The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 254 The Sixth State-Owned Cotton Mill Introduces International Equipment, with Director Qian Taking the Lead
The lack of recreational activities has left young people with an extremely impoverished spiritual world.

The arrival of Hong Kong films was like adding fertilizer to this barren spiritual land.

This is even more tempting than welfare items like Beijing-style snacks and seafood.

After that, every Sunday became the most anticipated day for all the employees of the Foreign Business Office. They were enthusiastic about working overtime on Sundays and even looked forward to coming to the office to work overtime on Sundays.

This incident left everyone at the Municipal Supply and Marketing Cooperative completely bewildered.

Qian Jin's leadership skills were greatly praised by leaders such as Wei Bin!
It's amazing that he can get employees to work overtime and still maintain excellent mental state. Not only does no one complain about the work or about his leader, Qian Jin, but they all praise him.

The secret of watching movies on Sundays has become a small source of happiness for all the staff at the Foreign Business Office.

In addition to satisfying their spiritual needs through watching movies, they also gained a sense of psychological superiority over others:
You guys might watch "Manhunt" and be happy, but that's nothing! We watch "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow," "The Big Boss," and "The Beauty and the Beast"!
This sense of superiority makes them more energetic and motivated at work, and the entire department is more cohesive.

This is similar to the Taishan Road Labor Commando Team.

Where does the commando team's cohesion come from?

It is also a kind of sense of superiority:

Other street labor commando teams have no status, no income, and no future, while the Taishan Road labor commando team has a well-known reputation throughout the city and naturally has status, and its income and future prospects are even more impressive.

In this situation, the assault team members naturally loved their group and were willing to obey Qian Jin's orders to fight.

Whether it's work at the unit level or at the street level, everything is progressing in an orderly and efficient manner.

Qian Jin is living a comfortable life.

Busy but relaxed.

As April arrived, the two families of the second sister, Qian Xi, and the third brother, Qian Lie, all returned to the city.

During this period, the return of educated youth to the city became a social focus.

Hundreds of thousands of Shanghai educated youth who had been sent to the countryside returned to Shanghai, and the trend of returning to the city became increasingly intense.

Although Haibin City cannot compare to the capital or Shanghai, it is still a large city.

Today, a large number of educated youth are also returning to the city.

Qian Jin could sense that the city's population was growing rapidly.

The Taishan Road Labor Commando Team has expanded again, with its number approaching 300 people. Even so, there are still hundreds of unemployed educated youth waiting to join.

However, Qian Jin cannot blindly expand his team.

He laid a solid foundation for the commando team, and we can't let that foundation go to waste.

April, May, June.

Time flies, and in mid-June, the Second Session of the Fifth National People's Congress convened.

Based on the recommendations of the CPC Central Committee Working Conference, the meeting adopted the policy of "adjustment, reform, rectification, and improvement" for the national economy.

The Criminal Law, the Criminal Procedure Law, and the Law on Sino-Foreign Joint Ventures were passed.

Anyone with eyes can see that the country's development is back on track.

A giant train is slowly starting up.

July 7th, Friday, Lesser Heat.

After arriving at work, Qian Jin habitually arranged his tasks, then brewed a cup of tea and leisurely read the newspaper.

The proletariat must have its own experts.

Yes, the headline news is great.

This is a guiding principle, a principle that guides the entire society to respect science and knowledge.

Learn from these stevedores: The Jiagang Handling Team of the Municipal Supply and Marketing Cooperative completed last year's total handling workload in six months.

Well, today's news in the Haibin Daily is quite important. I'll show it to Qiu Dayong later; this guy is in the newspaper now.

As Qian Jin's status in the company rose, his influence in internal meetings increased significantly.

Qiu Dayong benefited from his position and has now been promoted to captain of the Jiagang Port Moving Team, taking over Qiu Dayong's former job.

He quickly skimmed through the news reports about the port's moving team and continued reading. In the lower right corner of the newspaper's social section, another "big news" story, also framed in thick black, suddenly caught his eye.

His gaze sharpened slightly and immediately shifted over there:

"In response to the reform and opening-up policy and to motivate state-owned industrial enterprises, the State Council yesterday issued the 'Several Provisions on Expanding the Autonomy of State-owned Industrial Enterprises in Operation and Management' (Draft for Trial Implementation)."

"The regulations stipulate that, under the premise of ensuring the completion of national plans, enterprises are allowed to flexibly arrange production according to production needs and market changes..."

"Enterprises have the right to arrange for increased production and revenue, and to improve economic efficiency, after completing national tasks..."

Qian Jin immediately spread out the newspaper.

Good guy.

The main event is coming!
With the release of this regulation, the reform of state-owned enterprises is about to begin, but what needs to be done now is a small-scale internal reform.

