Years ago, Lin Zhichao was very busy, after all, it was time to summarize and plan.

After the meeting with the senior management of Global Shipping, everyone quickly returned to their posts, and Lin Zhichao also returned to the office in a good mood. Since the end of last year (1961), the freight rate of international shipping has begun to pick up, and shipping has ushered in spring.

In 1959~1961, the world's shipping fell into a small trough, and now it is very happy to get out of this small trough.

Sitting in the office, Lin Zhichao is also thinking about the shipbuilding goals of Global Shipping this year.

The initial plan is to order five 130,000-ton oil tankers and about 150,000-ton cargo ships.

It is only 800,000 tons of carrying capacity, but the cost is about 75 million US dollars.

Global Shipping, on the other hand, is currently breaking even, with no debt or much cash flow; This year's estimated profit is only $40 million, a shortfall of $35 million. Of course, shipbuilding does not need to be paid in full immediately, but only before delivery.

Next year (1963), the profitability of global shipping will be greatly improved, because some of the three-year long-term contracts signed in 1959 will expire this year, and the rent will increase by about 15~20%; At the same time, up to one million tons of ships have been launched this year.

Therefore, this year (1962) shipbuilding only made about 800,000 tons, so that the financial pressure is a little less; After all, next year, more deadweight ships will be built.

After all ships are launched this year, the global shipping will have a deadweight of 4.6 million tons, and if about 500,000 tons of ships are eliminated, it is expected that there will be a deadweight of about 4.1 million tons.

By the end of this year, global shipping will be a '$400 million fleet', which is huge.

Lin Zhichao stretched his waist and walked to the window overlooking Victoria Harbour and Kowloon, and his heart was full of heroism.

In addition to the first pot of gold, it was a little more difficult, after all, he sold newspapers for half a year, and he was "almost" stoned to death by a plane; after that, Lin Zhichao's life was naturally the same, and there was no need to question the achievements that a person who is familiar with the history of Hong Kong's development can achieve after owning the first pot of gold.

The wish of the previous life, to be a tycoon, is now being realized step by step, and the difference is only time.

"Boss, Chairman Sandas is here!"

"Good"

Sandas then came to Lin Zhichao's office, and Lin Zhichao invited him to sit on the sofa and drink tea with him.

"Congratulations, I heard that you will be the chairman of the board of directors of HSBC this year!"

After all, Lin Zhichao is also a director of HSBC, so the news is naturally well-informed.

Sandas said with a smile: "Speaking of which, the reason for the merits of cooperating with you for many years is more or less related to what you Chinese said - you are my nobleman!" ”

Lin Zhichao immediately corrected: "Your sentence is wrong in the Chinese language, we have cooperated for more than ten years, and you are my nobleman." After all, without your running, global shipping would not have developed so fast. Of course, I hope that one day, there will be people who say that we are mutually accomplished, you and me, HSBC and Global Shipping. ”

Sandas was suddenly even more overjoyed and said, "That's right, work together to achieve each other!" ”

At this time, HSBC was still only the overlord of Hong Kong, and there was still a long way to go to become a world-class bank like that of future generations; But there is no doubt that the cooperation with Global Shipping will give them a lot of help.

The two sides cooperate with Huanyu Shipping, which currently has the following vessels in operation: 6 100,000-ton oil tankers and 4 50,000-ton oil tankers; What are still under construction: 2 100,000-ton oil tankers and 2 130,000-ton oil tankers.

The total tonnage is 1.3 million tons!

When four oil tankers are launched this year, the debt is expected to be more than $20 million at the end of the year, which is not a lot.

Universal Shipping accounts for nearly 40% of the new tankers of the 'Global Group', which shows the depth of cooperation between Lin Zhichao and HSBC. There are no more than two reasons: first, to maximize the use of funds and expand the fleet, Lin Zhichao can even accept cooperation with Wheelock and the Bank of Japan to invest in shipping, anyway, he manages it himself; Second, there are many advantages of cooperating with HSBC, the main one is to avoid Lin Zhichao's aggressive performance too early and reduce the defense of British capital.

After chatting for a while, Huanyu Shipping will not build ships for the time being this year, and will rebuild it next year, after all, four oil tankers were built at one time last year.

