Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 165 A Sudden Spring Breeze
The three-day Shenzhen Industrial Expo came to a close amidst much fanfare.

Yuancheng New Energy has secured orders totaling $70 million thanks to its mature first- and second-generation gaseous lithium battery technologies. Although the orders are scattered, they are mainly concentrated in the overseas consumer electronics sector, which has given a strong boost to its subsequent overseas product development.

Through the exhibition platform, Orange Treasure Mobile Internet successfully boosted the brand awareness of its Android app "App Treasure" and "Orange Treasure Input Method", and its user growth curve quietly rose.

In contrast, the booth of Orange Micro Motors remained deserted.

Over the course of three days, apart from a dark brown-haired, blue-eyed man named Paul, no other heavyweight professional buyers stopped by.

Chen Mo had anticipated this; individual industrial components are inherently less attractive in the face of dazzling whole-machine applications.

The future of Orange Science seems to hinge on the three sets of MYT-2.0 gyroscope samples that Paul took away.

After the exhibition, Chen Mo, along with Zhao Tiezhu and Gong Yun, returned to the busy daily routine of Orange Office.

Spring in Shenzhen brings a moist warmth, but Chen Mo's heart is preoccupied with the intense progress of mass production of Orange phones, while the other half hangs over the distant Helan.

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of ASM in Eindhoven.

Paul held his breath as he followed the entire precision test of the MYT-2.0 gyroscope.

The sophisticated instruments in the laboratory emitted a deep hum, and the data jumping on the screen tugged at his nerves.

When the final result settled at 0.001°/h and the second deviation stabilized at +0.0001°/h, Paul clenched his fist and roared excitedly, "Yes!"

The data matches perfectly, and even slightly exceeds the second deviation parameter specified by Orange Science.

One of the key components that has been troubling ASML's next-generation EUV lithography machine's precision alignment system has surprisingly found a solution in a little-known company in China!

He immediately rushed into the office of Eric van der Linde, the supply chain manager, with a detailed test report.

"Eric! The results are in! Perfectly matched! Even better!" Paul slammed the report on the table, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement.

Van der Linde, a meticulous Dutchman, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and carefully examined every number on the report.

After confirming that it was correct, a look of surprise appeared on his face: "Incredible precision and stability. Paul, which company's product is this? Dongzhi? TDK? Or SBC from South Korea?"

He naturally assumed that a mechanical gyroscope of such precision must have come from one of the few precision manufacturing powerhouses in East Asia.

Paul took a deep breath, shook his head, and had a "you might not believe it" look on his face.

"No, Eric! It comes from China, from a company called 'CK Micro Motor'."

“Planting flowers? CK?” Van der Linde was stunned, his eyes widening instantly behind his glasses: “Paul, are you sure? You didn’t get the company’s registered location wrong, or is it just a contract manufacturer for companies in other countries?”

“Absolutely true!” Paul said firmly. “I personally found their booth at the Shenzhen Industrial Expo. Uh... it was very simple! But you really should go to Shenzhen and see for yourself; China is not lagging behind!”

"Anyway! This was told to me personally by Zhou, the technical director of CK Company, that this is their mass-produced product!"

“And,” Paul paused, his tone tinged with absurdity, as he pulled out the MYT-2.0 gyroscope from the testing equipment, “they even use this thing as a sensor in smartphones!”

"Smartphones? Sensors?" Van der Linde was completely dumbfounded, feeling his understanding of the world being challenged.

The high-precision gyroscope that ASM is desperately seeking for its next-generation EUV lithography machine is, in the eyes of a Chinese company, just a small gadget used in mobile phones for motion sensing.
This level of cost control and precision gave him a revolutionary perspective on the precision manufacturing capabilities of flower cultivation for the first time.

Van der Linde personally went to the laboratory to verify the data and witnessed firsthand the stable performance of MYT-2.0 under rigorous testing, which filled him with immense joy.

"Well done, Paul! President Winnick will be very pleased!" Van der Linde patted Paul on the shoulder, eager to report the good news.

“Wait, Eric!” Paul quickly called out to him, “There’s something else! This CK company, they have an even more precise product, MYT-3.0, with a marking accuracy of an astonishing 0.00001°/h, which even exceeds President Winnick’s highest requirements for the next generation of EUV!”

