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

Chapter 617 Want to buy for free? The Nigerian tumbler's little scheme! Want to cooperate? You have to follow the rules!
The following morning, for most employees of Senlian Capital, it was the first working day after the May Day holiday, but for other Chinese people, it was the second working day.

"The bridge holiday was great! We got a full four days off, and we didn't have to make up for it."

"Yeah, it's no fun with the time off in lieu. They say it's a three-day holiday, but it's really only two days."

"Only Brother Sen would do something like this. Look at Ali, Tencent, and Baidu, which company isn't involved?"

"They don't pay for overtime, but call it 'voluntary dedication'! It's outrageous!"

Inside the Senlian Technology Park, employees who had just sat down at their workstations were chatting and complaining with their colleagues.

Those who switched from Ali to this company especially understand this deeply.

Previously, when they worked overtime, their supervisors were all smiles; now, when they work overtime, their supervisors will proactively schedule a meeting with them and ask them two questions.

First, is the workload too heavy?

Second, is the work efficiency too low?
If it's the former, the supervisor will appropriately reduce the workload. However, if the workload is not excessive but the efficiency is below average, the employee will receive the lowest performance bonus for the quarter. If the employee receives the lowest bonus twice in a row, they will be dismissed.

If it's the latter, the supervisor will help investigate the cause. If the backend is difficult to use, they will raise optimization requests. If cross-departmental collaboration is inefficient, they will create a large group chat to discuss the problem face-to-face.

Compared to Ali, Pinduoduo has significantly less backstabbing and shady dealings.

“I passed by the first phase of Orange Garden last night and took a special look. I have to say, the construction speed is quite fast. Several buildings facing the street have already reached twelve stories.”

Li Hui from the Merchant Operations Department spoke to Chen Xu across from him.

"The group has 639,000 employees and a total of 10,000 houses. The odds of winning are not high, but they are not low either."

Chen Xu nodded and said.

"These houses are mainly welfare houses for employees in the Luzhou area, and the ratio of thirteen to one is quite high."

Hu Li, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up.

"As expected of Sister Li! She's really well-informed! Orange Construction has bought a lot of residential land in Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Beijing and other places. They're going to build at least tens of thousands of houses."

Li Hui added with a smile.

“High-rise apartments are too oppressive; I’d rather buy a townhouse,” Hu Li said without hesitation.

As one of the fourteen founding members of Pinbei, even without considering the value of the stocks he holds, the stock option compensation from FoxTao back then, plus his daily salary, would be more than enough to buy a villa.

"I bought a house in the same neighborhood as Zhang Wenbo and Xiang Pengfei. The environment is nice and the property management is reliable. Li Hui, do you want to be neighbors with me?"

Chen Xu asked casually.

Li Hui scratched his head and said shamelessly, "How about Brother Xu hosts a dinner party at home this week, and I can go check it out?"

"You little brat, all you ever think about is how to squeeze money out of me, huh?" Chen Xu rolled his eyes at him, but still readily agreed.

At this moment, Yuan Wei walked over and announced loudly, "Weekly meeting at 10 o'clock, conference room B106."

Since Zhang Yifeng was promoted to CEO of Lazada Business Unit, Yuan Wei has taken over as Director of Merchant Operations.

After the promotion and raise, Yuan Wei worked even harder.

After all, if you do a good job, the next step is to become the general manager, with an annual salary starting at 200 million yuan and stock options worth at least 200 million yuan every year. Who wouldn't be tempted?

“Okay, Brother Yuan!” Li Hui replied.

at the same time.

A convoy of Maybachs and Mercedes-Benzes is slowly making its way toward Senlian Science and Technology Park.

Aliko Danget sat in the back seat of the car, his gaze fixed on the city of Luzhou outside the window.

On the wide road, vehicles were moving in an orderly manner.

The sycamore trees along the roadside are lush and green, their branches and leaves casting dappled shadows in the sunlight, and the sound of cicadas is incessant.

The shop signs along the street are neat and uniform, and occasionally you can see delivery riders from Kuaipao Food Delivery wearing orange uniforms shuttling by.

This wasn't his first time visiting China, but this time the impression was particularly deep.

A large number of new industries have emerged in China's internet sector.

Beyond BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent), capital behemoths like Senlian Capital have also emerged.

It holds five trump cards: Orange Technology, Tiangong Technology, Pinbei, Yunsu, and DeepBlue Technology. Any one of these companies has the potential to grow into a giant enterprise with a market value of hundreds of billions of US dollars.

