Courtyard House: I'm an engineer, and a fairy godmother transferred me to a different position.

"Although the annual production is only about a hundred units and the signal only covers the area around Beijing, it already shows their technological foundation."

Liu Guangqi's eyes shone with light.

Yes, the Tianjin Radio Factory produced the first domestically manufactured television set last year.

The "Sijiucheng" brand, with a 14-inch black and white screen.

The emergence of this machine signifies that China's television industry has taken its first step.

However, production is so low that television sets are still a rare item that can only be found in a few large courtyards.

Therefore, Tianjin's technological foundation is not weak.

Unfortunately, that radio factory was not involved in rice cooker production and therefore did not participate in this downstream collaboration.

Otherwise, Liu Guangqi would really like to meet the key technical personnel in their factory.

The older generation of researchers may not have the same high level of expertise or systematic professional vision as him, but their practical skills are beyond doubt.

After listening to Liu Guangqi's words, Wang Jianguo nodded repeatedly, feeling more and more that his partner had a broad vision.

He had been so preoccupied with figuring out how to manage his personal relationships that he hadn't realized that his technically-minded partner had already set his sights on the entire industry.

The difference between them is far more than just a tiny bit.

Seeing the changes in Wang Jianguo's expression, Liu Guangqi stood up, straightened the agreements spread out on the table one by one, and gently patted them.

"Alright, stop thinking about it."

"The downstream factories have all been finalized, so we should quickly mobilize and get the workshops up and running."

After they finished speaking, they each went about their own business.

Wang Jianguo, the deputy factory director in charge of production, naturally didn't delay. He went back and summoned all the workshop directors, instructing them to focus on production.

As it turned out, the implementation of this downstream collaboration quickly boosted overall efficiency.

In the first few days of May, the difference wasn't obvious. The new collaboration had just started, and the daily output of rice cookers was only about ten more than when production first started at the beginning of the month.

By mid-May, all the collaborative production lines were up and running, and the advantages of joint production truly became apparent.

For a time, the production workshop of Hongxing Chuanghui Machinery Factory witnessed the busiest scene since the factory was built.

The stamping machines at Dongfeng Electric Factory run day and night, continuously delivering precisely curved rice cooker inner pots to the Hongxing factory area.

In the circuit board workshop of Yanjing Electric Factory No. 3, workers' fingers fly, and they can deliver more than 300 qualified heating elements a day.

Power cables from other collaborating factories were loaded into trucks by the box and transported to the Hongxing factory—

On the production line of Hongxing Chuanghui Machinery Factory, experienced workers and their assistants work up a sweat during the day, and the factory remains brightly lit at night.

Wang Jianguo transferred all the apprentices who could only clean and do odd jobs during the day to the night shift.

The technical staff stood by and taught them step by step, with each person responsible for only one fixed process.

"Xiao Zhang, put the heating plate in this position, yes, right here."

"Xiao Li, connect this wire to that hole, and you'll hear a 'click' sound."

It's all step-by-step work; as long as you're not stupid, you can learn it after following along a couple of times. Besides, there are technical staff on duty at night, so any mistakes can be resolved immediately.

In late May, a newly compiled production report sat on Wang Jianguo's desk.

He held a cigarette between his fingers, squinted, and traced the numbers on the paper line by line—daily production had increased by nearly 350 units compared to when production first started!

Total production capacity for the month —

A piece of cigarette ash fell silently from Wang Jianguo's hand, but he was completely unaware, his eyes fixed on the last number.

Eighteen thousand!

This is more than three times the original monthly production target of 5,000 units!

As May draws to a close, the expansion of production at the cooperative appliance factory is already showing initial results. The initial increase in rice cooker production is just the beginning; the production lines will only become more and more intensive in the future.

"well!"

Wang Jianguo finally couldn't contain himself any longer. He slammed his hand on the table, leaned back in his chair, and burst into loud laughter. The laughter was so loud and full that it made the window frame tremble slightly.

This battle was a truly satisfying victory!

After laughing, he grabbed the stack of reports on the corner of the table as if he were holding an urgent report of victory, and strode out.

"Go to the technical department, right now!"

Not long after.

The first batch of rice cookers bearing the "Red Star Manufacturing" logo were neatly loaded onto freight trains bound for overseas destinations by the foreign trade department.

Inside the deep green carriage, rice cookers gleamed like mirrors, neatly stacked. Compared to the bulky and outdated foreign goods of the past, these objects from the East appeared light and refined.

When the buyer across the ocean unpacked the package and saw the simple, clear buttons and easy-to-understand instructions—

They suddenly understood what revolutionary innovation truly meant.

"How exquisite!"

"This is what a rice cooker should look like."

"This is so much more convenient than the old method of adding water to the outer pot!"

"To be honest, after using this, all those things from before are simply unbearable to look back on."

Undoubtedly, Hongxing Chuanghui Machinery Factory's rice cooker production capacity has achieved its first leap and has quickly gained the upper hand in the market.

It must be recognized that the chain reaction triggered by increased production is often astonishing.

Without comparison, the difference in quality cannot be discerned.

Soon, the ripples triggered by the surge in production capacity spread across overseas markets.

The first to be affected is the rice cooker industry, which has been used for many years in a certain neighboring country.

As Chinese foreign trade orders were delivered one after another, the old-fashioned rice cooker that relied on the water level in the outer pot to control heating became obsolete almost overnight.

Compared to the new rice cooker from Hongxing Factory that uses embedded heating elements and precise temperature control devices, the two seem to be from different eras.

