Reborn in 1982: I Became the Richest Man by Repairing Cars

Chapter 162 Rapid Development, Times Have Changed

For the next period of time, Jiang Hui focused his energy on the auto parts industry.

And you know what? In this day and age, as long as you can produce qualified parts, OEMs are really eager to use them.

After all, assembling a Santana using CKD kits would require a significant amount of foreign exchange.

The relevant departments have strong opinions, and they are putting considerable pressure on the public in Shanghai.

Therefore, the localization of Santana production is imperative.

Although 100% domestic production was not required from the beginning, this trend is clear to everyone.

The Wudaoying parts factory took care of the glass brackets from the very beginning.

Next, they directly produced the entire window regulator assembly. Except for the motor, which still needed to be imported from Germany, all other parts were supplied by the Wudaoying Parts Factory.

This is also a huge step forward for the general public in Shanghai.

"Director Jiang, I heard that your parts factory initially produced gears?"

In a private room at a state-run restaurant near the Shanghai Volkswagen Group, Wang Huiliang and Jiang Hui ate and chatted.

After more than six months of adjustment, the Wudaoying Parts Factory has established a good image with Volkswagen's purchasing department in Shanghai.

Although located far from the capital, transportation is sometimes a problem, but the parts produced are not large in size.

Santana production wasn't high back then, so these weren't problems.

As long as the Wudaoying parts factory can produce more parts, Volkswagen in Shanghai is willing to give it a chance.

Unlike in later generations when parts manufacturers went to OEMs to solicit business, where the most important thing was whether you had actual production achievements.

The joint venture between Toyota and Honda, in particular, prefers to let its performance speak for itself.

I need to establish a foothold in the market precisely because I haven't had any track record of supplying you with goods.

You keep using this issue to block me; aren't you just deliberately trying to avoid using me?

This situation did not change completely until 2020.

It was only after the new energy era fully arrived that these people began to realize something.

"Yes, we produce gearbox gears for Beituo and also some spare gears for Beichi 3MT manual transmissions."

"Even our gear production line is purchased directly from North Gearbox."

"Of course, we made some modifications, such as redeveloping the heat treatment equipment."

"It has greatly improved the precision and processing efficiency of gears. Even Beijing Gearbox is introducing our heating equipment."

"Furthermore, we are also collaborating with the Department of Optoelectronic Engineering at Beijing Institute of Technology to develop laser cutting equipment."

When someone brings up a new topic with you, Jiang Hui naturally wants to give a proper introduction.

This is a great opportunity to promote yourself.

"As you know, the 5MT manual transmission that our Santana uses now is directly imported from Germany."

"A single gearbox costs several thousand US dollars in foreign exchange, which has drawn strong criticism from relevant departments."

"Therefore, we introduced the 5MT technology from Volkswagen in Shanghai and are preparing to produce it at the Shanghai transmission plant."

"But as you know, no company in China has ever produced the 5MT used in this car before."

"The precision requirements for all the gears inside are extremely high, making it very difficult."

"The gearbox manufacturers in Shanghai are not confident that they can produce all the qualified gears themselves."

"If you're interested, you could try connecting with the gearbox manufacturers in Shanghai; there might be an opportunity."

For Wang Huiliang himself, this news is probably just gossip to talk about over tea.

But for Jiang Hui, this was a crucial piece of information.

"Thank you very much, Manager Wang. This news is extremely important to me."

"Our factory's gear production line has been upgraded, and the precision of the gears we produce now is no worse than that of the advanced gear production line that BIG imported from abroad."

"Volkswagen's 5MT transmission certainly requires very high gear precision, but as long as the right steel is available, I am very confident that it can be produced."

Whether it works or not, you've been given the opportunity, so you definitely have to make it work.

Jiang Hui was well aware that the Santana would become the king of the domestic sedan market in the future.

At least for the next ten years, no one can shake this position.

Since gearboxes are the component that uses the most gears, if the Wudaoying parts factory could supply gears to gearbox factories in Shanghai.

This is definitely a great opportunity to expand one's influence.

Who knows, other OEMs might also take the initiative to cooperate with Wudaoying Parts Factory in the future.

"It's good that you're confident. Tomorrow I'll give a heads-up to the gearbox company in Shanghai, and you can go directly to their purchasing manager."

Although Wang Huiliang was only a senior manager in the purchasing department of Volkswagen in Shanghai, he was in contact with department heads and even the CEOs of the transmission company in Shanghai.

