Era: I was a farmer at the foot of Yaoling Mountain

Fang Wei was very satisfied with all aspects of the electrical appliance group's work; in any case, he couldn't find any problems.

After inspecting the electrical appliance group company, he went to Xiangyang Locks.

The headquarters of Xiangyang Lock Company is now in Xiangshan, and its production base is divided into two locations, one in Xinlin County and the other in Xiangshan.

The production base in Xinlin County mainly produces traditional locks, while the Xiangshan base mainly produces new and special locks. The businesses of the two sides do not overlap much.

"Secretary, the company has always valued research and development. After such a long period of hard work, we have achieved fruitful results. At present, our Confidence Locks are very popular in the market, and our products are exported to many countries and regions."

When Xiangyang Locks first arrived in Xiangshan, it was met with resistance from Xianfeng Mingguang Locks. Among them, Fan Zhipeng, the general manager of Xianfeng Mingguang, brought personal grudges into business dealings for various reasons, which further increased the company's operational difficulties.

Fang Wei asked Lu Zhiwen to remain calm and allocated funds from the group company to support Xiangyang Locks, which helped Lu Zhiwen stabilize the company's foundation.

Next, Xiangyang Locks made steady progress and increased investment in research and development, taking one step at a time, and finally emerged from the quagmire.

"Manager Lu, you've done a great job! Running a business requires composure, not being distracted by external factors, and focusing on making the best products possible. However, Xiangyang Locks has only achieved initial success; everyone needs to continue their efforts."

Fang Wei did not ask about Fan Zhipeng and Xianfeng Mingguang's situation; he planned to discuss that with Lu Zhiwen alone later.

Subsequently, the company's management team also made statements, and the meeting came to an end.

Next, accompanied by Lu Zhiwen, Fang Wei inspected the company's two production lines and visited the relevant finance and sales departments to review the financial and sales data.

Lu Zhiwen did not disappoint Fang Wei's expectations. Xiangyang Locks not only turned a profit but also achieved a significant increase in revenue and profit.

"Secretary, it's getting late. I've booked a private room at the restaurant. Shall we head over soon?"

A day passed quickly, and Fang Wei had a basic understanding of the overall situation of Xiangyang Locks.

Fang Wei was very satisfied; the situation was even better than she had expected.

Seeing that it was past the end of the workday, Lu Zhiwen invited the other person to go out for dinner.

"Don't go to a restaurant tonight, let's eat at the company cafeteria. After dinner, let's chat in your office."

Fang Wei was too lazy to eat out, but also wanted to see what the food was like in the company cafeteria, so she dragged Lu Zhiwen to the cafeteria.

The food in the cafeteria was quite good, no worse than that at the electronics company. After lunch, the two went to Lu Zhiwen's office.

"Secretary, I have some good tea here. Please have a taste."

Lu Zhiwen brewed a pot of tea, then sat down and poured a cup for Fang Wei and himself.

The aroma of tea filled the room, and Fang Wei took a sip and couldn't help but praise it repeatedly.

"Manager Lu, tell me about Xianfeng Mingguang and Fan Zhipeng's situation."

Fang Wei put down his teacup and got straight to the point.

"The situation at Xianfeng Mingguang is not good. Fan Zhipeng has never been able to get rid of Wang Qingyu from the company, and the two are still fighting each other behind the scenes. Of course, when facing competitors, the two are still able to unite against them."

As Lu Zhiwen narrated, Fang Wei also learned many new things.

Fan Zhipeng was never able to fully integrate Xianfeng Mingguang. He and Wang Qingyu had both conflicts and cooperation, which could be considered a dynamic balance.

After a period of rapid development, Xianfeng Mingguang slowed down its offensive due to funding issues. In reality, its investment in research and development was very limited, and it had clearly fallen behind Xiangyang Locks in the field of new and special locks.

However, the other party still has advantages in scale and sales channels, but only slightly.

"I am confident that I can catch up with and surpass Pioneer Mingguang within two years!"

Lu Zhiwen now appears sharp and assertive, no longer the insignificant nobody who was once overwhelmed by others.

The hidden dangers of Pioneer Mingguang have not been completely eliminated, and funding has always been a problem unless the other party can introduce a third-party major shareholder.

"Having confidence is a good thing, but we can't underestimate our opponents. I originally thought that Vanguard Mingguang would collapse quickly, but they have fought without breaking down and are still our biggest threat."

Manager Lu, you need to focus on a steady and pragmatic approach, and not get bogged down in minor gains or losses with the competition. Just concentrate on making the product excellent. Don't worry about funding; I can arrange a loan for you through the Agricultural Bank of China system later.

Fang Wei was not blinded by the temporary victory. Vanguard Mingguang's strength was still there, and Xiangyang Locks was not yet at a point where it could rest easy.

Therefore, we must continue to adopt a strategy of attrition, gradually eroding the market share of our competitors and striving to widen the gap with them in terms of products.

