Waking from his nap, he felt refreshed.
Zeng Jixiang hadn't returned yet, and there didn't seem to be anything particularly important in the afternoon, so Tan Jincheng decided to go for a round in the R&D department.
As he passed the marketing department, Wu Zhenping was just about to find Tan Jincheng to report on matters related to the Chuncheng International Electric Vehicle and Parts Exhibition on the 10th of this month, which was an exhibition targeting Southeast Asian clients.
At the same time, this was also the first exhibition where China's electric vehicles attempted to export, meaning electric vehicle enterprises could try to venture into export business.
By the way, since the beginning of March, various exhibitions about electric vehicles have been increasing.
In the first half of the month, there were shows in the capital of Yu Province and Chuncheng, and after the 15th, major exhibitions would be held in cities like Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Chengdu.
In March alone, there were five major exhibitions nationwide, which clearly showed the strong support for electric vehicles.
It was evident that at the national level, the electric vehicle industry was to receive strong support starting from today.
"The vehicles for the exhibition in Chuncheng have already been transported from nearby Nanning. It's a pity we don't have enough models yet,"
Wu Zhenping sighed.
The exhibition in Yu Province was handled by Lin Yumin, while the one in Chuncheng was entrusted to Wu Zhenping.
Although the two had different ranks in the company, they were both "veterans," and there was no favoritism towards either.
Letting them compete fairly was the best approach.
"Quality over quantity. It's most beneficial to first develop the potential of the few models we currently have,"
Tan Jincheng smiled.
Currently, Shanchi Technology doesn't have many electric vehicle models.
The Shanchi brand actually only has two models, in black and white colors respectively.
The Fengchi brand has several colors, but in essence, it also boils down to two models.
The R&D department was also accelerating the development of new models.
Tan Jincheng's intention to visit the R&D department was also to check on the progress.
Strictly speaking, when a company's strength is insufficient, having too many models is not necessarily a good thing.
Currently, the choice of two models with multiple colors is more favorable for Shanchi Technology's development, as it allows them to concentrate on creating bestsellers.
After 2010, Geely once pursued a multi-brand strategy for a period, launching a large number of models under sub-brands like "Englon".
The final result was quite unsatisfactory.
If it weren't for a model like Dihao supporting it, the multi-brand, multi-model strategy could have even dragged the company down.
Those years of the multi-brand strategy were likely Geely's toughest.
The subsequent integration undoubtedly proved that this strategy was wrong.
Speaking of which, Geely's true development probably began after the launch of Dihao.
Before Dihao, Geely's reputation was actually quite similar to Zhongtai's; everyone was just copying, and in terms of quality, the pot couldn't call the kettle black.
After Dihao was launched and became a bestseller, Geely truly embarked on its path of independent research and development.
Following that, they gritted their teeth to raise funds to acquire Volvo, and after digesting Volvo's technology, their car models also became increasingly attractive.
In the 2006 timeframe, although Geely had been manufacturing cars for many years, its progress wasn't particularly significant.
Although Zhongtai started late, its pace was not slow.
Before 2010, the gap between the two major car manufacturers in Zhejiang Province wasn't particularly wide.
Speaking of which, it was Chery that truly carried the banner of domestic car manufacturing at that time, and it was also Chery, not the BYD widely known in later generations, that truly brought down the prices of joint-venture cars.
Different tracks, but Tan Jincheng believed that every industry should avoid blind expansion.
Shanchi Technology's two electric vehicle models were sufficient to support the domestic electric vehicle market in 2006.
Moreover, don't forget, Shanchi Technology also had electric tricycles.
"President Tan, if you have no other instructions, I will fly to Chuncheng tomorrow."
"Hmm, go ahead. The Southeast Asian electric vehicle market has great potential. You can pay more attention to it this time,"
Tan Jincheng nodded.
After the domestic dividend period for electric vehicles ends, it's inevitable for enterprises to go overseas.
However, developed markets in Europe and America have stricter regulations for "little electric donkeys" (scooters), usually managed under motorcycle standards.
Users need to obtain a driver's license and pay taxes and insurance according to motorcycle regulations, which sets a high barrier.
But Southeast Asian countries are different.
During the motorcycle stage, they have always been the target of dumping for our enterprises, and it remains so after the domestic dividend period for electric vehicles ends.
In most Southeast Asian countries, the laws and regulations are actually similar to those in China.
One can use them simply by buying a "little electric donkey" (scooter); the barrier is low.
The first choice for going overseas is definitely the Southeast Asian market.
Shanchi's affordable models are not expensive, and if necessary, they can be customized for the Southeast Asian market, with reduced parts requirements, allowing them to be sold even cheaper.
From now on, we will make some arrangements in the Southeast Asian market, establish some distributors, and prepare for large-scale overseas expansion in the future.
"Understood,"
Wu Zhenping nodded gravely.
A slow step leads to slow steps all the way.
In the end, he lost the competition to Old Lin, causing him to fall behind him at every step now.
Compared to going to Yu Province, developing the Southwest market or the overseas expansion plan would be much more difficult.