Qian Jin's mind started to wander, and he began to prepare to help the small collective enterprise of the labor shock brigade.

He took out his notebook to make a work plan. After a while, Li Xiang knocked on the door: "Director Qian, Director Qian, the No. 6 State-owned Cotton Mill called and asked you to attend the Foreign Trade Supply and Marketing Conference."

The foreign business office is now very busy, not only because of the heavy workload of their regular duties, but also because they often need to go out on fieldwork.

Now all state-owned enterprises are one family. If there are any needs or problems, they will send people to help each other.

Then, the reform and opening up had just begun, foreign trade was just starting, and most units and factories did not yet have any external departments.

In this way, if they have work related to foreign trade needs, they can ask the Foreign Investment Office of the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives for help.

In addition, some units have also begun to set up departments for foreign affairs, and Qian Jin has to send people over from time to time to impart his experience in organizing them.

Qian Jin was not surprised when he received Li Xiang's message. He nodded and said, "I know what they're up to. I'll go there myself later."

Wang Dong had mentioned to him during the winter that they should import new production lines from abroad.

For the past six months, he has been leading a team to study this matter, and Qian Jin has provided him with a lot of help, such as translation and background investigation.

The process of introducing foreign technology has now entered the decision-making stage, and the senior leaders of the Sixth State-owned Cotton Mill held this meeting specifically for this matter.

Qian Jin instructed Cheng Xia and Sun Jian to take charge of the department's work, and then rode his motorcycle to the No. 6 State-owned Cotton Mill.

He had been visiting the No. 6 State-owned Cotton Mill many times in the past six months, and the gatekeeper already knew he was a VIP guest. So before his motorcycle even reached the gate, the gatekeeper had already opened it.

The motorcycle drove directly to the office building. Qian Jin went upstairs, where a number of people had already gathered in the factory manager's office.

The door was half open, and from inside came waves of excited, heated, and even somewhat frenzied debate, mixed with the pungent smell of burning cigarettes.

"Old Wang, Old Wang, you've taken too big a step!" This was Liu Shengli, the deputy factory director, saying.

Liu Shengli is a veteran cadre who prioritizes stability in everything he does. Qian Jin has dealt with him a few times and is already familiar with his hoarse voice.

"That American stuff is good, but it's incredibly expensive! What if, I mean, what if that iron thing doesn't work? What if we throw away all the savings the factory has accumulated over the years? None of us can afford that responsibility!"

Qian Jin knocked on the door, and Wang Dong, who was smoking, threw away his cigarette butt and waved to him.
"Director Qian is here? Let's go to the conference room and officially start the voting meeting!"

Liu Shengli, with his gray hair and furrowed brow, was smoking one cigarette after another.

After entering the meeting room and having all the leaders and party representatives taken their seats, he was still having second thoughts.

Wang Dong was a young, ambitious, and aggressive cadre. He started firing off as soon as the meeting began, directly showing Liu Shengli today's "Haibin Daily":

"Old Liu, take a look at the newspaper. There's a trend of reform and opening up here. Look closely at this section. The government is going to give our factory more autonomy!"

"What is autonomy? It means combining theory with practice and taking charge of our own affairs. The country has given us this power, so if we don't use it and don't seize the opportunity to do something practical, wouldn't that be letting down the country's good policies?"

As he spoke, Wang Dong's voice rose habitually, quickly drowning out the murmurs of the crowd.

Liu Shengli glanced at the newspaper and lit another cigarette: "Yes, the country has good policies. Yes, our factory must seize the opportunity to develop."

“I’m not an old fogey, nor am I one of those conservatives. I agree with your idea of ​​upgrading the factory production line.”

"But taking too big a step can lead to disaster. If you start by spending millions to get an American product, and something goes wrong, our factory will be completely ruined."

"You see the No. 2 State-owned Cotton Mill, right..."

“I’ve been to the No. 2 State-owned Cotton Mill several times. The production line they bought is an old, outdated thing discarded by the Japanese!” Wang Dong waved his hand domineeringly.

“I’m not a backstabber about this. I said it to their faces too. They went down the wrong path, wasted the country’s precious foreign exchange, bought some unwanted secondhand goods, and thought they had found a treasure!”

"I, Wang Dong, don't do that kind of thing. If I'm going to do it, I won't do it at all. If I'm going to do it, I'll do the newest and best!"

Qian Jin sat at the lower end of the table, reading documents.

Wang Dong turned to him and asked, "Director Qian, was my assessment of the Japanese cotton textile production line that the No. 2 State-owned Cotton Mill imported correct?"

Qian Jin said, "No problem, it really is garbage. I've seen it myself, and I even privately asked a friend abroad to investigate the production line." "If you're going to import something like that, I'll tell you straight up, no way, it's a losing proposition!"

