Chapter 1318: Make money, business is not shabby (Third update, please subscribe)
On December 8, after seeing off Li Yian at the Moscow Airport, Khrushchev did not return directly to the Kremlin; Soviet Automobile Research Institute.
In the Automobile Research Institute, Khrushchev saw the car Li Yian mentioned.
Standing next to the car and looking back and forth for several times, he asked:
“Is this the new Volkswagen?”
"Yes, this is a car that the trading company just imported from Nanyang a few months ago."
"How is this car?"
"How do you say it?"
Grachev, the director of the institute, is also an automotive engineer. He said truthfully:
“This car is great. Although its design structure is very simple, it is well integrated. , but it is a very good car. The 1.1-liter 59-horsepower four-cylinder engine allows it to reach speeds of up to 150 kilometers per hour. Its performance is extremely reliable. According to our tests, it is not only suitable for driving on well-paved roads, but also suitable for driving on well-paved roads. Relatively muddy road ”
Grachev said:
“We import the Canadian model, which is mainly sold to countries such as Canada. In order to adapt to local road conditions-for example, the roads are too muddy and the brakes are easily stained with mud, they use more The use of solid drum brakes instead of original disc brakes is also in line with Soviet road conditions. Not only that, but the car's heating and circuit systems are also very suitable for Soviet weather."
As mentioned. When designing this car, Grachev was filled with emotion. He could not imagine how a Nanyang car company could modify its car specifically to suit the environment of a certain region.
This is so capitalist!
Actually, what he didn’t know was that this was one of the characteristics of the “Nanyang Production Model”, a unique modern production method created by Nanyang that emphasized “zero inventory”, The goals of "zero defects" and "zero waste" are achieved through "kanban" system, "5S" management, lean production and other means.
At the same time, because of "zero inventory", production can be adjusted according to orders, and products suitable for a certain region can be produced in a targeted manner. This is also the reason why Nanyang goods have entered the international market and become popular.
Khrushchev asked:
“You mean, this is a car that is very suitable for the Soviet Union?”
“Yes, even if it is necessary There are not many changes, and the 1.1-liter engine used in this car has extremely excellent fuel efficiency, saving more than 20% of fuel than European and American cars of the same displacement!”
Although the Soviet Union did not care about fuel consumption at all, After all, gasoline was cheap and abundant in the Soviet Union. But as an indicator, this is still a very good indicator. After all, fuel efficiency and durability have always been the characteristics of Nanyang cars.
“Not only that, in terms of overall design, it is also a world-leading family car in terms of technology. It is the first in the world to adopt a front transverse engine, a structural design of integrated transmission and engine, and a MacPherson independent front suspension. Suspension sedans - for now, front-engine, front-wheel drive The disc design is an advanced technology that even most European car companies have not mastered!”
This is indeed a fact. This car is very popular in North America and other countries because of its excellent performance and low cost. The price, when added together, is a price/performance ratio that no one can ignore.
Then he emphasized:
“If we introduce the technology of this car, the Soviet car technology will surpass all Western European automobile companies!”
The subtext is - the car is awesome, and it's the most awesome one! If technology could be introduced, it would be a huge advantage for the Soviet Union!
In fact, the Soviet car industry was very backward. Although they would learn the design of European and American cars by dismantling them without the technical support of foreign manufacturers, and even copy them, they could come up with plans and produce prototypes. but! The Soviet Union itself did not have the ability to turn it into a qualified product. Therefore, they need outside technical help.
Listening to what he said, Khrushchev did not speak, but sat in the car. He felt the space in the car. Although it was not as good as his car, it did not feel cramped at all. Holding the steering wheel, he said to himself:
"Okay, it's time to let the Soviets also drive cars!"
Finally, Khrushchev made a decision ——Introducing automobile technology and production lines from Nanyang, his decision soon won the unanimous consent of everyone, not because of adjusting the housing allocation method, increasing the fertility rate, etc.
But for another reason - safety.
“…The current average salary of workers across the country is 101 rubles per month, and according to statistics from relevant departments, only 40% of workers’ income is used for daily expenses, which means that each worker’s annual savings exceed 700 rubles, and this It also matches the per capita deposit of workers of 2,700 rubles. This year alone, the country’s new deposits have exceeded 10 billion rubles. Due to the shortage of consumer goods, a large amount of funds are deposited in banks every year. The country not only bears huge interest payments, but also , once a run occurs, it will not only trigger a banking crisis, but also damage the government’s credibility!”
Facing the introduction of the central bank governor, everyone fell silent again, and Helu! Xiaofu said:
“So, we must produce an industrial product so that people are willing to take out their bank deposits to buy it. This not only avoids a banking crisis, but also develops industry. Therefore, I think cars are the best choice, and Americans can drive cars, why can’t we Soviet people drive cars?”
In the face of Khrushchev’s proposal, let alone comply with it? Even if the actual needs are not met, no one will object. They agreed to the proposal to build a large automobile manufacturing plant almost immediately. After all, stability was the most important thing. However, faced with the huge expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars, many people were still stunned, and Khrushchev then put forward the suggestion of reducing the introduction cost by exporting industrial machinery and equipment to Nanyang.
