Chapter 347 Thunder on the Ground
“Have you started developing automatic transmissions?”
Inadvertently, Jiang Hui gave Zheng Haiming another surprise.
He had heard before that the Capital Gear Factory wanted to challenge the technology of the 3AT automatic transmission, but after so many years, there seemed to be no movement at all.
Various international models have slowly eliminated 3AT automatic transmissions and begun to equip 4AT and 5AT. Some companies are even studying 6AT.
Under such circumstances, Capital Gear Factory's development of 3AT automatic transmissions naturally became useless.
It doesn’t matter if the First Machinery Department supports it, or it doesn’t support it.
In this case, it was definitely a huge surprise to suddenly hear Jiang Hui say that Nanshan Technology is researching 4AT and 5AT automatic transmissions.
According to Zheng Haiming’s understanding, as long as China masters the 4AT and 5AT automatic transmission technologies, it will basically be enough to meet the needs of the passenger car industry in the next twenty years.
Especially the 5AT automatic transmission technology, as long as it is done well, it is actually sufficient for most models.
Further upgrading the gears to 6AT and 8AT is actually not that significant in terms of practicality for car driving.
With these technologies, it is true that vehicle performance can be further improved and fuel consumption reduced, but compared with the cost and price paid, it may not be very cost-effective.
Especially for China, economical and affordable things are sometimes more important than performance.
How does the BMW LIGHT perform like a BMW car?
That is definitely not how good it is!
But they sell very well because they are economical.
If BMW Light adds all kinds of configurations, but the price is 20,000 to 300,000, then the sales volume will definitely not be what it is now.
For the current Chinese automobile market, output is more important than price.
The same is true for BMW cars.
Without certain output support, the research and development of many technologies will become passive water, which is very challenging to develop.
Therefore, Jiang Hui is still pushing to increase the sales of BMW Light even though the brand has been affected to a certain extent by unfavorable factors.
Judging from the current situation, the benefits of increased sales of BMW Light are beginning to show.
Not to mention anything else, the monthly sales volume of BMW Light alone is the first in the country, which is enough to attract the attention of many people.
It is easier for the personnel department to recruit people than before.
After all, some technicians change jobs not just for money. You also have to bring a certain degree of attraction to others from other aspects.
Otherwise, it would be more difficult to get the real kind of talent.
“Except for the two key parts of the automatic transmission, the hydraulic torque converter and the transmission control system, many other parts are similar to those of the manual transmission.”
“Having mastered the technology of 5MT manual transmission, whether we develop 4AT or 5AT, it is actually not as good as everyone imagined. How difficult.”
“The most difficult thing at this stage is that there is still too little domestic research on gearbox control systems, and many components need to be imported from abroad.”
“But. As long as we complete the design of the gearbox control system, the relevant components will be relatively easy to buy internationally.”
"After all, the technology of car-grade chips often lags behind that of consumer electronics. Several mainstream chip manufacturers such as Intel don't even look down on car-grade chips because they think the technology is too backward."
"As long as we are willing It is not difficult to spend money normally and find a trading company to help purchase related components.”
With the current sweet relationship between China and the United States, even if Jiang Hui wants to purchase high-end chips, the money will be available. It won't be a problem after that.
Not to mention that the technology is a bit "backward" for car-grade chips.
“When is your automatic transmission expected to be put into production?”
Zheng Haiming asked a very critical question.
Nanshan Technology can develop automatic transmission technology, he has no doubt about this.
But if it takes ten or eight years to get it done, it won’t make much sense, at least not to Zheng Haiming personally.
He has retired ten years later.
But if he makes better results in the next few years and goes a step further smoothly, then his life pattern will be completely different.
Even if it is another ten years, there is a high probability that it will still be serving the people.
“The 4AT automatic transmission is expected to be developed in the second half of next year, and large-scale mass production will begin in the first half of the next year.”
“The 5AT automatic transmission will be a little later, but in There should be no problem around 1987.”
