Chapter 244 New Product Design and Confidence
The installation of the production line has been completed and technical debugging is currently underway.
Two experts from Jiangsu province are still in the factory, commuting to and from get off work on time every day, keeping an eye on the production line equipment, and at the same time teaching the factory's technical team. They are serious and responsible.
Yang Congxin was not very good at "entertaining" people, so Xu Zhiquan arranged for Wu Yue, the administrative director, to help and take two technical experts to eat and play with him every now and then.
This ensures that the two experts are in a happy mood, and the production line will be much more stable.
……
Currently, less than ten people in the company know about Chenfeng Technology’s introduction of the latest motor technology.
Xu Zhiquan also specifically ordered that the two experts from Jiangsu Province must be kept secret.
After all, they are future competitors in the same industry, so it is better to hide one of Chenfeng Technology's technical trump cards.
When Xu Zhiquan and Yang Congxin went to Beijing to sign the "Technical Buyout Contract", they also signed the "Motor Purchase Contract" by the way.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences has a cooperation with a motor factory in Tianjin, and the quotations given are also somewhat preferential.
Xu Zhiquan also discussed with Xu Chen that when funds become abundant in the future, he could consider acquiring or building a motor factory himself, which would be more conducive to technology accumulation and upgrading.
At the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xu Zhiquan was able to establish some personal connections this time.
In the future, we can consider establishing longer-term cooperation, or even directly poaching one or two technical talents.
Xu Zhiquan and Xu Chen mentioned that several doctoral and master's degree students there "worked" for their supervisors. In fact, their salaries were pitifully low, and there would be opportunities to recruit them in the future.
At present, the technical foundation of Yang Congxin's team is still slightly weak. Later, he will consider upgrading technology and adding high-end talents.
In addition, Xu Zhiquan also found ways to learn more information about the manufacturing field from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
At present, the better manufacturing production lines in China still come from Japan and Germany.
After Chenfeng Technology has reached a certain scale and accumulation, it will still have to consider introducing more advanced technologies and production lines from Japan and Germany.
Regarding this, Xu Zhiquan also had a brief chat with Wu Yongming after returning.
At present, the country also encourages the introduction of advanced overseas technologies, and the city and province can also match corresponding assistance policies.
But that’s something for later, and I’m not in a hurry right now.
……
……
Chenfeng Science and Technology Park, large conference room in the complex building.
At noon that day, Yang Cong organized an internal closed-door meeting, and the only participants were the core people.
“Several current product design plans have been recycled.
We need to choose a direction as soon as possible, and after a few more rounds of revisions, we need to push back as soon as possible..."
The design plan comes from several design institutes and design companies in the capital and provincial capitals, all of which are experienced companies in the industrial design of motorcycles and electric two-wheelers.
Two of them are more capable and have participated in the product design of two electric vehicle companies in Jinshi and Xishi.
In addition to industrial design, they can also cooperate with technical design and subsequent production processes. Of course, the corresponding quotation will be higher.
……
Yang Congxin spent nearly an hour to display several product solutions on the screen.
There are two or three plans among them, which are quite impressive.
When everyone started to discuss seriously, they still fell into some arguments...
"Of course the pedal-type solution is good, but the overall cost is probably more than 2,000 yuan. We are selling this kind of high-end product. Whether it can be sold is a question.
After all, no one has heard of Chenfeng electric cars..."
“We see a lot of electric bikes with pedals in Tianjin City, and the locals basically ride them...”
“But in the south, there are almost no pedals. I don’t know if it’s due to the supply side or user preferences.”
"The styling design of this model is in line with the association of the name 'Morning Wind Ice Power', and it looks quite technological."
"Another problem is our target users. Some of the current overall design styles are obviously biased towards women, and some are obviously biased towards men..."
……
……
Xu Zhiquan smoked a cigarette and listened silently, and couldn't help turning his head to look at Xu Chen.
What he was thinking was that recruiting that Guo Liang was really the right decision.
Obviously, Guo Liang's contribution to this product discussion meeting was very large.
Yang Congxin and the other two technical line supervisors focused too much on products and technology, with little regard for market demand and user preferences.
The appearance of Guo Liang exactly complemented them.
Fang Jun was also present at the scene. She had a notebook spread out in front of her and a calculator.
She was almost expressionless and said nothing, but whenever the budget was obviously going to be exceeded, she would interrupt with her hand and say coldly:
"It's over budget and can't be done."
……
After discussing for more than an hour, the "battle situation" took a break.
