Years later, Lin Zhichao inspected Zhongtian Shipbreaking Plant and Zhongtian Iron and Steel Plant.

Zhongtian shipbreaking yard started a large-scale shipbreaking business in three places: Drunken Bay, Ngau Tau Kok, and Tseung Kwan O, and an average of 4~5 merchant ships were dismantled every month in the future.

After the dismantling, the steel will be sent to the Chung Tin Iron and Steel Works in Tseung Kwan O for re-forging, and then rolled steel and rebar will be produced for the local market in Hong Kong. If there is no time to forge scrap steel, it is shipped to Japan and sold, and it is very popular.

"How much rolled and rebar can be produced here in a year?" Lin Zhichao was in the building of Zhongtian Iron and Steel Plant and asked.

The reason why the steel can be produced in a year is because the plant is ready-made, and it was originally intended to smelt aluminum alloy, but it was not completed for various reasons, so it has been empty. Just in time for the preparation of steelmaking a year ago, equipment was quickly purchased and workers were trained, and the first batch of steel was now produced in mid-February.

Cheng Yuanxiong, general manager of Zhongtian Iron and Steel, immediately reported: "It is expected that it can produce 50,000 tons of steel per year, and it can continue to increase production capacity in the later stage." ”

"At present, Hong Kong consumes less than 200,000 tons of steel a year, and it almost increased to 250,000 tons in the 60s. Therefore, this production capacity should not be in a hurry to increase, the important thing is to accumulate experience and introduce advanced management technology. ”

He has no intention of becoming a 'steel king' in Hong Kong, but he will definitely become one of the three major steel mills in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's market is so small, it is not as good as Lin Zhichao's legal eye, Lin Zhichao is thinking about the future.

We have our own steel mill, so we can enter the overseas steel business in the future.

Cheng Yuanxiong said: "Yes. However, in this way, the scrap steel production capacity of Zhongtian shipbreaking plant is far greater than the demand of our factory. ”

According to the current situation of the Zhongtian shipbreaking yard, 50 merchant ships can be dismantled a year, and several warships and aircraft carriers can also be dismantled. Therefore, the second-hand steel produced is at least more than 150,000 tons.

Lin Zhichao said: "Selling to the Japanese is! ”

He does not pursue output, after all, even if it is hundreds of thousands of tons a year, Hong Kong's steel demand in the 80s is only 700,000 tons, which is a joke in a large steel country; At this time, the United States produced 60 or 70 million tons of steel, and Japan was close to 20 million tons.

Zhongtian Iron and Steel took advantage of the opportunity of this ship dismantling to develop, and the future output can reach more than 200,000 tons; It is important to acquire management experience and improve technical skills in order to prepare for overseas business expansion in the future.

The Hang Seng Bank Building at 163 Queen's Road is a small nine-storey building with six floors below and three floors at the top.

On the second floor, there is the headquarters of the 'Dachang Trading Bank' jointly opened by the families of Ho Sin Heng, Ho Tim, Leung Kau Ju and Lin Bingyan, and the first floor is naturally the office hall of the head office of Hang Seng Bank.

The founding team of Hang Seng Bank is very united, and the banking and trading businesses are all doing 'all the way by leaps and bounds', and everyone is working together and uniting its employees.

In the office of DCH Trading Bank, Liang Jiaoju, General Manager of DCH Trading, Ho Sin Heng, Chairman of Hang Seng Bank, He Tian, General Manager of Hang Seng Bank, and Li Guowei, Deputy General Manager of Hang Seng Bank, were holding a meeting.

Liang Jiaoju said: "In the past six months, there has been a 'Zhongtian shipbreaking yard' in Hong Kong, and now several ships are being dismantled every month, guess who is the boss? ”

He Tian said with a smile: "When you talk about overseas affairs, you, the general manager of Dachang Trading, must be better informed than us, but what happened in Hong Kong, can we compare to you!" The parent company of this Zhongtian shipbreaking yard is Changjiang Industrial Group, and the boss is your fellow villager Lin Zhichao. ”

Everyone laughed!

Liang Jiaoju was not annoyed, and continued: "Do you know where they came from to dismantle so many ships? ”

For a while, everyone's expressions became serious.

Dismantling several ships every month is certainly not eliminated by global shipping.

