The Fiery Era: Becoming an Industrial Giant

Chapter 125 The Youngest Level 15 Cadre [Please Subscribe]

After the New Year, the passionate and enthusiastic research and development atmosphere once again filled everyone.

Driven by the slogan of surpassing Britain, heavy industry developed particularly rapidly, and Zhou Zhiqiang's project team also shouldered an important mission.

As soon as the third year of junior high school was over, Zhou Zhiqiang immediately threw himself into the work of the main research project team.

At that time, some factories had not yet started operations, and researchers from other places had not yet arrived, but all the local researchers had arrived and were doing some research and calculations within their capabilities.

Once the factory started operations and everyone else had arrived, they all went to their respective posts and took charge of their project progress.

Zhou Zhiqiang didn't relax either, keeping a close eye on every step, and even personally checking all the data.

This was his first time participating in a major national project, and also his first time leading a team on some important projects. If anything went wrong, even if it delayed the project's progress by just one day, he would bear a great deal of responsibility.

These days, collective honor is of paramount importance, and anyone who jeopardizes collective honor will also be condemned.

The first month after the New Year quickly came to an end, and team leader Shen Changlin convened a meeting with all the main research teams to summarize the progress.

After handing over his work to Dong Zhengyu, Zhou Zhiqiang went to the First Ministry of Machine Building for a meeting.

This year, after Dong Zhengyu and the others from other places returned, they brought some local specialties for Zhou Zhiqiang; because last year they all went back earlier. Well, not exactly earlier, but this project was very important and urgent, so they should have gone back later and worked overtime until the very end.

But Zhou Zhiqiang took over their task, which allowed them to go back earlier. Otherwise, they would have spent a day or two by train and would have had very little time at home.

So many people thanked Zhou Zhiqiang for bringing some local specialties. Nothing valuable, just a basket of pickled cabbage and drunken shrimp, all from the local area.

Zhou Zhiqiang accepted the inexpensive items as a way to foster relationships; he also took the opportunity to treat these people to a meal at a restaurant, but he only paid for the meat coupons and money, while the food coupons were paid for by the people themselves.

The First Ministry of Machine Building, Office for the Main Research and Development of Large Hydraulic Presses.

Once everyone had arrived, Shen Changlin, the group leader, took the lead in reporting on the progress made last time and the goals to be achieved in the next stage.

Then the team leaders were asked to give their reports.

"We are currently working on the technology to replace the four-cylinder drive system, but due to limitations in forging force distribution and energy consumption, we are researching increasing the cylinder block size to better distribute the forging force."

After listening, Team Leader Shen didn't want to put too much pressure on him, so he said calmly, "Find a solution as soon as possible, and apply to Director Cai and me for anything you need."

We still need to urge them, but not excessively. They are currently using a lot of resources, so we absolutely cannot afford to fail.

"Mr. Lin, what's wrong with your work?"

"New solutions have been considered for hydraulic transmission, and we are currently planning to optimize and improve its performance. It's hard to say exactly, but we estimate it will be about 30% better than before."

There are no calculation results yet. When he came to the meeting, the team was still working hard on the calculations, so Engineer Lin couldn't guarantee anything.

But if it's less than 30%, then it's far from their estimate. Either their calculations were wrong, or their initial approach was flawed.

Team Leader Shen nodded, and after listening to the reports from the two key researchers, he turned his attention to Zhou Zhiqiang.

The youngest of these researchers was also the most hardworking and outstanding. Moreover, the project he was responsible for was extremely important, as it was crucial to the success of the large hydraulic press.

"Comrade Zhiqiang."

When Zhou Zhiqiang heard him being called, he took out his prepared report and began to say: "For the first phase of the electroslag welding technology experiment, 24 of the 27 mechanical devices required have been modified."

It is expected that everything will be completed the day after tomorrow, and the first phase of testing will officially begin; if successful, the second phase, and then the final test, will begin.

The report was very detailed and he was extremely confident.

After all, he personally oversaw every step, and everything was carried out in an orderly manner according to the technology and processes he had researched.

If there are no mistakes, Zhou Zhiqiang is 100% certain that the project will be a complete success.

After listening to the report, Team Leader Shen was surprised that Zhou Zhiqiang's project team had progressed so quickly and had already begun preparing for the first phase of electroslag welding experiments.

If everything goes smoothly, they should be able to begin overall manufacturing by the end of the year—no, probably around the middle of the year.

As long as other teams can keep up with the pace of Zhou Zhiqiang's team, but that's a bit of a stretch, Shen Changlin never expected Zhou Zhiqiang to be so successful.