Subsequently, Lin Zhichao informed Sundash of the idea of the Hung Hom Cross Harbour Tunnel, hoping to get the cooperation of HSBC and some loans.

He added: "Collaboration is a formality, and it doesn't matter how much HSBC is willing to invest. As for the loan, if I make a guarantee as collateral, I believe that HSBC, IWC, and Standard Chartered Bank will not refuse. ”

This is a kind of self-confidence, Lin Zhichao's golden signboard, which is definitely a sweet spot in the bank. As for the guarantee, as the initiator, he also knows that the rate of return of the undersea tunnel is good, so the guarantee is fine.

After pondering for a while, Sandas said: "I'll go back and discuss with my colleagues later, I don't think it's a big problem, of course there is no problem with your credibility, not to mention that this infrastructure project is very promising." ”

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "Okay, I'll wait for your reply!" Other shareholders include Hysan Land and Wheelock Group, which can also absorb other shareholders, and the project is currently under discussion in the Legislative Council. ”

When Sandas left, he naturally took the golden zodiac given to him by Lin Zhichao. The follow-up golden zodiac did not expand the volume and weight, mainly because it was not easy for Sandas to move back to the UK in the future.

In this way, the value is naturally a little smaller, so every year Sandas will also get a gift in the UK, it may be a company's stock, it may be a property, in short, now he can get more than one million Hong Kong dollars from Lin Zhichao a year.

Of course, it can only be regarded as a small amount of money!

Lin Zhichao came to the Yangtze River Industrial Park, where the industrial plant is a total of 1.28 million square feet, with more than 18,000 workers, zippers, toys, and plastic flowers are three large employers, each of which is almost 5,000~6,000 people. As for wigs and beauty electrical appliances, there are only a few hundred people, and they belong to a small industry.

If you add the Chung Tin Iron and Steel Plant in Tseung Kwan O, the entire Cheung Kong Industrial Group has 20,000 workers, which can be regarded as the largest employment group in Hong Kong.

Of course, this employment is not particularly exaggerated, after all, it is like Lin Zhichao's father-in-law, Tang Zhongyuan's Eastern Group, and there are nearly 10,000 workers, including six or seven thousand garment workers alone.

In recent years, Changjiang Industry and Oriental Group have sought to establish branches in Southeast Asia, mainly in Sing Tao.

Wang Liang, deputy general manager, accompanied Lin Zhichao to inspect the park and took the time to say: "Boss, there have been many people coming in from the border recently, and I am afraid it will reach a peak this year." Hong Kong suddenly has hundreds of thousands of cheap labor, and factories can save a lot of labor costs. ”

Lin Zhichao said: "Zippers and toys are all skilled workers, and the zipper, toys, and plastic flower industries, we have almost reached the peak, and we don't need to find people." It can only be given to those small factories and digested. ”

Wang Liang nodded and said: "Although we don't hire workers on a large scale now, but if the labor force is hundreds of thousands more all of a sudden, then everyone's salary will naturally not rise, and it can be regarded as a cost saving." This year, Barbie's parent company went public, which immediately lowered the cost of our OEM, and the profit of Changjiang Toys was reduced by a quarter at once! ”

It is becoming more and more like a 'low value-added' factory, although it is still higher than the added value of Hong Kong's textiles and garments, but Lin Zhichao also knows that Hong Kong really has the advantage of cheap labor in these industries.

If it weren't for the technology and quality of the Yangtze River Industry Group, it could still be guaranteed, and I am afraid that the zipper and toy industries would not be so brilliant.

Last year, Audrey Toys Company went public, and Richie, as the president, naturally knew that 'Barbie OEM' was boring, and immediately inspected Hong Kong's Changjiang Toys and proposed to reduce OEM fees.

This kind of requirement is a matter of course, and Lin Zhichao directly reduced it by 25%, which can be regarded as giving Rich a face; After all, Audrey Toys is now a listed company, and Richie is also from a different perspective in some things. Of course, it doesn't mean that Audrey Hepburn is in power, after all, she owns 51% of the shares, plus Lin Zhichao's 9% shares, and it is completely possible to remove Richie as president on the board of directors.

Cutting 25% of the offer, the profit of Changjiang Toy Factory this year is only 30 million Hong Kong dollars, and the profit of other toys is about 5 million.

