I am a master in India

Chapter 171 City of Levels
Bania's factory is located in the Kimpur district, on the eastern outskirts of Mumbai, just east and west of Suer Electric.

The factory covers an area of ​​approximately 80 acres and has two long, operational workshops, with another under construction.

Judging by its size, this is considered a small to medium-sized factory, which is acceptable in a place like Mumbai.

The area around the factory is chaotic and unplanned, with residential areas, slums, markets, and bars.

Every morning and evening, people living in the surrounding area or further away come here to work in twos and threes, and then disperse in groups.

But due to the sudden change, the factory area was in a mess. The machines in the workshop were no longer roaring, and the busy figures in the office had disappeared.

It was still raining outside, and the raindrops pattered against the umbrellas and raincoats, making a soft pattering sound.

Ron glanced at the crowd gathered at the entrance but said nothing.

They were all former factory workers. On the day of the riot, people were terrified and scattered in all directions.

After all, it has been less than a year since the major unrest last year, and both Hindus and herders still have lingering trauma.

Now that things have calmed down, they have all reunited.

Various rumors circulated in the streets and alleys, and people knew that the factory had changed owners.

In Mumbai, this usually means the dismantling of existing systems, the layoff of workers, the sale of assets, and the demise of factories.

But they still came, filled with pleading, helplessness, and despair. They just stood there quietly, no one speaking.

Some of them were workers, some were technicians, and others were well-dressed office staff.

What can they do? There are seven or eight people in their families, all waiting for their wages to make ends meet.

There are over ten million people like this in Mumbai, and you simply can't stop, otherwise you'll be ruthlessly squeezed out of the city.

Nobody wants to go back to their hometown; it's a nightmare in the hearts of all the poor, and they've finally managed to escape from there.

In this city, they don't have to kneel or kowtow.

Mumbai is the golden-winged bird in everyone's heart.

The crowd was separated by burly men who formed a human wall, leaving a passage leading directly to the factory area.

Anil had a pistol tucked into his waistband. He looked around warily, watching each person pushing forward.

These are servants from their hometown in Uttar Pradesh. They arrived in Mumbai a week ago and, after a brief training, officially started working.

Protected by a human wall, Ron walked straight into the factory area, accompanied by several key members of Suer Electric.

“Ashish, have you seen the workshop?” he asked.

“Boss,” Ashish squeezed forward with a hint of excitement, “three die-casting machines, they can be repaired and put into use. We can produce iron ceiling fans in the future.”

Bania's factory appeared to be badly damaged, but the machinery and equipment were quite resilient.

At most, it's just some superficial damage to the wiring, pipes, buttons, etc. After replacing the parts, it can continue to run.

"Take your team and investigate as soon as possible so that the factory can resume operations soon."

"Yes, boss!"

"Anies, have you obtained the original factory's personnel roster?"

“Someone delivered it voluntarily, and even noted down the key technical personnel and troublemakers.”

"Get rid of all the cheaters and swindlers, and keep the others as appropriate. In short, I don't like troublemakers."

"Yes."

Ron led his men on a brief tour and already had a general understanding of the Bania factory.

Buying it for three million is definitely a great deal.

The value of just the two production lines is more than that.

When Suer Electric was setting up its factory, the cost of a single production line plus equipment alone amounted to 400 million rupees.

Although the equipment in Bania's factory was depreciated and even damaged, it was much more cost-effective after the price cut.

Not to mention the factory's existing distribution channels, which are invaluable intangible assets.

Suer Electric only needs to spend some time integrating it into its system, and its own strength will soon reach a new level.

Ron plans to have this branch factory continue to focus on electric fan production, as it has the foundation to resume production more quickly.

If the timing is right, the electric fan production line of Suer Electric Factory can also be moved here.

In this way, we can offer a full range of electric fan products, from plastic table fans, wall fans, and pedestal fans to iron ceiling fans and floor fans.

Yes, specialization is key, that's good.

The branch factory in the Kimber district will then be responsible for the electric fan market, while Suer Electric in the west will focus on water-cooled air conditioners for the time being.

Tsk, speaking of which, Ron's ambition was reignited.

Electric fans and water-cooled air conditioners were no longer enough for him; he also wanted to enter the television market.

In 93, just two years after India relaxed its economic policies, all sectors of the economy were showing signs of rapid development.

As the liberalized market matures, the economy will inevitably enter a period of prosperity, which means that the middle class will grow larger and larger.

Indians are different from Chinese; their consumption habits are closer to those of the West, namely hedonism.

Especially in Mumbai, people have a completely reversed concept of basic needs and luxury goods.

Almost every household in the slums of Chogashwari has electricity, with spiderweb-like wires growing over the makeshift shacks.

