Chapter 69

Abe Mari frowned slightly, what is the most expensive thing in this world? It's certainly not money for him.

Just as the so-called problems that can be solved with money are not problems - and Toyota is the one who is not bad for money, so Hou Shida's so-called can't be bought with money, and what he wants is really expensive.

Abe Truth has tens of billions of dollars in R&D investment every year, and it is the leakage between his fingers that is enough for Hou Shida to make a lot of money. But if you want to say that Toyota has invested in this, it is just money. and the entire group because of the benefits brought by this technology, how much investment is only a drop in the bucket.

"Mr. Hou, please say, I think that if both parties are sincere, this business will be successfully completed."

"Of course, I'm very sincere about closing this deal, and it's up to Toyota to come up with what I want. As long as Toyota can meet my request, we can continue to talk about the next technical service fee. Hou Shida picked up the teacup and sipped it slightly, and said with a smile: "Speaking of which, I don't want much of anything, presumably Professor Ruolin should know better." ”

Hou Shida glanced at Kentaro Wakabayashi, saw him leaning forward cautiously, and sure enough, he was listening carefully to himself, so he smiled and said a Japanese term: "Harmonic transmission reducer." ”

"Harmonic drive reducer?" After all, Mamito Abe is not a professional in this industry, so he is not very familiar with this term.

But when Kentaro Wakabayashi heard Hou Shida's words, his face suddenly became gloomy.

Harmonic transmission reducer, to use a less professional metaphor, is the equipment equivalent to an automobile gearbox on the industrial mechanical arm, but its accuracy and performance are by no means comparable to that of an automobile gearbox. It is responsible for converting the input power into the required torque and speed, and is the most central technical equipment in the design of the robotic arm. The robotic arm can move and control precisely thanks to the coordination of the reducers in each joint.

In the reducer, it can be divided into gear reducer, worm reducer and harmonic drive reducer. The harmonic drive reducer is widely used in servo systems with high dynamic performance, including satellites, military, aircraft, electronic equipment, etc., due to its simple structure, high precision, small size, light weight and large load.

In the next ten years, the development of China's robot industry will not lose to the international advanced level, but it is this harmonic drive reducer that has become the death of China's robot industry.

Even if Japan's machinery manufacturing industry is quite developed, the harmonic drive reducer is undoubtedly a high-end technology, and the manufacturing technology is absolutely blocked by Chinese enterprises.

Of course, it's not that it can't be done in China, but that's ten years after the deep pockets. In 2006, I wanted to find a manufacturer of harmonic transmission reducer, but it was really only Japanese.

"It's a key component on a high-performance robotic arm." Kentaro Wakabayashi explained to Abe Mari with a gloomy face, shook his head and said, "Although Toyota is a big company, I am afraid that it has no accumulation in this regard. Our automation lab focuses on system integration and line commissioning, and this technology is as simple as purchasing equipment. If this is what Hou Sang wants, it will only disappoint you. ”

"Well, since I never asked for it, let's just enjoy the food today."

Hou Shida shrugged his shoulders disappreciatively and said indifferently.

"ちょっと待って!"

Abe Marie was startled, and quickly interrupted the conversation between the two, and interjected and said: "Hou Sang, don't be rash, we Toyota can provide other conditions, such as a high technology usage fee or Toyota's shares!" Professor Wakabayashi, is this harmonic drive reducer technology difficult? Automation lab no accumulation at all? ”

"Yes, this technology is highly specialized, and at present, only two companies, Nabtesco and Harmonic Nicd, have molded products for sale."

Kentaro Wakabayashi sighed and said: "The harmonic drive reducer is a very new technology, and the market prospect is very promising. ”

Abe was silent for a moment, so he had to turn his head to look at Hou Shida, and asked tentatively: "Hou Sang, the condition you said is indeed beyond the scope of Toyota's ability, can you change it?" ”

"Or Toyota could accept that the new robotic arm would increase profits by 30% as compensation."

"It can't be!" Abe didn't really think about it, so he directly refused. Just as a Hollywood studio would never allow actors to take a cut of the box office, Toyota is unlikely to pay 30 percent of the profits for a technology. Because only the truth of Abe who was present knew how much benefit this 30% meant. Toyota can still enjoy a 70% advantage, but just thinking about the fact that it will continue to pay such a big price for a technology will surely turn the tables over.

