Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

Chapter 154 Public Questioning

Lin Kuo-tung's question about "real customer long-term usage data" was like a precise scalpel, cutting open the softest and most unavoidable part of Kirin Technology's abdomen beneath its facade of technological confidence.

The air seemed to have lost its last trace of relaxation after those words.

The crowd in front of the booth, whether they were initially skeptical of Kirin or initially impressed by its data, held their breath at this moment.

Yes, performance parameters can be optimized, costs can be calculated, and short-term tests can be carefully designed, but time, the fairest and cruelest judge, cannot be accelerated by any startup.

Without years of on-site verification, even the most impressive data will ultimately carry a sense of unreliability, being "for reference only," in the eyes of customers who are truly responsible for the stability of the production line and the huge cost of polysilicon.

Countless gazes focused on Jiang Haoran once again, more penetrating than ever before, trying to catch traces of panic or sophistry from the subtle changes in his facial expressions.

The pressure, as if it were a tangible force, weighed heavily on Jiang Haoran.

This was not a curious inquiry from an ordinary visitor, but a public questioning from an industry veteran and a giant in the field.

Lin Guodong's identity, qualifications, and the strong confidence in his words, which stemmed from his rich experience, all made this question carry extraordinary weight.

Countless gazes shifted back and forth between Jiang Haoran and Lin Guodong, and the air was filled with a tense atmosphere of anticipation for a good show to unfold.

Some felt sympathy, some were curious, some gloated, and some simply wanted to see how this suddenly appearing new face would deal with the sharp edge of the veteran powerhouse.

Jiang Haoran's face did not show the embarrassment or sophistry that Lin Guodong had expected.

He even paused for a very brief two seconds after Lin Guodong finished speaking. That silence was not because he was at a loss for words, but rather a recognition and respect for the weight of the issue.

He first bowed slightly to Lin Guodong, his attitude neither humble nor arrogant: "Mr. Lin, hello. Thank you for your interest in Qilin Technology."

The appropriate address and courteous manners not only clearly indicated the other party's identity (making others aware of the weight of the questioner's stance) but also demonstrated one's own composure.

Lin Guodong stared at Jiang Haoran with piercing eyes. His expression did not soften because of the polite greeting. Instead, he seemed to be waiting for Jiang Haoran's next "performance".

Jiang Haoran straightened up and calmly met Lin Guodong's gaze: "Chairman Lin just mentioned mass production and the test of time. This is indeed the core issue that any new product or technology must face when it enters the market, and it is also the focus of our efforts over the past six months."

"To be frank, as of now, the Kirin No. 1 diamond thread does not have the massive data accumulation of tens of millions of kilometers of operation across hundreds of production lines worldwide, spanning many years, that imported brands do."

Jiang Haoran's gaze swept over the surrounding crowd and then returned to Lin Guodong's face. He made no attempt to hide his feelings, saying, "This is the reality we, as newcomers, must face, and it is the gap we must fill with time and tangible production line performance."

Instead of directly refuting the "slogan," he steered the conversation toward the essence of the other party's doubts, while implying that his side had already realized this and had made efforts to address it.

He acknowledged the shortcomings, but then his tone didn't falter; instead, it suddenly lifted: "However, this doesn't mean we're unprepared for this, or that we can only passively wait for time to provide the answer."

"Regarding the data," Jiang Haoran turned to the side, pointing to the LED screen, drawing everyone's attention, "all the performance comparison data displayed on the screen are based on reports from authoritative third-party testing institutions."

"Copies of the official test reports issued by the JS Provincial Institute of Metrology and the Shanghai Institute of Materials Science are available at the booth for any interested industry professionals to review and verify at any time."

He paused, then looked at Lin Guodong: "If Chairman Lin or Wanhe Solar's technical experts are interested, we can provide it now. The report number, testing conditions, and raw data will all be open and transparent."

In the first round, he established a credible foundation for the data using "authoritative third-party reports" and proactively opened verification channels, demonstrating an open and aboveboard attitude.

Lin Guodong remained noncommittal, his eyes still sharp: "The third-party report only proves that the sample you submitted is qualified. Can a sample represent the level of mass production?"

"It's a different story to have ten rolls of yarn pass the test than to have one thousand or ten thousand rolls maintain the same level of quality. I've been in the industry for over thirty years and have seen far too many examples where lab data looks great, but the results change drastically once mass production begins."

The issue goes deeper, directly addressing the most critical problems in industrialization: "consistency" and "stability."

Jiang Haoran nodded, gesturing to Gu Qiushi.

Gu Qiushi immediately operated the tablet to project another set of data onto the empty area of ​​the screen.

That was a Statistical Process Control (SPC) chart showing the distribution of measured values ​​for key parameters (wire diameter, breaking strength) of more than fifty rolls of diamond wire from five independent production batches over the past month.

On the chart, the upper and lower control limits (UCL/LCL) representing data fluctuations are very narrow, with all data points densely located near the center line, and only a very few approaching the control limits without exceeding them.

"This is real-time monitoring data from our small-batch trial production process," Jiang Haoran explained. "We have established a full-process quality tracking system from raw material warehousing to finished product delivery, with 100% online testing and sorting for key processes."

"Currently, the coefficient of variation (Cpk) of key parameters within the batch has stabilized above 1.33, meeting the initial mass production control requirements."

"Of course, we acknowledge that there is still a gap between this and the stability of top giants' tens of millions of kilometers of production, but we have found a path for continuous improvement and are confident that we will continue to get closer as we scale up."

He acknowledged the gap again, but presented the progress made and clear directions for improvement using concrete statistics and process control methods, rather than just empty talk.

Lin Guodong's gaze lingered on the SPC chart for a few seconds, his eyes flickering slightly, but his doubts did not dissipate.

"Process control is a means; ultimately, we need to assess the reliability of the equipment over a long period. How long have these two demonstration machines been cutting here? Have they experienced any malfunctions? How consistently have they performed when cutting different batches of silicon from different manufacturers?"

The questions were increasingly specific and pointed, behaving like a senior technical director interrogating his subordinates.

Wang Qiming took over the conversation, his voice steady: "These two demonstration prototypes have been running continuously without failure for more than 96 hours since the exhibition was completed, cutting standard silicon blocks more than 300 times, with a total cutting length of about 15 kilometers."

The runtime logs are complete and can be accessed.

He pointed to a small screen next to the prototype, which displayed the running time, number of cuts, current parameters, and other information in real time.

"Regarding the compatibility with different silicon materials," Wang Qiming continued, "we have collaborated with several upstream silicon material manufacturers, testing more than ten silicon material samples with different purities and hardnesses, and accumulating a preliminary database of cutting parameters. We have also conducted specific tests on several mainstream silicon materials currently used by Wanhe Solar, and the data—"

He looked at Jiang Haoran.

Jiang Haoran interjected, "If President Lin allows, we can privately provide a summary of preliminary test analysis for the silicon materials commonly used by your company."

He demonstrated both thorough technical preparedness and consideration for the boundaries of business information.

Lin Guodong remained silent for a moment, seemingly processing this information. But he clearly wasn't going to give up, and threw out another trump card: "What about lifespan? Diamond wire is a consumable; customers are looking at the total cost of ownership."

"The lifespan you estimate through accelerated testing often differs drastically from the actual lifespan. Do you have any real customer data on long-term use, even in small batches?"

This problem hits the biggest weakness of Kylin Technology at present: a lack of sufficiently long-term practical application cases.

Some audience members around him nodded in agreement; this was indeed a key factor in determining whether a new product could withstand market scrutiny.