not bad!

He did indeed follow the laboratory's standard of "data acquisition, process tracking, review and iteration".

Chen Luyang and he designed this process card together to record deviations and standardize the process flow.

However, unexpectedly, these cards became a symbol of "distrust" in the eyes of vocational school students.

Zhang Nan paused for a moment, then said, "It's not that we don't trust you, it's just that..."

The boy didn't give him a chance to finish speaking, interrupting him abruptly:

"This project was already on a tight deadline, and now we have to write it while we work, which has cut our daily work hours in half."

It seems to be a preconceived notion that the other party doesn't trust them.

The boy spoke very rudely: "If we fail to complete the task, won't we be held responsible?"

At that moment, a vocational school teacher nearby couldn't help but interject:

“Zhang, your starting point is correct, and we understand that you have high requirements for scientific research.”

“But workshop production is different from laboratory production. We can’t be too dogmatic. Our experience here is gained through practice, not by writing it down on cards.”

“Some errors can be fixed by making a slight adjustment on the lathe on-site, but if you go through the process, the students will have to spend an extra half hour working.”

"I had to put down the cutting tool to write a report while I was working. When my hands stopped and the machine stopped, my work time was broken and my rhythm was completely disrupted."

The air tightened again after those words were spoken.

Zhang Nan stood there, still holding an unissued craft card in her hand, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

He wasn't unaware of everyone's difficulties.

But behind this card lies Chen Luyang's vision for the entire craft inheritance chain.

If no one keeps a record

The next batch of workers doesn't even know which process involved how many cuts or which section of material was too hard, so they have to start all over again.

Zhang Nan said in a low voice, "But if we don't write down these experiences, we'll have to try again every year when we change a new batch of people. We'll always be starting from scratch."

The vocational school teacher sighed: "Zhang, your starting point is correct, but our pace here... I'm afraid we can't keep up."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Nan's expression froze as if a pause button had been pressed.

He stood there, silent for a few seconds, and finally nodded, his tone revealing obvious disappointment and helplessness:

"I understand. Let's stop here for today."

After saying that, Zhang Nan turned and left the workshop, quickly going down the stairs.

His words don't carry weight.

Then he went to find someone whose words carried weight!

After leaving the school gate,

Zhang Nan stood by the roadside, took out some change, hailed a bus, and headed straight for Peking University.

……

"Vocational school students are quitting?!?"

Outside the classroom,
Chen Luyang's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Didn't we communicate with them beforehand? Why did they suddenly back out?"

Zhang Nan looked troubled and guilty, and said:

“I followed the process flow we agreed on before and had them fill out the process card before putting the machine on.”

"As a result, the students felt that we didn't trust their skills, saying that the project was already on a tight schedule, and this filling and writing cut the progress in half."

"The whole project is stuck now, and nobody wants to do anything."

Process card?
Chen Luyang was stunned.

"How can such a small piece of paper have such power?!"

Fortunately, Chen Luyang had initially thought it was a problem with materials, manpower, or machine tools.

Little did they expect that a small card would trip up the entire process.

"I'll ask the teacher for leave right now, and we'll go check out the vocational school."

Without saying a word, Chen Luyang ran back to the classroom to ask the teacher for leave, and then went to Fengnan Technical School with Zhang Nan with his schoolbag on his back.

only,
Upon entering the school, his first stop was not the students' practical workshop, but rather he went directly to He Zhengshu's door.

"Teacher He, Zhang Nan just mentioned the process card to me. I heard there's been some misunderstanding among the students."

"I want to clarify things face to face. We need to clear up this misunderstanding and not let the progress be delayed."

He Zhengshu's expression was complicated when he heard the words "craft card".

He didn't immediately respond, but instead got up and dusted off his clothes:
"Let's go, I'll go with you to the workshop."

The three of them left the administration building and walked along the corridor leading to the training workshop.

The wind rattled the glass in the corridor, and the air still smelled of iron filings mixed with machine oil.

The students were lining up to get on the machines; some were wiping sweat from their brows while holding their workpieces, while others were squatting in the corner smoking.

