Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire

Chapter 115 Reappearance (Seeking monthly votes and recommendations to continue reading)
"No, this absolutely cannot go on."

Chen Bingwen muttered to himself.

How far a company can go ultimately depends on how deep its talent pool is.

Chenji's business expansion is now happening at a much faster pace than it can be achieved through internal talent development and external recruitment.

This situation of "a small horse pulling a large cart" can be maintained in the short term by hard work and loyalty, but in the long run, it will inevitably be a huge hidden danger.

What's even more alarming is that this talent shortage is creating a vicious cycle.

Core executives are too busy handling specific tasks to think about strategy or cultivate new talent.

Middle-level managers lack training and guidance, resulting in slow growth.

Potential talents at the grassroots level do not receive enough attention and training opportunities.

This cycle must be broken immediately!

However, compared to when they were at the Kwun Tong factory, Chan Kee now has money and space, and their confidence and methods for solving problems are completely different.

Chen Bingwen reached out and picked up the internal phone.

"Ali, come in for a moment."

A moment later, his secretary, Ali, pushed open the door and entered.

She was originally a marketing staff member brought over by Ling Peiyi from Maxim's. She was capable and organized.

After Gao Meiling became Ling Peiyi's assistant, Ali was recommended by Ling Peiyi to take charge of Chen Bingwen's secretarial work.

"Mr. Chen, what are your instructions?"

Chen Bingwen calmly instructed, "Ali, there are two things that need to be done."

First, immediately contact at least three top international headhunting firms and express our intention to cooperate.

Our need is to find senior management talent covering multiple core areas such as finance, production, overseas market expansion, and R&D management.

Ideally, they should have experience in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. As long as the talent is of good quality, three to five is acceptable, and even ten or eight is fine.

Ali quickly jotted down notes in her notebook. When she heard "ten or eight is no problem," her pen paused slightly before gliding off even faster.

Chen Bingwen plans to soon connect with Coca-Cola and Suntory to establish sales channels.

In North America, Europe, and Japan, at least in these three main directions, there must be capable managers in place to keep things under control.

In addition, the Hong Kong Island headquarters has a need for personnel; even ten or eight would be a bit too few for him.

Chen Bingwen was well aware of the value of senior management talent, especially in 1978 when only a minority of people could attend university.

Although Hong Kong Island is prosperous, the number of graduates from top business schools is limited, and those with management experience in multinational corporations are even rarer.

These people were either firmly held by established British giants like Jardine Matheson, Swire, and HSBC, or poached by newly emerging Chinese-owned real estate and shipping groups with high salaries.

For a food company like Chen Ji, with its relatively shallow foundation and business spanning production, R&D, and global channels, it is easy to imagine how difficult it is to poach top talent from the market who can immediately take on important responsibilities.

This is why people like Ling Peiyi, Fang Wenshan, and Zhou Zhiyuan are so valuable, and why he must rely on the power of professional headhunting companies to search a wider range.

"The second thing," Chen Bingwen changed the subject, "is for you to immediately contact universities such as the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Polytechnic, apply to participate in their campus recruitment fairs in the name of Chan Kee Food Co., Ltd., and express our intention to establish a 'Chan Kee Management Trainee' program."

We also need to find some promising talents that we can nurture ourselves.

Ali nodded and quickly wrote it down.

"Okay, Mr. Chen."

Chen Bingwen paused for a moment, then added, "In addition, I'd like to schedule a meeting with the vice deans or department heads in charge of student affairs at the two business schools. I'd like to discuss the possibility of establishing the 'Chen Ji Scholarship' and collaborating on some industry research projects."

He not only had to pick the fruit, but also plant the trees himself.

Direct donations to establish scholarships are the fastest and most effective way to build long-term, positive relationships, allowing Chen Ji's name to reach the top students' attention ahead of time.

“Understood, I will contact them and have an initial discussion as soon as possible,” Ali confirmed.

"Just these two things, get them done."

"Okay, I'll take care of it right away." Ali closed her notebook, turned and left briskly, the sound of her high heels clicking on the ground quickly fading into the distance.

Once the headhunting firm finds senior management talent, the company headquarters' human resources work needs to be strengthened first, and this work must be managed by a dedicated person.

Chen Bingwen watched Ali's figure and thought to himself.

Just then, the phone on the table rang at an inopportune moment.

It was transferred from the front desk.

"Mr. Chen, Mr. Wang Jianjun, accompanied by Mr. Li Guowei, wishes to see you."

The receptionist's voice sounded uncertain, indicating that the two guests had not made a reservation in advance.

Wang Jianjun?
Li Guowei?
Has the testing of "Jinba" instant powder ended?
As Chen Bingwen thought to himself, he instructed, "Please invite them in, directly to my office."

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the office door.

"Please come in."

Li Guowei walked in first, beaming: "President Chen, I apologize for bothering you. I didn't make an appointment in advance."

Wang Jianjun, who followed behind him, was still wearing a slightly worn but neat Zhongshan suit. He stood upright with a gentle smile on his face, which softened the tough temperament unique to soldiers.

"Mr. Chen, I'm bothering you again." Wang Jianjun's voice was loud and clear as he extended his hand.