He Shanheng said: "Could it be that I bought it abroad? As far as I know, although Chiapor Group also participated in the ship dismantling, the ships were all sent to Hong Kong from overseas for dismantling, and the business was far less busy. ”

Liang Jiaoju said with some excitement: "As you know, in order to expand trade, I often go to overseas places to investigate. Recently, I discovered that the world's major ports are full of second-hand ships for sale, and there are one or two hundred merchant ships in the ports of the Gulf of Aden alone. A 10,000-ton merchant ship only costs $60,000, and a loan of $40,000 is allowed. It turned out that European and American shipping entered a trough, coupled with the development of the shipbuilding industry, began to eliminate a large number of second-hand ships. ”

Everyone was suddenly shocked, the threshold of the shipbreaking industry is low, and Dachang Trading Company can completely get a piece of the pie, and it is also the first player to enter.

He Shanheng said: "Dachang Trading Co., Ltd. has entered the shipbreaking industry, which is feasible and should be acted on immediately!" The scrap steel from the dismantling of ships happens to be sold to steel mills, and all countries in the world are short of steel, so scrap steel is very popular. ”

It can be said that the scrap steel from the dismantling of the ship only needs to be forged a little before it can be put into use. And now many countries are very scarce of steel, because steel is needed to develop the economy.

After some discussion, they immediately prepared to take action, arranging to buy second-hand ships while preparing for a shipbreaking yard in Hong Kong.

In the end, Ho Shanheng did not forget to sigh: "I don't know when a piece of land in Des Voeux Road can be released, and Hang Seng Bank is still short of a decent headquarters building!" ”

The current Hang Seng Bank headquarters building was built in 1953 and is only nine storeys high (non-residential, not limited to five storeys), but now Hang Seng Bank is growing rapidly and needs a new headquarters building.

He Tian said: "In the past two years, the real estate has picked up, and there will be opportunities. The land that Lin Zhichao bought is very suitable, but unfortunately he can't sell it to us. ”

He Shanheng said with a smile: "There is really a Central land released, he is the biggest competitor himself, and he still wants to take the land from him, how can it be feasible!" ”

Pressure!

When it comes to Lin Zhichao, everyone feels the pressure from wealth.

Worldwide shipping.

Lin Zhichao didn't know that the 'ship breaking business' had been targeted, of course, even if he knew, he didn't care. His original intention is also to make money for himself, and at the same time, he can also promote the development of Hong Kong's shipbreaking industry.

After all, the 'second-hand ships' in the world's major ports will attract not only Hong Kong people but also people from other countries; if it is not good, in a year or two, Asian countries will rush to grab the 'scrapped ships', and then the prices will also rise, and eventually the profits will become thin."

It is precisely because of these that Lin Zhichao is the first to intervene in this industry, so that Hong Kong people can eat more.

It's not that he is great, but within the scope of his ability, he has influenced the development of Hong Kong. The important thing is that he can't eat such a big cake in one go.

"Boss, a total of 30 ships have sailed back to Hong Kong one after another, and about eight of them can continue to operate, with a total deadweight of 72,500 tons." Feng Yongfa reported.

At the end of last year, he personally went to the port of Aden to organize a large-scale purchase of second-hand ships, and now he finally got the statistics.

Lin Zhichao raised his head and said with satisfaction: "It seems that there are quite a few ships that can be operated!" I think so, we are not engaged in a 'pension system', just sell these ships to this system, and then set up a separate shipping company to operate independently. ”

Feng Yongfa said: "It is only in April that the 'pension system' will officially deduct the fee, and the funds are insufficient at the beginning. ”

Lin Zhichao immediately said generously: "Even if you borrow it from Global Shipping, you can return it later!" We strive to build a 20-ship scale for this company in two or three years. ”

Feng Yongfa said with admiration: "With the boss's move, our staff and senior seafarers are afraid that they will never lose one again." ”

The pension system will eventually become the benefits of the staff and senior seafarers of the world, and ordinary seafarers cannot be implemented for the time being, because the mobility is relatively large.

Some ordinary seafarers after the expiration of their three-year contract are the first thing they consider not to be seafarers because of the difficulty of going ashore. After all, in this era, air tickets are expensive, and it is a waste of time to travel by ship, so it is normal to return to Hong Kong once every three years.