As Teacher He walked in with Zhang Nan and an unfamiliar face, the students in the workshop all stopped what they were doing and turned their eyes to him.

"This is Chen Luyang."

He Zhengshu explained, "The students from the Department of Economics at Peking University are also the project leaders for the general-purpose test pieces."

"He came here today specifically to explain the situation to everyone."

After speaking, He Zhengshu stepped aside, leaving the center position open.

Upon hearing that Chen Luyang was in charge of the project, the students in the workshop all looked over curiously.

Someone muttered quietly, "This guy looks way too young, how can he be in charge?"

"Why are you carrying a schoolbag?"

They originally thought Chen Luyang was very capable, after all, someone who could be in charge must be a big shot with technical expertise and a commanding presence.

But to their surprise, it was a student about their age, or even seemed younger than Zhang Nan. Just as they were wondering what Chen Luyang was going to say...
As a result, Chen Luyang's opening remarks were:
"Brothers, the craft card was my idea, it has nothing to do with Zhang Nan. I know that I didn't plan this well today."

"Well, everyone has worked hard all day, and the blueprints are finally ready and the materials are in place. We were just thinking of getting to work while the heat was on when suddenly we were presented with a stack of forms to fill out."

"If it were me, I'd be annoyed too."

The vocational school students looked at each other, their expressions noticeably more relaxed than before.

Chen Luyang continued, "But I'm not here today to force you to keep filling out the process cards. I'm here to explain 'why you need to fill them out'."

He raised the cards in his hand and pulled out a slightly wrinkled piece of paper stained with oil.

"This card was left by an old worker when we were testing and installing that batch of fuel injectors."

"It says: 'When drilling the fourth piece of workpiece, the corner chipped. Use the same tool to cut the edge twice, and adjust the cutting edge by 0.3 mm to avoid it.'"

"This sentence doesn't seem like much."

"But it is precisely this that directly reduced the scrap rate of our next batch of test pieces by 30%."

As soon as he finished speaking, the scene fell silent.

The boy who questioned it back then is still unconvinced:
"But do we need to write down every single step? Can't we just write it down when problems arise?"

“Of course.” Chen Luyang nodded. “We’re not asking you to be clerks and keep accounts.”

"But what if something goes wrong one day, and when you check the records, there's nothing written down? Then tell me, how should the responsibility be divided?"

"Is the machine broken? The cutting tool wasn't replaced? There's a sand hole in the workpiece? The clamping angle is off? Or do we simply not know what's wrong?"

"But once it's written down, even if it's not much, people who read it later will know that's how you did it, and they'll know where the problem lies."

"The purpose of our production is to ensure that the quality of a product remains the same from the first to the hundredth piece, so that anyone can replicate it."

"Otherwise, if a problem arises, it will be impossible to determine whether the drawing is wrong or if someone made a mistake."

He didn't say much, but every word he spoke hit the nail on the head.

“What you said makes sense… but the items on this card are too detailed, making it troublesome to fill out.”

The boy's tone softened slightly, but he was still somewhat dissatisfied with the card.

"Yes." Chen Luyang smiled.

"That means our card design isn't good enough."

"Cards are tools, not trouble. If you find them awkward to use, it means you haven't done a good job."

"What we need is to 'improve efficiency,' not 'waste time.'"

"So I'm here today to ask for everyone's help."

“As you work, point out the flaws and circle all the parts that you think are unreasonable or awkward to fill in.”

“I’ll revise it, Zhang Nan will draw the diagram. We’ll make a special set of ‘Technical School Training Cards’ so that it will be convenient for anyone to fill them out in the future.”

As soon as he said that, the atmosphere immediately became lively.

"I can see it."

The boy who spoke first muttered, "Since I have to fill it out anyway, I might as well fill in something useful."

“If we can modify it smoothly, then we don’t necessarily have to make things difficult for paper,” another person chimed in.

"I suggest moving the positions of 'process number' and 'product number' up a bit. Every time I open a card, I have to look for these two items first, which takes forever and is a waste of time."

