Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 225 Future Blueprint
The car drove briskly away from Takihawa Ward, with rows of factories along the way, but the scene changed instantly as soon as it turned into Futian Ward.

The skyscrapers of the CBD rise like a steel forest, and the winter sun shines brightly on the glass curtain walls.

Wang Xiaofang stared at the car's exquisite interior and couldn't help but ask Fan Xingping, "Mr. Fan, this car must have cost a lot of money, right?"

Fan Xingping smiled and casually replied, "It'll cost at least two million!"

These words made Wang Xiaofang's heart tighten, and she subconsciously touched the armrest of the seat, afraid that she might accidentally break something.

She secretly calculated that even if she only damaged the car a little, she probably wouldn't be able to afford to pay for it even if she took out all her savings.

Xiaoying, however, didn't seem to care. Her eyes lit up as she looked at the tall buildings outside the window. She quickly pressed her face against the window, pointed out the window, and excitedly whispered, "Godmother! That building is so tall! It's much taller than the Orange Building in Chongqing!"

The Mountain City Orange Building is only 12 stories high. In Futian District, where there are buildings with 30 stories or even more than 100 stories, it is not a particularly eye-catching building.

Chen Lan smiled and ruffled her goddaughter's hair, then turned to Wang Xiaofang, who was sitting in the luxury car beside her, looking slightly awkward.

"That's just how Shenzhen is, tall buildings and lots of people!"

Wang Xiaofang's unease wasn't about that; she had also worked in a factory in Shenzhen before.

“Let’s take a good look around today. I’ll also take the opportunity to learn how top luxury stores here operate. When we upgrade the VC store in Shancheng, we need to follow the best example!” Chen Lan said.

In the driver's seat, Fan Xingping steadily gripped the steering wheel of the million-dollar luxury car he had borrowed from his brother-in-law Chen Mo, and said, "You can shop with peace of mind. I'll find a place to park and wait for you at the mall entrance later!"

Stepping into the luxury goods section on the first floor of the mall, the gleaming floors, elegant fragrance, and understated yet luxurious store design instantly create an atmosphere completely different from the outside world.

Chen Lan didn't stop walking; she went straight to the stores of several international brands. Her gaze didn't linger on the gorgeous clothes and bags, but rather, like a keen observer, she carefully examined the window displays, the angle of the lighting, and the spacing of the display stands.

"Xiaofang, look," Chen Lan commented softly, "the lighting in this place is so sophisticated, it really brings out the texture and details of the fabric."

"And this booth, it's neither too sparse nor too dense, so it doesn't feel crowded, and it guides customers to take their time to look and choose."

The display stands at the Shancheng store are too crowded; we'll have to ask the designers to adjust them later.

Wang Xiaofang followed closely behind, holding her daughter Xiaoying's clothes tightly with one hand, as if afraid that she would bump into something in such a refined environment. She listened attentively to Chen Lan's analysis, nodding from time to time.

She had worked on an assembly line in a factory in Shenzhen, but she would never have dared to step into such a high-end luxury store if she hadn't been with Chen Lan today.

While browsing in a high-end children's clothing section, Chen Lan suddenly stopped and pointed to a set of exquisite beige cashmere children's clothing, her eyes lighting up.

"Xiaoying would definitely look good in this outfit; it's so soft and makes her skin look even fairer!"

Then, she deftly picked up a well-tailored camel-colored wool coat and handed it to Wang Xiaofang.

"Xiaofang, you usually wear work clothes, try this one. It has a good fit and is of good quality. It's suitable for work or going out."

Wang Xiaofang glanced at the price tag subconsciously, her face instantly turning red, and she hurriedly pushed her coat back.

"Sister Chen, this...this is too expensive! I can't accept it! I'm perfectly fine wearing my work clothes to work. I can't bear to wear such nice clothes!"

Xiaoying, being very understanding, tugged at Chen Lan's sleeve and looked up at her, saying, "Godmother, I don't want new clothes either. I have plenty of clothes to wear!"

Without a word, Chen Lan shoved the clothes into Wang Xiaofang's arms, pretending to scold her with a stern face, "Why are you two being so polite with me? Xiaoying is such a good girl, shouldn't her godmother buy her some clothes?"