Van der Linde stopped abruptly, turned around, and his eyes flashed with a sharp light: "What! 0.00001°/h! Where's the sample?"

"They were very cautious, only showing me engineering samples and refusing to let me take them, but they mentioned self-cleaning coating technology, impact resistance technology, and a group calibration algorithm."

"You know, this MYT-3.0 sounds like it was tailor-made for our precision-guided alignment system!"

Paul revealed all the information that Zhou Mingzhe had disclosed at once.

Van der Linde's heart began to pound violently.

If the performance of MYT-3.0 is true, then it will be accompanied by those seemingly unbelievable technologies.
This is hardly a problem solved for just one component.

This is practically a complete and revolutionary prototype for ASM's next-generation alignment system!

Without further hesitation, he immediately took Paul and knocked on the door of President Peter Winnick's office.

Winnick, the legendary figure who led ASM to the throne of lithography machines, listened attentively to the reports from Van der Linde and Paul, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

When he heard keywords such as "0.00001°/h", "group calibration", and "Zhonghua CK Company", his eyes became sharp and deep.

"The essence of ASMI's global technology strategy lies in finding the most advanced technologies on a global scale, regardless of where they come from!"

Winnick spoke slowly, his voice steady and powerful: "Core technologies are developed in-house, important technologies are shared through cooperation, and non-core components are subject to open bidding. This is the cornerstone of our ASM's success!"

"Since such a promising supplier has emerged in the flower industry, we have no reason to turn them away."

He made the decision: "Invite CK to participate in our [Alignment System Solution] supplier bidding conference in late April."

“Tell them that what ASM needs is not a single component, but a complete high-precision, high-stability, future-oriented alignment system solution!”

Soon, an invitation letter bearing the ASM gold-stamped logo, formally worded yet implying a tremendous opportunity, crossed the ocean and arrived at Chengke Micro Motor Company in Chongqing.

Mountain City, Orange Micro Motor Factory, Laboratory No. 2.

Zhou Mingzhe held the heavy invitation letter handed to him by Factory Director Feng, his face filled with excitement and bewilderment.

Laboratory No. 2 was poorly equipped, and he was only a mediocre student with a background in biology and engineering. How could he possibly come up with a complete solution for the "alignment system"?

So he called Chen Mo, his voice trembling slightly: "Mr. Chen! ASM has extended an invitation, but they want a complete alignment system solution, not just a gyroscope!"

Finally, Orange Technology sent someone by plane to deliver the invitation to Orange Technology's office in Shenzhen.

Chen Mo took the invitation and carefully read the requirements, his brows gradually furrowing.

“Aiming at the system solution,” Chen Mo murmured to himself.

His past life's bloody history in the semiconductor industry allowed him to instantly understand the alignment system of a lithography machine.

Simply put, it's the moving mask on the lithography machine that acts as a "pen" for light to precisely "draw" on the wafer at the nanoscale!
The precision and stability of this "pen tip" directly determine the yield rate of billions of transistors on the wafer!

If the yield rate of the next generation of EUV cannot match that of the previous generation of DUV, wouldn't that ruin the reputation that ASML has just built?
Therefore, the requirements for ASM's next-generation EUV alignment system must be extremely high.

The attachment to the invitation clearly lists the core requirements of the proposal:
1. Align with the sensor (high-precision gyroscope)

The MYT-3.0 is the core component, which is already present in Orange Science.

2. Leveling and focusing system (group calibration algorithm) Chen Mo has the group calibration algorithm of MYT-3.0 in his mind, and he can quickly replicate it, so he has it.

3. Environmental control module: Used to precisely control the temperature, humidity, and vibration interference of the gyroscope's working environment.

The orange family is truly gone; it could even be considered a blank slate!
Chen Mo's heart sank.

This plan is missing a crucial corner; how can it be stable?
He almost wanted to give up.

But when Chen Mo's gaze fell upon the starting bid of $400 million per unit!
Then, he recalled the stable shipment volume and unit price of the ASM EUV lithography machine in his previous life (an average of 20 units per year, with each unit costing over 1.9 million euros).
"Even if we only consider the minimum price of $400 million per set, securing this Asmark supplier qualification will guarantee Orange Technology at least $8000 million (5.6 million yuan) in revenue annually!"

