Lin Zhichao took Gao Qiqiang and two business managers to Kai Tak Airport.

At this time, Kai Tak Airport had not yet added a new runway, in fact, the Hong Kong government had also considered rebuilding the airport in other places, but chose to abandon it because the cost was too high; As for the future '3/31 runway', it is still under consideration, and it is expected that it will not be put into operation until the end of the fifties.

In this era of 'propeller planes' and 'seaplanes', the runway doesn't need to be too long, but now that people have realized that jets will replace propeller planes, the airport needs to be re-planned.

"How are the guests from the previous two days?" At the airport, Lin Zhichao asked.

In order to attract business, Lin Zhichao innovatively pulled the business manager to Kai Tak Airport to get first-hand business on the flight from Japan to Hong Kong. It's a first-of-its-kind initiative that pulls business straight from the source.

I'm afraid that those shipping companies never thought of this trick. In this era, almost all the Japanese who came to Hong Kong were merchants, and no one would come to visit. Even if there are tourists, it does not affect them to solicit customers.

And the appearance and dress in Japan are distinctive, so as long as you quickly find the target and go up to ask, it is easy to gain something.

"It's been negotiated, and we'll use our ship to pull the cargo, and they trust us very much." Gao Qiqiang said happily.

Although the first few groups of people are retail investors, that is, they are not chartering ships, but only carrying cargo, they can still make the business of global shipping grow. Generally speaking, a cargo ship with a deadweight of 10,000 tons cannot be fully loaded, and it is a very good performance to have 8,000 tons, and it is considered to be profitable to have 5,000 tons.

Therefore, the amount of goods determines the income of shipping. The fixed route can't wait until the goods are full, after all, there is a time schedule, and the flight without a sense of time will slowly lose the confidence of customers.

"This shows that it is easier to take the initiative to pull the business, you have to study hard, these are all knowledge." Lin Zhichao did not forget to educate his subordinates.

He has a lot of careers, and it is impossible to do it himself every time, but only as much as time allows. Therefore, he likes to personally train excellent management and technical personnel.

"Well, we get it!"

After a while, the flight time from Japan to Hong Kong arrived, and out of a group of people, Lin Zhichao quickly walked towards a Japanese, only to see him holding a duffel bag.

"Sir, are you here to charter a ship in Hong Kong?"

The Japanese merchant nodded instinctively, and then was surprised.

Lin Zhi was overjoyed, and immediately snatched the Japanese bag.

Japanese merchants are in a hurry, why are they still robbing bags!

Could it be that I ran into robbers today, this is also too rampant!

"Sir, my surname is Lin and I am the owner of Global Shipping. Do you want to charter a boat, or do you need to carry cargo? Lin Zhichao said while taking the initiative to take people out.

When the Japanese merchant saw that his bag was in Lin Zhichao's hand, he could only hurriedly follow, and said: "I'm here to rent a boat!" ”

is not familiar with the place, and the bag was robbed again, how can he not follow Lin Zhichao closely, there is still money and documents in it.

"Okay. We have prepared the hotel and the banquet, please come with me. Rest assured, we have large ships of seven or eight thousand tons, and we also have regular routes to many cities in Japan. By the way, we are also partners with Yamaguchi steamer, Nippon Steamship, and Mitsuko steamer, and they have leased many of our boats. ”

When the Japanese businessmen heard this, they immediately breathed a sigh of relief, it turned out to be just a shipping company that pulled business.

When I heard that the hotel and banquet had been arranged, I thought it was good, so as not to run into each other. And it also shows that others value themselves very much.

In fact, Lin Zhichao was also very surprised that he was able to pull in a merchant who rented the entire ship today.

Seeing this, Gao Qiqiang on the other side separated from the two business managers, followed Lin Zhichao and the two, and walked towards the parking lot.

After all, as the manager of the business department, he needs to be the boss's assistant.

Arrange the merchant at the Peninsula Hotel, after all, it is a charter guest; If it is a guest carrying goods, the hotel grade should not be lower.

That night, Lin Zhichao accompanied the Japanese merchants to eat and drink, and the next day he signed a one-way short-term rental, with a freight of 106,000 US dollars, which took about 45 days.

This kind of one-way short-term charter, if it can be seamlessly connected in a year, can safely earn back a second-hand boat.