"I, Sister Chen, don't lack this little bit of money!"

Besides, Xiaofang, you've done so much for the orange company, what's a piece of clothing as a reward? Take it, don't refuse anymore!

She gently patted Xiaoying's head again: "This outfit is comfortable and warm, perfect for Xiaoying to wear to school. Be good, take it!"

Wang Xiaofang was a little puzzled as to why Chen Lan thanked her in the name of the orange company, but seeing Chen Lan's unyielding attitude and the mixture of expectation and unease in her daughter's eyes, she was convinced.

She could only awkwardly hug the clothes to her chest and whisper, "Thank you, Sister Chen!"

While Chen Lan was at the cashier paying, Wang Xiaofang squatted down and whispered to her daughter, "Xiaoying, your godmother is so good to us, we need to think of a way to thank her. Do you know what your godmother likes?"

Xiaoying blinked her big eyes, thought carefully for a moment, and said, "Mom, I remember when my godmother used to work at the supermarket counter, she liked to eat tangerine peel cakes. She said they were sweeter than oranges and didn't have any seeds!"

Wang Xiaofang's eyes lit up, and she immediately had an idea.

"Okay! When we go back to our hometown, let's plant a few more tangerine trees on that open space next to our house!"

When the fruit is ripe, we'll pick the biggest and sweetest one and send it to your godmother!

"We grew them ourselves, so they're fresh; it's a token of our appreciation."

"Okay, okay!" Xiaoying nodded vigorously, "I'll help Mom water the plants then!"

After paying, Chen Lan handed the elegant shopping bag to Wang Xiaofang and asked with a smile, "What were you two whispering about just now? You seemed so happy!"

Wang Xiaofang smiled, not saying anything explicitly, but simply said, "It's nothing, I just wanted to tell Xiaoying to thank Sister Chen for buying us such beautiful clothes!" In her heart, however, she had already firmly remembered the plan to plant tangerines.

The Orange Group's annual meeting came to a successful conclusion, and outstanding employee representatives and their families from Lanzhou and Chongqing began a joyful tour of Shenzhen.

In stark contrast to the relaxed atmosphere among the employees, the senior executives of Orange Group were faced with a "tough job."

They not only needed to seize the time to integrate and exchange internal resources, but were also summoned by Chen Mo for a crucial strategic briefing, leaving the executives' families to handle their own affairs.

In a medium-sized shared meeting room on the 10th floor of Building B in the Far Orange Building, all the core executives of the Orange Group gathered together.

The venue setup was quite meaningful.

The leadership seat directly in front:

On the left: Seated are the general managers of the other six companies in the Orange Group: Su Yu of Orange Innovation, Ye Xinghong of Orange Home, Zeng Baifang of Smart Orange, He Jian of Orange Treasure, Feng Guofu of Orange Technology, and Xu Mingyuan of Far Orange.

Center position: Chen Mo.

On the right are the six department managers of Orange Technology: Zhao Tiezhu from the Marketing Department, Gong Yun from the Logistics Department, Jiang Yu from the Technology Department, Lin Junfeng from the Legal Department, Wang Kai from the Market Research Department, and Shi Xin from the Finance Department.

Below is the meeting area: sitting department managers from other companies in the Orange Group and team leaders from Orange Technology.

This seating arrangement was undoubtedly a deliberate choice by Chen Mo, aimed at clearly defining and maintaining Orange Technology's dominant and core position within the entire system.

Secretary Zhou Yumeng jogged to Chen Mo's side, bowed slightly, and whispered, "President Chen, all attendees have arrived."

Chen Mo nodded.

Zhou Yumeng quietly retreated to a side seat on the right to prepare for taking meeting minutes.

He surveyed the room, looking at the assembled executives sitting upright, a gentle smile appearing on his face, and began his opening remarks with a lighthearted banter:

"Look at our current lineup, it's full of talent. Thinking back to when I first started making mobile phones two years ago, I never imagined that the company would grow to be this big and successful as it is today."

Chen Mo spoke with a touch of reminiscence, recounting the story as if he were telling the beginning of a legendary tale.

"We created Far Orange to make mobile phone batteries!"

