Chapter 81 From Light Bulbs to Industrial Layout (Second Update)
On September 2, the three of them set off from Brussels, took a train to Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and then transferred to Eindhoven.
This is Li Qiwei’s second visit to Rotterdam. The last time he transferred from here to Germany.
Li Qiwei explained the history of the Netherlands to the excited Wang Luyao.
The Netherlands, like Spain, Portugal, Belgium and other small countries in Europe, was once wealthy but has now declined.
In the 17th century, the Netherlands was also known as the "Sea Coachman", and Rotterdam was known as the "Gateway to Europe" and the second largest city in the Netherlands.
As for the capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam is the largest city in the Netherlands and the birthplace of the world's first stock exchange.
However, the glory was gone and the empire fell.
Now the Netherlands can only be like Belgium, caught between the three major countries, missing its former hegemony.
After arriving in Rotterdam on September 3, Li Qiwei made a special trip to nearby Leiden University to visit Professor Lorenz.
At this moment, he was studying the phenomenon of magnetic splitting in atomic spectra, for which he won the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Because this theory is extremely complex and cannot be described in popular language, Ridgway is not prepared to explain it to readers.
After a pleasant chat, he treated Lorenz to a meal of Dutch delicacies, which made the old man confused. He had no idea that his Lorenz transformation was only in exchange for a meal.
Then, on September 6, the three finally arrived in Eindhoven, and Li Qiwei saw the Philips factory for the first time.
In this era, don’t think too highly of European companies.
A spotless workshop, neatly arranged machines, and strict safety protection measures are all missing.
In later generations, European and American companies were plagued by the misfortune of Notre Dame.
Even if the noise from the machine disturbs the stray cats taking a rest, they will be made a fuss about it, and a group of people will protest.
Not to mention the issue of environmental protection, which is the trump card of some groups with ulterior motives.
Countless companies are miserable but unable to do anything. Europe and the United States are left to their own devices.
However, now, even the city of London is shrouded in exhaust smog all year round. No one thinks it is polluting the environment, but instead thinks it is a symbol of power.
The violence and aesthetics of industrialization are displayed in front of Li Qiwei in a steampunk way.
Gerald trotted over, wearing work clothes, no longer the gentleman he was before, but more like an engineer.
The factory environment was noisy, and he said loudly: "Bruce, you came faster than I expected. Go to my office and talk, I will change clothes."
Li Qiwei waved his hand and shouted Said: "You'd better take me to the production workshop first, and I'll see how the situation is."
So the two walked towards the production line of tungsten light bulbs.
Nah, Li Qiwei had already set the lowest expectations, but it turned out to be overestimated.
On the dark and dirty ground, various tools were placed randomly, and an unpleasant smell filled the air.
Li Qiwei suppressed the discomfort in his mouth and nose and looked at the produced light bulb.
Fortunately, he was not disappointed. In the transparent lampshade, a tungsten filament shone brightly. It looked like a high-quality light bulb.
Gerald introduced him enthusiastically. "I found the best metal processors in the Netherlands and finally produced an improved tungsten wire that meets the patent requirements."
"Its ductility and luminescence are both excellent."
"After preliminary testing by engineers, it is expected that its lifespan will reach 5,000 hours, which is ten times that of carbon filament light bulbs."
"And the light of tungsten filament is softer and brighter. It is simply a product that transcends the times. ”
“Bruce, this product is going to be a big hit, and we are going to make a fortune.”
Li Qiwei was very calm, thinking that this was not enough to defeat Edison. Am I still worthy of being a time traveler?
However, he was still very modest: "Have you encountered any process problems so far?"
Gerrard said: "Not yet, your patent is very detailed, and Philips has been making light bulbs for more than ten years, and the workers are very handy."
Li Qiwei nodded with satisfaction, and then went to the office with Gerald to discuss the problem. He really couldn't stay here anymore.
In the office, Ridgway was drinking coffee leisurely, listening to Gerald talking about his sales plan, and then interrupted him.
"Gerald, I don't think your idea is particularly good."
"With such a good light bulb, we should not take the civilian route, but the high-end route."
"From From now on, Philips must establish brand awareness so that when people hear the company’s name, they will associate it with high quality and exquisite products.”
