Chapter 1314 Encouragement
However, as the weight and size of the jade material increase, the labor fee will also decrease. For example, if it exceeds five kilograms, the processing fee will be reduced to 70%, which is 700 yuan per kilogram. about.
However, because the weight of the material has increased, the labor cost has actually increased significantly. If Zhou Zhi does not go to the source of the jade material for wholesale, it will usually cost about 10,000 yuan, and the labor cost after The conversion cost is about three to four thousand yuan.
For jade carving factories, of course they would rather carve large pieces, because the man-hours consumed for large and small pieces are actually the same, and the larger the material, the easier it is to work with, and the easier it is to make defects and mistakes. Covering up, you can earn more than small items.
Of course, jade materials will inevitably be lost during the carving process. The rule in the industry is to pay wages according to the weight of the finished product.
If the jade carving factory wants to get the most money, it must make maximum use of the jade materials provided by customers. While making profits for itself, it must also try to preserve value for customers. This is a win-win pricing method.
In this way, Zhou Zhi took the initiative to request that the leather shell be used as much as possible to maintain the original weight. This is of course the method to minimize the loss of jade materials, and it is also the favorite method of the jade carving factory.
“After seeing these three things brought by Mr. Zhou, our opinions on Mr. Zhou become clearer.” Zhang Mingyu, who has never spoken much, said: “For the design of aniseed, we must make full use of the materials. , extremely delicate, but not too restrictive. Just dig when you need to, and take when you need to.”
“However, the remaining materials cannot be wasted. For the clean meat parts, we Can We will design and process it according to the pattern of this tapestry ring; if the meat quality is inferior, or the shell is colored, we will design it according to the format of this dragon's head thorn."
"That's pretty much what it means." Zhou Zhi said: "The belt-colored part is similar to Qin color. We can use it to make antique themes. Cut out cleaner materials and give full play to Su Gong's strengths and adopt the path of fine carving and micro-carving."
"One more thing, please don't bother me, masters. Even if you have just a tiny bit of jade on the tip of your little finger, you can carve me a small animal-faced ring, or jade buttons that imitate flowers, small flower beads, etc. , even if it’s for my brothers and sisters to practice, I’ll make the best use of everything.”
“Of course, I would rather have the Han sword jade outfit like the teacher’s, the animal-faced waist buckle, and the picture of a ringed pepper. The carvings appeared in this batch of works.”
Everyone here laughed again. The happiest person was of course the manager Yao Chong, so that the large pieces could be distributed reasonably. Zhang Mingyu is the main attack, and the remaining materials and the small materials sent by Zhou Zhi this time are sent by Zhu Qinghong, and the remaining scraps are given to the younger generation such as Guo Changzheng and Lu Jianghua, so that everyone has something to do.
The jade material sent by Zhou Zhi this time is 500 kilograms. The materials are large and small, and the prices are also different. However, even if you calculate the processing fee of 500 yuan per kilogram, there is still a processing fee of 200 yuan. A salary of 150,000.
The jade carving factory still looks glamorous now, but the downturn in the industry has gradually become apparent. Now there are fewer and fewer national tasks and almost no funding. The factory relies on rubbing bracelets, making rings, grinding beads, etc. It is easy to support ordinary workers with small jobs, but it is difficult to support skilled workers.
Just like Zhi Liyi in Zhuangzi, he only has the skill of slaying dragons and has no place to use it.
To ensure the inheritance and income of these people's craftsmanship, they must have a steady stream of big jobs to support them. Otherwise, these big workers will be reduced to grinding beads like ordinary apprentice workers, with such a psychological gap , it is only possible to let these big workers leave this factory.
Zhou Zhi’s large order can be regarded as a solution to a major problem in the factory.
Yao Chong thought for a while: "This time to complete the customization for Mr. Zhou, we are going to combine it with the internal restructuring of our factory." "In the future, our factory will also adopt this approach when undertaking high-end handicrafts. The form is to build the brand of senior craftsmen, who will recruit people independently in the factory and set up working groups to complete craft orders for major customers. ”
"After these groups accept customer orders, the factory will only provide guaranteed wages. The specific costs and benefits will be controlled by senior craftsmen themselves. The factory will only charge part of the commission as management fees and agency fees."< br>
“For some temporary The work group can temporarily hire other types of workers in the factory to complete the work, such as cutting out materials, retrieving materials, and building large structures, and just pay the other workers the corresponding wages according to the market price."
"We can. It is hoped that in this way, we can create Establishing several high-quality teams has established our reputation as a senior craftsman in Suzhou Jade Carving Factory. Not only can we create satisfactory works for our customers, but we can also continue to lead good apprentices and continue to inherit and develop our jade carving craftsmanship.”
That’s right to say How nice it sounds. In fact, the underlying meaning is very clear. In the face of the sluggish market, the factory is no longer willing to spend high salaries to support these senior talents. Although it is said that it cannot be broken yet, it must let these People are responsible for their own profits and losses, and they have to support themselves.
If they can't get orders for high-end handicrafts, they can only get the same basic salary as the general workers in the factory. If they want to get more, they can grind more beads.
The conference room became a little silent, and Zhou Zhi felt that he should speak: "The old people at home highly respect the memory of several masters. It is not too much to call your works national treasures."
"I know. What are you worried about? Everyone is worried that the order of 250,000 yuan has been finished this time. Can there be a next time? Is this a one-time transaction or a long-term business? "
"If just my business made several masters start their own studios on impulse, Then there will be no more work. This is definitely because I have harmed several masters.”
"I would like to encourage some of the masters here. This batch of 500 kilograms of jade is just the first order. If their works can continue to maintain the animal-like waist buttons and ringed pepper pictures, With Wu Feitian’s level, there will definitely be many more orders to come.”
“Not only that. In addition, if the factory needs it, I can also ask the elders in the family to contact overseas and hold a traveling exhibition in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Rixin and other places. When the publicity is high and the time is right, I can also hold one or two auctions to sell several people to the factory. Master’s works are promoted and become Suzhou’s famous brands.”
"Of course, it's too early to say this. We can use these 250,000 orders to test whether such a new working model is feasible. If it is feasible, we will discuss the next step."
In fact, Zhou Zhi has full confidence in the craftsmanship of several masters and this model, because this is also the working model of most jade carving masters in the future. However, this model is still a bit ahead of its time in 1994.
Zhou Zhi understands such concerns very well, so the most important thing now is to encourage them to take the first step.
(End of this chapter)