DeepBlue Technology, in particular, is said to have developed a second-generation battery product with an energy density of up to 800 watt-hours per kilogram, which is 16 to 20 times that of lead-acid batteries and 4 to 5 times that of ordinary lithium batteries.

This is practically a golden goose!

Danget couldn't help but sigh to himself.

Nigeria's off-grid renewable energy program is most lacking in high-energy-density energy storage batteries.

Ordinary lithium batteries have short battery life and high cost, making it difficult to support the deployment of 500 million solar home systems. However, DeepBlue Technology can solve this problem.

"Senlian Capital's layout is more comprehensive than I imagined."

Orange Technology's phones can penetrate the African communications market, Pinduoduo and Cloudspeed can build e-commerce logistics networks, and with the power support of DeepBlue batteries, they aim to create a complete business ecosystem in Africa.

"Dangote said to himself."

The assistant, sitting in the passenger seat, chimed in, "Boss, according to our investigation, Senlian Capital has registered a large number of branches in countries such as Abyssinia, Nigeria, and South Africa, but they haven't started large-scale operations yet."

Dangert chuckled and said, "They've only been operating in the African market for a few years. Some regions can't be won over with money alone; you need guns and bullets."

The Dangote Group has expanded its business throughout Africa, but connections and capital alone are not enough; having guns and people is also crucial.

On the surface, the Dangote Group does not appear to be involved in the security business, but in reality, Nigeria's military strength is its greatest source of confidence in its operations across Africa.

Even before heading to Luzhou, he met with the head of the China Business Association to discuss cooperation in mining, oil, and infrastructure.

Before long, the convoy drove into the Senlian Science and Technology Park.

The day before, Dangote's assistant had already registered the license plate number and entered it into the park's visitor system.

Chen Yansen sat in the rest area of ​​the main building lobby, with Gao Weilin sitting opposite him.

Guo Shenyi and Meng Yun stood behind their boss.

"Dangote Group has strong distribution capabilities, but it has always focused on large-scale transactions and B2B business, with relatively little direct business with C2C customers. Boss, I suspect that Dangote is probably trying to get you to establish a joint venture factory in Nigeria."

Gao Weilin laid out his views in detail.

"Then, a few years later, they'll find some excuse, swallow it all up without spending a single penny?" Chen Yansen scoffed.

He understood things better than Gao Weilin. To be able to remain the richest man in Africa, a place teeming with powerful figures, for over a decade without being shot in the back, required both brains and strength.

In fact, Dangote didn't even need to step in; he only needed Nigeria to introduce a few new regulations for foreign investment.

For example, by restricting the shareholding ratio of Chinese businessmen, the Dangote Group could then reap the benefits.

Therefore, those who dare to do business in Africa are either incredibly bold and reckless, or they have powerful connections who can keep these greedy black hyenas in check.

However, Chen Yansen was not worried at all; he had already come up with a solution.

If you lack technical skills, you can certainly delegate the dirty and tiring work to the other party.

"Boss, Dangote's convoy is at the door." Meng Yun put down his phone and stepped forward to remind him softly.

Chen Yansen put down his teacup, stood up and straightened his suit jacket, then jokingly said in a calm tone, "Old Gao, come with me to meet this 'Nigeria Tumbler'."

Can a businessman who can befriend every leader of the board be a simple character?

As the group walked to the lobby entrance, Dangote stepped out of his Maybach. Upon seeing Chen Yansen, he immediately smiled warmly and waved, saying, "Mr. Chen, it is an honor to visit the Senlian headquarters."

"Mr. Dangert, you're too kind." Chen Yansen shook hands with Dangert, looking down at him.

This African billionaire, who controls Nigeria's economic lifeline, is 57 years old. Half of his hair and beard are white, and a piece of his left eyebrow is broken, leaving a shallow scar.

It's not obvious at first glance, but the brow is clearly the result of a serious injury.

As to whether it was a blunt force injury or a gunshot wound, Chen Yansen couldn't tell.

"Mr. Chen is younger than I imagined. It's truly admirable that he has built Senlian Capital to such a scale in just a few years." Dangett released his grip, carefully observing Chen Yansen, and uttered words of flattery.

The other person looked to be only eighteen or nineteen years old, tall, and with a strong grip.

"Maybe I'm just lucky. It's hot outside, so let's go into the conference room and talk slowly," Chen Yansen replied casually, turning to the side and gesturing for them to talk.

Danger nodded in agreement and followed Chen Yansen into the main building.

The group was large and included bodyguards, assistants, and accompanying business personnel, totaling more than thirty people.

Upon entering the conference room, both sides took their seats as host and guest.

The administrative staff poured tea for everyone.