There's no way around it, even though the administrative level of a transmission manufacturer in Shanghai is similar to that of Volkswagen in Shanghai.

However, the differences between OEMs and suppliers cannot be completely ignored.

Even a regular purchasing agent at your OEM can directly contact the department head or general manager of the supplier.

Conversely, regular sales staff on the supplier's side are absolutely not allowed to bypass the purchasing staff and senior managers to go directly to the department head.

As for the general manager, most suppliers don't even have the opportunity to deal with him.

If you contact a department head directly without first informing the purchasing agent or senior manager, you can expect to be retaliated against.

Of course, strong relationships can be broken!

This principle holds true at all times.

Jiang Hui certainly wouldn't miss such a great opportunity that Wang Huiliang had already created.

The next day, he went directly to Shanghai to visit the gearbox company.

He even used the system last night to thoroughly study the information about the Santana 5MT manual transmission.

To put it bluntly, Jiang Hui's understanding of this 5MT is now more profound than anyone else in the Shanghai transmission industry.

"Company Headquarters, in addition to the Wudaoying Parts Factory, I also have car modification and repair businesses."

"The Santana you first assembled in 1983 was allocated to the Ministry of Machinery Industry at that time."

"When the problem occurred, I was the one who was responsible for repairing it."

"I can say that I am very familiar with every part of the Santana."

"Don't think I'm bragging, but my understanding of every part of the Santana is more in-depth than that of Volkswagen engineers in Shanghai."

Jiang Hui successfully met with Lian Zhitian, the purchasing manager of a Shanghai gearbox factory.

After exchanging pleasantries, it was natural to first introduce the situation of their own factory.

To increase his persuasiveness, Jiang Hui didn't mind bringing up his other businesses as well.

"The requirements for the gears in a 5-speed manual transmission are very high."

"Compared to the 4MT gears we currently produce, the manufacturing difficulty has increased by an order of magnitude."

"The core gaps are concentrated in three dimensions: component precision, structural design, and material processing."

"Many people felt that this was a technological barrier that the domestic gear manufacturing industry could hardly overcome at the time."

Even Oda felt it necessary to give Jiang Hui a warning.

Let him know that gearbox gears are not so easy to manufacture.

If the other party can handle this situation, then it's a good thing for him.

He wouldn't mind giving the other party a chance.

"The most significant difference lies in the precision of the parts."

"The Santana 5MT gears adopt a helical cylindrical structure, and the tooth profile accuracy must reach DIN 7 level."

"The surface roughness of the tooth must be controlled within Ra0.8μm, and the cumulative error of the tooth pitch should not exceed 0.02mm."

"Furthermore, the requirements for the cone surface precision and clearance fit of the lock ring synchronizer are extremely high. The cone surface angle deviation must be precisely controlled, otherwise it will lead to gear grinding and synchronization failure."

"At the same time, our 4MTs were mostly straight-tooth structures, with precision only reaching DIN10-11 grade and tooth surface roughness Ra3.2μm or higher."

"The pitch error can be as low as 0.05mm, without the need for a complex synchronization structure, and the machining tolerance is much higher than that of 5MT."

As Lian Zhida spoke, he observed Jiang Hui's reaction.

"In terms of structural design, the 5MT gears are far more complex than the 4MT."

"At the same time, the design of the inverted bevel gear and reinforced spline places higher demands on the root strength and surface hardness of the tooth."

"Most of the 4MTs currently produced in China are single-axis or intermediate-axis structures, with fewer gears, looser layout, and straight-tooth design that does not require complex curve calculations, making them simple and easy to manufacture."

"In addition, the materials and heat treatment processes also increase the manufacturing difficulty of the 5MT gear."

"The gears of the Santana 5MT are made of high-strength alloy steel and require multiple precision heat treatments such as tempering, carburizing, and quenching to ensure that the tooth surface hardness reaches HRC58-62."

"At the same time, ensure the toughness of the tooth core to prevent breakage."

"The 4MT gears currently produced domestically are mostly made of ordinary carbon steel, with a simple heat treatment process, and their hardness and toughness cannot compare to those of 5MT gears."

Compared to gears, the manufacturing difficulty and cost differ significantly.

Although Lian Zhitian kept emphasizing the difficulty of producing the 5MT gear, Jiang Hui was not in a hurry at all.

Doesn't he know how difficult this thing is?

If it were that simple, why would their factory even need to do anything?