Wang Dong was greatly encouraged upon hearing this.

With strong support, he spoke louder and more forcefully, standing there with his left hand on his hip and his right hand slamming a thick document on the conference table with a loud thud.

"Comrades, we've all been colleagues for a long time. We have a mature leadership team. You know I never make decisions unilaterally in the workplace."

“But I must emphasize my authority as the factory manager in this matter. The information has already been given to you. Take a good look at the latest technical parameters of this Wodes General Fiber Technology Company.”

"Director Qian has done the research for us. This new generation of automatic combing and spinning combined production line is quite advanced internationally. It has a high degree of automation, saves labor, and improves efficiency. With a 60% reduction in personnel, the spinning speed can still be 60% higher!"

“Take a look at these parameters, look at the yarn strength, hairiness index, uniformity and other things. Everything that comes out of their production line is top-notch quality.”

"If we successfully introduce this production line, the overall output value of our No. 6 State-owned Cotton Mill can increase by at least 50%!"

The more he talked, the more excited he became, his eyes and brows almost contorting with a desperate stubbornness and fervor.

The idea of ​​importing the production line from Wodes was actually Qian Jin's, but the choice was in Wang Dong's hands.

Qian Jin bought a book called "Thirty Years of Blood and Fire in Foreign Trade" in the mall, which listed many cases of factories and enterprises introducing production lines and new technologies from abroad.

There are successes and failures among them. The most successful case in the cotton textile industry is the cooperation between Shanghai Cotton Textile Factory and Wodes General Fiber Technology Company.

The case study includes a brief introduction to the production line provided by Wodes, lessons learned during the negotiation process, and the finalized cooperation model.

Therefore, Qian Jin was quite confident in this project, and it was essentially a copycat job.

Deputy factory director Liu Shengli hunched over in his chair, his gray hair disheveled, and the cigarette he held in his hand burned down to a long ash, almost reaching his fingers.

Several other deputy factory directors, as well as leaders from the production and technical departments, were also present.

They discussed the documents in hushed tones, their hesitation and uncertainty mingling with their hopes for the future.

Another deputy factory director, Qiu Guohua, looked at Qian Jin and asked, "Director Qian, you are an expert in foreign trade. What are your thoughts?"

Qian Jin opened his briefcase and distributed some additional materials he had prepared:

"Introducing the production line is a major event in the factory's development; a single mishandling could lead to serious problems."

“We’re all acquaintances here, so I don’t need to use official jargon. You all know that I have a close relationship with Director Wang. I’ve been following up on the work of introducing advanced foreign production lines to the No. 6 State-owned Cotton Mill.”

"I am a complete novice when it comes to the textile industry, and I am not an expert on cotton spinning machinery production lines either."

"But I can assure you that I have done my utmost to collect the technical specifications for this production line. I can assure you that the information you see is absolutely the most complete and detailed introduction to similar equipment that domestic industry professionals can currently access!"

"You've all seen the performance parameter table for the core components. I've also translated some new materials this month by working overtime at night, so you can take a look now."

Wang Dong was the first to take a document and start looking at it: "Process principle diagram, equipment flow chart, good, good, Director Qian, you are a really good brother, you have really helped me a lot!"

With more detailed information, they can make more accurate judgments.

The others, looking through the photocopies, nodded in agreement.

"Director Qian has really been a great help. There are also requirements for installation space, local water, electricity and gas supply... Wow, everything is provided!"

"They even prepared detailed plans for the workshop modification schedule. How did they manage that?"

"To be honest, our factory owes Director Qian a huge favor..."

Wang Dong is the technical director and indeed has a deep understanding of the cotton textile industry.

He became even more excited after seeing the new information, and he wanted to share and discuss anything new he found.
"This data is important! Several key technical indicators have been listed. Comrades, take a look at this continuous automatic head-generating device—this is the core of saving manpower. So that's what they used!"

"Digital real-time tension monitoring and compensation system. We've never even come across this before, but the higher-ups said it's the core of ensuring that the uniformity of fine yarn breaks through the bottleneck."

"Look at this brand-new yarn path channel with its special ceramic lining technology. Does anyone know what this technology is? Could the Japanese have such advanced technology on their old production line?"

Qian Jin said, "The technology used in this production line is top-notch. I asked a friend to inquire with foreign experts, and it turns out to be a new generation of technology that international textile equipment companies have only recently unveiled."

Wang Dong said, "This expert is reliable. Although I don't understand the core principles of these new technologies, I read the 'International Textile Equipment Yearbook' every year. I am very clear that these new technologies are the trend!"

Liu Shengli stubbed out his cigarette, his expression a mixture of surprise and worry. He was astonished by Qian Jin's insightful analysis, yet also concerned about the exorbitant cost: "Even with excellent technique, this price..."

