Returning wealthy individuals develop their hometowns and become rich in the 1980s

After finishing their meal, the group left the cafeteria. The sun was blazing. Huang Bin glanced at his watch and asked Chen Dong, "Zai Dong, after visiting the R&D center this afternoon, will we have enough time to go to the heavy truck industrial park?"

Chen Dong nodded, "There's enough time. Starting from Jinbu, it's only a half-hour drive along the Nanzhao Highway. We have plenty of time!"

"Okay, let's go take a look at the R&D center first," Huang Bin said and walked out. The old man was very efficient. Chen Dong quickly followed, without telling him that the staff at the R&D center were taking a lunch break.

Upon arriving at the entrance, the group was stopped by the security guards. Seeing that Chen Dong had brought them, the guards told him, "Mr. Chen, everyone in the center is currently taking a lunch break in their dormitories and won't be back at work until 1:30 PM. Without access cards, we cannot open the door to the R&D center!"

The security team of Xiaochi Automobile consists of veterans and militiamen from Jinbu Township. Hou Shaobing, a retired military officer, serves as the security director. Hou Shaobing returned to his hometown after being wounded in battle. After becoming the security director of Xiaochi Automobile Jinbu Industrial Park, he strictly enforced the discipline and regulations he had in the army.

Before Chen Dong appointed him as the head of security, Hou Shaobing had spoken with Chen Dongfang, Guotai, and Chen Zaisheng in person. He would train them according to the strict security discipline of the military. Without access control and the pass for the appointment of company directors, including Chen Dong and the other two, no one could freely enter or leave any workshop or department of the company or the park.

Chen Dong readily agreed, especially since the R&D center was the heart of Xiaochi Motors. No one, including the R&D staff, was allowed to leave work without any documents to prevent theft of design drawings and other materials.

Huang Bin didn't say anything. Zhou Haimin frowned, wanting to reprimand the two security guards, but Chen Dong explained to Huang Bin first, "Mr. Huang, it's like this, our company's board of directors has a clear rule that without an access card, neither I nor any other shareholder can enter at will!"

"The people at the R&D center are on lunch break right now, so there's no one there. Why don't we go over to the engine workshop and take another look?" Chen Dong suggested with a smile.

"Good, very principled, that's excellent," Huang Bin said, not annoyed at all, but instead praising the security guards at Xiaochi Motors. "They should strictly follow the rules, and I'm no exception!"

The group returned to the engine workshop. The workers had all gone for their lunch break, leaving only the original engine still roaring on the test platform. Huang Bin walked over to Supervisor Li, who was recording data, and asked, "Comrade, is the engine data normal?"

Supervisor Li turned to Huang Bin and handed him the data he had recorded. "Boss, take a look, everything is normal!"

Huang Bin took the report and looked at it carefully. Although he was not an expert in engines, he had worked in industry all his life and could still understand these basic data. Oil pressure, water temperature, oil temperature, speed, torque, etc., were all within the normal range.

He looked up at Supervisor Li and asked, "This engine hasn't stopped running since the testing began, has it?"

"No," Manager Li replied directly. "It's been an hour and a half since it was started. According to the testing procedure, we will test at different speeds and record various data. Today is just a preliminary test. It will be handed over to the R&D center later for longer durability testing."

Huang Bin nodded, then asked, "How long do you plan to run the durability test?"

"According to the plan, we'll run it for 1,000 hours first," said Supervisor Li. "After 1,000 hours, we'll disassemble and inspect it to see the wear and tear on each component. If there are no problems, we'll run it for another 3,000 hours. After 3,000 hours, we'll disassemble and inspect it again. Finally, we'll run it for 10,000 hours to see its lifespan limit."

After listening, Huang Bin looked down at the data again. He was very satisfied with Xiaochi Motors' rigorous testing of the engine. What does 10,000 hours mean? Calculated at eight hours a day, that's more than three years of testing and operation.

Engine testing doesn't mean running it 24/7 or 24/7. It's usually done periodically, with oil changes every 500 hours, or every 1000 hours for large diesel engines.

Military special engines, for example, undergo continuous non-stop testing, but this is only for four consecutive months of 24-hour non-stop testing to simulate the working wear and tear of the engine for at least ten years.

The operating condition of civilian car engines does not require such rigorous testing. The 10,000-hour test of the Snapdragon car, in addition to testing the engine's durability and wear, also tests the engine's fuel consumption and emissions.

"Your testing standards are much stricter than those of the three major state-owned automobile factories," Huang Bin said after a long silence. "These standards are very good and worth learning from."

As Huang Bin was speaking, he suddenly changed the subject and asked Chen Dong, "Zai Dong, has your Xiaochi Motors considered collaborating with domestic universities?"

"Yes, we are currently in talks with Tuo University. In the future, our Xiaochi Company will establish an engine and automotive electromechanical research institute at Tuo University. The subsequent investment ratio is still under negotiation," Chen Dong replied.

"Let's also consider Tsinghua and Harbin," Huang Bin said with a smile, "Their automotive industries have a certain foundation!"

Chen Dong's eyes lit up, and he nodded in reply, "Mr. Huang, that's a great suggestion. I'll have someone contact him right away!"

Huang Bin added, "Your company, Snapdragon, has an overseas background and advanced technology, while domestic universities provide a theoretical foundation and a talent pool. Combining these strengths and complementing each other will lead to even greater achievements!"

Chen Dong nodded, and his secretary Qu Cai, who was following behind, quickly took notes of Huang Bin's words. Zhou Haimin and the others also nodded repeatedly.

After leaving the workshop, everyone boarded the bus. Huang Bin declined Chen Dong's invitation to ride in a car and instead rode the bus. The Weiguan police car led the way, and Chen Dong's car followed closely behind, speeding along the Nanzhao Highway towards Nanshan District.

After driving for half an hour, the convoy finally entered the heavy truck industrial park located in Shangzhai and Lianzhai in Nanshan District. The scale here is smaller than that of Jinbu, but it is still quite considerable. Several gray and white factory buildings are neatly arranged, with a sign that reads "Xiaochi Automobile Heavy Truck Division" hanging at the entrance.

As soon as Huang Bin got out of the car, Chen Dong led him directly to the engine workshop. When he saw the assembled heavy-duty truck diesel engine, Huang Bin couldn't help but walk around and examine it, asking Chen Dong, "What's the displacement of this diesel engine?"

"12 liters, six cylinders, 450 horsepower," Chen Dong said with a smile. Huang Bin looked up at Chen Dong in shock, "Such high horsepower!"

"Mr. Huang, higher horsepower means better fuel economy!"