Of course, business can't be seamlessly connected, and there will always be some empty time; If it's the off-season, it's even worse.

The same is true for fixed routes, where not enough cargo is loaded and heartbreaking.

So the benefits of long-term rentals are obvious, provided that you can take advantage of the opportunities and cycles.

Zhao Congyan of Huaguang Shipping has been in a good mood recently, and he has escaped from the dangerous road, although he has not earned so much, but due to the great development of Japan's economy, the shipping business is very good.

Zhao Congyan currently owns two 7,800-ton second-hand freighters and one 3,500-ton antique second-hand freighter; He thought he could buy three ships, but he didn't expect that the price of freighters has also risen in recent years, and two second-hand freighters of 7,800 tons and 30 years old also need close to one million dollars.

There was no way, so he could only run away with three boats, and even so, he felt very satisfied.

One ship runs a fixed route from Yokohama to Hong Kong, and one ship runs a route from Southeast Asia to Hong Kong, while the original Guoxing Ferry continues to be chartered to others to run the route along the coast of the mainland, but not to the north, so it is safer.

"Boss, Global Shipping has added another flight from Yokohama to Hong Kong, a full seven or eight thousand tons of freight."

His subordinates reported a piece of news, which surprised Zhao Congyan. Lin Zhichao owns a lot of ships, so in Hong Kong is called the 'new ship king' after Xu Aizhou, everyone knows that Lin Zhichao has a loan from HSBC, and the fleet has surpassed Xu Aizhou, and even approached Swire, Jardine Matheson, Wheelock and other British-funded foreign banks (actually exceeded).

"What about the goods order? Now that the United States has handed over Yokohama to Japan, Yokohama is a rebuilt city, so we should not be short of goods, right? Zhao Congyan frowned.

At the beginning, with a little preferential price, it quickly gained a firm foothold in this fixed route and became a rival on a par with global shipping.

It's just that he didn't expect that now that global shipping is rapidly adding a ship, he has no score in his heart.

"They seem to have lowered the price a little, plus a new big ship, our cargo orders are very affected, and the ship will be sailed in a few days, and there are only 4,000 tons of goods at present, and it is difficult to worry about 5,000 tons."

Who doesn't want to go with a full load, although four or five thousand tons of cargo are also well profitable, but obviously six or seven thousand tons are better.

Zhao Congyan said: "I'm afraid I'm targeted!" We have to work hard, but fortunately, the Yokohama line is now in increased capacity demand, which should not have much impact. ”

In the past, the reconstruction of Yokohama was led by the US military stationed in Japan, but this year the US military stationed in Japan handed over the port of Yokohama to the Japanese government, so many livelihood projects will be carried out one after another, and the resources required are very large.

"Good"

"I'm still not at ease, I have to go to the port!"

Zhao Congyan walked out of the office with a solemn expression.

As soon as the ships of Global Shipping arrived in Hong Kong, they were immediately arranged, with long-term charters, fixed routes, and one-way short-term charters, and seven ships were put into operation at one time.

Lin Zhichao calculated that in the remaining four months of this year, Global Shipping will make a monthly profit of 1.7 million US dollars, that is, a profit of 6.8 million US dollars. Because it is a long-term contract, it is easier to settle the accounts, not to mention that the market has not changed much this year.

The debt of Global Shipping was only 5.2 million US dollars, so by the end of 1952, Global Shipping was not only 'zero debt', but also able to come up with 1.6 million US dollars in cash flow.

At the same time, the number of ships in the world has reached 38, with a total deadweight of 362,000 tons, realizing real-time communication of global information.

"Boss, I heard that the cargo ship of Huaguang Shipping was not even full of 5,000 tons, so I left the port. It seems that our approach has been effective. Gao Qiqiang reported the situation with a smile.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "I'm not afraid of difficulties, I'm afraid that there is no way, doing shipping is to try my best to sell myself." If Huaguang Shipping doesn't notice what the problem is for a while, it will slowly lose completely on this fixed route. ”

These are normal business competitions, and in the future, they and the shipowners may have to gather at Kai Tak Airport, just like the train station to solicit passengers. This is the case, in order to solicit customers, it is necessary to do whatever it takes.

