What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 331 Unexpected
Just as Greenpeace was preparing to cause trouble, good news came from the gearbox manufacturer.

After several months, they finally copied the 6AR transmission and successfully adapted it to the ECU.

In the messy factory area under construction, a truck equipped with an electronically controlled 6AT transmission is constantly accelerating and decelerating to test the transmission's performance.

Tang Wen climbed up and tried it out. He found that although there was still some jerking and the gearbox shifting logic was clumsy, it was already at a usable level.

This is because the mechanical gearbox provided by Geely is of excellent design, and the addition of electronic control makes it so smooth.

"The 6AT transmission we developed not only has a large input torque, but its shifting speed is even better than some car transmissions. It should be the only one of its kind in China at present."

Shen Wei reported his work to Tang Wen, also pointing to the group of additional technical personnel:
"But we still have to thank them. As expected of aircraft engineers, they solved many problems that we couldn't handle on their own. They also helped with the electronic control program."

Tang Wen nodded. The engineers who came to help were all highly qualified professionals who could fly, and in just half a month they had pushed the car factory's progress forward by a lot.

"Can we start mass production now? How many parts do we need to import?"

Shen Wei: "We can make most mechanical parts in our own factories and with local suppliers. However, there are a few types of bearings and friction plates that can only be made by imports. There are no domestic substitutes. The impellers can only be processed in-house, so the output is not high. In addition, the chips are also made in China."

"Domestic chips?"

"Yes, it's the finished product brought over by those people from the aviation factory. It was directly modified into an ECU. It's a product of Shanghai Radio Factory No. 14."

Tang Wen: "!!"

I thought the chip must be imported, but it turns out it's actually made in China!
He quickly found the engineer from Shanghai, only to discover that Shanghai also had a complete chip industry.

Moreover, starting in the 50s, a series of electron tube factories and radio component factories were established in Shanghai. In the 70s, they began to develop chip production equipment, including lithography machines, etching machines, etc., and even developed DRAM flash memory earlier than many other cities.

However, due to funding shortages and foreign competition in the 80s, these chip factories are now all in a state of crazy losses.

The aviation machinery factory frequently purchases goods to support its sister units, but this is only a drop in the bucket.

Joint ventures are currently popular, and Shanghai is promoting joint ventures with foreign companies such as Philips and Belling, hoping to absorb technology and turn losses into profits.

Tang Wen knew that all of these joint ventures had failed because the foreign investors never intended for the domestic semiconductor industry to develop.

Just like Pepsi's strategy against Tianfu Cola, after the joint venture, they stopped all the original product lines, directly killing their self-developed products and capabilities.

Tang Wen covered his forehead and quickly asked what level of chip manufacturing process Shanghai could achieve. After asking around, the answer was that they could mass-produce 1-micron technology, but they also had chips with a few tenths of a micron in size.

What is the process technology of Pentium? 0.35 micrometers, which is something that can be achieved with a little effort.

Right now, all the chip factories in Shanghai are on the verge of starvation.

Even if we can't provide technical support, just keeping them afloat is better than letting them be ruined by a joint venture.

Moreover, Tang Wen now has a passenger aircraft avionics project, so handing it over to them would at least prevent the partnership from falling apart due to losses.

Tang Wen immediately dialed the phone.

……

Magic City.

"Tuk Tuk"

A moment after the knocking, a middle-aged woman opened the door and asked warily:

"Who are you looking for?"

"Are you my sister-in-law? I'm Liu Shen, the factory manager of Factory 3505. Engineer Huang knows me; I need to talk to him about something."

Upon hearing Liu Shen's identity, the middle-aged woman hurriedly invited him in, only to discover that several other people were following behind him.

"Hello, sister-in-law, my surname is Geng. I'm here to help Boss Tang find some people."

Commissioner Geng and Liu Shen sat down and, without further ado, stated their purpose directly. The team at the aviation machinery factory specialized in aero-engines and other electromechanical components; they had no experience in airframe design, and they would soon have work to do.

Research the CF6-80C2 engine used in the McDonnell Douglas 11.

这一款发动机体型与伊尔76使用的D30民用版差不太多，但CF6-80C2推力达到了266千牛，D30只有120千牛出头。

后来空自研制的运输机之耻C2就采用了两台CF6-80，推力和用4台D30相当，足可见其先进程度。

Despite its advanced nature, Tang Wen failed to secure an agreement with General Electric to import and replicate the engine.

Of course, GE didn't want to upset its major customers, so it indicated that it could provide limited assistance to enable China to achieve overhaul capabilities for the CF6-80.

The aviation machinery factory is currently clearing out its factory in Tamsui City and has been renamed Gaijin Aviation Machinery & Electronics Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Gaijin Power. It will probably start learning the structure of the CF6 and preparing to replicate it once the personnel and basic equipment are in place.

When it comes to advanced equipment like aero engines, there's no point in talking about patents. It's all about being able to copy. Since GE gave us the opportunity, we were bound to copy it.

With the CF6-80 engine sorted out, the Y-20 will also have a power source. With further improvements, a wide-body twin-engine ocean-going passenger aircraft will not be a dream.

This would require almost all of the aircraft manufacturing plant's resources, and taking over the McDonnell Douglas 11 would only demand even more and require even more people.

Although Huang Hao is a bit stubborn, he is, after all, a capable senior engineer. Once you can persuade him, it will be much easier to build a team by leveraging his network of connections.

However, the middle-aged woman was in a dilemma. Everyone knew that Shanghai was a good place, and regardless of whether Huang Hao was willing or not, she didn't want to leave Shanghai either. So she politely declined:
"My son just started university at Tongji University, and I'm afraid..."

"Sister-in-law, I understand!"

Liu Shen has also gone astray, and directly pulled out 10,000 yuan:

"As long as Engineer Huang goes there, the salary will start at 10,000 yuan."

"This..." Huang Hao's wife stammered instantly, unsure of how to respond.

"We'll also give you a settlement allowance of 10,000 yuan, include housing, and provide you with a car for daily errands. How much was it again?"

Liu Shen looked at Li Zhengyang, who quickly said:
"The default vehicle is a Buick. If you're not satisfied, you can change it. We'll even reimburse you for four plane tickets."

After the two finished speaking, Commissioner Geng continued to press his advantage:

"If you can persuade Engineer Huang to recruit people, as long as they have professional titles, you will receive a referral fee of five thousand yuan per person."

"Ah, ah."

The middle-aged woman trembled as she accepted the ten thousand yuan, and immediately stood up:
“There are three or four other people in our building who are at a similar level to Lao Huang. I also know where some of his former colleagues live.”

"We'll be off work soon, I'll take you there now!"

"Should we wait for Engineer Huang?"

"Wait for him? I'm the boss in this family!"

Upon hearing the middle-aged woman's assertive statement, the group exchanged glances, immediately picked up their bags, and followed her outside.

Just then, Commissioner Geng's phone beeped.

He walked and talked, occasionally making expressions of surprise and excitement.

After a while, he pulled Liu Shen aside and asked:
Are the No. 5 Component Factory, the No. 14 Radio Factory, and the Electron Tube Factory all suffering serious losses?

Liu Shen didn't understand, but he nodded nonetheless:
"They're barely breaking even. The electron tube factory can still produce TV picture tubes and radios to reduce the losses, but the other two factories have almost stopped production. Why are you asking about this?"

"I want to buy those factories as well."

(End of this chapter)