A sleek design, stable performance, and the ability to save nearly a quarter of the battery power—each of these features constitutes an undeniable advantage.

However, in the blink of an eye, the country's share of the international rice cooker market began to collapse.

After being exposed to rice cookers made in China, the original buyers all changed their minds and turned to the new option.

As has been proven, in the face of such a massive volume of trade, any attempt to erect barriers is unlikely to be effective.

The market gates were easily pushed open, and goods flooded in like a tidal wave.

Thus, the rice cooker market, which had been painstakingly cultivated for decades since the 1950s, vanished in the blink of an eye, like a candle flickering in the wind.

This paved the way for Chinese rice cookers.

Similar scenes have been repeated in many markets across Southeast Asia.

At this moment, watching helplessly as their years of hard work have paved the way for others, and seeing their order numbers shrink dramatically, some people are restless and anxious, like ants on a hot pan.

They tried to lower prices and even spread rumors about the poor quality of Chinese products, but these efforts were futile in the face of real performance and price.

What's even more unacceptable is that even the domestic market is starting to be penetrated by rice cookers made in China.

Once the home market is lost, those merchants who have seen Chinese rice cookers at the Canton Fair will naturally not let go of the business opportunities before them.

Orders were secretly placed in China, and the goods were shipped back to the country, quietly appearing on the shelves of electronics stores in Tokyo and other places.

Thus, driven by various factors, a rice cooker craze quietly spread in its home country.

The news quickly reached China.

The office of the Ministry of Foreign Trade was filled with relaxed laughter. Director Chen held a letter of thanks from a major country, his eyes and brows beaming with joy.

"Look, this is our magic weapon for generating foreign exchange!"

"They're taking our goods and selling them like hotcakes in the market next door... They're not only urging us to deliver a second batch, but they're also saying they want every household there to be using Chinese-made rice cookers!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a knowing laugh filled the entire office.

Making everyone use Chinese rice cookers—that certainly sounds like the style of that northern superpower.

On this side of the sea, the president of an electronics company stared at the now-shut-down production line, his voice utterly drained:

"It's over...it's all over."

The voice was hoarse, lost in the twilight where no light could be seen.

"The rice cookers from China are far superior to ours in terms of functionality, design, and price!"

"Our three years of hard work, all gone just like that!"

Three years have passed.

They were once full of ambition, leveraging their technological advantage in rice cookers to expand their products overseas and earn huge amounts of foreign exchange.

At that time, they were the pride of the entire Japanese.

But now.

From 1956 to 1959, their proud monthly production of 200,000 units became a noose around their necks.

If it were another opponent, perhaps we could maneuver behind the scenes.

But what if you're facing a powerful bear...?

They backed down.

That's right, they can use any tricks they want with anyone, but they really don't dare to mess with that unruly bear.

There is no other way.

They had no choice but to convene an emergency meeting to try and improve the technology of rice cookers.

But when they disassembled the rice cooker from the Chinese company, they were shocked to discover that—whether it was the inner pot material, the temperature control precision, or the exterior design…

China is already far ahead, and by more than one step.

What suffocated them even more was:

The rice cooker market, which had been carefully cultivated since 1956, has seen many international clients, acquired at great expense and through numerous trips, cancel their contracts and turn to Chinese rice cookers.

even,

Not only overseas, but even in their own domestic market, under the strong promotion of the Russian bear, Chinese products have been successively put on the shelves.

He was the inventor of the rice cooker.

Clearly, only those Japanese people who are living comfortably deserve such a fine rice cooker.

But now,

All of this has turned against them.

The domestic market is being eroded bit by bit.

This feeling is like lifting a stone and smashing your own foot.

Thousands of miles away,

Hongxing Chuanghui Machinery Factory, Technical Department Office.

Liu Guangqi leaned back in his chair, holding a cup of steaming jasmine tea, and calmly read the good news sent by the Ministry of Foreign Trade.

In just two months,

The international market share of Japanese rice cookers has collapsed from a stable 90% to less than half.

And the rice cooker made by Red Star—

Starting from scratch, it has soared to 40% market share and is still growing at an astonishing pace.

Looking at the numbers on the paper, a barely perceptible smile flashed across Liu Guangqi's eyes.

"Bang!"

The door was suddenly pushed open.

Wang Jianguo, clutching an order form, his face beaming with joy, rushed in with great enthusiasm.

"Guangqi, look! Take a look!"

He slammed the order on the table, speaking excitedly at breakneck speed: "We've received excellent news from Russia; the induction cookers are getting great feedback."

"Also, our rice cookers are selling like hotcakes in Japan!"

"They want to sign a five-year long-term supply agreement with us!"

"Five years?"

Liu Guangqi glanced at the numbers on the order but didn't seem overly excited.

It's not that these orders aren't attractive enough,

Rather, he understood the Russian style too well—their long-term agreements and enduring cooperation.

They are all just words on paper.

When things really come to a head, the other party will show absolutely no mercy.

Japanese chicken had its contract torn up this time.

This is the clearest example.

Therefore, he never places his hopes on others.

quickly,

After finishing talking about the rice cooker, Wang Jianguo lowered his voice and leaned closer, saying, "Oh, by the way, the ministry just called..."

"Guangqi, the director wants you to go there immediately."

"What is it?"

"It's not clear yet, but judging from the director's tone, it should be good news."

After hearing this, Liu Guangqi

He postponed his workshop inspection and headed back to his department.

soon,

When he arrived at the Ministry of Machine Building,

Someone was already waiting at the door: "Comrade Liu Guangqi, Director Lin asked me to take you to the conference room on the third floor."

Third-floor conference room?