It's not just new and special locks that need to be improved; even traditional locks require continuous refinement.

"Okay, Party Secretary, I understand what to do next."

Lu Zhiwen nodded, and a new plan gradually formed in his mind.

After drinking a few cups of tea, Fang Wei got up and left. He no longer needed to worry about Xiangyang Locksmith.

The rest could be handled by Lu Zhiwen and his team; he was confident they could make the company bigger and stronger. Two days later.

Fang Wei went directly from Fragrant Hills to Guangzhou.

After arriving in Guangzhou, he called President Guo of the Agricultural Bank of China. The president was very polite and invited him to have a meal together.

"President Guo, let's skip the dinner. I have to rush to Beijing for a meeting in the next couple of days, but there will be plenty of opportunities later. Our subsidiary, Xiangyang Locks, is located in Xiangshan and is looking for a loan. Could you perhaps put in a good word for me?"

Yaoling Group is a high-quality client in President Guo's eyes, so Fang Wei's request does not seem out of place.

For high-quality customers, banks are eager to lend them money, as the risk is low and the returns are stable.

"Secretary Fang, you're too kind. Our bank should provide excellent financial services to our customers. Leave this to me. I'll let the Xiangshan branch of the Agricultural Bank of China know about it later. How much loan amount do you need?"

"Thank you, President Guo. A quota of 4000 million yuan is sufficient."

Fang Wei expressed his gratitude to the other party, and when President Guo heard that it was only 4000 million, he agreed without hesitation.

The two chatted for a few more minutes before ending the call.

He had just hung up the phone when his older sister called to invite him to dinner. Usually, his sister would cook and sleep at Binbin's place, since Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua hadn't come over.

"Okay, sister, I'll be right there."

Fang Wei then went to her son's house for dinner. Her daughter-in-law was clearly having difficulty moving around, and her due date was in early summer.

After dinner, the family sat together and chatted for a while before he returned home.

He then stayed at the company for two days before flying to Beijing.

In recent years, the topics of the meetings have been inseparable from housing reform, education reform, and medical reform. Agricultural production has also been given great importance, since the No. 1 document at the beginning of each year discusses agricultural issues.

However, the seed protection plan repeatedly proposed by Fang Wei and a group of representatives has not received enough attention.

On the contrary, some places have taken action. For example, during the group discussions at this conference, representatives from several regions talked about establishing seed banks in their localities.

Fang Wei interacted with these representatives, and they agreed to exchange ideas more often. After all, building a seed bank is no easy task; it requires years of continuous improvement of varieties, and no single region can accomplish it alone.

The exchange of resources is a key factor in the construction of seed banks.

“Secretary Fang, it’s all thanks to you, this ‘evergreen’, otherwise who could persist in proposing the same motion for years? The higher-ups are starting to loosen their grip, and I estimate that a large national seed bank can be built within the next two years.”

After the meeting, as is customary, Fang Wei dined with the representatives he had a good relationship with.

Although this year's proposal was not passed and there is no money at the higher level to increase investment in this area, there has been some easing of restrictions.

For example, as this representative mentioned, the construction of the national seed bank is about to begin, which is exciting news for everyone.

"However, don't get too excited. The domestic breeding situation is more severe than you think. After all, international giants have the advantage of capital and technology, and foreign seeds have quietly occupied a considerable market share."

Some people are more pessimistic. They suggest protecting domestic seeds, not only hoping that the country will increase investment, but also hoping to raise the threshold for importing foreign seeds.

The current situation of the domestic seed industry is generally not optimistic.

"Don't be so pessimistic. We still have Secretary Fang and his Yaoling Agriculture, right? As long as we do our best, we will definitely see results. Don't worry."

Everyone drank and chatted about these things, but Fang Wei didn't say much.

Currently, there are many problems that need to be solved and many places where money needs to be spent, but the issue of seeds will be taken seriously sooner or later.

After the meeting, instead of rushing back to the village to supervise the spring planting work, he flew directly to Zhejiang to inspect the construction of their provincial seed bank.

After arriving in Hangzhou, he first visited his in-laws.

The in-laws said they would be going to Guangzhou in a while, and Liu Xuemei's mother would stay there for a longer period of time until the baby was born.

Fang Wei had a meal with Liu Xuemei's parents and then went to the Zhejiang Seed Bank.

“Secretary Fang, you are an authority on breeding in China. Please give us some advice.”

The seed bank was jointly built by the Provincial Department of Agriculture, the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and several large agricultural companies in Zhejiang Province. Although it is not large in scale at present, it has collected a lot of high-quality traditional seeds.

The seed bank's major investments are mainly in seed collection and preservation, and it's clear that the seed bank is well-constructed.

"Your seed bank is already quite well-established, so I have nothing to say about that. However, I can exchange information with you, which would speed up the construction of our seed banks."

Fang Wei discussed exchanging seeds with the other party, which was beneficial to both of them, so they agreed without hesitation. (End of Chapter)