Although they listened to his reports every time, Zhou Zhiqiang and his team seemed to never encounter any problems and smoothly progressed to where they are today.

"Comrade Zhiqiang, you did a great job."

Shen Changlin's satisfaction was undisguised; in the past year, other projects had more or less caused him anxiety and frustration.

But Zhou Zhiqiang didn't bother him at all. He just asked for some people and then worked on it himself. Now he's almost ready to try out the process.
"Team Leader Shen, this is what we should do. The team is working together, which is why we've made such a fast progress."

"Keep it up. I'll say it again: let me know what you need as soon as possible."

Shen Changlin then noted down the progress reported by Zhou Zhiqiang, and then stood up and said to everyone, "Our project is of great importance. Deputy Leader Wu, Leader Sheng, and even Mr. Zhou and the top leaders are all paying attention to it."
There can be no mistakes; it must be successfully developed.

I've heard this sentence many times, but each time I remember it vividly.

After the meeting, Director Cai's assistant suddenly came up to Zhou Zhiqiang and said to him, "Comrade Zhou, Secretary Yan from your factory called and asked if you have time now. If you do, he hopes you can go back."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhiqiang asked, "Did Secretary Yan say anything about it?"

"It should be your Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory that announces its reform into a ministry-affiliated factory at the deputy bureau level. Such a thing requires a factory-wide employee meeting."

Director Cai happened to be nearby and, after overhearing his assistant and Zhou Zhiqiang's conversation, stepped forward to explain.

"If things aren't urgent with the project team, go back to the factory first. Leader Sheng visited your factory today."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhiqiang nodded and said, "I understand, boss. I'll go back right away and ask you to tell Miao Hong to tell Engineer Dong Zhengyu that I have something to do here and will be back later."

Director Cai's assistant immediately said, "Okay, I'll make the call right away."

Zhou Zhiqiang then rode his bicycle immediately to the factory. Fortunately, the distance was not very far, and he pedaled very fast, so he returned to the factory in no time.

As soon as Zhou Zhiqiang arrived at the factory office building, he bumped into Chen Li, who had just come out.

"Deputy Section Chief Chen."

"Section Chief, your return is just in time."

Upon seeing Zhou Zhiqiang, Chen Li immediately said, "Let's go to the open space near Workshop Seven. We're going to hold a factory-wide meeting there."

Zhou Zhiqiang breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "Okay, I thought I wouldn't make it. Luckily, they finished early over there."

Chen Li glanced at Zhou Zhiqiang's forehead, then handed him a handkerchief and said, "Section Chief, wipe your sweat. You'll be representing the Technical Section on stage later."

Zhou Zhiqiang paused for a moment after seeing the handkerchief, then casually wiped his sweat with his sleeve and said, "This little bit of sweat is fine with a quick wipe. Let's hurry up and go, Deputy Section Chief Chen."

"Okay." After saying that, the two of them hurried towards the location of the general meeting of all employees.

When they arrived, the technical staff noticed that Zhou Zhiqiang was there and quickly greeted him. Some of them even smiled when they saw him.

"Section Chief, Deputy Section Chief, over here, over here!"

"Section Chief, you're back too. It's been so long since I've seen you."

"I've been busy lately, so I'm sorry everyone. I'll have to leave the technical department in your care for the time being, along with Deputy Section Chief Chen."

Zhou Zhiqiang greeted him with a smile, recalling how strict he was when he was in the technical department.

But there is one thing about Zhou Zhiqiang that everyone admires: he doesn't hold back his knowledge.

As long as you ask him questions, and Zhou Zhiqiang isn't particularly busy, he will teach you carefully.

You can really learn something by following Zhou Zhiqiang, as long as you can withstand his rather strict requirements.

Soon, a group of factory leaders and Sheng also arrived. When Liu Fuhua saw Zhou Zhiqiang, he immediately waved to him, signaling him to come to his side.

The Technical Department is now an important department in Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory, and Zhou Zhiqiang, the department head, is of paramount importance.

Once Leader Sheng takes the stage, today's conference can be considered to have officially begun.

"Comrades, I apologize for taking up a little of your production time. What I'm about to say is something that concerns everyone in your factory."

Leader Sheng's speech on stage immediately excited the group of factory leaders below, some of whom couldn't help but clench their trouser legs.

"After research and decision by the Archives Committee of the First Ministry of Machinery Industry, and with the approval of the superior competent authority, Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory was established."

Effective February 16th of this year, it was officially placed under the direct management of the First Ministry of Machine Building, becoming a factory directly under the ministry and at the deputy bureau-level!

