Yongkang.
At five o'clock in the afternoon, Wu Jianzhong was still inspecting the workshop.
Ever since his brother-in-law, Ying Jianren, invited him, and he resigned, giving up his public office, Wu Jianzhong dedicated all his energy to the establishment and production of Zhongtai Auto.
Over two years, overcoming numerous difficulties, witnessing the factory buildings gradually rise from the ground, Zhongtai Group was also established at this time.
After in-depth research, as the current domestic market lacked this type of compact SUV, Wu Jianzhong, as the actual manager, immediately made the decision that Zhongtai would target the domestic compact SUV market.
And, ahead of Geely and Chery, by persuading with reason and moving with money, they acquired the Daihatsu TERIOS production line that was for sale.
With the complete vehicle production line, Zhongtai's complete vehicle manufacturing factory was officially completed.
The engineers' speed was also very fast; at the beginning of this year, the first batch of imitation TERIOS models quickly rolled off the production line.
Although it was an imitation, the moment the first complete vehicle rolled off the line, Wu Jianzhong was still incredibly excited.
His brother-in-law, Ying Jianren, had almost gambled his entire fortune on car manufacturing, including Wu Jianzhong's own promising future.
The family had essentially committed to 'succeed or die trying.'
"Win lavish rewards, lose and toil at sea."
Wu Jianzhong hadn't heard this phrase, often used jokingly in later stock markets, but if Tan Jincheng knew about Zhongtai's car manufacturing journey, he would definitely think of it.
The cars were produced, but a new problem emerged: they couldn't get a production license.
His brother-in-law had been running around for several months, even camping out at several qualified state-owned enterprises and trying to grease countless connections, but they simply wouldn't agree.
Watching time slowly pass, Wu Jianzhong was also worried.
The domestic car market was now flourishing, undoubtedly a great opportunity.
This model, temporarily named Zhongtai 001, undoubtedly filled the gap in the domestic compact SUV market.
As long as the pricing was right, there would be no worries about selling it on the market, but unfortunately, it couldn't be launched yet, missing out on a lot of time.
But production couldn't stop either.
Anyone who has run a factory knows that if the machines in your workshop aren't roaring, people from all sides will come knocking, and by then, it would truly be 'succeed or die trying.'
Just as Wu Jianzhong was worrying in the workshop, a 'Tiger Head Benz' slowly drove into the Zhongtai Auto factory premises.
Ying Jianren was back.
As soon as the car stopped in front of the office building, Ying Jianren eagerly pulled open the car door and rushed straight to Wu Jianzhong's office.
Seeing no one in the office, he knew his brother-in-law had gone back to the workshop.
Ying Jianren quickly took out his phone:
"Brother-in-law, you're in the workshop, aren't you? Come back quickly, I'm in your office."
In the workshop, Wu Jianzhong's heart sank.
At this time, shouldn't his brother-in-law have gone to CD? Why was he in Yongkang?
Had something unexpected happened again?
After repeatedly hitting walls with state-owned enterprises, Ying Jianren, who was responsible for securing the production license, knew he couldn't wait any longer.
He found out there was an enterprise in CD called Xindadi; they didn't build cars, but their methods were unconventional, as they made a living by reselling and leasing production licenses.
To be honest, this business was somewhat dubious and non-compliant, but at this point, there were no other options.
The cars were already produced; they couldn't just not sell them.
So, after discussing it, the two decided to make a trip to CD to see if they could lease or buy a production license.
At this moment, Wu Jianzhong didn't have time to think too much.
He quickly walked towards the office building.
A production license had given them headaches for quite a while, and at this critical juncture, no more accidents could happen.
As soon as he entered the door, Wu Jianzhong didn't bother with composure and directly asked,
"Didn't you say you were going to CD? Why are you back now?"
"Something unexpected happened. I had just arrived at the airport when the city called. They said there was a production license available in Beicang, Yongcheng, and wanted to discuss cooperation with us. So I immediately canceled my ticket and turned right back."
"Where did Beicang get a production license from? I haven't heard about it. Didn't we inquire around the province first?"
"I'm not too sure about that either. It seems an electric vehicle manufacturing enterprise there somehow obtained one. After hearing about it, Beicang District persuaded that enterprise to cooperate with us."
"An electric vehicle enterprise? Which enterprise has such unconventional methods? What conditions did they propose?"
"They haven't proposed any conditions yet, but it's probably either monetary compensation or equity, like with Chery. I thought this was good for us, so I came straight back. They will come over the day after tomorrow to discuss cooperation, and we should also prepare."
Wu Jianzhong nodded and said, "This is indeed good news. This way, we will have a complete production license, which is much better than leasing or buying."
Although they said 'buy,' both knew that leasing was more likely.
The current car market was good, and those specializing in production license brokerage clearly knew that leasing was more cost-effective.
They could get four to five hundred yuan per car for free without having to manage anything.
If they sold it, their license wasn't for unlimited production, and there would be a day when it ran out.
Doing business required a long-term perspective.
