Back to the 80s Machinery Factory

Chapter 525 The car gets an upgrade! Up, up, up!

"The engine is fine, the braking system has been checked, and the hydraulic circuit is clear... It's just that when you brake suddenly, the car shakes violently and becomes uncontrollable."

Several workers were gathered around the car, bending over and inspecting it with furrowed brows.

Before long, Huang Pingtao, Dong Mangui, Sun Jianbo, and Zhao Yuejin also rushed over with their technicians.

After several repeated checks, an experienced craftsman stood up and said solemnly:

"It's probably due to a difference in the hardness of the rubber parts on the brake push rod, causing uneven rebound and vehicle vibration."

When Chen Luyang arrived, he overheard the worker's assessment.

Yu Anshan raised his hand and shouted without any politeness:
"Chen Luyang, come take a look! Is something wrong with one of your parts?"

"Yes, Factory Manager!" Chen Luyang said with a serious expression, leading several group leaders and technicians from the workshop to the car.

The technicians crouched down and examined the area carefully.

Soon, someone lifted the brake lever, touched the shock absorber bushings on both sides, and frowned.

"Boss, the problem is probably here," the technician reported quietly.

Chen Luyang bent down and looked carefully in the direction he was pointing.

The shock-absorbing rubber sleeves on both sides of the push rod were white and brittle, and could not be pressed down without force.

The technician whispered, "This batch of shock-absorbing rubber bushings is too hard; the rubber is too stiff and it's not providing the proper cushioning."

"When braking suddenly, the impact force is not absorbed, but is directly transmitted to the frame, which is why the bike vibrates."

Another technician added, "Not only that, the buffer pads on the brake push rod are actually too soft, and the hardness is not evenly controlled. The combination of soft and hard pads makes the problem even bigger."

Chen Luyang's face immediately fell.

If this was truly a mistake by the rubber workshop, and the factory manager publicly questioned him in front of so many people, it's no small matter!

"Who signed off on this batch of rubber? How did it pass quality inspection?"

Huang Pingtao turned pale upon hearing Chen Luyang's question.

"Director, this batch of documents is from the rush production last October. The task was too tight at the time, and we had several jobs running between the trucks, including cars, helicopters, and a training ground. The workshop was large but short-staffed. We also couldn't keep up with the raw material demand. We adjusted the formula several times, thinking it would last for a while, and then we approved it. No major problems were found during the testing process, but when the actual vehicle braked suddenly, all the deviations became apparent."

He wiped his sweat and lowered his voice even further.

"I signed the document at the time, thinking there would be no problem, but I didn't expect this to happen."

Rushing to meet deadlines and running out of materials are realities.

It may pass the hardness test on the testing bench, but it's a different story when a real car is driven on a test track.

Huang Pingtao was filled with regret. He never expected that the batch of documents he had sent out would cause problems during the test drive of the new car, which was the most anticipated part of the entire factory.

"Director, if anyone's to blame, blame me for not keeping a close eye on things."

“We were short-handed back then, and I thought I should hand over the task first to avoid the workshop from breaking down... I never expected such a big commotion.”

Chen Luyang's brows furrowed immediately!

He had been away from the factory for six months, hoping to see the rubber workshop's achievements upon his return. However, the first problem that struck him was this kind of oversight.

In the blink of an eye, the workshop stumbled at the most crucial test run stage of the factory.

Take a deep breath,

Chen Luyang quickly composed herself and suppressed her anger.

The site was not only filled with skilled workers, but also with Yu Anshan, Director Hao, Engineer Cao, and other workshop team leaders.

These are all key frontline employees in the factory.

If he were to lose his temper in public, not only would his brothers lose face, but the rubber workshop would also completely lose face.

Chen Luyang looked up at the deputy factory director and the crowd present, and said in a deep voice:

"Reporting to the factory manager, the hardness of this batch of new parts varies too much, resulting in unsatisfactory shock absorption. Our rubber workshop will immediately go back and re-examine the formula and vulcanization process, and conduct another round of random checks. This situation absolutely cannot be allowed to happen again!"

Yu Anshan glanced at them coldly, his expression unwavering: "The new car is the factory's toughest task this year; the ministry and the city are both watching it closely."

"If this kind of mistake happens again, the entire team will be punished, their 'Advanced Model' plaques will be removed, and they won't be eligible for any awards or commendations at the end of the year!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the area around the test track fell into a deathly silence.

Huang Pingtao's back was soaked with sweat.

Director Yu wasn't bluffing. If the entire workshop were disciplined and their "advanced model worker" plaques were taken off, it would mean a year's work was for nothing.

Sun Jianbo gritted his teeth and muttered to himself.

Damn it, we planted it at the worst possible time.