"Comrades, this is not just a simple change of affiliation; it is the organization's recognition and affirmation of the brilliant achievements and contributions made by Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory in recent years."

After announcing the change in ownership of the factory, Leader Sheng gave a speech to boost morale, which was met with cheers from all the factory workers.

The speech lasted a long time. After Leader Sheng, Secretary Yan and Factory Director Zhao took the stage to speak.

This can be considered a pledge and guarantee to all the factory's employees.

The plans, tasks, and ranks will naturally not be announced at the general meeting; there will probably be another cadre meeting later.

Moreover, it wasn't just the factory that was promoted; all the managers were also promoted one level.

Some cadres will be promoted, but others will not be considered for promotion. Only cadres who have made significant contributions to the factory's development or have performed exceptionally well will be promoted.

Before the promotion list was announced, only a small number of people were sure they would be promoted one level. Zhou Zhiqiang was one of those few.

After all the cadres arrived at the conference room, Leader Sheng did not waste any time and started the meeting immediately.

First, there's the planned target for next year: a guaranteed 20% growth in output value. If that's achieved, Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory will be virtually the only one in the country to achieve that by the end of next year.

Other factories aimed for a percentage of around ten percent, with the highest not even exceeding fifteen percent.

Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory has foreign trade orders, so its requirements are higher than those of some large factories at the provincial or ministerial level.

The plan shocked the other cadres, but Director Zhao and Secretary Yan showed no reaction. They had already held a small meeting beforehand and were already aware of the plan.

Having discussed the planned tasks, the next step is to promote cadres to higher ranks.

After taking out a list, Leader Sheng announced amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd: "After discussion by the Personnel Bureau and Archives Committee of the First Ministry of Machinery Industry, the ranks of the following cadres have been adjusted."

Comrade Yan Juncheng, Comrade Zhao Guangzheng, Comrade Liu Fuhua, Comrade An Xiangjie, Comrade Zhou Zhiqiang, and Comrade Chen Li will have their original cadre rank increased by one level.

Everyone else, remain the same.

After the announcement, Zhou Zhiqiang didn't feel anything about what he already knew, but he did notice Chen Li beside him and breathed a long sigh of relief.

As for the others in the meeting room, they all had different expressions, but they quickly recovered under the watchful gaze of Leader Sheng.

------

After leaving the conference room, Leader Sheng suddenly stopped outside and waited. Seeing this, Secretary Yan and Factory Director Zhao didn't dare to go ahead of Leader Sheng.

They didn't know what Leader Sheng was planning, and after exchanging glances, they remained unaware of each other's intentions.

After seeing Zhou Zhiqiang walk out the door, Leader Sheng walked up to Zhou Zhiqiang, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Comrade Zhiqiang, you just came from the ministry, right? I remember you should be reporting there."

Zhou Zhiqiang nodded in surprise and said, "Yes, boss, I didn't expect you to know so much."

“What you are researching is very important, so Comrade Jianhong and I will keep a close eye on it.”

Leader Sheng praised you, saying, "I've heard a bit about your situation from Comrade Jianhong; my only advice to you is to perform well!"

"I understand, boss."

Zhou Zhiqiang quickly assured him, "If I don't contribute to industrial development, I will have failed the organization's care for me."

Upon hearing this, Leader Sheng smiled with satisfaction and then waved goodbye before leaving.

Two major events: one was to announce to all factory workers that the factory would be reformed into a department directly under a ministry, and the other was to hold a meeting for cadres to announce the planned tasks and the promotion of cadres.

After he finished speaking, there was no need for him to stay any longer. As for inviting the leader to dinner, Secretary Yan and Director Zhao did have this idea, but Leader Sheng did not agree.

Staying would take at least an extra hour, and he still had many things to take care of today, so he needed to get back to the department as soon as possible.

"Section Chief Zhou, are you busy over there?"

Factory Director Zhao walked up to Zhou Zhiqiang and said with a smile, "If you're not too busy, stay for lunch. There's a small meeting this afternoon, and you can represent the technical department at it."

"Not too busy."

Zhou Zhiqiang said with a smile, "Since the factory manager invited me to dinner, I definitely have to eat."
"But factory manager, please invite Deputy Section Chief Chen to the meeting. I've been away from the factory for a long time, so he'll definitely be the first to know what the technical department's arrangements are."

Upon hearing this, Director Zhao didn't think twice and immediately agreed, saying, "Alright, then Deputy Section Chief Chen will also join us."

　Third update.

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(End of this chapter)