"What is the salary of our skilled workers now, and what is the salary of the average worker?"

"The monthly salary of skilled workers is 150~180, the salary of general workers is 100~130, and there are a small number of temporary workers, and the salary is only 3 yuan a day."

It's okay!

In the whole environment, you have this salary level that belongs to the top students; What's more, Cheung Kong is more famous for its benefits, such as three holiday benefits, double pay at the end of the year, overtime pay, lunch supply, etc., which are all good benefits. Only one year of double salary, in fact, is a 10% increase in salary every month.

In the previous life, in 1966, the salary of skilled workers was 9 Hong Kong dollars a day, the salary of ordinary workers was 4~5 Hong Kong dollars a day, and the monthly salary of 100 yuan also abounded, and child labor accounted for about 7%.

In this era, Xiangjiang is a paradise for ordinary people, but in fact, Hong Kong's GDP is 50% of Argentina's and Venezuela's 35%, and it has not yet developed!

What's more, the population has increased by 10~15% in the past two years, and the small Hong Kong can no longer bear it. It's already good to be able to give everyone a bowl of rice to eat, and it will always get better and better.

"Well, digest it for a year or two, and then think about a raise. However, it is necessary to pay close attention to the situation so as not to cause a labor wave. ”

In fact, labor waves abound throughout the fifties and sixties, perhaps a dozen a year; However, with no one fanning the flames and a slight compromise from the management, it quickly subsided.

In the previous life, even the 'transistor' factory opened by Fairchild Semiconductor in Hong Kong had a strike. As a result, it is natural to add a little bit, and it is acceptable cheap labor anyway.

A normal factory strike is not a cause for concern, and the two sides compromise with each other, and it can be resolved quickly in a week.

So far, there has never been a strike in CK Group, after all, the salary and benefits are all from the top position.

Lin Zhichao, who returned to the office, sat in his seat and flipped through the information.

Last year, Changjiang Industrial Group made a profit of 117 million, namely: 45 million zippers, 30 million toys, 2,500 plastic flowers, 12 million steel, wigs and electrical appliances and other 5 million profits.

Not bad, the east side loses and the west side makes up.

Steel and zippers, profits have risen; The profits of plastic flowers stabilized.

Excluding the amount of reinvestment, Cheung Kong Industries Group received another cash flow of 8,000 yuan, and its cash flow in Hong Kong reached 180 million Hong Kong dollars. Add in overseas funds, that's 500 million in cash.

Who said that low value-added industrial products are not profitable!

After all, in his previous life, Li Jiacheng made tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars by engaging in a plastic flower, which can be described as very profitable.

Low value-added products, one is to take advantage of Hong Kong's cheap labor, and the other is to have little capital for reinvestment, which results in a large amount of cash flow.

On the contrary, if it is a high-end industry, it has always been necessary to increase investment, and the cash flow will not be high.

The Spring Festival is coming.

Audrey Hepburn took her two sons to Hong Kong for the holidays.

Originally, during the winter vacation, I had already come once; Now that school has started in Europe and the United States, but Lin Ruidong wanted to experience the Spring Festival, Audrey Hepburn directly asked him for leave, and the family came to Hong Kong for a reunion.

The family is at No. 79 Deep Water Bay, and they are happy.

"Why don't you let Ruihuan come to Los Angeles to study in high school, so that I can take care of it, and the three brothers can also have frequent contact!" Sitting on the couch, Audrey Hepburn complained.

Since this man wants to unite the family, she adheres to this concept, not to mention that everyone gets along very well, and the three women have all carried guns and battlefields together.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "What I want is to cultivate his independence, naturally there is no need for adults to look at him, not to mention that I have found his host family and let him experience boarding life for three years." ”

He was very proud of his arrangement, and of course he also consulted Lin Ruihuan's opinion. The host family is just an ordinary family, neither a friend of Lin Zhichao nor a subordinate of Lin Zhichao, but a customer of the Yangtze River Industrial Group.

However, Lin Zhichao had visited, so he felt that there was no problem with this arrangement.

Audrey Hepburn said: "I will go to see him once in a while, and bring his two younger brothers!" ”

Tang Caiyun hurriedly expressed her gratitude, no matter how smart her son is, he is only thirteen years old this year, and it is difficult for her to leave Hong Kong, so it is still good to have Audrey Hepburn visit occasionally.