Chen Mo's mind raced as he calculated: "Even if Asmai is forced to vacate Orange Technology under pressure 16 years later, this money will still be enough for Orange Technology to complete the technical accumulation and talent training for MYT-3.0. This business is worth doing!"

The prospect of huge profits instantly overwhelmed Chen Mo's thoughts of backing down.

“Environmental control module.” Chen Mo’s eyes flickered, and a name popped into his mind: “At the Industrial Expo, didn’t Peking University’s industrial machine tool have an environmental control module? That’s it! But for this matter, we’ll have to ask Professor Lin, this ‘social butterfly’ of universities, to handle it!”

Just as Chen Mo was carefully putting away the invitation and pondering how to handle the environmental control module, there was a gentle knock on the office door.

Secretary Zhou Yumeng poked her head in: "President Chen, President Gong is here. He wants to report on the arrangements for Orange Creation!"

"Please come in!" Chen Mo composed himself.

Gong Yun walked in with graceful steps, carrying a hint of relief as if she had completed a task: "President Chen, the acquisition of Juchuang Polymer Company has been completed. The 380 million yuan debt has been paid off, and all six core technical personnel have been retained with high salaries!"

"In addition, 200 million yuan of operating funds have been injected into Orange Innovation. Director Li of the district is very supportive and said that a research and development production base can be allocated to Orange Innovation in the new Guanlan Industrial Park!"

"Very good, then arrange it at Guanlan!" Chen Mo nodded, very satisfied with Gong Yun's efficiency.

Gong Yun showed no intention of leaving, a subtle smile playing on her lips as she gently placed a beautifully bound document in front of Chen Mo.

Chen Mo casually picked up the celadon cup on the table, took a sip of warm water, and glanced at the document title.

Feasibility Analysis and Recommendations for the Orange Technology Headquarters Project (“Orange Town”)

"Pfft~"

A mouthful of warm water suddenly spurted out!

Chen Mo coughed repeatedly, his eyes fixed on the document as if he had seen something unbelievable.

"Orange Town?" Chen Mo's voice changed. He hurriedly picked up the documents and quickly flipped through them.

The document is detailed and impressive.

Benchmarking project: Directly targeting the "Songshan Hu Town" project, which is currently under review by Chrysanthemum and has a planned area of ​​170 hectares and a budget of 10 billion yuan!
Takihwa District's ambition: Seeing the success of Orange's landmark flagship store in the "Half-Orange Building" in the mountain city, and the rapid expansion of Yuancheng New Energy in Takihwa (5 square meters of factory space is not enough, and 10 square meters are under construction), it is determined to use this 70-hectare prime land to completely "bind" the future core headquarters of the Orange Group!

Phased development recommendation: The initial core R&D area is approximately 20 hectares to avoid financial pressure, and subsequent development will be carried out gradually according to business growth.

Cost estimate: The first phase covers 20 hectares, with a unit construction cost benchmarked against "Songshanhu" (30% higher than ordinary parks), and a budget of approximately RMB 11.7 billion. It is recommended to invest over five years, with an average annual cost of approximately RMB 2.34 million.

Government-enterprise cooperation: The district has pledged to jointly apply for "provincial key science and technology projects" and strive for green channels for approval and subsidies.

Design concept: Drawing inspiration from the ecological genes of the "Half Orange Building" and the local climate characteristics of Shenzhen, we aim to create a technology town with orange-themed features.

Chen Mo felt a chill run down his spine.

District Chief Zhang's audacity is truly astounding! He's elevated oranges to the point of competing with chrysanthemums, which boasted a revenue of 2202 billion yuan and a net profit of 153.8 billion yuan last year.
Although it was just a "small town" built for headquarters to benchmark the concept, Chen Mo felt a little excited inside.

This is not surprising at all. Guanlan was originally planned as a 133.3-hectare ecological park plus a 710-hectare Guanlan High-tech Industrial Park (70 hectares of land have been leveled so far).

This eco-park is a key eco-tourism project in Shenzhen. Wouldn't it be more in line with this plan to build a landmark orange town across the street?
District Chief Zhang noticed that the "Half-Orange Building" landmark in the mountain city had become a new city icon after its completion. Of course, he couldn't let the mountain city have all the glory, so he naturally came up with this headquarters suggestion for Orange Technology.