The gearbox manufacturers in Shanghai have already figured it out themselves.

"Company Commander, you're absolutely right. The production of this gear is much more difficult than before."

"Our factory is currently conducting research and testing on next-generation gear technology."

"I don't think the problems you mentioned are particularly big problems for our factory."

"We will be able to produce the required gears smoothly within this year, just in time for your product commissioning schedule."

Now that he's already here, Jiang Hui certainly won't miss this opportunity.

It's normal to encounter difficulties; just find a way to solve them.

As long as there is qualified alloy steel, all other problems can be solved.

Anyway, he has detailed information on the production of parts for the Santana 5MT, an advantage that other factories in China cannot easily match.

As expected, the Wudaoying parts factory lived up to expectations and produced sample parts that met the requirements.

On the very day Jiang Hui's son, Jiang Xiangyang, was born, the Shanghai gearbox factory officially notified them that Wudaoying Parts Factory had become their gear supplier.

Mass production of 5MT gears will officially begin at the end of this year.

This is definitely a huge step forward for the Wudaoying Parts Factory.

However, the feelings of those at the North Tooth Hospital were more complicated.

"Chief Engineer Ji, the 5MT produced by the Shanghai gearbox factory has passed the review of experts from the ministry and has begun mass production."

"Furthermore, China Radio International also reported on it, promoting it as the most advanced transmission in the country."

Liu Wenfei, as the head of the sales department of Beichi, had very mixed feelings at this moment.

For a long time, Beijing Gearbox Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Gearbox Factory have been considered two of the most reputable gearbox manufacturers in China.

Previously, Shanghai gearbox factories produced 4MTs, while these factories produced 3MTs.

While it cannot be simply assumed that 4MT is necessarily more advanced than 3MT, at least among the leaders of the ministries, people still believe that the technology of the Shanghai-based gearbox manufacturers is superior.

When Beichi successfully broke through the 4MT technology, and it was an independently developed 4MT, unlike the Shanghai gearbox factory which directly imported it from abroad.

At that time, in everyone's eyes, Beichi's technology was undoubtedly a cut above that of the Shanghai gearbox manufacturers.

With the mass production of 4MT, demand from BAIC and Beijing Second Automobile Works is also rising rapidly.

They enjoyed a very comfortable period of time in the North.

Who knew that this period of peace wouldn't last long before the Shanghai gearbox manufacturer pulled out all the stops.

5MT!

Liu Wenfei knew that Beichi could not possibly resolve the issue in a short period of time.

Based on the development time of the previous 4MT, even if North Gear starts researching now, it will take at least 3 years before mass production of the 5MT is possible.

This is considered a relatively ideal situation.

In reality, it's very likely that it will never be able to be developed.

The key is that even if you develop it, you also need a market for it.

BAIC has partnered with American AMC to establish BAIC Jeep. In addition to continuing to produce the BJ212, it will also produce AMC's Cherokee models.

The Cherokee's transmission is imported directly from the United States.

Moreover, after the Cherokee went into production, the output of the BJ212 began to decline significantly.

This also directly impacted North Gear's performance.

"Shanghai has money, so they directly imported the complete 5MT technology from Volkswagen in Germany, and also imported their second-hand equipment."

"This does not mean that their technology is more advanced than ours; in fact, our research and development capabilities are even stronger than theirs."

Ji Hua was also feeling very depressed, but he was determined to find a way to comfort his subordinates.

That's what they say, but apart from professionals, no one else knows this principle.

"Another thing that worries me is that the Wudaoying parts factory also supplies gears to the Shanghai gearbox factory."

"Even half of the gears on the other side are now supplied by the Wudaoying Parts Factory."

Upon hearing Liu Wenfei's words, Ji Hua fell silent.

He was well aware of what the Wudaoying Gearbox Factory represented.

If it weren't for Jiang Hui's help, they don't know when their 4MT would have been able to go into mass production.

"We belong to a different system from the Shanghai gearbox factory. Even if the Wudaoying gearbox factory doesn't supply gears to others, it won't be our turn."

Ji Hua's words weren't entirely without merit.

Don't be fooled by the fact that we all make gearboxes and produce gears.

However, it's not so easy for them to cooperate.

"That's true, but I'm worried that as Wudaoying Parts Factory continues to grow stronger, many of our customers will directly source gears from them in the future."

Liu Wenfei's concern is clearly not without merit.

Their technology is better, their service is better, and their costs are cheaper.

What can North Teeth use to fight?