I can become stronger by paying salaries. I have one billion employees!

Chapter 512 Series B funding, valued at 120 billion! Brother Sen, I didn't let you down!
"Mr. Wang, please come with me."

In the rest area of ​​Building 9 in Zhuxianzhuang Science and Technology Park, Meng Yun greeted Wang Chao.

"Okay, trouble."

Wang Chao adjusted his glasses, thanked Meng Yun, and then followed her into the elevator, heading towards the chairman's office on the top floor.

He is the vice president of BAIC East China Production Base. He is 34 years old this year. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical automation from Luzhou University of Technology and a master’s degree in vehicle engineering from Tsinghua University. He has been promoted from the supervisor of the welding workshop.

He studied at Volkswagen's Wolfsburg plant in Germany, participated in the introduction of the EV200 production line, built a parts supply network in the Yangtze River Delta, designed a flexible production line, and realized mixed production of sedans and SUVs.

A true tech-savvy and hands-on expert, he understands technology, supply chains, and the intricacies of factory operations.

Overall, his strengths are not particularly outstanding, but he also has no obvious weaknesses. He is the kind of person who can steadily get things done if given enough resources.

With a "ding," the elevator doors slowly opened!

As Wang Chao walked, he observed his surroundings.

Zhuxianzhuang Science and Technology Park was originally a failed project in Xucheng. Before Orange Technology moved in, only a few small and medium-sized companies had offices there.

Therefore, the park's landscaping, interior decoration, and surrounding amenities are all rather disappointing.

In Wang Chao's view, Senlian Capital's headquarters is rather simple and far inferior to BAIC's.

But he knew in his heart that with the strength of Senlian Capital, what kind of luxury building couldn't they buy?

It is said that the Luzhou headquarters will soon be put into use, covering an area of ​​43 square meters and a building area of ​​more than 70 square meters, which is no less than the scale of the BAIC headquarters.

"Tuk-tuk-tuk-!"

Meng Yun stopped and knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

A calm yet youthful voice rang out.

After receiving instructions, Meng Yun turned the handle, pushed the door open, and went inside.

Wang Chao did not hesitate and followed closely behind.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw a young man in his early twenties sitting behind a dark purple desk.

The other person had deep, sharp eyes, and a faint smile played at the corners of their mouth.

He had seen this face countless times in the news and online media!
Chen Yansen, founder of Senlian Capital, with a net worth exceeding 6000 billion yuan, is the new world's richest man.

"Mr. Wang, please have a seat. Would you like something to drink?"

Chen Yansen looked at Wang Chao and asked.

"Mr. Chen, I'll just have plain water."

Wang Chao pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Chen Yansen.

Upon hearing this, Meng Yun took a bottle of mineral water from the vending machine next to him and placed it in front of him.

Then, without waiting for Chen Yansen's instructions, he took the initiative to leave and closed the office door.

"I heard that you led the team that cracked the motor controller for the BAIC EV200?" Chen Yansen asked with a light laugh.

"Yes, I disassembled the same controller in Wolfsburg in 2012. In fact, 37 parts could be replaced with domestic ones. For example, the IGBT module could be replaced with StarPower Semiconductor, and the capacitors could be replaced with Farad Electronics. While ensuring performance, the cost was reduced by 40%."

Wang Chao didn't rush to answer. He first sorted out his thoughts before replying slowly and deliberately.

"What do you think is the most crucial element for successfully developing a new energy vehicle?"

Chen Yansen continued to ask.

"policy."

Wang Chao answered succinctly.

He paused and then said, "With immature technology and high costs, without subsidies, license plate incentives and industry support policies, I dare say that we won't be able to sell even 5 new energy vehicles a year."

"anything else?"

Chen Yansen said noncommittally.

"Secondly, there is a breakthrough in battery technology. Before the emergence of Deep Blue Battery, the energy density of traditional lithium iron phosphate batteries was only 90 to 120 watt-hours per kilogram, with limited range. Most of the pure electric vehicles launched by domestic automakers have a range of only 80 to 300 kilometers."

However, although the performance issue has been resolved after the Deep Blue battery was launched, its high cost remains a drawback. Further cost reduction requires expanding production scale and achieving economies of scale.

Wang Chao spoke eloquently.

"What are your views on charging infrastructure? Is it 'primarily battery swapping with plug-in charging as a supplement' or 'primarily plug-in charging with battery swapping as a supplement'?" Chen Yansen asked again.

“From a human perspective and user habits, plug-in charging is definitely superior to battery swapping.”

Wang Chao answered with certainty.

Hearing this, Chen Yansen smiled slightly.

He didn't expect that although Wang Chao's resume was unremarkable, his vision was quite commendable.

Next, he asked specific questions about the four major processes of stamping, welding, painting, and final assembly, as well as the three electrical systems: battery, motor, and electronic control.

From precision control of stamping dies to automation standards in welding workshops; from environmental protection requirements for painting lines to flexible production solutions in the final assembly stage, and from the challenges of battery thermal management technology and the optimization of the energy efficiency ratio of drive motors to the response delay of electronic control systems, this covers almost all the core links in the entire chain of new energy vehicle production and manufacturing.

Wang Chao answered each question in detail, not only clearly explaining the technical solutions commonly used in the industry, but also pointing out areas for improvement in the existing models based on his own experience.

For example, he mentioned that laser welding technology could be introduced into the welding process to improve the strength of the joints, and that the three electrical systems need to reduce energy loss through integrated design.

While these insights may not be particularly brilliant, they reveal a deep understanding of industry details and a profound grasp of the sector.

The look of approval in Chen Yansen's eyes gradually deepened. The two talked for a full hour and a half.