Everyone turned their attention to the boss, Xu Zhiquan. Xu Zhiquan was smoking, but then turned to look at Xu Chen, who was sitting in the back row.
Xu Chen was holding a plate of grapes and eating them, looking a little innocent.
"What do you think, Mr. Xu?" Xu Zhiquan asked with a smile.
Xu Chen thought for a while: "Actually, what we just discussed is almost the same, and the conclusion is relatively clear."
Several people looked at each other in confusion. In fact, the discussion just now did not reach a consensus.
Several plans were quickly eliminated, but in the end two plans were put on the table, and they got into some quarrels.
Among the people present, only Yang Congxin and Fang Jun had done projects with Xu Chen and knew the vision and ability of this "little Mr. Xu".
In the original acquisition bid of Guangming Factory, under the absolutely weak situation, Mr. Xu's series of operations turned Dongchen Shares into the ultimate winner.
The two technical directors under Yang Congxin only knew that Xu Chen was the boss's son and had only met him once or twice. In fact, they did not know his role in the company and the project.
But I heard that he hasn’t gone to college yet, so I thought he was just here to audit today...
Guo Liang had seen Xu Chen's abilities, and when he saw him speaking, he still had some expectations in his heart.
……
Xu Chen lowered his head and thought for a while:
"I can only express my personal opinion. It still depends on everyone's discussion and the final decision of 'Mr. Xu'..."
"Many of the conclusions have actually been discussed before, and they are all stated on the surface."
"At present, domestic electric two-wheeled vehicles have not yet reached a large scale, but they have generally been divided into two factions, the north and the south."
"Beipai is actually two or three companies mainly in Tianjin City, as well as some small workshops in the surrounding areas.
The overall product is a 'simple' route, much like a bicycle with a battery and pedals.
The cost is cheap, and the current northern market is basically like this..."
“Nanpai is a few companies from Jiangsu Province, and the production lines we introduced are also from Jiangsu Province.
The product design tends to be 'luxury', with motorcycle-like pedals and a more fashionable shape.
The cost is several hundred more expensive, covering the southern market..."
These conclusions are based on the current market status.
In fact, several people at the scene had vague feelings, but they did not form a complete understanding.
As a reborn person, Xu Chen still had some understanding of the development history of domestic electric vehicles in his previous life. This was related to his participation in an electric vehicle promotion project in his previous life.
"Simple in the north, luxurious in the south" is the product pattern of the overall electric vehicle market from a few years ago to a few years ago.
There are many reasons for this, but the core one may be the relationship between industrial clusters and consumer awareness...
Xu Chen continued:
"Electric two-wheeled vehicles actually have two distinct associations:
The first type is ‘electric bicycle’.
It is an upgrade to a bicycle, which is equivalent to adding a battery motor to the bicycle...
The second type is ‘electric motorcycle’. It is a downgrade of a motorcycle, which is equivalent to replacing the motorcycle's fuel tank engine with a battery motor...
There is no good or bad in this, bicycles are available in every household and awareness is high. ‘Electric bicycle’ is easier to understand when it comes to promotion.
This is also the reason why most people call electric two-wheelers electric bicycles...
Motorcycles are relatively high-end and used by few people. But it also means high-end.
'Electric motorcycle' sounds more respectable than electric bicycles..."
"Taken together, the two options that have popped up so far...
One is the 'electric bicycle', which is a northern market style with a simple shape, pedals and low cost.
One is the ‘electric motorcycle’, which is southern in style, fashionable, has motorcycle-like pedals, and is much more expensive to build..."
Everyone looked at the two plans on the projection screen again, and it was indeed what Xu Chen said.
In fact, these are superficial insights, but if Xu Chen hadn't said it, he might not have realized it.
Especially when comparing the concepts of "electric bicycles" and "electric motorcycles", I really didn't think of them at first.
Check out the 16-9 book bar and see the correct version!
Xu Chen continued:
“Personally, I tend to go in the direction of ‘electric motorcycles’, which are luxury, high-end products with pedals.
If we make "simple" products, we will basically not be competitive.
Several factories in Tianjin are producing this type of electric vehicles, and the prices are already very cheap.
Only if we don’t make money and sacrifice profits for dumping can we have a chance to open up the market..."
“Currently, there are no major distribution initiatives for ‘luxury’ electric vehicles in the South in the North.
We have launched luxury vehicles with pedals in the northern market, which have obvious competitive advantages over the "simple models" in Tianjin.
