The last time he came to the Forbidden City was in 2018, also winter.
Since 2019, Tan Jincheng had rarely left Yongcheng.
It was too inconvenient to go out.
He didn't expect that eight years later, in 2006, he would once again come to the Forbidden City.
The snow in the Forbidden City was still as beautiful, but for Tan Jincheng, there was a sense of things having changed and people being different.
"She should be in junior high school grade three in some corner of the Imperial Capital right now, right?"
Staring at the snow on the Forbidden City wall, Tan Jincheng suddenly thought.
"What are you thinking about? Standing here in a daze, hurry up and catch up."
Zhao Jinsheng couldn't help but ask when he saw Tan Jincheng standing still.
"Oh, oh, okay, I'm coming. I was awestruck by the grandeur of the Forbidden City."
It was naturally impossible to let Zhao Jinsheng explain, so Tan Jincheng hired a tour guide to take a few people around.
There weren't many tourists in the Forbidden City on a weekday, so the experience was good.
The only pity was that all his companions were men.
"The weather is too cold, otherwise, we could still go see the Great Wall. It's been a long time since I've had a chance to travel like this. This time, I'm benefiting from your good fortune,"
Zhao Jinsheng lamented.
"Not at all, I'm benefiting from Brother Zhao's good fortune. Otherwise, with the year almost over, I wouldn't have had the chance to come to the Imperial Capital."
"What's your company's next plan? If it's inconvenient to say, then don't."
"What's inconvenient to tell Brother Zhao? Besides securing this lithium battery project, our next step is to launch a major marketing campaign after the Spring Festival. The campaign is estimated to last about half a year."
Zhao Jinsheng's eyes flickered:
"Such a big undertaking? A half-year marketing campaign will cost a lot of money."
Shanchi started through various marketing efforts.
A half-year marketing plan suggests they are preparing for a major push.
However, it's also normal; Shanchi Technology's production capacity in 2006 rapidly increased compared to 2005.
Without good marketing, sales could easily be affected.
"High costs are also inevitable. The industry has developed rapidly in the past two years. If we don't make big moves, we won't keep up, and that would betray the district's expectations."
"How many units did you sell last year?"
Zhao Jinsheng asked with some curiosity.
Tan Jincheng replied with a joyful expression:
"Last year, we sold 38,000 units, with sales revenue of 61.18 million yuan."
The net profit was around 10 million yuan.
Achieving this in six months was very good.
As for how much technological content Shanchi had in 2005, it was zero except for some patents applied for exterior parts.
Being able to sell so well was entirely due to good marketing.
Net profit was somewhat lower than competitors, but considering it was the company's first year and marketing costs were excessively high, being able to make a profit was already very good.
In 2006, with cost optimization and Fengchi's pricing advantage, it is believed that Shanchi Technology's net profit will see a significant increase.
"Amazing, to be included as an above-scale enterprise in the first year of establishment, President Tan has excellent methods,"
Zhao Jinsheng exclaimed.
Generating over 60 million in sales revenue in just half a year, achieving profitability, and becoming an above-scale industrial enterprise were already quite remarkable achievements.
Moreover, as a promising enterprise, it was no wonder leaders were so optimistic about him.
Enterprises with industrial output above a certain scale are included in the local GDP.
This means the suddenly emerging Shanchi Technology made a certain contribution to Beicang District's GDP in 2005.
Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Chemical and Physical Power Institute.
In the conference room, several attendees were engaged in a heated discussion about the feasibility of cooperating with Shanchi Technology to develop a lithium battery project.
"This company is too young. The lithium battery project requires time and funds. Do they have the capability to sustain it?"
"Why not? When Zhongke Sanhuan cooperated with Xinri back then, wasn't Xinri just a small factory of similar scale to Shanchi Technology?"
"That's different. Before Xinri made electric vehicles, they were in the auto parts business, and the owner had been an entrepreneur for many years with a substantial net worth."
"Hey, don't say that, haven't you seen the materials? Shanchi Technology's boss isn't poor either. He also has a wholly-owned foreign trade company doing electronic product import and export business, and another garment trade export company where he holds a 30% stake. Additionally, they have a 20% stake in a primary agent. Their strength is not bad."
"That may be true, but there's always a feeling that the foundation isn't deep enough. Moreover, the boss is too young. Young people tend to act on whims. What if one day they see no research results and decide they don't want to do it anymore? Wouldn't we have wasted our time?"
"Old Liu, what you're saying... why are young people just acting on whims? I'd say youth is an advantage; young people are more adventurous."
The debate between both sides was nothing more than whether Shanchi Technology had the strength to support this project.
In fact, once this question was affirmed, there would be nothing more to say about the cooperation.
Chief Engineer Lu said:
"Leader, what do you think?"
Although they couldn't run it like a private business with one person making all the decisions, the final decision on whether to cooperate still rested with the leader.
The leader smiled.
After over an hour of discussion, everyone had essentially reached a consensus on some minor issues.
Now, the most crucial problem was that some colleagues still felt the company's capabilities were insufficient.
Regarding Shanchi Technology's strength, the leader was clearer than the attendees.
The materials Shanchi submitted were just a rough outline, and there were some things not in the materials or that couldn't be disclosed.
For example, out of the 70 million yuan Tan Jincheng cashed out from equity transfer, only one-seventh was used for personal consumption.
