On February 21, 1989, the day after the Lantern Festival, more than 20 people from the Luohu District Economic Development Company were invited to visit the Kwai Tsing District Headquarters of Hong Kong NB Electric Co., Ltd.

The secretary of the district party committee concurrently serves as the director, the district mayor concurrently serves as the general manager, the deputy secretary and the deputy district head concurrently serves as the deputy general manager, which shows that the Luohu District Economic Development Company is a government-run enterprise specially established to facilitate joint ventures.

In order to reflect the importance attached to this inspection, Secretary He of the District Party Committee personally led the team.

In addition to the leaders of the district party committee and the district government and the elite soldiers who have just been temporarily seconded from the Longkou Industrial Zone Management Cadre Training Course, the inspection personnel also included a deputy secretary general of the municipal government who is also the deputy general manager of the Heung Kong Development Company, and six experts and professors from the School of Mechanical and Electrical Control Engineering of Heung Kong University and the Department of Applied Physics of Heung Kong University.

"Gentlemen, I am Liang Bao'er, a staff member of the NB Electric Business Department, and I will accompany me throughout the morning visit, please get off the bus with me......"

With such a strong lineup of the delegation, the reception specifications should also be very high. Liu Siwei not only didn't go out to greet him in person, but he didn't even show up a manager-level executive, and Secretary He couldn't help frowning.

At this time, more than a dozen men and women dragged trolley suitcases, held documents, talked and laughed out of the company's gate, and got on a bus printed with the emblem of Hong Kong Chinese University in turn.

Director Wang of the Department of Applied Physics of Xiangjiang University asked curiously, "Miss Liang, who are they and where are they going?" ”

Liang Bao'er let go of her body and said with a smile: "They are all researchers from the NB laboratory, if you guess correctly, they should go to the pilot factory in the mainland." Sometimes they stay for a day, sometimes they stay for a week, in short, they won't come back easily if they don't finish the experiment. ”

"But that car is from the University of Chinese."

"Yes," Liang Bao'er smiled and explained proudly, "You may not know that the vast majority of researchers in the NB Lab are from the Chinese University of Chinese, the Polytechnic University and the University of Science and Technology under preparation, and our NB Lab is the first and only corporate research institution in Hong Kong to receive funding from the UGC. In addition, it has received donations from Hong Kong celebrities such as Mr. Koo, Mr. Shao and Mr. Chan, as well as commercial grants from the American Business Machines Corporation, Hong Kong Hailong Marine Supplies Co., Ltd., Soona Corporation of Japan and the Ruihui Group of Singapore. ”

Cooperation between enterprises, scientific research institutes and institutions of higher learning is also being carried out in China, but very few of them are actually implemented.

Director Wang suddenly became interested and was about to ask, when Secretary He suddenly interjected: "Miss Liang, I remember that Hailong Marine Supplies Co., Ltd. has invested in Longkou Industrial Zone, and it is also the first Hong Kong enterprise to invest in China. You are engaged in electricity, they are engaged in heavy anti-corrosion coatings, and they are not related, and they provide funding for your laboratory, is it because you Mr. Liu once worked in Hailong? ”

"Maybe there's that factor, but I think they should be more out of business."

Liang Baoer pointed to the exhibition hall on the left side of the first floor, and then said: "Mr. He, under those commonly used industrial electrical appliances, there are samples of marine electrical appliances from our NB Electric. After nearly half a year's efforts by colleagues from the Ministry of Commerce, these samples have been certified by classification societies such as ABS, BV, DNV, KR and LR. As a professional ship supplies supporting enterprise, Hailong Company is only one of its many businesses. ”

One is engaged in marine electrical appliances, and has also passed a series of classification society certifications. A long-standing reputation in the field of ship supplies and business all over the world, Secretary He suddenly reacted and blurted out: "Miss Liang, does this mean that Hailong Company wants to jointly produce marine electrical appliances with your company?" ”

"Personally, I think it's more likely to be a partnership." When it comes to trade secrets, Liang Baoer will not talk nonsense.

The previous Hong Kong company has been abolished, and the right side of the first floor of the factory building has become the office area of NB Electrician, with business, finance, customs clearance, logistics, design and other departments all available, like an independent company.

“…… The patents and certifications owned by the company are also an asset, and in order to ensure the smooth launch of new products developed by the laboratory, the Ministry of Commerce has a team dedicated to the application of various patents and certifications. To date, nearly $2 million has been invested, and more and more will be invested as new products continue to be developed. ”

Each series of products come out to be certified, there are electrical industry, mandatory, classification society, although the international certification body is not as difficult to enter as the domestic door, difficult to do, ugly face, but so many certification applications still cost a lot of money.

Secretary He nodded slightly, and said sideways: "Secretary-General Gan, President Jiang, the Science and Technology Commission counted last year, and the certification of so many enterprises in the district is not as much as NB Electric, especially the ISO quality assurance system certification, which is not only the first in the district, but also the first in China, and the Provincial Standards Committee said some time ago that it would come to investigate. ”

The company is on the right track, and it is still well-known in the academic world, but the products that can be produced have no technical content, and Dean Jiang of the School of Mechanical and Electrical and Control Engineering of Xiangjiang University was a little disappointed and smiled noncommittally.

Director Wang is engaged in physics research, where did he have the heart to listen to what they said, and couldn't help asking, "Miss Liang, can you take us to the laboratory to have a look?" ”

"It's okay to visit the Systems Engineering Laboratory and the Technology Application Laboratory, visit the Basic Research Laboratory...... That requires the permission of the member or director of the Academic Committee. I can apply on my behalf, but I can't guarantee that I will be granted. ”

"Isn't the NB lab from your NB Electrical?"