The middle class owns motorcycles and even cars in every household. People in Mumbai eat well, and even those in the slums don't skimp on food. This has nothing to do with wealth; true luxuries are running water, clean toilets, smooth traffic, and habitable housing.

Ron could almost imagine that once people had money, they would inevitably seek entertainment.

Back then, a television was the only option. Who wouldn't want to comfortably go home and watch a cricket match after a long day of hard work?

Unfortunately, India lags behind in technology across the board, and to this day, it does not have a single domestic television brand.

In major cities like Mumbai and New Delhi, televisions are all imported and expensive, making them unaffordable even for middle-class families.

Ron wanted to start a television brand, but of course he didn't have the wild idea of ​​developing his own.

He knew his own limitations all too well, and he never intended to drive technological innovation in India on his own.

Are you bored?
My brother's technical skills are outdated, what does that have to do with him?

Ron's idea is nothing more than rebranding and assembling the same thing; the fastest shortcut is to buy the technology!
We can simply buy a TV production line, but the core raw materials will still be imported, while other parts can be replaced with domestically produced ones as much as possible.

Take your time. It doesn't matter if the product is a bit rough; Indians aren't picky anyway.

We can't just hand over this blue ocean market to foreign brands. Rather than letting outsiders make money, we might as well do it ourselves.

He's already inquiring about this, and the price of television production lines is shockingly high.

Manufacturers willing to export complete production lines are either from South Korea or from small towns.

But they were incredibly greedy, asking for $200 million right off the bat for a black and white television.

Ron knew without even guessing that this was just the listed price, and who knows what traps were waiting for him behind the scenes.

They may not have any real intention to sell, and are deliberately offering prices several times higher than the market price as a way of indirectly refusing to sell.

India has just opened up its policies, and foreign brands are eager to enter the market.

They don't want to see a local brand rise to become their competitor.

This is a tricky matter, and Ron is prepared to take it one step at a time.

He wanted to buy a television production line, but he didn't have enough foreign exchange.

Including their previous savings and the income from Anand and his team's trip to Brazil, the total came to approximately $75.

It's neither good nor bad, it's uncomfortable.

Suer Electric is not powerful enough to influence the market or government policies.

The acquisition of the Bania factory is Ron’s first step in strengthening himself.

Not only did it eliminate competitors, but it also allowed Suer Electric's production capacity to reach a new level, achieving two goals at once.

This 80-acre plot of land can be considered an asset, even though it has a lease agreement with the government.

Thanks to the Leasing Law, which also covers commercial buildings and industrial land.

Therefore, Ron can use this piece of land in the center of Mumbai indefinitely by paying a small rent.

As long as he doesn't move, the land belongs entirely to him and can even be passed down to his descendants.

Is it outrageous? Not at all!
Look at South Mumbai, where the city's wealthiest residents live in villas on Malabar Hill protected by the Tenancy Act.

These mansions were inherited by them from their grandparents, or even great-grandparents, who were tenants back then.

Decades ago, the rent for a luxury home in Mumbai was a few hundred rupees, and it still is.

It is said that in this distorted market, there is also a so-called "bribery system".

Landlords may bribe tenants to move out of properties protected by the Tenancy Act.

In order to protect their legitimate rights to their property, they ended up paying a large sum of money to unrelated tenants.

This is outrageous. The rich live in villas and spend almost no money, while the poor have to prepare two thousand rupees for materials to build a slum hut.

Mumbai is a city of hierarchy.

It hits new immigrants, young people, and the poor.

Couples cannot build a love nest in Mumbai, and outsiders cannot find rental housing in Mumbai because all the best properties have been firmly occupied by the middle class and the rich.

This is the ultimate tuition fee that every outsider has to pay, but sadly, it cannot shake their determination to come to Mumbai; it will only make their lives in Mumbai miserable.

After all, it's a golden-winged bird.

The rain was still falling. Ron waved and led his men away, leaving the cleanup to be handled by others.

The crowd hadn't dispersed by the time they reached the doorway; they stared longingly at the black umbrella surrounded by people.

Ron paused slightly and glanced at the crowd.

"The factory will resume operations soon. As long as the inspection is passed, everyone can come back to work."

The crowd erupted in cheers, throwing away their umbrellas and raincoats as they rushed forward to bend down and touch Ron's feet.

But he was blocked by the bodyguards, so he shouted hoarsely, "Surbai, Surbai!"

Ron waved to them, then got into his high-end imported car and disappeared around the corner.

With the matter of the Suer Electric Factory settled, he had to get busy with other businesses.

Bollywood, Uttar Pradesh, drug smuggling. Even the local bigwigs haven't been seen in a long time.

But before that, he needed to see Vinod; the travel agency was doing very well lately.

(End of this chapter)