Jiang Hui did not set a very demanding R&D time target for Nanshan Technology.
Haste makes waste.
Only by laying a solid foundation first can Nanshan Technology go further in the future.
Besides, the 4AT automatic transmission technology solution Jiang Hui has now proposed is a very classic design. Even if it is ten years from now, it will not be backward and can meet the needs of most cars.
And from the international market point of view, although transmission technology will have made great progress in another ten years, there are still a large number of models equipped with 4AT automatic transmissions.
So there is no need to worry that Nanshan Technology’s 4AT will have no market.
“Okay, when your automatic transmission is mass-produced, I will definitely come to congratulate you in person!”
After hearing Jiang Hui's introduction, Zheng Haiming was overjoyed.
This time is completely acceptable.
......
Zheng Haiming, Qin Hao and others went to inspect BMW. This news was not a secret to the various automobile manufacturers within the system.
You don’t even need to inquire, everyone will be able to see it after the Ministry of Machinery’s own newspaper is published.
"Chief engineer, BMW is about to develop a 5MT manual transmission. You have led the R&D center to study for several years, but there has been no movement on the 3AT and 5MT. What difficulties have they encountered?"
Li Nanhai looked at Chief Engineer Ji Hua with a bad expression.
As the director of the Capital Gear Factory, Li Nanhai has lived a very comfortable life in the past few years.
People treat him to dinner almost every day. He drinks more than 100 bottles of Maotai by himself in a year.
Seeing that this happy life seemed to be broken, he was certainly not happy.
This responsibility must be shouldered by someone.
Otherwise, when the superior department asks about it later, he will be held responsible.
“Director, developing 3AT or 5MT requires a series of tests, and relevant technical personnel need to have design capabilities.”
“But in recent years What is the level of the personnel recruited in our factory? "
"Everyone is trying to find a way to squeeze in their own wives. Half of the technicians in the R&D center do not have the ability to draw independently. Not to mention design capabilities.”
"Under such circumstances, there is no way to develop a brand new gearbox just by relying on my own efforts." Ji Hua and Li Nanhai have also been partners for many years, so they naturally know what the other person is thinking.
Li Nanhai couldn't do anything to him anyway, so Ji Hua didn't want to spoil him.
Especially when he felt that the other party was going to put the shit basin on his body, he became even more unhappy.
“It’s not like you don’t know how in-demand college students are nowadays.”
"Not to mention our factory, even various departments in the city, it is difficult to ask the personnel department to help allocate a few college students."
"Where can we recruit college students so easily?"
"Although the conditions are like this, we can also train technicians ourselves. What's wrong with the recruited people who don't know how to draw? Isn't it enough to teach them?"
Li Nanhai has always been involved in personnel recruitment. The control is very tight and I don't want other people to interfere.
Although he must give up some of his quota when it comes to arranging personnel to enter the factory, and he cannot have the final say on everything, but he must have that kind of initiative in his hands.
Now that he felt that Ji Hua was not so obedient, he naturally wanted to have a good chat with him.
“People who have not graduated from junior high school are put into our R&D center. How do you want me to teach them?”
“It can prevent any quality problems in the 4MT produced in the factory. The decline is already the result of a lot of hard work."
Ji Hua and Li Nanhai started arguing in the office.
In the end it can be said that they broke up on bad terms.
"Boss, after you graduate next year, it's better not to come to our factory. Let me contact you and go directly to Nanshan Technology."
When he got home that night, Ji Hua re-discussed his future work with his son. Assignment matters.
As a senior majoring in vehicle engineering at Capital Institute of Technology, Ji Xia definitely has no worries about not being able to find a job.
Whether it is FAW, Second Automobile Works, or Capital Automobile Manufacturing Plant, as long as he is willing, there is a chance.
However, considering that his father was the chief engineer of the Capital Gear Factory, Ji Hua originally asked Ji Xia to work as a technician in his own factory for better development in the future.