Lin Zhichao said: "Try to visit as little as possible, don't give money, his three-year high school life, evaluation can only be reflected in the host family, school." Moreover, I specially visited this host family, a very cultured and literate family. ”

He has his ideas!

Seeing this, Audrey Hepburn immediately said: "Okay, I understand your idea, then you can invite him to Los Angeles Wan, on holidays." ”

She must understand what men think!

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "This is good!" Try not to disturb the host family, so as not to make some trouble, just let Ruihuan contact you later. ”

As his eldest son, Lin Ruihuan has devoted the most energy, and he is only 20 years old after finishing college, and Lin Zhichao hopes that he will choose to work in the United States for two years, or return to Hong Kong with a master's degree.

In this way, his return to Hong Kong in 1971 coincided with the process of Cheung Kong's listing.

Regarding the study abroad of his children, Lin Zhichao's plan is: in the year before 1967, the three brothers Lin Ruijiang, Lin Ruihai, and Lin Ruikai will also be sent to Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States to study. Lin Ruikai, the youngest of several people, was only 12 years old in 1966, which is equivalent to starting his study abroad career in middle school.

The first is that it is also beneficial to study abroad in advance, and the second is that Hong Kong was not peaceful that year, and it is better to diversify 'investment'.

It's the second day of the Lunar New Year.

Lin Zhichao took a large family to Tang Zhongyuan's house, including Audrey Hepburn and two sons.

And Tang Zhongyuan's family has moved to No. 77 Deep Water Bay, which was moved in at the beginning of this year. The entire reconstruction project of Deep Water Bay 77 took only 4 years, which is much faster than the construction of Deep Water Bay 79.

The main reason is to meet the urgent desire of her mother-in-law Song Qiaoling and move into a garden villa. In fact, the Tang family's garden house in the middle of the mountain is also good.

In the villa, Lin Zhichao, Tang Zhongyuan, Tang Xianqian, and Tang Youqian sat on the sofa in the living room, drinking tea, while Song Qiaoling led the women and children to visit and play in the villa.

Tang Xianqian has been working for three and a half years, Tang Youqian has graduated for half a year, and Tang Zhongyuan is now cultivating two sons; The eldest son can already stand alone, and this year he has reached the age of starting a family, and the younger son stays by his side to cultivate.

Mr Tong's business is divided into two parts – textiles and garments, and as for real estate, which is not his business, he also has a large factory in Tsuen Wan and an industrial building in North Point and Chai Wan.

"How's Nigeria doing?" Lin Zhichao asked casually.

The Tang family was supported by him, without him, the Tang family might have returned to Shanghai for transformation, this is what Tang Zhongyuan is most grateful to Lin Zhichao. Back then, he still wanted the political situation to stabilize, so he went back, and it was Lin Zhichao who persuaded him.

The Tang family's textiles and garments are inseparable from Lin Zhichao's support, especially the garment industry, which was the Yangtze River garment in those years. And now the Nigerian industry is proposed by Lin Zhichao, otherwise it would not be the turn of the Tang family.

"The development is very good, at present we have 6 textile factories, 2 dyeing factories, 1 garment factory, the capital has reached more than 20 million Hong Kong dollars, the Nigerian government departments have given us good support and protection, and I very much hope that we will continue to increase investment." Tang Xianqian respectfully reported to his brother-in-law.

Tang added: "Although they want us to invest more, we still invest a little more, firstly, to whet their appetite, and secondly, to prevent political instability. ”

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "Three and a half years of development is already very fast, and my father-in-law is very thoughtful. ”

After chatting for a while, Tang Zhongyuan said with a smile: "Ruihuan is thirteen years old this year, and he will be able to come back to help you in another seven years. ”

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "It's still early, I hope he will come back at the age of twenty-two, either to work in the United States for two years, or to study for a master's degree." If you talk about helpers, with Caiyun and Caiying watching, I'm not in a hurry to think about anything else. ”

Only then did Tang Zhongyuan's father and son understand that the other two women of the Tang family were also the real power of the Lin family. Lin Zhichao did not have the stubborn idea of some old businessmen to let women take care of their children at home, but encouraged his wife to work in the company.

(End of chapter)