Everyone knew that the domestic "little electric donkey" (scooter) market was booming, and with novel designs and guaranteed quality, there was no problem selling them, especially since Shanchi Technology had a very good foundation in the capital of Yu Province.
It's important to know that the first stop for the Shanchi series development was Yu Province; going there to exhibit and sell vehicles was obviously much easier.
But it doesn't matter.
By doing well in the Southwest market and successfully implementing the overseas expansion plan, he would still have room for improvement.
It's known that President Tan started by earning USD.
Compared to doing well in the domestic market, President Tan has always had a special fondness for selling products to foreigners and earning foreign money.
In President Tan's words, this is called "never forgetting one's original aspiration."
If he could truly open up the Southeast Asian market, it would hold significant meaning for both himself and the company.
At the same time, this might also be his only chance to surpass Old Lin.
At worst, he could be on equal footing with Old Lin; then Old Lin would be in charge of the domestic market, and he would be responsible for overseas business.
"Alright, if you don't have anything else today, go home and pack up. Be careful when you get there. It's okay if the business doesn't work out, but you and your team's safety must be prioritized."
Tan Jincheng gave his instructions and then got up, preparing to go to the R&D department.
"I know, thank you, Boss,"
Wu Zhenping said, a little moved.
To be honest, President Tan, this young boss, was quite humane.
Every time someone went on a business trip, he would instruct his subordinates to pay attention to safety, not just to him, but to all personnel on business trips.
Logically, someone in his early 20s wouldn't have experienced the relatively chaotic period of the last century.
He didn't know why Tan Jincheng placed such importance on safety; even when his uncle renovated for him, he specifically reminded him to be careful.
Could it be that something happened during the year he worked at sea?
That shouldn't be the case; Little Zhang went on board with him, and Little Zhang didn't have this habit of reminding others to be careful about safety.
Tan Jincheng didn't bother with what Wu Zhenping was thinking.
Security at the beginning of the century wasn't that great, but it was much better than in the 80s and 90s.
Being a little careful, not having one's wallet stolen, and not losing one's ID card would generally prevent any major issues.
Tan Jincheng wasn't worried about experienced individuals like Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping; they had their own survival experience.
But other employees in the marketing department were different.
Since they received a basic salary plus sales commission, the turnover rate in the marketing department was relatively high at Shanchi Technology.
Many new employees were young and inexperienced in society.
If they lost a wallet or an ID card, the company would have to send someone to retrieve it, which would be quite troublesome.
Shanchi Technology's R&D department had entirely relocated to the new factory.
Compared to the factory in Xiapu Industrial Park, the new factory was more standardized, had more complete functions, and was also better in terms of safety.
The safety here referred to data security.
After several rounds of expansion, the R&D department now had over 30 people, responsible for product development, testing, and mold design, all still under the charge of Wang Chao.
Wang Chao was poached by Tan Jincheng from Xinri.
Although his position at Xinri was not high back then, his skill level was not an issue.
Currently, Shanchi Technology's self-research direction was batteries and exterior design.
In the future, Tan Jincheng also planned to directly acquire a manufacturer of motors and controllers, striving to achieve complete independent R&D for all core components.
Yadi had already begun R&D on motors.
Shanchi Technology aimed to compete with it in the future, so investment in this area certainly couldn't be lacking.
Acquiring motor and controller manufacturers with independent R&D capabilities was the fastest way to catch up with competitors.
From beginning to end, in Tan Jincheng's mind, Shanchi Technology had always regarded Yadi as its hypothetical competitor in the "little electric donkey" (scooter) segment.
Ignoring Xinri, blocking Aima's development path with Aima's successful methods, learning Yadi's technological advantages, and competing with them in the "little electric donkey" (scooter) market!
But whether it's electric vehicles or cars, while internal core components are important, exterior design is equally crucial.
Exterior parts must be recognizable, allowing buyers to identify your company's product at a glance.
From Shanchi to Fengchi, Shanchi Technology's R&D department, with the help of Tan Jincheng's foresight, put a lot of effort into this aspect.
Having exterior designs that surpassed contemporary standards was a major weapon for Shanchi Technology in dealing with the market.
Currently, the R&D department was secretly developing a new product.
This product would still be under the Fengchi brand, with a style leaning towards higher-end.
Whether the market would accept it was temporarily unknown, but Tan Jincheng's purpose in developing it was not purely for the market.
Why did the "A" in BBA (Audi) dominate "BB" (BMW, Benz) during this period? The reason was simply that Audi replaced previous official vehicles and became the new official car, thus quickly becoming popular.
Fengchi's brand positioning was mid-to-high-end.
To make more people accept Fengchi's pricing, besides spokespersons, the most important step was to have the brand participate in a major event to complete its transformation.
The secretly developed new Fengchi model was prepared for the Shanchi brand's transformation.
As for the major event, Tan Jincheng was eyeing the Olympic Games two years later!
To make Fengchi the designated vehicle for the Olympic Games to be held locally two years from now!
Preparing two years in advance might seem a bit early to some, but in Tan Jincheng's view, it wasn't early at all.
Shanchi wouldn't be the only company eyeing the official vehicles for the Olympics, and the more thoroughly prepared they were, the higher their chances of success.
(End of Chapter)