"We came to Orange Technology to make the eccentric motors and gyroscope sensors for mobile phones!"

"In fact, because our Orange OS system needed a good Android Simplified Chinese input method, we incubated Orange Baby!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Zeng Baifang with a hint of teasing.

"In order to sell the products of Yuancheng and Chengke, I went to great lengths to develop the Smart Orange Procurement System."

Upon hearing this, the executives who knew the origin of the name "Orange Chen" couldn't help but smile knowingly.

"We finally got the Orange Phone on the market, but our users always do things the unpredictably, and they always manage to develop unexpected new applications using our core technologies!"

Chen Mo spread his hands, making a helpless yet delighted expression.

"Okay, the customer is king! So, in response to the needs of our customers, Orange Home was born!"

"And the birth of Orange Innovation is even more direct. It concerns the foundation and technological confidentiality of our entire Orange Group manufacturing. It is our lifeline!" "Unbeknownst to us, in just two short years," Chen Mo's voice became powerful and resolute, "our Orange Group's business has already spanned six major fields: new energy, precision manufacturing, mobile internet, centralized procurement and trade, smart home, and new materials!"
Moreover, I am proud to say that we have achieved remarkable results in every field!

He cited data.

"According to last year's financial report, our R&D investment accounted for as much as 18%!"

Although this number is not large in total, it far exceeds the 13% of Huawei's revenue last year, which was dominated by technology companies!

This is enough to prove to everyone that our Orange Group is a company rooted in technology, driven by innovation, and supported by strong channel capabilities!

Changing the subject, Chen Mo got to the point.

"So, why are we holding this meeting today?"

Because I want to establish a clear development framework for all companies under our Orange Group, to avoid wasting internal resources and redundant construction!

His expression became serious.

"For example, a miniaturized NTC power sensor might be developed by Far Orange, and then by Orange Home without their knowledge, and Orange's technology department might also initiate the project without their knowledge."
According to the audit conducted by Manager Shi of the Finance Department, there were as many as 32 such redundant R&D projects last year, wasting at least 16% of R&D funds, which translates to approximately 1.44 million yuan!

This number caused many of the executives present to secretly gasp.

Chen Mo said in a deep voice, "This is no small amount of money. The total investment in building our entire direct sales channel in the west was only 1.2 million! This is a huge waste caused by poor communication and information barriers!"

His gaze fell on He Jian of Chengbao.

"President He! This year, I'm assigning you Orange Treasure a crucial task: to quickly build an internal technical database with the highest level of security for the Orange Group!"

Used to share the general research and development project results of various companies.

I hope that from now on, this kind of pointless, repetitive research and development will never happen again!

He Jian's expression hardened, and he immediately nodded: "Understood, President Chen! We will definitely finish it as soon as possible!"

Having resolved the issue of technology sharing, Chen Mo then steered the conversation to a deeper level.

"Next, I'd like to talk about corporate culture and team spirit." He glanced across the room: "Our ultimate goal at Orange is 'technology equality'!"

"But the future is bright, the road is tortuous. In terms of technology, we must always adhere to the idea of ​​'seeking truth and being pragmatic'."

When discussing the high R&D costs, Chen Mo proposed his solutions.

"Regarding the sharing of R&D investment, I encourage everyone to participate more actively and boldly in the construction of the global supply chain!"

We need to use a broader global market to spread our R&D costs.

Instead of merely paying lip service, getting trapped in a zero-profit "involution" within the domestic market, and ultimately succumbing to pressure to squeeze our employees' reasonable earnings!

His voice carried an undeniable firmness.

"If the Orange Group really comes to that point, then everyone here, including myself, will be a disgrace!"

“What we should do is go out!” He gave an example: “For example, Yuancheng is already supplying miniaturized energy storage battery solutions for Sanjing’s SDI ships.”
OrangeTech also supplies key alignment subsystems to lithography machine giants like ASML.
I hope everyone's focus will not be limited to this small piece of land in China.

With the global situation changing and relations between China and North America easing, this presents a window of opportunity for Chinese manufacturing companies to expand overseas and establish a global presence.

I hope you will all take positive action!
The promotion of orange technology and standards does not rely on a forceful approach of "fighting and killing," but rather on an integrated approach of "making them our own."

