America: My Time

Chapter 966 A Powerful Counterattack

Chapter 936 A Powerful Counterattack
Upon hearing her boss's words, Anne Malcasi sighed deeply. Although she knew it was impossible to persuade her boss to abandon the plan, she did it anyway for the sake of the company. However, Anne Malcasi was only thinking about the company's current interests, while John, the big boss, was looking at the company's long-term future interests!
Even if the boss didn't care about such losses, Anne Malcasi still didn't want to see this happen, and said, "Boss, they haven't ruled out the possibility. We still have a chance. We can arrange for people to talk to them. I believe there will still be a result. As long as we explain the pros and cons clearly, the workers, researchers, and even the officials will make the right choice!"

"There's no need for that. We're not after short-term gains, but long-term benefits. These guys dare to attack us now; what do you think will happen in the future? Besides, ASML's market value isn't high right now, and neither is Falk's. That's why these guys are so reckless. You have to give up something to gain something. What's most important to us is stability—our own stability. And I don't see any stability in the Netherlands. If it weren't for all those restrictions, I would have transferred ASML directly to China. Unfortunately, those guys won't let me do that!"

John is right. Neither the Europeans nor the Americans will allow him to move such an important lithography machine company to China. Being able to export lithography machines to China and improve his layout in China is already the best outcome. It is simply impossible to completely move ASML to China, and the employees will not accept it either.

"Yes, in those guys' eyes, ASML is indeed not very valuable. After all, our production capacity is limited and we haven't obtained the largest market share, so those guys ignore our interests so much."

"Good that you understand. Profits dictate everything. If we were giants like Nikon or Philips, do you think those Dutch guys would do this? ASML is still too weak, which is why they dare to ignore us. Since that's the case, let's leave decisively and make a clean break. Those who are willing to leave can be arranged to go to Taiwan; those who are not, then let's just give up. Do they really think we can't do anything without them? How laughable. A large part of ASML's lithography machines are still thanks to Bell Labs; they only handled mass production. Even if we lose some time and profits this time, it's not a big deal. At least Nikon and Canon haven't finished developing their next-generation lithography machines yet, so we still have time."

John knew that a large part of the reason those guys were so arrogant was that they thought John would have to compromise at this crucial moment in the battle for market share with Nikon and Canon. After all, profit was everything. If ASML could gain more market share, it would inevitably have to compromise with them. Those guys in the guild, or even the official ones, had this idea, and even those bastards who were secretly pushing all this forward thought the same way.

Unfortunately, they were wrong, terribly wrong. John wouldn't give them that chance, and he wouldn't care about their schemes. John could afford this small loss, and Bell Labs could afford it too.

ASML soon issued a warning. Although it was determined to relocate the factory, it could not start immediately. It needed to make some progress and position itself on the side of justice, shifting the blame onto the enemy.

Like Fogg, those guys thought it was just a bluff and ignored it. They became even more brazen and made more demands on the company. The Dutch side did nothing and wouldn't do anything!
"Notify Jaguar Security Company to take action, and also to mobilize the employees willing to follow the company. The factory is preparing to relocate. Do not make any further compromises with them. Tell them directly that they either accept the company's relocation and follow the company to Taiwan, or they must find their own way to make a living. They started the strike first, and we are only passively accepting it. It is impossible for them to resume work. From the moment they started the strike, the initiative was no longer in their hands. We refuse to negotiate with anyone. This is our final decision, an unchangeable decision!"

With Carol Tomé's order, the entire ASML sprang into action. Some people were willing to relocate to Taiwan with the company, and they could bring their families. They could find jobs in Taiwan, since their boss had many businesses there, so arranging for their families wouldn't be difficult. Most importantly, their quality of life would not only not decrease, but would actually improve, because the cost of living in Taiwan was low.

Not only ASML took action, but Falk did too. They completely refused to negotiate with any party, closed off communication channels, and went straight into the relocation of the factory, catching everyone off guard. No one expected John to be so ruthless. The British had suffered the same fate before, and now these Dutch guys were being treated the same way.