Chen Bingwen went up to them and warmly shook their hands: "Mr. Wang, Manager Li, what are you saying! Your presence is an honor to our Chenji restaurant."

Please have a seat!

The three of them sat down, and Ali quickly brought over freshly brewed hot tea.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chen Bingwen got straight to the point: "Mr. Wang, you must be here because the test results for Jinba instant powder are out, right?"

Wang Jianjun picked up his teacup, blew on it to cool it down, and instead of drinking it immediately, he looked at Chen Bingwen and said, "Boss Chen, your batch of instant powder is performing exceptionally well."

He paused deliberately, as if considering his words or observing Chen Bingwen's reaction.

Although Chen Bingwen understood the situation, he showed just the right amount of joy on his face: "I am relieved that Mr. Wang said so."

Our products are manufactured precisely to satisfy our customers!

Wang Jianjun nodded seriously, greatly appreciating Chen Bingwen's earnest attitude towards doing business.

He put down his teacup and affirmed, "Mr. Chen is right."

"Doing business is about creating excellent products that satisfy customers. Therefore, we're here today hoping to deepen our cooperation and build a more stable and long-term relationship."

He paused, then looked at Chen Bingwen: "First and foremost, it's about the number of orders."

We hope to increase our previous intended order from 500,000 bags to 2 million bags.

Two million bags!

Although Chen Bingwen had a premonition, his heart still skipped a beat when he heard the exact number, which was four times higher.

This is not a simple accumulation of numbers; it signifies the ultimate challenge to production capacity and a severe test of the supply chain.

"Two million bags!" Chen Bingwen took a deep breath and asked solemnly, "Thank you for your great trust, Mr. Wang and Manager Li!"
This is undoubtedly the greatest recognition of our Chenji products and strength.

However, if I may be so bold, this order of magnitude presents a huge challenge to our existing production arrangements.

I need to confirm the approximate delivery time.

In Chen Bingwen's memory, the time he spanked a child was in February 1979, which was only a little over two months ago. Considering that the war supplies needed to be distributed in advance, Chen's company only had a maximum of one and a half months of production time.

Wang Jianjun did not answer directly, but looked at Li Guowei instead.

Li Guowei immediately took over, smiling and saying, "Mr. Chen, time is indeed quite tight. We hope that the first batch of one million bags can be delivered within one month of signing the contract."

The remaining one million bags will be delivered within the following month.

Of course, it would be best if they could be delivered together.

One million bags to be delivered in a month! Chen Bingwen's mind raced.

The existing production lines at the Fuyuan plant, operating at full capacity with no downtime, can theoretically reach a daily output limit of 120,000 to 180,000 bags. After deducting necessary maintenance and possible downtime, with some effort, we can reach a monthly output of 2 million bags, which is just within the limit!

The timing was extremely precise, as if the other party had already thoroughly figured out his production capacity.

However, Chen Bingwen was very understanding.

If it is truly preparation for war early next year, the necessary investigations will certainly be very detailed.

It is likely that, without his knowledge, all his information has already been investigated and clarified.

After a brief pause, Chen Bingwen said, "This delivery time is indeed very tight, almost to the limit of our production capacity."

But since Mr. Wang and Manager Li trust us so much, Chenji will take on this business!

I will immediately adjust the production plan and concentrate all resources to prioritize this order.

We aim to produce two million bags within a month and deliver them on time!

"Good! Mr. Chen is indeed a man of great vision!" Li Guowei clapped his hands and laughed, then changed the subject, "However, Mr. Chen, such a large order volume has almost monopolized a significant portion of your production capacity."

Regarding the price, don't you think we should be more sincere?

Chen Bingwen's heart skipped a beat, knowing that the real action was just beginning.

During the initial discussions, he quoted a tentative price of HK$0.6 per bag (15g), which was given after taking all costs into account.

Now that Li Guowei has discussed the order quantity before talking about the price, his intention to lower the price is very obvious.

His smile remained unchanged: "Manager Li is right, discounts for bulk orders are standard business practice."

"However, in order to produce this batch of instant powder for your company, our supply channels will be affected to some extent," Chen Bingwen said sincerely, changing the subject. "Especially our newly launched 'Pulse' functional beverage, which has received a very good market response and is in a period of rapid distribution."

To prioritize your orders, we may have to temporarily slow down supply to new channels. Manager Li should understand the opportunity cost involved.

Li Guowei was an extremely shrewd man, and he immediately understood the implied meaning. He laughed and said, "I understand, of course I understand!"

Mr. Chen adjusted the production plan for our order and took on the pressure; we appreciate his sincerity.

Therefore, in terms of pricing, we should demonstrate our support for our partners.

He skillfully steered the conversation back to prices, but his tone was much gentler than before.

Wang Jianjun quietly sipped his tea, watching the two exchange words without interrupting, as if he had already accomplished his purpose and it was Li Guowei's turn to perform.

Chen Bingwen knew that simply complaining wouldn't truly move the other party at this point; he had to provide concrete data and logic.

"Manager Li, Mr. Wang, since we've come to the point of sincerity, I'll be frank and speak plainly."

(End of this chapter)