I hope you can delve into each other's needs, become a part of each other's systems, and achieve mutual dependence where you are in me and I am in you.

Only this kind of symbiotic and mutually beneficial relationship can be the ultimate direction for Orange Technology's development!

He encouraged them, saying, "Your technology may have initially stemmed from the development needs of an orange phone component, but its potential should never be limited to the single field of smartphones."

The global market offers a vast world waiting for you to explore and conquer!

"Of course, Orange Technology has already taken the lead and is seizing the opportunity of the opening of the Great Ross market to prepare to establish our first flagship store overseas!"

Chen Mo made a promise.

"I will give everyone plenty of freedom to express themselves."

But there's one thing I hope everyone will remember: don't let your brothers fight amongst themselves.

In overseas markets, we are the weaker party, so we should support each other and work together.

If a conflict of interest arises, it should be resolved through friendly negotiation.

Subsequently, Chen Mo announced a major adjustment.

"Next, I will relax some of my control over the various companies and give the general managers of each company greater autonomy in decision-making!"
Aside from personnel appointments and removals at the department manager level, and the approval process for major projects exceeding 1 million yuan, I will fully delegate all other operational and management authority to you!

His tone became more severe.

"What this means is probably clear to everyone!"
From now on, we will no longer provide for you through the "iron rice bowl" system, nor will we cover your expenses!
Orange Technology will no longer easily provide you with unconditional financial support.

From now on, everyone should only eat as much as their abilities allow!

Immediately afterwards, Chen Mo introduced a key policy.

"At the same time, for the core patents held by Orange Technology, the promised three-year free period will expire starting next year, and we will officially start the settlement of patent fees."

Every year, we collect 30% of the profits from the related products of our sister companies that use these patents as a patent licensing fee!

The executives below were in an uproar. This... Orange was asking other companies in the Orange Group to take 30% of their profits as patent fees!
Chen remained silent until they quieted down, then explained: "This patent fee revenue will serve as the company's strategic reserve fund for the future, used to support more cutting-edge and significant technology planning and ecosystem development."

Therefore, I hope everyone will not only strive for the development of their respective companies, but also work together for the future blueprint of the entire Orange Group!

Chen Mo's gaze was filled with scrutiny and expectation.

"I look forward to seeing the patent fee reports submitted by everyone next year. I also want to see with my own eyes just how capable you are, and what kind of waves you can create in the global market after empowering you all!"

Xu Mingyuan, eager to try; Feng Guofu, composed and unfathomable; He Jian, with a gloomy expression; Zeng Baifang, at a loss; Ye Xinghong, full of confidence; and Su Yu, calm and collected.
Chen Mo couldn't help but smile, and then made his stance clear.

"I do not encourage vicious internal competition, but I advocate healthy competition within our Orange Group!"
A stagnant, harmonious atmosphere will ultimately be ruthlessly destroyed by fierce external competition!

Finally, Chen Mo offered his promises and vision.

"Of course, I will never treat everyone unfairly."

Except for Orange Technology and Orange Creation Materials, which are not considered for the time being due to their special circumstances, everyone's companies will gradually push for listing in the future.

At the same time, the equity incentive plan will be implemented for everyone.

Chen Mo's gaze swept over He Jian again, and he finally made no attempt to conceal his ambition.

"I hope everyone can work together with one mind and one goal, and with all seven companies working together, our goal is to make 'Orange' the world's number one technology company!"

Chen Mo's speech unfolded like a grand scroll, clearly connecting the past, present and future of the Orange Group, and pointing the way for all senior executives.

After he finished speaking, the hall was silent for a moment, then erupted in enthusiastic and prolonged applause.

After the meeting, all senior executives moved to the buffet reception area to continue their more relaxed and in-depth discussions.

The next day.

The chartered plane took off on time, safely bringing back executives, outstanding employees, and their families from Lanzhou and Shancheng.

However, Chen Mo's second sister, Chen Lan, and brother-in-law, Fan Xingping, did not leave with him.

The siblings had already agreed that they would drive together from Shenzhen back to their hometown to celebrate the Lunar New Year with their parents.

(End of this chapter)