In 2004, the localization rate was still a topic that every joint venture car company would pay attention to when reporting internally.

However, with the models pushed out by various car companies, all of which meet the standards on the bright side, the importance of this data is slowly declining.

For a private enterprise in China like Xingchen Automobile, normally no one cares about your localization rate.

However, if the boss has a request, someone will naturally take care of it.

Not to mention that the parts purchased directly cannot be imported from overseas, even some parts purchased from China, but also hope to achieve 100% real localization as much as possible.

Obviously, there are difficulties and difficulties, and there will be such requirements and goals.

Otherwise, who cares about this data?

"Minister, it's not that I'm quibbling, it's really the hollow stabilizer bar produced by any domestic stabilizer bar manufacturer, and the pipes are all imported from abroad, without exception."

"We found Mubea and ThyssenKrupp in Germany, as well as Yangcheng Rizheng in Dongying, plus local enterprises Yangcheng Huade and Huaxia Spring Factory, five suppliers to compete for quotations."

"Although the prices of the latter two are relatively cheap, they have never done the business of hollow stabilizers, and I think the price has no reference meaning."

"The hollow pipes of the first three companies are either imported from Germany or Dongying, and there are no pipes that can be used as hollow stabilizer bars in China."

Lu Feng, the buyer in charge of chassis parts, is making a report on the localization of parts for Su Xingxing.

Most of the parts in the chassis field are iron lumps.

With the cooperation of Nanshan special steel, basically the materials do not need to be imported.

But I didn't expect the hollow stabilizer bar, a part that doesn't look so complicated, to drop the chain.

This annoyed Su Xingxing a little.

Lu Feng also felt a little aggrieved, it was not his fault.

After looking for various manufacturers in China, none of them have domestic hollow pipes, so what can be done?

"Isn't it just a pipe?"

"Is it that difficult?"

"Why does everyone need to import?"

Su Xingxing suppressed his anger and was ready to figure out the situation first.

"Minister, before answering this question, let me briefly introduce the situation of the stabilizer bar."

"The function of the stabilizer bar is to prevent the car from rolling over when turning or when the left/right wheels are subjected to different loads, improving the operating stability of the car."

"At the same time, it can also improve the ride comfort of the car."

"At present, stabilizer bars are mainly available in two sizes: solid and hollow."

"According to the force characteristics of the stabilizer bar in actual work, the research institute designed it as a hollow stabilizer bar, which can achieve about 40% weight reduction."

"The stabilizer bar of the car can be described as a part that survives in the cracks, and it is usually necessary to complete the spatial arrangement of the subframe, steering machine, swing arm, shock absorber and other parts before the spatial arrangement of the stabilizer bar."

"In order to meet the safe clearance distance from the surrounding parts, most of the car stabilizer bars are bent in different shapes."

"The hollow stabilizer bar in this complex shape needs to meet the durability test of 200,000 times under specific experimental conditions, requiring it to have high strength and low stress."

"And it also needs to meet the design requirements of stiffness, so that it cannot break under the conditions of extreme testing."

"And for the sake of weight reduction, the wall thickness should not be set too high."

"As a result, the pipe making process of the hollow stabilizer bar is very complicated."

"And the machining of the hollow stabilizer bar is also different from that of the solid stabilizer bar."

"The solid stabilizer bar is hot-formed, and a special thermoforming machine is required to bend and form the stabilizer bar, and then carry out heat treatment methods such as quenching and tempering, while the hollow stabilizer bar adopts the method of cold bending according to the spatial direction of the stabilizer bar, and then carries out heat treatment and other processes."

"This cold-forming process also has high requirements for the pipe, otherwise it will break or have some hidden defects if you are not careful."

"So if we want to achieve localization, we will either change to a solid stabilizer bar, or we can only import pipes from abroad."

Lu Feng has obviously done a lot of preparations.

For the parts he was responsible for, he also personally went to several manufacturers for on-site research, and after determining that there was really no way to localize, he could report to Su Xingxing so confidently.

"According to your statement, there is no way to localize the pipe of the hollow stabilizer bar, and the main reason is that the domestic pipe manufacturing process is not up to standard?"

After listening to Lu Feng's explanation, Su Xingxing basically understood the current situation.

But it's another thing to accept it or not.

"Yes!"

"As a simple hollow stabilizer bar base metal, Nanshan Special Steel can produce products that meet the requirements."

"But I couldn't find a suitable pipe manufacturer."

"It is very difficult to make a pipe with a small diameter of high-strength carbon steel."

"The tube also needed to be cold-bent into a stabilizer bar with a complex shape, and the requirements for the tube were raised several levels at once."

"Otherwise, manufacturers like Mubea and ThyssenKrupp would not choose to import."

"Even a few years earlier, the hollow stabilizer bar used by Chuncheng Volkswagen and Modu was directly imported from overseas."