To Wang Chao's surprise, Chen Yansen was also very knowledgeable about production details, factory operations, and technical solutions.

But he didn't think too much about it. After all, the other party was preparing to enter the new energy vehicle manufacturing industry, so how could they not put effort into it?
Not to mention the core technology framework, they probably know every detail of the supply chain inside and out.

If it were up to me to manufacture cars, I would probably have to thoroughly research all the upstream and downstream processes before I would dare to make a move.

With this in mind, he became even more interested in the position of CEO of Orange Auto.

Generally speaking, the reliability of the boss largely determines the future direction and success or failure of a project.

Based on his observation of Chen Yansen, he believed that the establishment of Orange Motors was definitely not a decision made on a whim.

From land planning to technology roadmap, from supply chain layout to market forecasting, every step is precisely planned.

Wang Chaoyue felt more and more comfortable working for a boss like this, where she didn't have to rack her brains to fight internal battles, and she could just do her job well.

The current problem is, would the other party be interested in me?
"Mr. Wang, that concludes today's interview."

Finally, Chen Yansen spoke, got up and saw Wang Chao to the door.

Meng Yun led him out of the science park and asked for his bank card number, saying that he would reimburse him for his round-trip travel expenses within a week.

So, I failed the interview?
Wang Chao pondered to himself, a sense of loss rising in his heart.

He took a deep breath, hailed a taxi at the intersection, and headed dejectedly towards the high-speed rail station.

Halfway there, as Wang Chao gazed at the street scenes flashing past the window, his earlier anticipation for the CEO position at Orange Auto deflated like a punctured balloon.

Chen Yansen never mentioned salary, responsibilities, or even "wait for notification" throughout the entire process. This calm ending likely meant that he wasn't interested in him.

In fact, Chen Yansen was quite satisfied with his performance.

But there are still six people selected in the first round of interviews. What if the later candidates are more suitable than Wang Chao?

Over the next three days, he met with the remaining people one by one. Some were intelligent but too calculating; others were skilled in management but lacked experience in vehicle manufacturing.

After comparison, Wang Chao turned out to be the best candidate.

After thinking it through, he immediately picked up the landline on the table: "Meng Yun, give Wang Chao's information to the background check agency, and also contact the human resources department to prepare a draft offer, based on the highest salary we agreed on before."

"Yes, Mr. Chen, I'll take care of it right away."

Meng Yun replied from the other end of the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Yansen looked out the window.

For the next two to three years, Orange Auto will be in the preparatory stage, first establishing a research and development laboratory, starting with motors and electronic control systems, and striving to master the core technologies of electric vehicles before the arrival of the new era.

In addition, we began to develop integrated die-casting technology and formed a materials engineering team.

By collaborating with die-casting machine manufacturers to customize giant die-casting machines, the main components such as the base plate, wheel arches, and crossbeams will be integrated into a single cast aluminum component, thereby reducing welding processes and lowering production costs.

Once he has accumulated the technical expertise in integrated die casting and the three core components (battery, motor, and electronic control), it will be the perfect opportunity for him to fully enter the new energy vehicle industry.

The following day, August 18th.

OFO bike-sharing completed its Series B financing in Hangzhou, led by Goldman Sachs, with follow-on investments from Tencent and Sequoia Capital. The company is valued at 12 billion yuan and has raised 120 billion yuan.

In other words, Senlian Capital now has another unicorn company under its umbrella.

"Mr. Hu, with this money, the market share of OFO bicycles and OFO e-bikes can increase by another 60 to 80 units."

In a meeting room at OFO headquarters, Wang Zihao opened a business report and reported to Hu Weiyi: "Currently, OFO's penetration rate in first- and second-tier cities is 69%, and in third- and fourth-tier cities it has reached 73.6%. Next, we need to increase the scale of our investment and raise our market share to over 80%."

Why not consider county-level markets?

Hu Weiyi asked.

"The timing is not right. The demand for shared bikes from users in county-level markets is low, and the local transportation infrastructure and users' payment habits have not kept up."

If we expand hastily, we'll not only have to install equipment and build an operations and maintenance team, but the subsequent vehicle wear and tear and management costs will also remain high, making it a complete waste of human, material, and financial resources.

Wang Zihao dragged the mouse to switch to the user profile interface and continued to explain: "Currently, the core users are still concentrated in commuting and short-distance travel scenarios. The population density and travel frequency in county-level markets cannot support such a high volume of advertising."

Instead of spreading our efforts thin, we should first solidify the barriers to entry in first- and second-tier cities, as well as third- and fourth-tier cities. Once the profit model in these cities is proven effective, we can then bring that mature model to the county-level markets. The risk will be much lower.

"Clap clap clap!"

Hu Weiyi clapped her hands in satisfaction.

She didn't approve of entering the county-level market in the first place; she only asked that question to see what Wang Zihao thought.

She had to admit that the other person's growth rate truly impressed her.

"Mr. Hu, I need to take two days off this week to go back to Xucheng."

After finishing their business, Wang Zihao casually mentioned something.

"no problem."

Hu Weiyi readily agreed.

She understood perfectly well: Wang Zihao came to OFO most likely to gain experience and prestige, and was destined to return to the group headquarters in the future.

Today she is his superior, but tomorrow Wang Zihao might become her superior.

After the meeting, Wang Zihao raised his wrist and glanced at the Rolex that Chen Yansen had given him, thinking to himself: Brother Sen, I didn't let you down!

　Godfathers, I've only written half of Chapter 3. At my writing speed, I won't finish it until 2 AM. I'll continue writing now, and everyone can go to sleep and read it again tomorrow. Sorry.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)