Of course, in terms of pricing, we may still have to sacrifice some profits and cannot set the price too high.
Otherwise, users will still be greedy for cheap and choose simple products...
However, under the current market conditions, each company's pricing still has a large profit margin, which gives us the space and scope to operate. ”
Yang Congxin nodded slightly, but then asked:
"Which pricing range do you think is appropriate?"
Xu Chen thought for a while:
"You have to look at it in the context of cost...
My suggestion is that the price is 15-25% more expensive than the mainstream 'simple' products in the north.
In terms of cost, it is controlled within a range of 20%-30% higher than that.
In terms of profit, 10%-20% is almost enough..."
He paused:
"Based on these three criteria, balance the costs of all aspects and the final pricing.
Basically, we can guarantee our profits, and at the same time, we have a price range that is acceptable to consumers. ”
Guo Liang thought for a while, nodded and said:
“This algorithm takes care of all aspects.”
He looked at Yang Congxin and Fang Jun again:
"As for the cost of the product, we still need to carefully consider it."
Xu Chen continued:
"One more thing, our pricing should be about 10%-25% lower than the 'luxury' products in the south and Jiangsu Province...
I estimate that within a year, the two companies in the south will also start trying to open up distribution in the northern market.
In this way, when they come in, our products will still have a price advantage.
They have unified pricing across the country, and there is no way the price difference between the north and the south is too big..."
Yang Congxin adjusted his black-rimmed glasses:
"In this case, the plan is basically in this direction."
As he spoke, he pointed to a product picture on the projection screen.
"However, we still have to calculate the cost carefully, which will also affect the purchase of specific parts and components..."
Xu Chen nodded:
“My suggestion is also this design direction.
Of course, some specific details can still be optimized, mainly some design elements and colors.
I suggest that four different concept maps can be made in this direction, and Mr. Guo can use them to conduct user research. ”
Guo Liang said with a smile: "I was just about to say that for the appearance design of the car, it is best to look at real consumer preferences and feedback."
Xu Chen nodded:
“The current solution is too biased towards female users.
I suggest that our first product should be a little more universal.
There is no need to be particularly female or particularly masculine in terms of gender perception. It should be more neutral, which will cover a wider user base. ”
Guo Liang: "That's the reason. Many male users may not buy the current version of the style."
Fang Jun interrupted:
"It just needs a more neutral design so that it matches the image of the spokesperson Bingge."
Xu Chen laughed: "Teacher Fang Jun is right!"
He took out his mobile phone and flipped through a few files:
"Director Yang, I sent you some pictures.
This is the logo I asked an outside designer to make for ‘Morning Wind Technology’ and ‘Morning Wind Ice Power’. I can then directly print the logo on it when iterating on the product design. ”
Yang Cong collected the document and projected it onto the screen.
Everyone stared at it and couldn't help but admire it in their hearts.
"Don't tell me, just put these two logos on it, it will really look high-end!"
"This is good. If you adjust the design of the car, I think it is already the best-looking electric car in China!"
……
After Xu Chen's output, a consensus was quickly reached.
Especially after the two logos were put up, everyone in the conference room instantly felt more confident in Chenfeng Technology's new products.
Yang Congxin couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "Little Mr. Xu" is really extraordinary.
He recalled what happened when he was making the acquisition plan. At that time, Fang Jun asked Xu Chen to consult, but Yang Congxin was still suspicious from the beginning...
But Yang Congxin's two subordinates, the two young technical directors, were even more surprised at this moment.
It turns out that Mr. Xu’s son, “Mr. Xu”, is also the “core decision-maker” of the company.
The most important thing is that everything he said makes sense...
They had never had a meeting with Xu Chen before, and they were still surprised at this moment.
Didn't he just graduate from high school and not go to college yet? How do you achieve such a high degree of professionalism?
Product, design, market, pricing... Why does it feel like he knows everything? ! ……
Guo Liang looked up at the projection screen, feeling a little happy in his heart.
He couldn't help but think to himself that joining Morrowind Technology seemed to be the right decision for him.
In fact, he was able to agree in the first place, to a certain extent, it was indeed out of his trust in Xu Chen.
After all, in the six months since he got to know Xu Chen, this "Little Teacher Xu" really gave him too many shocks and surprises.
……
Fang Jun remained expressionless, turned to look at Xu Zhiquan and said:
"Mr. Xu, what do you think?"
Xu Zhiquan smiled heartily and threw the cigarette butt in the ashtray:
"Agree!"
(End of chapter)