The Fiery Era: Becoming an Industrial Giant

Chapter 106 Participation in Major National Projects [Please Subscribe]

"Section Chief Zhou."

Early in the morning, upon hearing someone calling him and knocking on the door outside the courtyard, Zhou Zhiqiang came out and said to Yan Yong, "Comrade Yan, I'm sorry to trouble you to wait for me for two minutes, I need to tidy up my things."

Yan Yong waved his hand and said, "No rush, Section Chief Zhou. Your home is quite close to the ministry. It'll only take ten minutes."

"Thank you then."

After Zhou Zhiqiang finished speaking, he went back to get his briefcase and prepared to leave.

Guo Yuting walked out of the house and saw that Zhou Zhiqiang didn't even seem to be planning to eat, so she asked, "Are you in such a hurry, Zhiqiang? You haven't had breakfast yet."

"It's too late, I'll buy something on the way."

After Zhou Zhiqiang finished speaking, he left home and got into Yan Yong's jeep.

After seeing the person get into the car, Yan Yong stepped on the gas and drove away.

The main road is just outside the alley. It's a little past seven in the morning, so there are few cars and people. It should take less than ten minutes to get to the ministry.

However, Zhou Zhiqiang stopped the car midway and asked Yan Yong to park it on the side of the road so he could buy two breakfasts.

There were six steamed buns in total, wrapped in two pieces of paper. After Zhou Zhiqiang returned to the jeep, he handed three to Yan Yong: "Comrade Yan, you haven't eaten breakfast yet, have you? Remember to eat the steamed buns later. They're fresh out of the steamer and still soft."

Yan Yong exclaimed with delight, "Section Chief Zhou, I have one too! Thank you so much, Section Chief Zhou!"

For Yan Yong, it was a pleasant surprise. He had also brought breakfast, but it was just steamed buns made from a mixture of wheat and water, which was far inferior to baozi (stuffed buns).

He drives for the leaders, not for the transport team's truck drivers.

The saying "I wouldn't trade my grip on the steering wheel for a county magistrate" refers to truck drivers who travel long distances; whether they're just picking up goods along the way or making long-distance trips, truck drivers make a lot of money.

If you make a long trip across two provinces, earning more than a hundred yuan a month is not difficult.

In contrast, driving for a leader is not so lucky. If you end up with a leader with a good character, you won't get any benefits at all.

Zhou Zhiqiang laughed and said, "I can't eat six by myself. You came to pick me up and drop me off so early in the morning, so a few buns are nothing."

Yan Yong thanked him, but felt a little guilty. He had just seen Zhou Zhiqiang go down to buy breakfast and thought to himself that the section chief knew how to enjoy life.

In the end, I bought him one too, even though he had been thinking that. I really feel bad for Section Chief Zhou.

After arriving at the Ministry of Machine Building, Zhou Zhiqiang finished eating the steamed buns in the car and even wiped his mouth clean.

"Comrade Yan, you can go back now. I'll take the bus back to the factory when I'm done. You don't need to pick me up."

Yan Yong nodded and said, "Then I'll go back to the factory first. Section Chief Zhou, if you're working overtime tonight, have someone send a message to the transport team. I'll be waiting for you to get off work at the transport team."

"Row."

After exchanging greetings, Zhou Zhiqiang walked towards the First Ministry of Machine Building.

Director Cai of the Technology Department had someone give prior notice, and Zhou Zhiqiang showed his work ID, so the gatekeeper let him in.

Since it was my first time here, I didn't know which floor the Technical Department was on, so the staff member from the First Machinery Department called the Technical Department.

Not long after, Zhou Zhiqiang saw a person jogging over from the building.

Upon approaching, the man extended his hand to Zhou Zhiqiang and asked, "Hello, are you Comrade Zhou Zhiqiang from Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory?"

Zhou Zhiqiang also extended his hand and shook hands, saying, "I am Zhou Zhiqiang. May I ask who you are, comrade?"

"I am Zhu Hanwen from the Office of the Technology Department, and also Director Cai's assistant. Comrade Zhou, let me take you upstairs."

After Zhu Hanwen finished speaking, he gestured for Zhou Zhiqiang to follow him, and then led the way.

After Zhou Zhiqiang followed, he was a little curious about why he had come, but he didn't ask.

He had the awareness to control his mouth on the second day after arriving in this era, and he could roughly guess the reason, but he hadn't confirmed it yet.

After Zhu Hanwen led him to the office, he arranged a table and chair for Zhou Zhiqiang to sit down, then brought him a glass of water and said, "Comrade Zhou, please wait here for a moment. I will go and report to the director."

Zhou Zhiqiang nodded and said, "Okay, thank you for your trouble, Comrade Zhu."

This was his first time visiting the First Ministry of Machine Building; even just the Technical Department was quite large.

There were quite a few people in the office, but when he came in, the people in the technical department's office only looked up at him once before continuing to go about their business.