Fortunately, the cost of training ordinary seafarers for a period of time is not high.

In the future, Global Shipping will consider adding more benefits to ordinary seafarers.

Zhao Congyan took his subordinates to Drunken Bay and secretly visited the shipbreaking yard here.

When he saw several merchant ships parked on the sea, he couldn't help but bleed, if these ships were his own, if they could still operate, how good it would be!

Since being listed as a target of sanctions by the U.S. Department of Commerce, several of his ships have been greatly restricted, so he still has only three ships (the Guoxing was eliminated) over the years, and has not developed.

Fortunately, because he was very shallow in his 'involvement' and only ran through a short and dangerous journey, after his efforts, he finally asked the US Department of Commerce to cross out his name last year.

That night, he almost cried!

Over the years, he has not given up his shipping career, even if he can't use it to do business with the United States, he can't dock at American ports, he can't use American banks, etc., even if three ships don't make much money, this is because he always believes that ships are walkable assets.

In other words, Zhao Congyan is also wary of the other side, which can be said to be unflattering to both ends.

"Have you found out, whose industry is the Zhongtian shipbreaking yard?" Zhao Congyan asked seriously.

He recently discovered a situation in places such as Drunken Bay, Ngau Tau Kok, and Tseung Kwan O, where a large number of merchant ships are moored in the sea, and these cargo ships are waiting to be dismantled.

It was obviously unusual for so many cargo ships to be dismantled, so he asked his eldest son Zhao Shipeng, who was far away in the UK, to find out the situation.

Zhao Shipeng studied shipbuilding and marine engineering at university in the UK, worked in a shipyard in Norway after graduation, and went to the UK to work as a surveyor this year.

All of this is the arrangement of Zhao Congyan, a 'shipping layman'. Yes, Zhao Congyan has still lacked experience in shipping over the years, and because he was sanctioned, several of his ships have been handed over to Warren Foreign Bank for management.

The subordinate said: "It is a subsidiary of the Yangtze River Industrial Group, that is, Lin Zhichao's industry!" ”

"Lin Zhichao?"

"Yes"

Zhao Congyan immediately thought seriously in his mind, according to his son in the UK, since last year, the navigation situation in Europe and the United States has declined, and a large number of second-hand ships have been sold.

"I see!" Zhao Congyan said in surprise.

He guessed that these second-hand ships might have been bought from major ports around the world, and it was important that they were cheap enough.

"What did the boss come up with?" The subordinate asked.

Because Zhao Congyan likes to use Wuxi people, his subordinates are all fellow villagers.

Zhao Congyan said: "Shi Peng investigated in the UK that the current shipping situation in Europe and the United States is not good, and a large number of second-hand ships are waiting for sale. And these ships dock at major ports around the world, such as those in the Gulf of Aden. I think that Lin Zhichao found out about this situation, so he sent people to buy a large number of ships, and the better ones were used for operation, and the almost ones were directly dismantled. The subordinate asked: "Will it lose money if it is dismantled?" ”

Zhao Congyan asked rhetorically: "Will you do a loss-making business?" ”

The subordinates shook their heads!

Zhao Congyan immediately said in surprise: "You won't, let alone Lin Zhichao!" So to illustrate the problem, these ships are being sold as 'to be dismantled' at the price of ships, which must be very cheap! ”

The subordinate immediately said happily: "We can also go to this business, it just so happens that the eldest prince is the surveyor!" ”

Zhao Congyan nodded and said, "God help me!" If we can buy enough second-hand ships, the size of the fleet will increase greatly, and it just so happens that I have been removed from the restricted list. ”

Although the current shipping situation is not good, Hong Kong's labor wages are low, and there is still competitiveness. If the price of the ship is cheap, it will be profitable, and once the shipping situation changes, these second-hand ships will definitely be able to operate, and it will definitely make a big profit.

"Okay, boss!"

Zhao Congyan left the scene satisfied!

He never suspected that he was sanctioned because someone reported it, after all, there were so many agents in the United States at that time, and many of them were on the sanctions list afterwards.

On this day, Lin Zhichao and Wang Liang came to a residential unit in Sham Shui Po, but inside it was densely packed with workers, assembling pocket-sized atomic radios.