However, of course, Abe Mari cannot say that Toyota is paying for it, but he has changed the high-sounding reason: "It is difficult to quantify the advantages generated by new technologies, and it is difficult for us to define those profits that are generated by them." Such conditions are not conducive to implementation and will only increase the variables of conflict and cooperation in the future. ”

"Then we can charge according to the number of hours the robot arm is running......"

"But in this way, there is no advantage of a one-time investment in the robotic arm to reduce operating costs, and Toyota cannot agree to such conditions."

As long as Abe Mari doesn't want to agree to a condition, he can find a hundred reasons to reject it at any time. But there is only one real reason, Toyota can spend money on a product or service once, but it can't continue to bleed for it.

"Well, let's go back to the original conditions." The corners of Hou Shida's mouth curled slightly, and then flashed: "Harmonic transmission reducer, no matter what method Toyota uses to get this technology, I can add a little weight to the balance......"

"It's not about the price, it's about Toyota's inability to-"

If Kentaro Ruobayashi spoke out, he would never want the Chinese to get the harmonic drive reducer technology, which was determined by his identity.

As an authority on automation technology in Japan, his personal achievements have always stood on the basis of the entire academic community. The Chinese obtained harmonic drive reducer technology, which is bound to pose a threat to Japan in the entire automation industry. Of course, this threat was not decisive, but as a Japanese scholar's "conscience", he instinctively opposed the deal.

However, the entire strategic layout agreed by Hou Shida and Fengxin does not have to worry about the software system, but it is not easy to make up for the shortcomings of domestic precision machinery manufacturing.

The construction of robotic arms, or industrial robots, is actually not complicated. The mechanical structure is mainly composed of three parts, connecting the casting, servo motor and reducer. Needless to say, the gap between servo motors and connection castings is not a problem. Only in the high-end harmonic drive reducer, there is a blank in China.

Historically, it was only two years later that a corresponding research institute would be established in China for research and development. But until 2015, the domestic harmonic drive reducer is still a short board.

"I can guarantee that I will not sell this kind of technical service to other enterprises for two years." Hou Shida squared down the teacup and threw out the last chip.

……

Kentaro Wakabayashi's objections were held in his mouth, and he couldn't say anything anyway. Hou's promise is equivalent to giving Toyota a two-year unique advantage, which is not just a matter of cost reduction. The two-year cost advantage is enough for Toyota to grab a large part of the market of other car brands.

Toyota is very strong in the international market, but it is not without rivals. Japanese companies such as Honda and Nissan have challenged them in various fields. Toyota's brand advantage is one of its magic weapons for success. But price is not its strong point.

Toyota mainly builds practical vehicles, highlighting the advantages of stable quality, fuel economy, and easy maintenance, which means that its target customers are actually very sensitive to price.

If Toyota were to reduce costs by even 5 to 10 percent due to technological innovations in production, it would be a disaster for the rest of its competitors.

Hou Shida can be said to have put forward a condition that Abe's truth cannot refuse at all. And this was a condition that he had never thought about at all, let alone dared to think about.

If Toyota's use of this technology is extraordinary, there is no guarantee that no other organization will invest heavily in it. Two years is not a long time, no one dares to say that no one else will make this kind of technology after two years. In Abe's view, the risks are too great.

But this is not the case for Hou Shida, at least with the world's style of secretly researching artificial intelligence, it is impossible to achieve a breakthrough in image recognition within ten years.

Two years late to earn this money, there is no risk to him at all. Not to mention that this kind of technology is by no means something that ordinary technicians can develop, even if there is a brilliant genius like Jeffrey Hinton, it would take 30 years to complete the entire deep learning architecture?

"Well, we need to look into ......"

Abe Mari frowned, but he couldn't help but show his mouth. This decision was too important for him to make on his own. Toyota's influence in Japan is quite deep, so it is absolutely impossible to say that the technology of harmonic transmission reducer is absolutely impossible to obtain. But whether and how to do it is not a question he can answer.

"Hehe, it's fine." Hou Shida is not in a hurry, and the layout in this regard may be calculated in ten years. The scope of involvement is so wide that it has reached the level of national strategic direction. The technology of a harmonic drive reducer, no matter how critical it is, there is no need to rush for a while.

Now that Abe has leaked out, I believe that there will be good news coming next. Anyway, if you want to get image recognition services, Toyota is either sacrificing its own interests, or sacrificing the interests of other domestic manufacturers, isn't it a good choice?