Dangett picked up his teacup and took a sip. He had cooperated with many companies in China in the fields of cement, oil refining, and heavy trucks, so he was no stranger to tea.

Although he didn't like the taste, he understood the principle of adapting to local customs.

“Mr. Chen, I’m here today to discuss DeepBlue Battery’s cooperation in Africa. Nigeria’s off-grid renewable energy program urgently needs high-energy-density energy storage batteries, and your products just meet our needs.”

Dangert put down his teacup and got straight to the point.

"How would Mr. Dangote like to cooperate?"

Chen Yansen asked noncommittally.

“Mr. Chen, this is what I’m thinking. Currently, DeepBlue Battery enters the African market by sea or air. The former takes a long time and the latter is costly. It would be better for both parties to jointly build a factory.”

Dangote Group will provide the land, factory, and local distribution channels, while DeepBlue Technology will provide the technology and equipment. We will operate jointly and split the profits 50/50. This approach will reduce investment risk and allow us to quickly penetrate the African market. What do you think?

"Dangote said with a smile."

“The investment environment in Africa is somewhat unique. Nigeria has amended its foreign investment law three times in the past five years, and each time it has been detrimental to foreign companies.”

"If we establish a joint venture factory, and later the local government introduces new policies that restrict our shareholding ratio, or freezes the factory's assets under the pretext of 'security review,' wouldn't I lose everything?"

Chen Yansen smiled slightly, seeing through the other party's little scheme.

Although Senlian Capital is strong, there is a saying that "even a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake".

Unless this collaboration is endorsed by a business association, giving Dangote and Nigeria pause for thought, they are unlikely to actually do business.

Dangote's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal as he continued to persuade, "Mr. Chen, you're overthinking it! I have a strong network of connections and relationships in Nigeria, which can ensure policy stability."

Furthermore, we can stipulate in the cooperation agreement that if you suffer losses due to policy changes, our company will provide full compensation.

Chen Yansen waved his hand and said, "With Dangote Group providing channels and raw materials, and DeepBlue Technology responsible for battery production, we can cooperate in the fields of automobiles, motorcycles, tractors, tricycles, and energy storage batteries. Other areas are out of the question."

The implication is that there is no problem with joint ventures to build factories, but it only involves the assembly stage.

The core Deep Blue battery still needs to be kept in China and controlled by Chen Yansen.

Upon hearing this, Dangert's smile vanished completely.

He originally thought Chen Yansen would bargain on the terms of the joint venture, but he didn't expect that the other party would completely block that path and only be willing to do a "production + distribution" cooperation model.

"Mr. Chen, the profit margin is too thin if we only do the assembly process! Moreover, the cost of shipping batteries from China to Nigeria, including sea freight, tariffs, and warehousing fees, will cause the product to lose its price advantage."

Take the Orange MT300 as an example. If the entire vehicle production, including the battery, were located in Africa, the cost could be reduced by another 10%, which translates entirely into profit!

Danget leaned back, spread his hands, and looked anxiously concerned for Chen Yansen.

Chen Yansen wanted to laugh, but shook his head and refused.

Want to collaborate?
no problem!
We have to follow his rules!
Seeing Chen Yansen's firm attitude, Danget knew that his plans had failed.

In the end, they could only follow Chen Yansen's negotiation pace.

After all, DeepBlue Battery is an exclusive business, and the two parties can cooperate in the fields of automobiles, new energy and industrial and commercial energy storage. The products produced can not only be consumed locally, but also be shipped to Europe via sea.

Suppressing his resentment, Dangote said helplessly, "Since Mr. Chen insists, then let's proceed with your plan. Senlian Capital will invest 5 million US dollars, Dangote Group will invest 4 million US dollars, plus land resources, to build an assembly plant for electric motorcycles, mopeds and tricycles in Lagos."

Chen Yansen nodded in agreement: "Okay! The shareholding ratio will be divided 60/40, we get 60%, and you get 40%."

The two parties jointly invested nearly one billion US dollars, and with full annual production capacity, they can produce at least 50 electric motorcycles, 20 electric bicycles and 10 electric tricycles.

In addition, Dangote signed a $10 billion battery procurement contract, which will be used in the production of electric agricultural machinery and the construction of energy storage grids.

After both parties signed the letter of intent, Chen Yansen arranged a dinner party, which lasted until 10:30 p.m.

Unexpectedly, I received a call from Wang Guangtong of the Business Association as soon as I got on the bus.

"Mr. Chen, there is a business delegation visiting Europe next week, and Mr. Li has specially invited you to join us."

(End of this chapter)