“Over time, the concept of Philips will become deeply ingrained in people’s minds.”
“This is the foundation for an enterprise to stand for a hundred years.”
Jerad muttered the word brand, and the more he thought about it, the more awesome he felt.
The way he looked at Li Qiwei changed. He actually understood marketing, and he understood it so deeply.
“Bruce, what you said is so good. We really don’t need to compete with the low price of carbon filament. Instead, we need to raise the price.”
“Just in this way, will the sales volume increase? Affected?" Gerrard was slightly worried.
Li Qiwei smiled and said: "Don't worry, there is no shortage of rich people in the world, and rich people can often accept higher premiums."
"Wait until tungsten filament light bulbs are completely popular, then you can expand the market to ordinary people."
"At the same time, we can make some exquisite and uniquely shaped lamps to continue to attract high-end customers."
< br>“In this way, both high and low-end people can be covered.”
“Our goal is to let everyone in the world buy a tungsten filament light bulb produced by Philips!”
< br>When Gerald heard this, his eyes lit up and his heart became hot.
Li Qiwei waved his hand. The tungsten filament light bulb was just a small trick, his attempt.
And he deliberately did not mention that once the product becomes popular, competitors will definitely join in. The technical content of this thing is not high.
I am afraid that Edison will be able to crack it as soon as possible and avoid the patent, and then it will be a life and death moment.
However, when that day comes, Philips probably won’t care about a small light bulb.
“By the way, how are your science lab preparations going?”
Hearing this, Gerald opened the drawer and took out a plan with detailed equipment configuration and staffing.
The laboratory is built around the factory, making it easy to borrow tools at any time for small sample preparation.
Looking at the neatly arranged plan on the paper, Li Qiwei nodded. Gerald was very concerned about this matter.
“At an academic conference in Brussels a few days ago, I had an in-depth exchange with Marconi, the inventor of radio.”
“I think that in the future, radio technology will definitely have Huge room for development.”
"So, for Philips' first innovative product, I will consider making radio-related things."
"As for the patent, I will write and submit it in the near future, and I will still cooperate with Philips then."
>The reason why Li Qiwei chose this product was selfish.
Because next, after the Spark Project is launched, he will need to remotely control the country and grasp various information in real time, so he must have his own radio station. Even then, he will establish a global network to transport people from China abroad to learn technology.
These are all inseparable from reliable real-time communication methods.
Now, he doesn't have to consider the issue of confidentiality. There are no radio waves in the air.
In the later stage, when technology becomes more and more popular and his core secrets are carried out, extremely high confidentiality requirements will be required.
He strives to have a stable radio station ready by the end of next year, just in time for He Yujie and the others to take it back.
As for Philips' products, he decided to make radios, but it will probably take a few years before this thing can be marketed.
It is an innovative product anyway. As long as the prototype comes out, I am not afraid that Gerald will not buy it.
For today's monotonous daily life, Li Qiwei could not imagine what a huge impact the radio would have.
After discussing the matter in the science laboratory, Li Qiwei suddenly made another request.
It turns out that he often held meetings during this period, but found that without PPT presentations, the reporting limitations were too great.
When there are more people, the blackboard can’t be seen in the back row, and even if the writing is small, those in the front row can’t see it.
As someone who was used to screen presentations in later generations, he felt there was a need to improve the way current scholars communicate.
So, he wanted to make a writing projector.
Unlike slides, you need to record text or pictures on tape in advance and then show it.
The projector does not require a white curtain and can write in real time and project the written content onto the wall through a reflective lens.
When used, large and bright images can be produced without strict shading, which is really a must-have for scientific researchers.
When Li Qiwei described his needs, Gerald patted his chest and assured him that there would be no problem.
"Don't worry, Bruce, I know the people at Zeiss. They are very familiar with this kind of optical product and can definitely make it quickly."
Li Qiwei was surprised, "That's the one The German Zeiss that specializes in various optical and optoelectronic products?”
Gerald did not expect that Li Qiwei also knew about this company, “Yes, that’s it. Zeiss just set up a branch factory in the UK this year. ”
“I will contact their people and send them to you after I prepare the samples. ”
"I think Zeiss would be willing to get to know a top physicist like you."