"Lin Sheng, Manager Wang, come here, I'm here to shine!" Hu Xiaoqing, the owner of this factory, greeted warmly.

It turned out that after Lin Zhichao thought of entering the radio industry, he thought about it again, and felt that the radio was only a few profits, and the assembly could not cultivate electronic talents, so he dismissed the idea of forming a team.

However, he thought that if he could partner with someone, it would be good, so he took the initiative to find Hu Xiaoqing, who had a relationship. At that time, Lin Zhichao bought a radio at an electrical appliance store on Nathan Road and met Hu Xiaoqing, but he never contacted him later.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "Hu Sheng, don't mind if we visit!" ”

Hu Xiao said briskly: "Lin Sheng smiled, I am an assembly plant here, what can't I visit!" I have heard Lin Sheng's story, saying that when you first made wigs and plastic flowers, they were all free for your peers to visit, and this spirit is admirable. ”

"Haha, it's all overrated!"

Subsequently, Hu Xiaoqing led the two to visit the factory, which is a total of two residential units and about dozens of workers.

During this period, Lin Zhichao asked curiously: "Hu Sheng, how many radios can you assemble every month?" ”

Although Hu Xiaoqing was a little 'groggling' in his heart, he thought that this person would not really like this business, it would really be overkill; if you think about it carefully, it is possible, after all, the 'industrial king' is not called in vain, and he has a lot of industries.

But he still said: "Almost 4,000 units, all of which are OEM for Sony!" ”

The implication is that it really doesn't make money.

Lin Zhichao nodded, and finally said his thoughts: "Hu Sheng, when I bought a radio in your hand, I knew that a person who graduated from Jiaotong University would never be just a small electrical appliance shop owner, and now his career has really reached a higher level!" But have you ever thought that Sony is already preparing to open a branch factory in the Commonwealth, and your foundry may be canceled at any time? ”

Hu Xiaoqing was taken aback, and then asked, "Lin Sheng has news?" ”

Lin Zhichao shook his head and said, "I'm just guessing like this!" In short, I don't think you should put your hopes in a foundry that can be canceled at any time. Originally, I wanted to buy transistors from Japan, make radios, and then sell them mainly to the United States; But I remembered you as a radio expert, and I wanted to talk about cooperation. What do you think? ”

Hu Xiaoqing did not agree at the first time, but asked: "Mainly sold to the United States?" Will there be a market? ”

Lin Zhichao said: "There is definitely a market! Because of the baby boom after World War II, there was a strong market demand in the United States; On the other hand, due to the low labour and management costs, Hong Kong manufacturing can be more competitive than Japanese manufacturing. ”

Except for the core component - transistors, Hong Kong can't make this thing, everything else is easy. As for the transistor, Japan can import it, but the Japanese don't sell it to Hong Kong, as well as Britain and the United States, so it's not expensive.

Lin Zhichao's idea is to try the water first!

If you have the opportunity, you can produce other electronic products!

Cooperating with Hu Xiaoqing, he will not suffer losses, and he can also let him work for himself.

Hu Xiaoqing finally said: "If you cooperate, how should you cooperate? ”

It is of course a very good thing to cooperate with such a big guy, because there are many resources; However, if he didn't pay attention, he was completely reduced to a part-time worker.

"We provide the venue and sales channels, and you provide the management and technology. In terms of funds, if you have insufficient funds, we can advance and repay after the profit sharing in the later stage. ”

There are factories and sales channels, and Changjiang Industrial Group has many channels in the United States, and there is no problem in bringing products into the United States.

And Hu Xiaoqing is only a professional in radio, and his management is also good, after all, he is from the Department of Management of Jiaotong University.

"Can I think about it for a day and then give Lin Sheng an answer!"

"No problem, I'll wait for your message. Anyway, we're definitely going to get into the radio business! ”

Hearing Lin Zhichao's last sentence, Hu Xiaoqing wanted to agree immediately.

Because if Changjiang Industry takes a fancy to this cake, it must be the leader in the industry.

Now it seems that just because this cake is too small, Changjiang Industrial Group does not want to be distracted, so it is looking for him to cooperate.

Hu Xiaoqing feels that this is a project that must be cooperated!

(End of chapter)