"Yes and no."

While inviting everyone to get on the elevator, Liang Baoer patiently explained: "As we all know, NB Lab has received large donations and funding from the outside world, and in line with the attitude of being responsible to the Hong Kong government, donors and funders, the company spun off basic research as an independent R&D department last year. It is financially independent, and the business is supervised by an academic committee composed of experts, professors and academics, as well as a committee composed of representatives of the UGC, companies and social leaders. ”

Director Wang was ridiculed and asked, "Is this still called NB Lab?" ”

"Sir, you must know that the 'giant magnetoresistance effect' was discovered by our NB engineers, and the academic community even named the 'giant magnetoresistive effect' 'NB effect'! What's more, corporate funding accounts for a quarter of all funding, second only to the UGC. The laboratory is located in the company, and the company's experimental factory must be used, what can it be called if it is not called NB laboratory? ”

Appropriating special funds for enterprises to engage in R&D, Dean Jiang felt a little incredible, and also asked: "Miss Liang, I can understand independent accounting, and I can also understand accepting donations and supervision from funders, but what about the research results, whether they are counted as NB Electric or the Hong Kong government?" ”

"Even if you count the NB laboratory, including our NB Electrical, you need to pay for it. As the founders and funders of the lab, we have priority. As for authorized income...... All will be used for the construction of the NB laboratory. ”

The Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government attach great importance to the NB laboratory, or the permanent secretary will not ask Director Wang to come with him by name, Dean Jiang pondered for a moment, pointed to the sign in the elevator and said: "Miss Liang, then please go and help us apply, the system engineering laboratory and the technology application laboratory are on the fourth and fifth floors, we can go up and have a look by ourselves, and you will come up to us as soon as there is news." ”

"Okay, I'll try."

On the fifth floor is a large open laboratory, surrounded by a large circle of computers, in the middle of which is a pile of various instruments, more than 30 researchers in white coats or sitting on the ground, or fiddling with instruments, or whispering communication, until they approached a glasses looked up and asked, "May I ask who you are?" ”

"We are guests invited by Chairman Liu, just take a look, you are busy with yours."

"Guest, why don't you go to the second floor?"

As soon as Sun Xiaoguang opened his mouth, Dean Jiang was happy: "Young man, listen to the accent, my hometown is Dongshan, we are not only peers, but also fellow countrymen." ”

Seeing his fellow villagers in Hong Kong, although there were no tears in his eyes, Sun Xiaoguang was still very excited, and quickly got up and said with a smile: "Sun Xiaoguang, director of the system engineering laboratory, what do you call it?" ”

Jiang Zhicheng, Dean of the School of Mechatronics and Control Engineering, Xiangjiang University.

"Dean Jiang, I really didn't expect you to come," Sun Xiaoguang rubbed his hands and smiled bitterly in embarrassment: "I'm so messy here, I don't even have a place to stand, why don't you go to the pantry with me to sit down?" ”

"Whatever you want, we listen to you."

The pantry is very large, the conditions are very good, the tables, chairs, benches and all kinds of drinks are readily available, Secretary He, Secretary General Gan and others just sat down, Dean Jiang couldn't wait to ask: "Xiao Sun, what kind of research are you doing in your laboratory?" ”

They are obviously guests from Xiangjiang, thinking of what the chairman said at the meeting last night, Sun Xiaoguang simply said frankly: "Our system engineering started relatively late, and at this stage we are mainly engaged in intelligent buildings and smart factories, which is not much research, and there is still a big gap with international counterparts." ”

"You're also engaged in smart buildings?"

For President Jiang, smart buildings are not a new concept, the red-crowned crane hotel in Guangdu and the China Merchants Industrial Building in the special zone are all smart buildings, but the project is done by an American company.

Sun Xiaoguang nodded heavily and confirmed lightly: "To be exact, it is for NB electricians, in addition to building automation on our side, NB electricians are also engaged in energy-saving lighting and integrated wiring on the technology application side." After all, the switch and socket panel is too single, and if you want to go public, you must have a few businesses that can be used. ”

It's easy to say, but it's not easy to do at all, otherwise the Red-crowned Crane Hotel and China Merchants Industrial Building would not have given the project to an American company at all.

"Where are you at this point?"

"The software development is basically completed, and now it is being optimized, the sensor is very troublesome, we don't have a ready-made production line, so we can only come up with the design and find a company in Taiwan or Singapore to OEM."

Dean Jiang was secretly frightened, glanced at Director Wang, and sighed: "It's not easy to do this, young man, there is a set!" Mr. Liu is so lucky that he can bring a talent like you under his command. ”

Sun Xiaoguang shook his head, pointed to the R&D personnel next door and said: "They are the real heroes, I am engaged in electronic engineering, I am not good at computer applications, and being this director is also a duck on the shelf." ”

"What about smart factories?"

"The smart factory is just a concept, we want to integrate all the CNC equipment, first take the upcoming marine electrical production line to do a test, and accumulate some experience for the next industrial control research."

"You're going to get on the PLC?"

"We have a dedicated team to do PLC."

Sun Xiaoguang found two programmable controllers and a single-chip microcomputer from the outside, and said with a smile: "These are all designed by ourselves and manufactured by Huaxing Electronics." Contrary to smart buildings, the performance of the equipment is still passable, and the process can basically reach the level of international counterparts, but the software has not kept up, and it will take at least three to five years to be introduced to the market. ”