Chen Luyang's eyes sharpened, and he abruptly straightened his back, replying in a deep voice:
"Director Yu, rest assured! Our rubber workshop will absolutely not shirk our responsibility for this problem."

"Tonight we will conduct a re-inspection overnight, checking the hardness and rebound of each batch one by one."

"I will personally deliver the rectification plan and test data to the factory first thing tomorrow morning."

"If this kind of problem happens again, the punishment will start with me, Chen Luyang!"

"Hmph!" Yu Anshan said with a long face, then turned and left.

At the test track, only a jolt of fear remained in everyone's hearts, making it hard to breathe.

Watching Huang Pingtao and the others rush off to inspect the car, Chen Luyang felt a surge of anger rising within him, and he frowned and let out a heavy sigh.

Just then, a thick hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.

Chen Luyang turned around and saw that it was Lao Hao.

Old Hao winked at him and smiled as he advised:

"Don't get upset. When we're rushing to finish a project, everyone makes mistakes. If something goes wrong, we'll figure it out together and solve it."

After saying that, he couldn't help but tease, "But you, you've been back for half a day and didn't even let the brothers know! Have you forgotten about us old buddies?"

The workshop director also came over and chimed in with a smile, "Yes, Xiao Chen, it's been more than half a year since we last saw you. You've been making waves in Beijing, running between the repair shop and the school, and you've been getting all the news from others. We're all waiting to see when you'll show up again."

With Yu Anshan present, everyone's attention was focused on the test drive issue, and they didn't have time for pleasantries.

Now that things have calmed down, the tense atmosphere has finally softened to reveal a touch of warmth from a long-awaited reunion.

"Of course not!" Chen Luyang grinned.

"I was dragged into a summary meeting as soon as I got back, and then my new car broke down. I didn't even get a sip of hot water before I came here. I really didn't mean to neglect you guys."

Hao Fengchun chuckled and patted him on the shoulder: "Alright, enough with the nonsense."

"There's a thick stack of documents waiting for you to translate in the workshop! If you're free, hurry back to the workshop and report for duty!"

Chen Luyang exclaimed happily, "I'll go this afternoon!!"

After a pause,
Chen Luyang looked at the cars on the field and asked thoughtfully:
"Has your factory upgraded its cars again?"

Seeing Lao Hao nod, Chen Luyang was somewhat surprised: "Promoted every year???"

I finally figured out how to make this toy car work, so why does it keep getting upgraded?

Old Hao smiled and shook his head: "Now everyone in the country is making cars. If our factory really wants to gain a foothold, we have to keep moving up the value chain every year."

After listening to Lao Hao's explanation, Chen Luyang understood.

Although the cars in the factory have gone through three generations of updates: the first generation was a complete "clone" of the old Japanese models. It could run, but it had many problems and poor durability.

The second generation, with guidance from Italian engineers, saw significant improvements in its exterior and interior design, and its performance became much more stable, but it still couldn't be considered advanced.

The third generation of machinery has long adopted a joint solution from China, Japan, and Italy. Core assemblies such as engines and transmissions are relatively reliable and can be mass-produced.

However, the overall supporting system, production process and quality control are still not good. The testing process is still modified based on the ideas of military products. It can barely be produced and sold, but it cannot really take off in the market.

What's more troublesome is that the after-sales channels and spare parts supply chain are not running smoothly. When a car breaks down, it is more difficult to repair than to manufacture the car.

It all depended on the workers from the machinery factory carrying repair kits and traveling by train all over the country to conduct follow-up visits and inspections.

Nowadays, for machinery factories to move from the level of "being able to manufacture a few cars" and "being acceptable to the ministry" to the market stage of "being able to sell, use, and maintain," they must comprehensively upgrade aspects such as chassis, brakes, suspension, and interior, and truly develop a passenger car assembly line for civilian use.

In particular, at this year's import and export preview, the cars from the provincial machinery factory were specifically requested to participate in the exhibition.

This is not only a showcase of the province's industry, but also a window to the outside world.

Only a truly fourth-generation civilian car can showcase the achievements of Chinese factories transitioning from military to civilian production to marketization in front of foreign businessmen and ministry leaders.

Therefore, the factory issued a strict order: the fourth-generation car must be launched within one year.

Even if it requires major changes, such as building new or completely overhauling assembly lines, we must ensure that a batch of qualified prototype vehicles can be unveiled after the New Year.

Unfortunately……

The fourth-generation car had just been test-driven when its brakes malfunctioned.

However, Hao Fengchun was right about one thing.

Don't be afraid of problems, just solve them.
anyway,

Hao Fengchun looked at Chen Luyang: "Little Chen, everyone says the Peking University cafeteria is good and has a lot of variety, how come you've lost weight?"