He spoke with difficulty, his gaze fixed on the photocopies of the price quotes tucked among the pile of documents.

The photocopy bears the words "Wodes General" in large letters; it's the initial quote, and it contains a staggering figure.

Liu Shengli passed the quotation to several people for review, and finally nodded to the head of the equipment department: "Section Chief Lu, you are a professional in equipment, what are your thoughts?"

Section Chief Lu's expression was complicated: "It is indeed a good product. The technology used in it is all advanced technology that will not be obsolete for another twenty years. But it is also really expensive!"

"This is just the cost of the hardware!"

Section Chief Lu shook the quotation: "There's also the cost of importing technical data, installation and commissioning fees, accommodation and labor costs for the American experts during their stay in China... all of this..."

He sighed.

Qian Jin said, "It's not just these costs; in foreign trade, you also have to factor in international transportation, insurance, commodity inspection, and customs duties."

Everyone in the room turned pale.

Liu Shengli kept smoking with his head down.

Wang Dong's brows furrowed, and the veins on his neck bulged.

Money is a big problem.

In the end, all he could say was helplessly, "Good things are bound to be expensive, but there's nothing we can do about it. We have to get the good stuff first."

Qian Jin said, "Director Wang is right. Expensive things often have only one drawback: they're expensive! Cheap things often have only one advantage: they're cheap!"

"However, this is the initial price list. As the old saying goes, 'Ask for an exorbitant price, but negotiate a reasonable one.'"

“I’m familiar with dealing with foreigners. There’s definitely room for negotiation on prices. If you want to introduce this production line, I’ll definitely be your chief negotiation assistant. I should be able to secure some benefits.”

Upon hearing that discrepancies could be found in the money, everyone became interested and began to stare intently at Qian Jin.

Wang Dong, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, personally poured tea for Qian Jin: "Director Qian, please tell us about this matter. I've heard that foreigners value the spirit of contracts, and once a contract is given, the initial contract and the final contract are not much different."

Qian Jin laughed: "They have no sense of contractual responsibility whatsoever; they only have a spirit of self-interest."

“When the existence of the contract benefits them, they uphold the spirit of the contract; but once it becomes unfavorable to them, they break the contract faster than they turn their backs on someone.”

"In this regard, nothing could be more accurate than a famous quote from our leader: Imperialists are arrogant. They will be unreasonable wherever they can be. If they are reasonable, it is because they are forced to be."

"I urge you all to remember this: if you ever deal with foreign businessmen, never idolize anything about them. Remember, they are human beings with weaknesses and flaws."

Liu Shengli asked with concern, "What about the money?"

Qian Jin pondered for a moment, then organized his thoughts and said, "American capitalists value market share. We have an advantage in negotiations because we have a market of hundreds of millions of people."

"What does this mean?" Many people were puzzled.

They don't yet understand the relationship between population and market potential because planned economies don't require them to care about these things.

Qian Jin said, "We'll analyze the specifics of the negotiations later, but judging from their quote alone, it's quite inflated."

“The base price of this assembly equipment includes at least a 15% premium for ‘promotion costs’ when entering a new market for the first time. We can use this as a form of advertising for them, and I am confident that we can cut this premium.”

"Also, the package price for technical services is too general. There is room for further breakdown. We don't need their support for every technology."

"The choice of transportation method is also very important. Dedicated shipping lines to the US are naturally expensive, but we can find our own ships. I have friends in customs who can help with this..."

As he explained step by step, meticulously unraveling the mystery, the eyes of everyone in the office gradually began to light up.

Wang Dong was finally convinced by Qian Jin: "Director Qian, that's why it's always best to have professionals handle professional matters. We're experts in the textile industry, but when it comes to foreign trade negotiations, we're complete novices."

"If you hadn't explained it to me here, how would we have known there were so many twists and turns?"

He looked at Liu Shengli and the others.

Liu Shengli finally gritted his teeth and said, "Then let's talk to them!"

He understands now.

Qian Jin is a talent in the foreign trade industry, and such talents are not always available to help others.

Therefore, purchasing an advanced production line at this time is the result of perfect timing, favorable location, and harmonious relationships.

If you miss this opportunity, you might never get another chance!
After the leadership team reached a consensus, Wang Dong immediately slammed his hand on the table: "That's exactly what Lao Liu said, Director Qian, let's talk to them!"

"Director Qian, I will immediately report the project to the higher authorities and the municipal government. After approval, I hope you can take charge of the core work of overseeing the entire technical route and negotiating business deals!"

"I dare not say anything else, but in our factory, you can have people if you want, and you can have power if you want. The entire project liaison office is at your disposal!"

"I have only one request: bring me back this latest and best equipment!"

(End of this chapter)