A short while later, Zhou Zhiqiang saw Zhu Hanwen following behind another person, walking towards him.

"Comrade Zhou, you're the first one here. The others might not arrive for another ten minutes or so. Let me take you to the conference room first."

After Director Cai approached Zhou Zhiqiang, he shook hands with a smile and said, "I am Cai Borui from the Technology Department. I have transferred you here because there is an important research and development project that requires your participation."

Actually, you should also look into the large hydraulic press and large machine tool projects you discussed with Professor Fei Yunzhi of Tsinghua University. The ministry has decided to prioritize the large hydraulic press project.

Director Cai paused for a moment before continuing, "Comrade Zhou, you were recommended by Professor Fei and personally selected by Deputy Leader Wu. We all have high expectations for you."

Zhou Zhiqiang smiled and said, "Leader, I am indeed a little apprehensive, but if the organization needs me, I will definitely do my best."

"Haha, come on, let's go to the conference room first, everyone will be here soon."

After Director Cai finished speaking, he led Zhou Zhiqiang toward the conference room.

After they came in, they told Zhou Zhiqiang to sit wherever he wanted and even had tea prepared.

Within minutes, the others arrived one after another. They had been notified that it would be 8:30, and no one would be late.

Deputy Leader Wu also arrived. After Director Cai whispered in his ear that everyone had arrived, Deputy Leader Wu finally spoke:

"Everyone, I am Wu Jianhong. The reason for transferring you here is to take into account your abilities, expertise, and other aspects, and to invite you to join the large hydraulic press project team."

This project was reported to Mr. Zhou last week, and the China Ocean Academy has approved it, allowing us to establish a project team and providing full support. You are the members of our initial R&D team.

Zhou Zhiqiang glanced around briefly. Apart from Deputy Leader Wu, Director Cai, and two people from the Technology Department and Factory Office, the remaining R&D team consisted of seven people.

Of course, seven people alone are not enough; they are just the main researchers, and there will definitely be other teams of varying sizes assisting them.

Such a large project cannot be completed by just a few people; it will definitely involve a dozen teams and dozens of factories.

Otherwise, the Ministry of Machine Building wouldn't have needed to consult Mr. Zhou; if the scale wasn't large, they could have conducted the research themselves.

Deputy Leader Wu then spoke at length, recounting the support that the Ministry of Machine Building could provide, as well as Mr. Zhou's hopes and instructions.

"Large hydraulic presses are crucial equipment for the development of heavy industry. You are all top talents in your respective fields. The development of our country's heavy industry depends on you."

Upon hearing this, not to mention others, Zhou Zhiqiang felt a sudden weight on his shoulders, as if he were carrying an immense responsibility.

“Vice Leader Wu, we understand what you are saying. We have an unshirkable responsibility to contribute to the development of the nation’s industrial construction.”

Shen Changlin, the vice dean of the School of Mechanical Engineering, spoke up, saying that the School of Mechanical Engineering was also a department under the Ministry of Machinery Industry, and had cooperated with Vice Leader Wu and the Technology Department many times. Therefore, they would naturally provide their full support for this large-scale hydraulic press project.

Shen Changlin then continued, "There are a few comrades I'm not familiar with yet. Let's get to know each other first. I am Shen Changlin, the vice dean of the Mechanical Engineering College of the First Ministry of Machine Building. I have a good understanding of mechanical power and electromechanical engineering, etc."

After Shen Changlin finished speaking, the others introduced themselves to each other.

After Zhou Zhiqiang finished speaking, the others in the room all looked at him with some disapproval.

Young and capable—these two qualities alone are enough to make them take a second look.

Moreover, Fei Yunzhi had just praised Zhou Zhiqiang, and the honor Zhou Zhiqiang had achieved at the Canton Fair recently made it impossible for others to doubt his abilities.

The performance of the small tractors is somewhat embarrassing for YTO, a major manufacturer.

With the Russian tractors as a reference, and a host of corresponding talents and material resources to support them, the research and imitation still ran into problems, allowing the small factory, Dafeng Machinery Factory, to steal the spotlight.

As for the other technicians at Dafeng Machinery Factory, they certainly wouldn't think that those people were the main developers of the small tractor; it must be Zhou Zhiqiang's achievement.

Otherwise, the organization would not have allowed someone who had just graduated less than two years ago to become a section chief, a promotion of seven levels in just two short years.

That's equivalent to being promoted three and a half levels in a year.

Moreover, Professor Fei Yunzhi is a strong supporter of him. Professor Fei and his colleagues know that they would not lie about this in order to promote a junior.

After everyone in the meeting room had gotten to know each other, Director Cai said, "Comrades, the ministry has prepared another place for you, complete with assistants and a small canteen. Please feel free to let us know if you need anything."
That will serve as your initial office location. By the way, don't worry too much about transportation; the department's driver is available if it gets too late.