The rest was reinvested into Shanchi Technology by purchasing employee residential buildings and providing interest-free loans.
For example, Shanchi Technology also holds a stake in the plastic parts supplier currently being established.
All of this indicates that this young man has a very strong ambition for his career, and his determination for the lithium battery project should not be underestimated.
"Old Li, let me tell you something: this young man still only has one personal residence of less than 100 square meters. Think about it, how many young people can be so restrained when their net worth exceeds a hundred million?"
Indeed, for such a restrained young man, if you say he has no determination to build a career, then what is he making money for?
Most importantly, this young man has the support of the local government, which is the most crucial factor.
His start is much better than Xinri, the new leader in the electric vehicle industry.
Xinri moved to Jiangsu Province precisely because the support there was greater.
An enterprise with policy support, its strength is far beyond what some financial data suggests.
"What you're saying is nothing more than whether the other party can support the lithium battery project. Regarding this, there's actually no need to worry.
To my knowledge, they still have tens of millions lying in their company account, and they also have the support of the local government. This time, they sent a secretary to lead the team, and their accommodation was also arranged by the local government."
The leader's meaning was self-evident.
For a moment, the arguments in the conference room ceased.
Seeing that everyone was silent, Chief Engineer Lu timely said:
"Since that's the case, how about we vote by a show of hands? Leader, what do you think?"
"Alright then, let's vote by a show of hands,"
the leader nodded.
Who said tech people can't read the room?
A show of hands tied everyone together, while also absolving the leader of direct responsibility.
The outcome of the vote was, naturally, passed without controversy.
"Old Lu, you'll still be responsible for the subsequent matters. You'll be in charge of discussing the specific cooperation details with them. I only have one requirement: we don't care where they set up the factory, but the R&D department must be in the Imperial Capital."
"Alright, I guarantee to complete the task,"
Chief Engineer Lu responded.
It's definite that the R&D department would be in the Imperial Capital.
Barring any surprises, he should lead this cooperation.
Not to mention whether other employees involved in the project would be willing to leave the Imperial Capital, he himself was unwilling to leave the Imperial Capital to live in an unfamiliar city.
Working in the Imperial Capital, the benefits in all aspects are incomparable to other cities.
The next day, Tan Jincheng received a call from Chief Engineer Lu, stating that both parties were willing to proceed with further negotiations for this cooperation.
This made Tan Jincheng overjoyed, as he had originally thought he would have to wait several more days.
"Brother Zhao, this speed is quite fast. I originally thought we'd have to cool down for at least about a week."
"Yes, I didn't expect it either. Normally, it wouldn't be this fast,"
Zhao Jinsheng also thought with a frown.
There must have been some unforeseen development he wasn't aware of.
Immediately after, he added:
"Don't get happy too soon. Let's see what conditions they propose. If the conditions are too harsh, we won't be able to accept them."
"Mm, I understand that,"
Tan Jincheng nodded.
He understood Zhao Jinsheng's meaning.
Cooperation was fine, but they couldn't abandon the Beicang government.
Otherwise, wouldn't it all be for nothing?
They couldn't contribute to the economies of other regions.
After three days of negotiations, Shanchi Technology and the Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Chemical and Physical Power Institute officially reached an agreement.
Both parties cooperated to establish "Yongcheng Hangxin New Energy Technology Co., Ltd.", a lithium battery R&D company with a registered capital of 18 million yuan and a total investment of 300 million yuan.
The R&D projects will primarily be applied to electric bicycles, electric motorcycles, electric vehicles, power tools, mobile phones, laptops, and medical devices, among other products.
The Chemical and Physical Power Institute, by contributing technology, holds 15% of the company's total equity.
Yongcheng Hangxin New Energy Technology specifically hired one of the "Two Bombs, One Satellite" engineers from the institute, Chief Engineer Lu, to serve as the chief engineer, using the institute's technology as the backbone to participate in the lithium battery R&D project.
As Chief Engineer Lu wished, Yongcheng Hangxin New Energy Technology's R&D department was located in the Imperial Capital, while the factory was established in Beicang.
Shanchi Technology holds 85% of Yongcheng Hangxin New Energy Technology's shares, with Tan Jincheng as the actual controller.
Tan Jincheng gained actual control of Yongcheng Hangxin New Energy Technology.
The institute commercialized their research findings and could still work in the Imperial Capital.
Participating staff could also earn an extra salary, and the Beicang government gained the factory.
This was a win-win cooperation for all three parties, and everyone was quite satisfied with the terms and conditions.
"Chief Engineer Lu, I'll be troubling you a lot in the future."
"President Tan is joking. From now on, I'll be your employee."
"No, no, I wouldn't dare. Also, the New Year is approaching. Before the year ends, I won't have enough time for the preparatory work. After the New Year, I'll send someone to select a site to establish the R&D department in the Imperial Capital. Chief Engineer Lu, please feel free to raise any requirements you have."
Not to mention the importance of the lithium battery project to Shanchi Technology, simply technical talents like Chief Engineer Lu, who participated in the Shenzhou-5 project, deserved Tan Jincheng's respect.
Creating a better working environment for them, even if it meant spending a bit more money, was worth it.
Seeing Tan Jincheng's sincere expression, Chief Engineer Lu also smiled and said:
"Alright, I'll definitely be troubling President Tan a lot in the future."
"No trouble at all, no trouble. And just call me Xiao Tan."
(End of Chapter)