"Even meat buns get greasy after a while!" Chen Luyang replied dismissively, putting his arm around Cao Qinghang's shoulder as he said:

"Let's go! Let's have lunch at our old restaurant, I'll give you a good nourishing meal!"

Cao Qinghang quickly said, "Come on, you just got back and you're already treating us to a meal and spending money. I wonder what you'll think of us later."

"We'll treat you to lunch today! It'll be a welcome-back dinner for you!"

Chen Luyang immediately blushed and said, "Engineer Cao, what are you saying? I'm not that kind of person!"

Cao Qinghang glanced at him, and he could see right through Chen Luyang's true nature.

"You say you don't want it, but you secretly want it more than anyone else."

Seeing Chen Luyang and Cao Qinghang chatting and laughing together, Huang Pingtao and the others secretly slapped their thighs in anger.

This whole thing is a mess...

What a fucking bad timing!
They had all planned to treat Director Chen to a welcome lunch, but this unexpected incident happened.
Forget about eating.

It would be good if the formula and vulcanization process could be re-inspected.

Seeing Chen Luyang looking over, Huang Pingtao immediately said, "Director Chen, don't worry, we'll retest right away."

Chen Luyang stared at him for two seconds, her brows slowly relaxed, and the anger on her face subsided somewhat.

"Don't worry, I'll take the blame. If anyone's going to be punished, it'll start with me."

These words brought tears to the eyes of Huang Pingtao and the others.

"Alright! Director, you can leave it to us."

……

By noon,
A group of people from the fusion workshop surrounded Chen Luyang and happily headed towards the old restaurant.

Xiao Kong was supposed to go too.

However, there was no other way. The factory office received a call from the provincial government, asking Xiao Kong to hurry back that afternoon.

So Xiao Kong could only watch others go to eat, feeling frustrated.

As soon as they arrived at the entrance of the old restaurant, Chen Luyang exclaimed "Oh my!"
"When did they add another small room?"

Next to the old restaurant, a brand new little red brick building had appeared.

The house is really beautiful, except for the roof...

"Why did they paint this perfectly nice little red house green?"

Just as Chen Luyang was about to let out a cry from the depths of her soul, she saw a head pop out of the glass window of the small house.

"You're back, Xiao Chen! How's school going?"

"Uncle Xin!?" Chen Luyang was taken aback. "Why are you squatting in this little room?"

The person in that small room was none other than Daxin's father.
Old and new~

"That's a long story," Old Xin said with a chuckle.

It turns out that ever since Chen Luyang gave Daxin the idea to seduce the provincial government's braised pork chef with mung bean cakes,

The old restaurant's business is still going strong, but the mung bean cake has become incredibly popular!

The limited-edition mung bean cakes, sold only twice a week, are far from meeting the material needs of the factory workers!
Long queues often form before the food is even cooked, which is far from enough to satisfy the workers' appetites.

At everyone's insistence, Lao Xin and Da Xin put their heads together and decided to open a pastry shop!

And so this little red brick house was built.

Old Xin, who had long since retired from the business, returned to his old ways, only to be dragged back to the noodle table by his son.

Da Xin's skills are all family traditions, and making mung bean cakes was a specialty that Lao Xin taught him.

To be honest, you have to look to his father for the most authentic version.

When the house was being built, the machinery factory was also repairing roads and renovating its old factory buildings, so a lot of cement and bricks were delivered from the factory.
While Wang Qingzhou and his group were having dinner with their guests at the restaurant,

Lao Xin seized the opportunity and whispered to Wang Qingzhou, hoping that the factory would allocate some bricks and cement to them so that they could build a small pastry shop for the old restaurant.

Wang Qingzhou nodded almost without hesitation.

As for the paint, needless to say, Lao Xin pocketed all the leftover green paint from painting the equipment in the factory workshop.
The main idea is to avoid spending money whenever possible.
Good guy...

Chen Luyang peeked into the small house and saw several kinds of pastries on a tray.
Besides mung bean cake, there are also jujube paste cake, sugar sesame cake, and glutinous rice strips.

The aromas mingled together, making one's mouth water.

"These are all my favorite foods...!"

Chen Luyang looked at each item one by one and felt a little hungry for them all.

Old Xin said cheerfully, "Buy whatever you want to eat quickly, or it'll be gone."

Chen Luyang exclaimed in surprise, "It's selling so well!"

Old Hao added with a smile, "They were sold out by 3 p.m. If you come late, you'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"Then I'll have to get some, Uncle Xin, give me some mung bean cakes and a bag of glutinous rice strips."

"Alright!" Old Xin happily wrapped up the mung bean cakes and glutinous rice strips for Chen Luyang.

Just as I got the food, the restaurant door creaked open.
Da Xin, wearing an apron and holding a kitchen knife in his right hand, pushed open the restaurant door and walked out.

(End of this chapter)