If the soldiers and horses are not moving, the grain and grass will go first.

If we don't address the needs of these key researchers, how can we get them to focus on research and development?

The office at the R&D site is also specially designed for long jump; it's spacious, has many desks, and plenty of tools.

Developing a large hydraulic press is not a quick process. After establishing the project, the next step is to choose a research and development direction.

Their current small and medium-sized hydraulic presses are provided by the Russians, but the Russians will not provide them with hydraulic presses of more than 6,000 tons.

The best approach now is to analyze and research the medium-sized hydraulic presses provided by Russia to develop a large-scale hydraulic press suitable for China.

According to Shen Changlin's plan, they need to overcome the challenges of design experiments and model optimization within one to two years, and produce a set of qualified design drawings.

A large hydraulic press may have tens of thousands of parts, which is no small amount of work.

However, the blueprints are not a problem. This time, they were not drawn by one person. If they need them, they can find ten or even twenty or thirty technicians to draw the blueprints.

Once a perfect design concept and structural model are confirmed, the rest of the process becomes much smoother.

The difficulty of this project lies in determining the direction of research and development and manufacturing. The only reference they can draw upon is the medium-sized hydraulic press provided by the Russians.

Of course, this is only the first day, so it's impossible to figure anything out immediately.

The primary task is to collect information on all existing hydraulic presses in China, including their service life and maintenance records. In short, they need to collect all information related to hydraulic presses.

We must first gain a thorough understanding of the current state of hydraulic presses in China before proceeding with the next stage of research and development.

Around six o'clock.

After speaking with Team Leader Shen, Zhou Zhiqiang left the project team office and waited at the ministry entrance for Yan Yong to pick him up.

In the afternoon, the main researchers selected a group leader, Vice Dean Shen Changlin.

Anyway, it's impossible for Zhou Zhiqiang to get a chance, so he'll just choose whoever everyone else chooses.

Director Cai served as the deputy group leader on a temporary assignment, but he was not involved in specific research; his main responsibility was to provide various forms of support.

The initial period won't be particularly busy, and there's no need to work overtime on the first day.

So Zhou Zhiqiang told Team Leader Shen that he planned to go back to the factory to teach his apprentices technical skills.

Shen Changlin asked more questions and, upon learning that Zhou Zhiqiang possessed both level eight lathe and milling machine skills, patted him on the shoulder in surprise and said that he must see him someday.

The ideas of knowledge researchers must ultimately be realized by workers; if they are the brains, then the workers are the hands, and together they can develop industry.

But Zhou Zhiqiang alone had a 'brain' and 'hands', which shocked Shen Changlin.

The skills required for a Level 8 worker really depend on talent, while understanding various machines requires accumulated experience, but steady hands are also highly dependent on talent.

Zhou Zhiqiang's high level of skill at such a young age puzzled and intrigued Shen Changlin.

"Section Chief Zhou."

After coming out, Zhou Zhiqiang quickly spotted Yan Yong waving at him, so he rushed over to open the door and get into the car.

After Yan Yong got into the car, he started the engine and asked, "Section Chief Zhou, you must be tired today? Shall I take you straight home, or back to the factory?"

"Go to the factory, thank you for your trouble. I have to work overtime when I get back."

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Zhiqiang continued, "Comrade Yan, you don't need to pick me up tomorrow. I'll be working at the ministry for a long time from now on, and it will be more convenient to ride a bicycle."

Secretary Yan also knows about this.

Upon hearing that Secretary Yan knew, Yan Yong stopped insisting and said, "Alright, then I'll finish delivering tonight. Since you don't have a bicycle, it's better to take a car back."

Zhou Zhiqiang laughed and said, "Yes, tonight will be the last time."

After returning to the factory, Zhou Zhiqiang first went to the canteen for dinner before heading to Workshop 5.

When he arrived at Workshop 5, he was surprised to find that there were about ten more people there than yesterday.

During the final count and questioning, it was found that eleven people were from Workshop 2 and Workshop 7. They had heard from friends that they could learn skills by staying in Workshop 5 at night, so they came.

Zhou Zhiqiang couldn't drive them away, so he let them stay and learn with him.

However, he was a little worried about tomorrow. If the number of apprentices increased by a dozen or so each day, he would eventually become the master of all the apprentices in the factory.

Moreover, Workshop 5 cannot accommodate so many people.

If the number of apprentices coming to learn continues to increase, then we will have to teach them on different days and in different batches.

Zhou Zhiqiang felt he should also have a backup plan in mind, in case he had something to do with the hydraulic press research project team, someone would have to teach these apprentices for him.

"Master Mao Yongfeng, he's the most suitable candidate."

Zhou Zhiqiang thought to himself that he decided to find some time to talk to Master Mao, and then discuss this matter with the factory director to finalize it as a regular practice!
　Chapter Two, please vote with monthly tickets!

　　There will be more later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)