Family connections: From special recruitment by the county committee to the pinnacle of power

Xu Hansheng first picked up his teacup, clinked it with Liu Zhiqiang's, and took a big gulp of tea before slowly saying, "Uncle Liu, as far as I know, your company's automotive circuit boards have three main customers."

"I'm not very optimistic about the other two, but I have a lot of faith in Yutong Bus."

"And Yutong buses almost entirely source their onboard circuit boards from your company, right?"

Hiss!

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhiqiang looked at Xu Hansheng with great surprise.

This is a top-secret trade secret. How did Xu Hansheng know it?

In an instant, Liu Zhiqiang became wary and looked at Xu Hansheng, asking, "Nephew, who told you these rumors?"

"We do have some cooperation with Yutong Bus, but we are neither Yutong Bus's main supplier nor Yutong Bus's main customer."

"The areas of our cooperation are very limited, and the amounts involved are not large."

Xu Hansheng had anticipated Liu Zhiqiang's high level of vigilance. After slowly putting down his teacup, he looked at Liu Zhiqiang and said, "Uncle Liu, you don't need to be wary of me. I won't go into business, and I certainly won't reveal these trade secrets to others."

"My idea is, if we can persuade Yutong Bus to build a factory on that vacant land next to your company, wouldn't that create a complete upstream and downstream supply chain?"

"The factories and design departments of both companies are very close to each other. If there is any need, we can just sit down, have a drink, chat, and solve the problem."

"Moreover, as far as I know, Yutong Bus mainly produces small and medium-sized passenger vehicles now. It's not that Yutong Bus lacks the ability to design large passenger vehicles, but rather that the quality of its bearings has always been substandard."

"This is mainly due to the immature technology of the upstream supporting enterprises. My second uncle's factory has always produced related parts, and there are absolutely no problems with the technology."

"Right now, what we lack is equipment."

At this point, Xu Hansheng turned to look at Xu Weimin and continued, "As for the equipment, once we have orders, we'll naturally have the funds to buy it."

"At that time, the circuit boards, bearing components, and design and R&D center will all be together, which will be a good thing for Yutong Bus and Tiancheng Holdings. As for my second uncle, he can also get a share of the benefits along the way."

hiss!

After hearing what Xu Hansheng said, Liu Zhiqiang and Xu Weimin almost simultaneously gasped.

Xu Hansheng makes a good point!

Xu Weimin's factory has been making bearing-related parts for seven or eight years, and their craftsmanship is absolutely top-notch.

The only problem is the lack of design drawings and related production equipment.

If we could bring over part of Yutong Bus's design department and build a factory next to it, wouldn't that mean concentrating the upstream and downstream supporting industries?

Among them, Tiancheng Holdings is the biggest beneficiary.

With more car models and better sales, the demand for automotive circuit boards is increasing exponentially. After all, there's more than just one circuit board in a car!

Large passenger vehicles require even more circuit boards!

This is indeed a good idea that benefits all parties involved. Moreover, given Qi Hongchang's work style, if Yutong Bus can really be established in Yutong County, Qi Hongchang will definitely provide great convenience.

There's even less to worry about in terms of policy.

Compared with other cities and counties, the conditions that Yutong County can offer are undoubtedly the best.

More importantly, back then, Yutong Bus was not yet the leading enterprise in China. Although it had some brand recognition, its survival environment was not optimistic in the face of fierce market competition.

If Yutong could receive strong support from the Yutong County Party Committee and County Government, it would be a timely help for Yutong Bus!

The problem is, throughout this whole affair, Liu Zhiqiang couldn't see where his own interests lay.

He's not in the charity business. As the saying goes, people won't leave without profit. Without enough incentive for him, Liu Zhiqiang really doesn't need to bother with this.

Moreover, this kind of thing is not something that an assistant to the president can negotiate; it requires someone at the vice president level or above to finalize.

How many connections do you have to go through, and how much talking do you have to do?

Thinking of this, Liu Zhiqiang shook his head and said, "Nephew, your idea is good, but it won't benefit us much, and the process will be extremely complicated."

"Let's not even talk about persuading Yutong Bus, which requires a vice president or higher to finalize. Just figuring out what kind of policies Yutong County will provide, how to position it, and the related supporting facilities all require smooth coordination at every stage."

"To put it simply, if a car manufacturer were to relocate here, could Yutong County's high-voltage and ultra-high-voltage power transmission system handle the load?"

"Upgrading power facilities is no joke. Of course, I'm not doubting Secretary Qi's enthusiasm for attracting investment, but it requires approval from the provincial-level power department!"

"If anything goes wrong in the meantime, who will take responsibility?"

Despite all the difficulties Liu Zhiqiang mentioned, the biggest difficulty is that Liu Zhiqiang himself doesn't benefit from them!

Xu Weimin, standing nearby, nodded repeatedly, saying, "Hansheng, what your Uncle Liu said makes sense. What if Yutong Bus suddenly stops investing? Wouldn't that leave Secretary Qi hanging?"

"Also, upgrading and iterating the power system is no small project. It will take at least a month to complete, right?"

"And that's just electricity; what about transportation?"

"Transporting large buses is different from transporting spare parts. A single transport vehicle can weigh tens or even hundreds of tons, and the roads in Yutong County don't support that!"

Xu Hansheng smiled faintly, then gently kicked Xu Weimin under the table, signaling him to be quiet. He then turned to Liu Zhiqiang and said, "Uncle Liu, if this matter is settled, I'll be visiting you at your villa in Qingshan City next year at this time to wish you a Happy New Year."

Ok?

Liu Zhiqiang raised an eyebrow, then suddenly became interested and said, "Haha, Hansheng really knows how to talk. I've been eyeing the villa area on the outskirts of Qingshan City for a long time, but I'm short of money."

Xu Hansheng cleared his throat and said, "Uncle Liu, if you're in charge of the factory construction here, could you come here more often?"

"Or, to go even further, why don't you personally oversee the production here?"

"If Yutong Bus were to establish its operations here, wouldn't it be necessary to finalize the specifications for the circuit boards needed for the new models? Design fees, unit price, and rebates..."

"At that time, shouldn't Uncle Liu hand it over to the leaders at Yutong Bus?"

"Also, if the negotiations go smoothly, could Uncle Liu also discuss orders and get a share of the profits?"

"Buying a villa shouldn't be a problem for Uncle Liu, right?"