Gao Qiqiang nodded and said, "I've been taught!" The fact that we have more boats is an advantage, but we also need to put more effort into marketing ourselves, especially now that long-term charters are becoming more and more difficult. ”

This time, the Yamaguchi steamer and the Japanese steamship directly refused to charter the ship, and it can be analyzed that the shipping has changed, and although it will not fall to the bottom, there are signs of a decline.

"You pay close attention to the route from Hong Kong to Yokohama and see how Wah Kwong Shipping responds, and if they don't know what to do, then we won't keep our hands on it."

From the time Zhao Congyan picked up the goods at a low price, Lin Zhichao was already a little angry, but he didn't respond immediately. This time, he added a regular flight from Hong Kong to Yokohama, because Yokohama's business has increased significantly, so he made arrangements.

At the same time, soliciting passengers at the airport is also a normal means, so it is not aimed at Zhao Congyan. If he doesn't know each other, then Lin Zhichao has a big trick that can put Zhao Congyan in a predicament, and let him also taste the pain of Cao Wenjin - going to Southeast Asia to move stones.

The route from Hong Kong to Yokohama was first opened up by global shipping, and now it is becoming more and more prosperous.

"Okay, boss. This Zhao Congyan is a habitual offender, I will keep an eye on him. ”

Although Gao Qiqiang is a business manager, his burden is not as heavy as imagined due to the long-term chartering of most ships in Global Shipping; What's more, Lin Zhichao likes to do it himself, so Gao Qiqiang is a little apprehensive, and has always insisted on keeping up with the pace of the boss, making fewer mistakes, and learning more and doing more.

He is strict with himself, and he will personally maintain a very small customer. In his opinion, there are too many advantages of global shipping, and a maritime academy will beat other shipping companies to the fullest.

How many people have praised the 'Global Maritime Academy' for nurturing a large number of 'maritime talents' for Hong Kong and enhancing Hong Kong's overall maritime strength. After all, after the expiration of the three-year contract, the seafarers of Global Shipping will become the target of a frenzy.

Of course, the salary level of global shipping also determines that the vast majority of seafarers will stay.

On the other side, Zhao Congyan investigated in the port for a few days and did not find anything abnormal; If there is, it is that the two ships of the world shipping are actually full of cargo, but their own cargo ships are loaded with less than 70% of the cargo.

Although he still has money to make at this level, he is not satisfied.

"Boss, Global Shipping enjoys a certain reputation in the Japanese shipping industry and even in the business community, so they are really profitable. I heard that many of their ships are leased to Japanese shipping companies for a long time, and the price is very cheap, only 60~70%. The subordinate said cautiously.

Zhao Congyan showed a look of displeasure on his face, and said: "This has nothing to do with that, and it is not a long-term rental, whoever has the cheapest price for the fixed route will have an advantage." And we just need to be a little cheaper to recoup the disadvantage. What's more, if it's cheaper, it's still much more cost-effective than renting it for a long time. ”

He is very optimistic about the fixed route from Hong Kong to Yokohama, and the competitive pressure is small, on the contrary, the competition on other routes is even greater. At the same time, he also wants to break into the Japanese market, so the floor price measure is very good, but everyone takes a different approach.

"Will this cause dissatisfaction with global shipping?" The subordinate asked cautiously.

Zhao Congyan immediately smiled: "I haven't just come to Hong Kong, although Lin Zhichao is powerful, he can't do anything to me." I know the laws of Hong Kong better than him, and he can't handle me! ”

He is a lawyer, and he has been familiar with Hong Kong in the past few years and joined the Ningbo Chamber of Commerce, so why worry about those things; What's more, it is not illegal to solicit goods at a lower price, nor is it illegal, and it is not for nothing.

Although the price is a little lower, as long as the freight increases, you can only earn more.

"Alright! But anyway, they also cut the price by 5%, and we have no problem reducing it again. The subordinates could only comfort themselves.

The price reduction of global shipping is in line with the market, and it is not a price reduction as soon as it comes up, so it has not caused any sensation in the market.

"Yes, we will cut the price by another 5% and stabilize the market first. And, you have to keep looking at why they are always more popular with customers than we are, and if there's something wrong. ”

"Okay"

Zhao Congyan always felt that something was abnormal, and as soon as Global Shipping put into a ship, it could pull full of goods, which was obviously an abnormal phenomenon. Even if the reputation of global shipping in Japan is high, but others only load the goods once or twice, why do you think so much?