Chen Mo quickly did the mental calculations: Orange's revenue last year was 38 billion, with a profit of around 5 million. The headquarters construction investment, averaging 2.34 million per year, totaled 11.7 billion over five years!
"Hiss!" Chen Mo gasped. Almost half of the profits every year would be poured into this investment. This number was an absolutely huge investment for Orange at the moment!

But, if it's spread over five years, it seems like it's not entirely impossible, even if we grit our teeth and add possible subsidies from the province?
The key point is that the construction cost in 2011 is indeed 20%-30% lower than it would be 15 years later!

Moreover, the strategic value of the headquarters of an Orange Group company that unites people, enhances the brand, and carries the future is immeasurable.

Chen Mo forced himself to calm down and looked at Gong Yun, seeking professional advice: "Sister Gong, this is too big a project. If we really invest over five years according to this plan, won't it drag down Orange's cash flow and affect the phone's listing and business expansion?"

Gong Yun had anticipated Chen Mo's question, and calmly opened the folder in her hand, taking out several charts she had prepared in advance.

"Mr. Chen, I had the budget analyst carefully calculate it, taking into account our current business growth expectations, financing capabilities, and the potential financial support brought by the district's promised 'provincial-level project' green channel."

She pushed a document toward Chen Mo, which contained a five-year cash flow forecast model for Orange, which the entire finance team had worked on all day to create. The data was clear and detailed.

"The investment will be spread over five years, with an average annual amount of 2.34 million yuan, which only accounts for 17% of our projected average annual profit over the next five years. Moreover, the impact of the dispersed investment on the current operating cash flow is controllable."

The approximately 18 billion yuan required for normal operations and channel maintenance for Orange's Q1 and Q2 businesses is fully guaranteed and will not affect the progress of core businesses.

From the perspectives of long-term brand effect, talent attraction, and real estate appreciation, this project is worth a shot!

Gong Yun's analysis is clear and logical, with solid data, which is reassuring.

Looking at the clear cash flow model, Chen Mo's last bit of hesitation was replaced by Gong Yun's professional analysis.

He slammed his hand on the table, his eyes flashing with decisiveness: "Good! Since the company's cash flow can hold up, its long-term value is enormous, and we have the district's strong support, let's do it! Let's build our 'Orange Town' headquarters in Shenzhen!"

Several days later, the central government...

An approval document for the "Guanlan Orange Town" construction project in Longhua District of Shenzhen, and another planning application for the "Songshan Chrysanthemum Town" from Dongguan, were finally presented to the desk of a leader with a resolute face and deep eyes almost simultaneously.

The leader's gaze lingered on the names "Orange Technology" and "Chrysanthemum Technology" for a moment, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips.

He had heard of Chrysanthemum's great reputation in Guangdong Province long ago; it was a technological benchmark for private enterprises in Guangdong Province and even the whole country.

He had just seen this "Orange Technology" in an internal briefing about the "2010 Directory of Innovative Technology Enterprises" not long ago, and it seemed to be related to the "gaseous lithium" in the new energy strategy.

"Interesting." The leader murmured to himself, pointing at the two documents: "An established giant and a rising force, one in Songshan Hu in Dongguan and the other in Guanlan in Shenzhen. Is this going to be a good show of 'two heroes standing side by side, vying for supremacy' in Guangdong Province?"

He pressed the internal phone, his voice steady: "At the founding ceremony of the Entrepreneurs Club of the Enterprise Association next week, Mr. Ren from Chrysanthemum and Mr. Chen from Orange have both confirmed their attendance, right?"

A respectful reply came from the other end of the phone: "Yes, sir, both of you are on the invitation list."

"Good, very good." The leader's smile deepened: "I'll personally go and see for myself these entrepreneurs who dare to think big and act boldly, and who are determined to scale the heights of science and technology!"

The head of the business association felt a chill run down his spine and quickly replied, "Yes! We will make all necessary preparations to receive you and await your arrival for guidance!"

After hanging up the phone, the leader looked out the window again. A sudden gust of wind rippled the surface of the pond.

The spring breeze in southern Guangdong seems to be quietly brewing a surging wave belonging to flower-growing technology companies.

The newly leveled land in Guanlan, Shenzhen, may soon witness the rise of a new technology giant.

(End of this chapter)