The 75,000-ton die forging hydraulic press that Li Yian had always remembered was naturally included in it. Although the export of such cutting-edge mechanical equipment was opposed by the military, they were eventually convinced.
“It’s just a machine. If we don’t sell it, they will still buy it from the United States. It will just cost more money! When the time comes, even if we want to export, no one will buy it. "
This is a fact - the Soviet Union's technological backwardness is an indisputable fact. Now that people are willing to buy it, it is already a good thing, and there is no room for rejection.
I have to say that sometimes even the Soviets themselves don’t know that some of their mechanical equipment is extremely advanced. After all, until the 21st century, the United States did not have the same equipment. Of course, this is also in line with demand. There is a direct relationship - this is the biggest drawback of Western countries. If there is no market demand, they will not develop certain products.
When the Soviet high-level officials were meeting to discuss this aspect, Li Yian was receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in Stockholm. As the only person in the world to win the Nobel Peace Prize twice, he was naturally Proud, in addition to being proud, he criticized the United Nations system and accused it of doing nothing in the crisis of major powers.
Even if he has become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, it does not prevent Li Yi'an from making accusations. This is not called accusation, it is called pointing out problems. Only in this way can the reform of the United Nations be truly promoted in the future.
Of course, more often than not, Li Yian calls for peace, calls on the world to learn lessons from the "Cuban Missile Crisis", and calls for the establishment of a mechanism to prevent the world from repeating the same mistakes. Such calls are natural Let him enjoy the warm applause.
He did not stay in Stockholm for a few days. After the awards ceremony on the 10th, Li Yian took a flight back to Chang'an.
On the third day after he returned to Chang'an, he received a telegram from Khrushchev.
“Okay! Our 75,000-ton die forging hydraulic press is here!”
When he said this, Li Yian was excited. After all, this die forging hydraulic press is extremely important to both the aviation industry and the national defense industry. Of course, such giant presses are also needed to produce steam turbine rotors.
“This is the biggest gain from our trip to the Soviet Union!”
Raising the telegram in his hand, he said:
“It’s not just a contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars. But this die forging hydraulic press will bring earth-shaking changes to Nanyang’s manufacturing industry!”
Be it large aircraft, large titanium alloy parts, million-kilowatt turbine rotors... everything. , are not a problem, especially titanium alloy parts. Why can the Soviets use titanium alloy to make submarines?
It is because they have giant forging hydraulic presses. Two 75,000-ton die forging hydraulic presses manufactured in the Soviet Union were installed in Kuibyshev Aluminum Plant and Verkhovsarda Titanium Plant respectively. The former is mainly used to manufacture large forgings required for aerospace applications such as aircraft and rockets, while the latter mainly manufactures titanium alloy forgings, including the large forgings required for their all-titanium submarines.
When the Soviet Union relied on it to build submarines out of titanium alloy, the SR71 reconnaissance aircraft made out of titanium alloy in the United States was even leaking oil!
“With it, we can make many machines that we couldn’t make in the past!”
Obviously Zhang Zheyuan is not able to realize the importance of this giant machine. Compared with a machine , in the eyes of most people, what is more important is an order from a car manufacturing plant - a huge order worth at least five or six billion US dollars!
Car technology can be given to the Soviet Union, but production equipment will definitely cost money. In fact, even the most advanced automobile technology will basically fall behind by the time the factory is built. After all, Nanyang automobile companies are launching new models every few years.
"Your Excellency, since the Soviet Union will send their Minister of Automobile Industry to Nanyang next month to discuss the introduction of automobile manufacturing plants and cars, shouldn't we say hello to the company in advance? Volkswagen can provide Automotive technology, but production equipment, not only involves hundreds of companies in Southeast Asia, but some equipment also needs to be imported from Germany. This also involves the Batumi Agreement. I think that planning should be done in advance..."
Then, Zhang Zheyuan emphasized:
“After all, only by implementing the contract can we replace this very important press.”
Zhang Zheyuan’s reminder made Li Yi’an feel deeply. He nodded calmly and said:
"You are right, this is indeed a problem. A considerable part of the equipment in our automobile production line is imported from Germany and even the United States, and we want to sell it to the Soviets If so, I'm afraid it will take a lot of trouble..."
After a pause, Li Yian said:
"Well, let the company find a way. We just need to provide them with logistical services. This is just corporate behavior."
Of course, the state supports it.
Italy can sell automobile production lines including equipment from the United States, Germany and other countries to the Soviets for US$550 million, why can't Nanyang?
Business is all about making money!
What’s the big deal!
Besides, even Americans will definitely come to Nanyang to borrow large presses in the future. When they were building large aircraft, they went to France and asked France to use the 65,000-ton mold made by the Soviet Union. The forging hydraulic press has OEMed many parts.
This thing is definitely a powerful weapon for a great country!
"So, economic cooperation! It is not limited to Nanyang and Western countries. Nanyang and the Soviet and Eastern countries can also have economic exchanges together. Moreover, we can also act as a bridge between the Eastern and Western worlds. Bridges, after all...the world needs communication, and communication bridges!”
After all, it’s almost 63 years!
Next year, it will be equally lively!
(End of this chapter)