At this point, many people panicked, especially the Dutch. Their inaction had directly led to the relocation of two major factories, a situation with far-reaching and detrimental consequences. They wanted to negotiate with the two companies, but unfortunately, the channels of communication were closed. The companies simply wouldn't accept their terms. Soon, the An-225 was preparing to take off from Ireland. This time, ASML was serious, and not by sea, but by air. Those willing to accept the company's terms joined the massive relocation effort. For them, it wasn't too much of a hassle, given that the An-225, the world's largest transport aircraft, was being deployed. "It's too late. Everything is too late. We gave you a chance, but you didn't accept it. Since that's the case, we have no choice but to relocate the factories. An inactive country makes us feel insecure, and we don't want to continue like this." This was Carol Tomé's response to the reporter, making no attempt to hide his dissatisfaction with the Netherlands.

When the news broke, the whole of Europe was stunned, and the United States went crazy. This showed everyone John's ruthlessness once again. Even if he suffered huge economic losses, he would not compromise with the union or the country where he was located. He would not accept any threats. Such crazy methods shocked everyone!

Taiwan was overjoyed. They hadn't done anything, and this good thing had fallen from the sky. ASML, a lithography giant, was going to set up operations in Taiwan. Although they were shocked by such a big move, they were still very happy. At this moment, ASUS also directly offered its factory to ASML so that they wouldn't be too affected, since building a new factory takes time.

Taiwan reacted immediately, granting ASML a large industrial park with only a symbolic land use fee. The effect was immediate and significant. The comparison between Taiwan's actions and the Netherlands highlights the difference in investment environments.

When the An-225 took off from the Irish airport, everyone understood that everything was already set in stone and there was no turning back. Soon the An-225 landed at the Dutch airport, and the equipment that had been prepared was quickly installed. Then the An-225 took off again, and soon the An-124 appeared at the Dutch airport. At this moment, everyone witnessed John's determination.

ASML's equipment was quickly transferred, and the employees were transferred on chartered planes. Pan Am was doing its best to help ASML's employees move. As for luggage, there was no need to worry. An-124 transport planes were available to transport it for them. They could take whatever they wanted. This was John's response to these loyal employees!
"He's gone mad, he's really gone mad! John is really ruthless. He wouldn't even accept negotiations from those Dutch guys, he just relocated everything and used so many planes. This is astonishing. I'm starting to suspect that his deal with Ermao was pre-planned. Otherwise, how could he have just taken over these big planes from Ermao and then this happened so quickly, catching the enemy completely off guard and giving them no chance to prepare!"

"No way, even if John is crazy, he wouldn't make such a decision. Besides, the deal wasn't John's idea; it was Er Mao's. They originally wanted to sell the Tu-160s to John. This must have been an accident. Those guys went too far, causing John to react like this. After all, it's not like he hasn't done it before! Now the British are completely overjoyed. They not only got the manufacturing of the large aircraft, but also the Fokker production line, and now they have the Il-76 modification. These guys have really hit the jackpot this time." At this moment, Jimmy couldn't help but sigh, a hint of shock flashing in his eyes.

“Nothing is impossible. The more impossible you think it is, the more likely it is to be true. Do you think John, that little fox, is so cunning? He knows nothing about Er Mao’s family. If that’s the case, no one will believe it. Do you think it’s an accident that someone who knows Er Mao so well would do this?” Morgan didn’t agree with Jimmy’s words. In his opinion, the more impossible something is, the more likely it is to be true. After all, John’s methods were too clever.

“But doing this won’t do John any good. He’s already suffered a lot this time. The economic losses from relocating the two factories are staggering. Most importantly, the other party has already chosen to compromise. Accepting at this point will reduce his own losses and force the union to compromise as well. Now, after the relocation, he will have to waste too much time!”

(End of this chapter)