"Then let's discuss it carefully, Brother-in-law, what kind of conditions do you think Beicang will propose?"
Ying Jianren was good at capital operations, but when it came to institutional matters, he couldn't compare to his brother-in-law, a former state-owned enterprise leader.
This was also why he handed the car factory over to his brother-in-law to manage.
Although his brother-in-law had left the system, his connections remained.
He was much better at dealing with the government than Ying Jianren himself; at least the city was willing to give him face.
Wu Jianzhong mused,
"Since the district is stepping forward, it's probably not about money. Beicang District isn't short of money. I expect they want to develop the automobile industry. It's either moving our entire operation there or opening a branch factory. Moving is unlikely; opening a branch factory is more probable."
With the district directly involved, Wu Jianzhong could essentially anticipate what they were thinking.
He was previously a state-owned enterprise leader and had some research into local economic development.
"Hmm, moving there is definitely impossible. How can we just move a factory we just built? Building a branch factory, however, is not a problem. As long as the conditions are sufficient, we can agree to it. This would also be beneficial to us."
"Yes, the business environment there is good, and it has the natural advantage of a port. Yongcheng's administrative level is also higher. Frankly, if we can negotiate this, it would be beneficial for us."
"Indeed. If the conditions aren't excessive, it's definitely something we can agree to. It would not only solve our urgent problem but also be beneficial for Zhongtai's future development. We already had plans to open branch factories in other parts of the country anyway."
"So, we won't go to CD for now? I'll first go inquire about what conditions they've proposed, and what's the background of that electric vehicle enterprise. It's also beneficial to deal with people who have unconventional methods."
Wu Jianzhong nodded,
"Hmm, let's not go for now. Since the district is coming to talk, we should raise our standards a bit. If we can't reach an agreement, then we'll go to CD; a day or two won't make much difference. I'll also organize the company's documents here."
"Alright, I'll go inquire right away."
"It's already after work; where are you going to inquire?"
"It's easier to inquire after work, isn't it? Brother-in-law, do you want to come along?"
"I'll pass. You be careful. Don't mess things up at this critical moment. Whether the cars can be launched for sale is extremely important."
"Understood."
Ying Jianren was born in 1962.
His father supported the family with his blacksmithing skills.
After graduating from high school, he inherited his father's craft and started working with hardware.
After over 10 years of hard work and struggle, in 1992, he pieced together funds from relatives and friends, managing to raise 80,000 yuan, and founded a machinery factory, which was the predecessor of Tieniu Group.
Later, he gradually transitioned from the hardware business into motorcycles and auto parts.
From the early 1980s until after the millennium, Ying Jianren had been doing business longer than Tan Jincheng had been alive.
Over the years, he gradually built up his small business and slowly became wealthy, enduring many hardships, and also developed some minor flaws.
After his business grew, he was slowly changing, but this also required a process.
Throughout this journey, his brother-in-law had helped him significantly, and Ying Jianren didn't resent his brother-in-law's reminders.
On the contrary, he still greatly respected his brother-in-law.
Having come this far over 20 years, without his brother-in-law's help and guidance, he wouldn't have reached his current position today.
There were many uneducated hardware bosses like him in Yongkang, but how many of them could achieve a net worth of over 100 million yuan?
The next morning, Ying Jianren came to the company.
"I found out. It's indeed pretty much as you guessed, Brother-in-law."
"You found out in just one night? Is the information accurate?"
Wu Jianzhong asked, somewhat puzzled.
"It should be accurate. They weren't deliberately hiding it. They just want some equity and to build a branch factory in Beicang to boost the local economy. Also, I found out about the electric vehicle enterprise that secured the production license. It's called Shanchi Technology. I checked last night; this company is developing very quickly."
"Shanchi Technology? I seem to have heard of that somewhere, I have a slight impression. So what are this company's demands? The production license is theirs; Beicang District can't just take it for free, can it?"
"Brother-in-law, you probably heard about it from a TV commercial. Last year, they were the first to invite a celebrity endorser. As for their demands, they haven't been stated openly yet, but they will also be present at tomorrow's negotiation."
Ying Jianren then continued,
"I don't think their demands are very important. I thoroughly researched this company yesterday. Their rapid development is due to strong support from Beicang District. Since they didn't directly approach us to discuss cooperation, but instead had Beicang District government step forward, I think their demands shouldn't be too excessive."
"That's about right. Although the asset is theirs, I reckon Beicang District will still be the decision-maker. Shanchi Technology probably won't make overly excessive demands."
"That makes things much easier. Ah, I can finally relax a bit. This is truly like someone delivering a pillow when you want to sleep. I wasted so much effort running around for so long, only for it to come to our doorstep naturally, haha."
Ying Jianren burst out laughing.
For a while, those powerful enterprises had ignored him, and he had endured a lot of frustration.
Seeing that the urgent matter finally had a lead, Ying Jianren could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Wu Jianzhong also felt much lighter inside.
He was not afraid of dealing with government departments.
(End of Chapter)