Li Qiwei did not care about his flattery, but recalled information about Zeiss.
Zeiss was founded in Germany in 1846. From the beginning, it was determined to make confidential machinery and optical instruments.
This year, Zeiss is already a leading optical company and has even launched several camera lenses.
The most important thing is that Zeiss is one of the few German companies that implements an eight-hour working day
Even so, it is still the top technology company in the world, which fully proves that success does not depend on overtime work.
At this moment, Li Qiwei suddenly thought about his next layout of China's industrial system.
Famous companies such as Schneider, Renault, Skoda and Krupp are all his covetous targets.
Of course there are some small specialty factories that you should also pay attention to.
Don’t look down on some small companies, they might be able to choke big companies on key components.
Later Li Qiwei saw many such cases.
His request for China is to focus on heavy industry and supplement it with light industry.
After all, when one's own safety is not guaranteed, the light industry is not urgent at all.
He must now intentionally start contacting these companies and establish good relationships so that he can send people to learn the technology later.
So, he desperately needs a strong identity.
At this time, Li Qiwei extremely hoped that he could win the Nobel Prize and then cooperate with his status as a Cambridge professor.
He will definitely become a guest of all technology companies.
In this era, physics and chemistry theories play a very high guiding role in industry, which is different from the serious disconnect with later generations.
String theory, God particle, these are too far away from actual production.
In other words, theory is far ahead of experiment.
Seeing that Li Qiwei had been silent and deep in thought, Gerald thought that the other party did not believe in Zeiss's strength.
"Bruce, don't worry, Zeiss will definitely be able to make a sample for you within a month."
Li Qiwei came back to his senses, "Oh, I believe in its strength. , I was just thinking about something."
"By the way, Gerald, let me show you this. This is my opinion on the improvement of the Philips factory."
Said Li Qiwei. Gerald was also given a few pieces of paper, on which he wrote in detail his explanation of the concept of assembly line production, as well as innovative rules and regulations.
These were all written on the train when he arrived, mainly to learn from the operations of later large companies.
After flipping through the pages, Gerald’s eyes widened, as if he had found a treasure, and he admired Li Qiwei in his heart.
Only those who have actually opened a factory can understand the value of Li Qiwei's document.
He even suspected that Li Qiwei was not a physicist, but an entrepreneur, and he was also the head of a super large enterprise.
Otherwise, how would it be possible to have such a lofty perspective?
"Oh, God, Bruce, did you really write this?"
"You are not a physicist, how can you know so much about the operation of the company?"
Li Qiwei made it up. Said: "My family is small and well-known in China, so when I was very young, my father took care of the business."
"These are all summarized after my observations in the factory. I think it has a certain meaning in improving efficiency."
Gerrard said quickly: "It's more than meaningful, it's a groundbreaking feat. Bruce, you really should be an entrepreneur and make money. Big money.”
Li Qiwei shrugged, looking very chic, "You know, I just studied physics because I disliked the tediousness of doing business."
Gerald laughed, "He is indeed a genius, no matter what he does, he excels. Able to be top-notch."
No matter how cold-hearted Li Qiwei is, he still feels comfortable being photographed, and he is still photographed by a big shot that future generations can only look up to.
Amidst Gerald's flattery and reluctance, Li Qiwei finally ended his holiday trip and returned to the UK with Wang Luyao and Li San.
Li Qiwei gained a lot from this trip.
Various connections in physics, chemistry, industry, etc. are all powerful assistants for his future ambitions.
He is unwilling to make friends with so-called prime ministers and other politicians, because in his eyes, he does not need to talk and can stand up on his own strength.
Traveling to this world, Li Qiwei wants to prove that science and technology are the primary productive forces, and people with science and engineering majors can make their own decisions!
Finally, and most importantly, being alone for a long time made the relationship between Li Qiwei and Wang Luyao seem to have broken through some kind of boundary.
Except for the fact that the little witch firmly disagrees and wants to stay on the wedding day, Li Qiwei can try more
Please be the first to order. Thank you all. Chapter 3 comes a little later.
(End of this chapter)