Therefore, he must find out the real reason for his loss, and he obviously feels that there are fewer customers who have taken the initiative to come to his door recently.

Cheung Kong Industrial Park, a five-storey industrial building rises from the ground, this building is the tallest industrial building in Hong Kong, so it has been criticized by many people, meaning that Cheung Kong Industrial can use such a huge factory?

In fact, there is really no need for it at present, but even if someone asks whether to lease it, it is rejected by Lin Zhichao, he is the one who is almost that rent! Moreover, he has decided to start to show his skills in industry next year, how can he think that this point of plant will not be used up.

Lin Zhichao inspected the zipper production workshop (first and second floors) and was very satisfied, the zipper factory in Hong Kong supplies the local market, Southeast Asia, Japan and Europe, while the Sing Tao factory supplies the American and European markets.

At present, the Yangtze River zipper is still rising steadily, and there are also ways to import raw materials such as aluminum alloy and copper, and there are 45 automatic rice rowing machines, and nearly 1,000 other machines of all kinds (including some small equipment).

"Manager Wang, you take someone to inspect Tseung Kwan O, we need at least 80 acres of land, which will be used as an industrial park for smelting aluminum alloy, copper, and shipbreaking yards in the later stage."

Wang Liang, who was following Lin Zhichao, hurriedly said, "Okay, I'll go over there to inspect it immediately!" ”

80 acres of land is 480,000 square feet, which is about the same size as Tsuen Wan Industrial Park, because Tseung Kwan O is more remote than Tsuen Wan, so the price must be very low; According to Lin Zhichao's estimate, it is estimated that 3 million Hong Kong dollars can be taken down.

Of course, in this case, you need to apply to the Hong Kong government, and the Hong Kong government will only agree to approve it if you are in the industry.

"By the way, how is the development of YKK zippers in Japan, have you inquired?" Lin Zhichao is still very concerned.

Although he will do many industrial projects, he hopes to be the leader in the industry for each project, so he will always invest in the zipper industry to achieve the best.

Wang Liang said: "I probably know one thing, mainly because the US market is growing rapidly, and we still have an advantage in the European market, Southeast Asian market, and other markets, after all, our channels are very mature." In terms of products and costs, everyone is actually about the same. ”

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "Hmm." The small zipper is very high-tech, unlike ready-to-wear textiles; Fortunately, we are working on it too. ”

Nylon zippers have made substantial progress and may be declared successful next year. Of course, there is still a long way to go for non-metallic zippers to overtake metal zippers in terms of share, so there is no rush.

In the future, the Yangtze River zipper can go to Taiwan Island to invest in a nylon factory.

"Yes, we've invested a lot in it, and we're going to be even more successful."

Subsequently, Lin Zhichao walked to the third floor, looked at the production workshops such as clothing and leather shoes, and had some ideas in his mind.

After all, Uniqlo has been divided into Cheung Kong Industrial, so it cannot stay in the Changjiang Industrial Park in the future, and should build its own industrial plant.

In the fifties and sixties, the value of investments in industrial plants was no less than that of residential buildings, everything had to be decided according to the market; For example, at a certain time, commercial buildings in poor locations are not as good as residential buildings, and some real estate developers simply convert commercial land into residential buildings.

At present, the funds on the account of crocodile shirts have reached 1.6 million Hong Kong dollars, which is all the profits earned in the past two years, which can be said to be very profitable; At this time, the crocodile shirt has made a name for itself in Hong Kong, and as for the competitor The Lion King, it can only be said that it is average, and there is only one store, and the branches are not open.

Originally, Lin Zhichao planned to use the funds of crocodile shirts to buy shops, but it turned out that the shops in this era were not sold in small quantities; After all, a building is an owner, how can he sell the shop downstairs?

Strata sales are not yet suitable for commercial real estate, and everyone does not have this idea.

Instead of this, Lin Zhichao plans to let Crocodile Shirt buy a plot, buy an industrial plot in North Point, and build a 12-storey industrial building in the future; The rest of the money will continue to buy industrial land in other places and develop industrial buildings for rent in the future.

This is called making the most of idle funds.

(End of chapter)