When the time comes, if you work hard for a few years, you can slowly take over your duties.
The chief engineer’s son is not the chief engineer, so where can other technicians be found?
It’s just that the relationship between Ji Hua and Li Nanhai is a bit tense now, and the 5MT incident has emerged at BMW, making Ji Hua realize that the future of the Capital Gear Factory may not be so wonderful.
So after weighing the pros and cons, he felt that it might be more appropriate for his son to go to Nanshan Technology.
He has already found out clearly that Nanshan Technology and BMW Motors are both subsidiaries of BMW Technology. In the future, Nanshan Technology will separate the gearbox business independently.
Ji Hua can almost predict that Nanshan Transmission, which will be independent in the future, will definitely be the most technologically advanced and largest production scale gearbox company in China.
No other gearbox manufacturer can compete with it.
After all, what is the current situation of the Capital Gear Factory, which is the number one in the country? Ji Hua knows very well that other manufacturers are not as good as theirs. How can they compete with Nanshan Gearbox?
That is simply a matter of striking an egg against a stone.
"Dad, why did you suddenly change your mind?"
As a student majoring in vehicle engineering at Capital University of Technology, Ji Xia naturally knows about BMW and Nanshan Technology.
After all, Jiang Hui is the most legendary senior in their department, and his stories are often told in class by various teachers.
Even the cases about gearboxes in the book "Automotive Structure" that they usually study, all use the 4MT product developed during Jiang Hui's graduation project as a case.
In addition, my family is in the automobile industry, so I naturally pay more attention to related matters.
"Here's the thing..."
Ji Hua quickly told Ji Xia the latest situation.
As his eldest son, Ji Hua still has very high expectations for Ji Xia.
Now that there are no good opportunities to perform within the system, it is not unacceptable to go to Nanshan Technology.
Especially for Nanshan Technology, as a foreign-funded enterprise, it is very convenient to go abroad and the treatment provided is also very good.
If college students go directly, they can get their own house in just a few years.
Although there was only the right to use and no property rights at the beginning, it was enough to be able to live in it.
How many of the houses distributed by work units in this era have property rights?
"Dad, did Brother Jiang really develop a 5MT manual transmission?"
Influenced by his father, Ji Xia knows a lot about the transmission industry.
Because of this, he can feel the impact of the successful development of the 5MT gearbox.
"Yes, the leaders in the department have gone to the site to confirm it in person. It is estimated that it will be used on BMW's second model next year."
"You also understand technology, 5MT The advantages compared to 4MT are very obvious, and the prospects of 4MT will definitely become gloomy by then.”
“Our factory is now taking it. The products that need to be released are mainly 4MT and AMT gearboxes for Hummer military vehicles.”
“The key is that Nanshan Technology can produce them at any time as long as it is willing.”
"When the time comes, the products produced by others will have better performance and lower costs. How will Capital Gear Factory compete with them?"
Ji Xia could understand what Ji Hua said.
No wonder my father told me not to go to the Capital Gear Factory. Even though that place looks very glamorous now, it has not had a good life in a few years.
Once I go to the Capital Gear Factory, my future will be more worrying.
It would be better to take advantage of the time when Nanshan Technology was just starting out, join as a college graduate and become a veteran.
In the future, we may be able to make some achievements in China's gearbox industry.
"Okay, then I will listen to you and go to Nanshan Technology!"
"It just so happens that I have always wanted to learn gearbox-related technologies from Brother Jiang. If I can build on the 5MT It would be best to develop a more advanced gearbox.”
Ji Xia has no resistance to going to Nanshan Technology.
My father had given him a thorough analysis of the situation in the domestic gearbox industry.
Now that this change has occurred, the answer will basically be available immediately as to how to choose.
This is the benefit of the elders in the family being able to provide directional guidance on the future.
Many times, choice is more important than hard work.
Graduates without any background are often unable to make the right choices at critical moments in life.
Even most of the time, they don’t even have a chance to choose.
(End of this chapter)