"Also, the signature area is too cramped. Sometimes the teacher writes, but we can't write, and it's easy to smudge. Why don't you expand the signature area and add a 'date filled in' to make it easier to trace?"

"I suggest adding a 'On-site Notes' section, so that you can temporarily jot down passwords or tool adjustment data."

"Add another item, 'Temporary handling during processing,' so that we can record how to deal with problems when they occur."

"..."

In an instant, the workshop, which had just been filled with the smell of gunpowder, transformed into a lively discussion.

Everyone chimed in, pointing out what was wrong with the cards, where they could be simplified, and where spaces should be left to make it easier to remember key points.

Chen Luyang put her schoolbag on the ground, spread the cards on the workbench in the workshop, listened to everyone's talk, and drew circles and marks with a pen, writing down each suggestion.

Zhang Nan also helped organize and discuss the differences between the drawings and the actual operation.

By the time I finished, the sky outside was already turning gray.

After the exchange was over, Chen Luyang picked up his schoolbag and smiled:
"Thank you all for your hard work today."

"I'll take the card back to sort it out, and then have Zhang Nan bring it over after I've revised it."

"Don't worry, this time it's really done as you said."

"Oh, and don't forget to fill in your names. These modified cards will be exclusively for your vocational school from now on."

As soon as these words were spoken, a glimmer of light appeared in the eyes of the students.

"Exclusively for our vocational school?"

"Hey, we need to make sure it's done properly! Other schools might need to borrow our facilities in the future!"

Seeing that the matter at the vocational school was resolved, Chen Luyang breathed a sigh of relief.

Shouldering his schoolbag,

He was about to turn around and say goodbye to He Zhengshu when he saw the teacher standing by the door, looking at him with a half-smile.

"Alright, Xiao Chen," He Zhengshu said slowly, a hint of appreciation in his eyes.
"He's got some serious talking skills; it's rare to see someone who can talk these stubborn kids into understanding."

Chen Luyang smiled and said, "We're all just trying to get things done, so it's good that the misunderstanding is cleared up."

"Besides, no matter how good the cards are, if everyone is willing to use them, then it's a waste of time."

Zhang Nan sighed and said with a wry smile, "I've been drawing for so long, and it's all for nothing."

“It wasn’t a complete waste of time.” Chen Luyang turned to look at Zhang Nan.

"Even if the design is unsuitable, we have to make it first to find out what's wrong with it."

"Isn't this what our project is all about?"

"It's better to make changes as we go, correct mistakes and correct deviations, than to blindly follow a dead end."

Ah!
Zhang Nan replied, "I'll go back now and draw out the revised card. We can revise it if anything is not suitable."

“Okay!” Chen Luyang nodded without hesitation.

"You set up the basic framework first, and then we'll create a trial version of the sample print."

"I reckon that after two or three rounds of testing, it will probably be finalized."

"Okay." Zhang Nan smiled, looking a little tired.

"I'll get started tonight and incorporate all those feedback comments, and try to get a draft out tomorrow."

……

With the students' feedback,

That very evening, Zhang Nan quickly produced a new version of the craft card.

The cards came in three versions: one for milling machine operators, one for turning machine operators, and one for drilling assistance.

Each type of field has been rearranged according to the practical operation process. The product number and process number have been moved to the top of the homepage, the process steps have been changed to segmented descriptions, and a special column for "on-site operation notes" has been reserved for students to fill in temporary adjustments and experience records at will.

Not only has the signature area been widened,

In addition, two new lines, "Operator Signature" and "Team Acceptance", have been added, and the paper has been changed to thicker hard cardstock, which makes writing easier and easier even when wearing gloves.

Sure enough, the students' acceptance of the new process training cards has increased significantly.

People were initially somewhat resistant to this kind of "writing work," but as the card structure became clear, the terminology became familiar, and the columns became practical,
Many students simply stick the cards next to the workpiece and write on them as they work, which is practical and convenient.

(End of this chapter)