Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

On the morning of November 10th, the Zhenjiang East Suburb Industrial Park was still shrouded in a thin mist.

Jiang Haoran parked the car in front of the familiar "Jianguo Machinery Factory" iron sign.

As he stepped out of the car, he heard sounds from inside the factory that were different from what he had heard before.

It was no longer the dull thud of old-fashioned machine tools, but the precise, rhythmic hum of motors, interspersed with brief instructions from the technicians.

The scene in the factory yard has changed.

At the entrance of the old factory building on the west side, several old pieces of equipment with peeling paint are still in operation, while on the east side of the factory yard, the open space that used to be used to store miscellaneous items has been cleared out, and the newly built corrugated steel factory building shines with a silvery-gray luster in the morning light.

The doors to the new factory were open, revealing three brand-new pieces of equipment inside.

The new machine tool features a distinctive silver-gray body with clean, sharp lines, and the indicator lights on the control panel flash regularly, like a sleeping behemoth awakening.

Jiang Jianguo walked out of the new factory building, wearing work clothes with a little machine oil on them, and holding a thick debugging manual in his hand.

Upon seeing his son, a smile appeared on his face, a smile that showed weariness, but even more so, a radiant glow of new life.

"They're here?" Jiang Jianguo beckoned to his son. "Come in and take a look. The equipment just arrived a few days ago, and the engineer who came with it is currently debugging it."

Jiang Haoran followed his father into the new factory.

The floor was newly laid epoxy flooring, so smooth that it reflected your image. There was a faint smell of cutting fluid in the air, but unlike the old workshop, it wasn't mixed with rust and dust.

The temperature control system has been activated and is maintaining a constant temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. This is the environmental requirement for precision machining.

The three four-axis linkage machining centers are arranged in a triangular pattern.

The one in the very center was undergoing a trial run; the spindle was idling at 8,000 RPM, and the noise was almost inaudible. A blond, blue-eyed German engineer stood in front of the control panel, communicating with the translator in accented Chinese.

"The accuracy can reach 0.001 millimeters," Jiang Jianguo said, pointing to the equipment with barely suppressed excitement. "The repeatability is 0.0005 millimeters. It's more than ten times better than our old equipment."

He walked over to the equipment, picked up a sample aluminum part from the worktable, and handed it to his son: "Take a look at this."

Jiang Haoran took the part. It was a complex connector with a smooth, mirror-like surface, where even the finest ridges were neatly and precisely finished.

He looked at it in the light and then touched the edge with his finger—there were no burrs, and it felt as smooth as polished jade.

"This was a trial run last night," Jiang Jianguo said. "It was a newly programmed one by our own people, and it ran for more than three hours. Look at the surface precision, and the positional accuracy of the holes..."

He leaned closer and pointed to several key parts of the component, saying, "The error between the theoretical position and the actual measurement is no more than three-thousandths of a millimeter."

He explained it in great detail, remembering every single technical parameter clearly.

This veteran factory manager, who has worked in machining for thirty years, is absorbing new knowledge at an astonishing pace.

"How are the workers adapting?" Jiang Haoran put the parts back on the padded workbench.

Jiang Jianguo's smile faded slightly, replaced by a serious expression: "It's a bit strenuous, but the enthusiasm is high. As you said, the base salary will be increased by 30% first, and bonuses will be distributed at the end of the year based on performance. I've already said that if you really master the new equipment and produce good work, doubling your bonus is no problem."

He paused, lowered his voice, and glanced towards the old factory building: "It's just that a few old guys can't quite get used to it. They think the new equipment is too complicated and have some resistance."

"Old Chen was telling me yesterday that this thing can be used by pressing a few buttons. So what about those of us who have made a living by feel and experience? What's going to happen to us now?"

"You didn't tell him that technology is the primary productive force," Jiang Haoran replied with a smile.

"I'm laying my cards on the table," Jiang Jianguo said firmly. "I'm telling you, Lao Chen, if the factory wants to survive, it has to move upmarket and do precision manufacturing. We need to use new equipment and learn new skills."

"Those who can keep up, let's move forward together and enjoy the fruits of our labor; those who really can't keep up, you can still do the odd jobs in the old workshop, but your pay will have to go back to the original level."

He sighed, "My words were a bit harsh, but there's nothing I can do. Old Chen has been with me for fifteen years. He's an honest man, and his skills are impeccable. But he's just stubborn. He thinks that turning, milling, planing, and grinding—a pair of hands and a ruler—that's the real skill."

"And then?"

"He kept quiet for two days afterward." Jiang Jianguo's face showed a hint of relief.

"He came to me this morning and said he wanted to give it a try. He's currently learning programming from Xiao Liu. Although Xiao Liu only graduated from a vocational school, he's good at computers and picks things up very quickly."

Jiang Haoran nodded.

The growing pains of transformation are inevitable; some will catch up quickly, while others will stumble along. But as long as the direction is right, we must persevere.

"What about the new hires?" he asked.

"I recruited three." Jiang Jianguo pulled a small notebook out of his pocket, which was filled with names and information.

"One of them is a master craftsman from Suzhou and Hangzhou with five years of precision machining experience. He asked for a high salary, but I paid him. The other two are recent graduates from local vocational colleges. They have a good foundation, but they lack experience and are currently learning from him."

He turned to a page in his notebook: "By the way, all the people Professor Li recommended have arrived. They're mechanical design students with solid theoretical foundations. I'm thinking, we can let him take the lead in process programming and quality management."

The father and son walked slowly through the new workshop. Sunlight streamed in through the high windows, casting bright spots of light on the epoxy floor.

The brand-new machine tools stood quietly, their control screens flashing a pale blue standby interface. The heavy, repetitive thuds coming from the old workshop just a wall away seemed to originate from two completely different times and spaces.

"Haoran," Jiang Jianguo suddenly stopped and turned to look at his son.

This fifty-year-old man, with graying temples and rough, strong hands that had dealt with machine oil and metal filings for years, gently stroked the cold machine tool beside him, as if touching a fragile dream.

"My dad worked in a factory for twenty years. In the beginning, we only had two second-hand milling machines that others had discarded. During the hardest times, we couldn't even afford to pay our workers' wages. Back then, I dreamed of having such a good machine at night, but it was just a dream. We couldn't afford it, and we didn't even dare to think about it."

His palm rested firmly on the metal surface, and his voice deepened: "These three machines now cost over five million. Before, I wouldn't have even dared to consider it. It was you... who gave the factory this new path."

Jiang Haoran gazed at his father. The man's eyes were bloodshot, the marks of days of hard work, but deeper within them shone a light—a rekindled courage to start a business with just two people.

"Dad," his voice was steady and clear, "we chose this path ourselves, and we have to earn our own opportunities. I just set up the stage and provided the tools. To truly establish the 'Jianguo Precision' brand in the precision manufacturing industry, we need you, the skills and dedication of the experienced craftsmen, and the courage and drive of the newcomers. No matter how smart the machine is, it still needs people to be in charge."

Jiang Jianguo didn't say anything more, but simply raised his heavy hand and gently patted his son's shoulder, everything was understood without words.