"Now at least it has evolved to the import of pipes, and the assembly is processed in domestic factories."

Lu Feng explained further.

However, as soon as he said this, Su Xingxing immediately thought of another question, and said: "There should be many places on our chassis that need to use pipes, right?" ”

"For example, some of the components on the steering string are processed with tubes, and even the shock absorbers need to be made of tubes."

"Other parts, such as instrument panel beams and seat frames, also have a demand for tubes, right?"

"Won't all of these pipes need to be imported from overseas?"

As soon as Su Xingxing asked this, Lu Feng immediately felt a little weak.

How do you answer this question?

If they don't be responsible for the parts they are responsible for, if they add extra reporting work because of their answers, they will definitely be complained about at that time, right?

After all, whether it is a seat frame or a shock absorber, there are many components on it.

Under normal circumstances, Su Xingxing does not pay attention to a pipe part.

For example, the hollow stabilizer bar, seventy percent of the cost is on the pipe, and it is difficult to avoid this problem.

"I'll check this again."

If you don't answer, you can't do it, so Lu Feng had no choice but to use delaying tactics.

However, Su Xingxing did not intend to put this matter down.

But after finishing this report, I went to find Xie Lingyun of Nanshan Special Steel.

……

"Mr. Su, are you suggesting that we set up another pipe-making factory?"

Xie Lingyun is also a member of the Xingchen No. 1 new model project team, and he is relatively familiar with the development of new models.

"Yes!"

"The lightweight of automobiles in the future will be a general direction, and more and more parts will be designed with this aspect of the requirements in mind."

"For a part like a stabilizer bar, if you design it to be solid, you might weigh 6 kilograms on a pole, but if you make it hollow, 4 kilograms or less can meet the requirements."

"After counting the front and rear poles, the lightweight effect is still very worth looking forward to."

"In addition to the hollow stabilizer bar, there are many places on the vehicle that also need to use tubes."

"Even our pipe factory can consider making stainless steel pipes in addition to making steel pipes to get back this part of the profits."

As soon as Su Xingxing explained this, Xie Lingyun was also a little moved.

As the general manager of Nanshan Special Steel, he naturally hopes to make the scale of the company larger.

However, according to his understanding, Cao Yang should have no intention of expanding the production capacity of special steel mills in the near future.

In this way, it is worth considering in another dimension to build a pipe factory.

For Xie Lingyun, who is proficient in steelmaking, the pipe-making process is no stranger.

Basically, it's a matter of a pipe machine, and Nanshan equipment may be able to help design it.

Even with a pipe factory, in addition to using the steel produced by Nanshan Special Steel to make pipes, you can also make full use of the production capacity of Shaogang to process some relatively ordinary carbon steel into pipes.

After all, for most pipes, it is not necessary for the base metal to have very high performance.

In this way, it can be regarded as expanding the business of Nanshan Special Steel in disguise.

"The hollow stabilizer bar pipe has not been localized for so many years, and it is estimated that there are some unique difficulties in the pipe making process that we have not mastered."

"If the situation in this regard is not clarified, we rashly propose to open a new factory with the group, and it is estimated that it will not be approved."

Although Xie Lingyun also knows some basic knowledge of manufacturing and management, he is not specialized in this after all.

So even if he was a little moved, he wouldn't immediately agree to Su Xingxing's suggestion.

"Mr. Xie, your worries are indeed justified."

"However, I think that in the past, it was not localized, and it was more caused by various coincidences."

"In the early days, the models were generally solid and stable, and there was no demand for this."

"It is only in the past few years that more models have begun to be equipped with hollow stabilizer bars, and it is not surprising that domestic pipe manufacturers have not kept up in time."

"Or for some pipe manufacturers, the production of ordinary other large pipes is more profitable and easier, why do you want to produce such pipes with high technical difficulty and high demand?"

Su Xingxing obviously still wanted to persuade Xie Lingyun to take the initiative to go to Cao Yang to mention the matter of setting up a pipe factory.

As long as this pipe factory is done, the relevant pipes on Xingchen Automobile can be localized.

Even Nanshan Auto Parts can further use these pipes to produce some parts by itself.

For example, hollow stabilizer bars, those domestic manufacturers still need to use imported materials, and the cost is definitely not advantageous.

Can Nanshan Auto Parts work hard to win this market?

"Sube, your analysis also makes sense."

"I'll arrange someone to investigate with your purchasing department to see if the pipe factory needs to be set up and whether it can be set up."

……

"Lugong, it's not that we don't cooperate, it's that we can't find pipes that meet the requirements of SPEC in China, so we will import them from Deutsche Mubea."

"As far as our current offer is concerned, I dare not say that it is the lowest, but it should also be competitive in the industry."

"As far as I know, thyssenkrupp's factory in China also uses pipes imported from Germany."

"I guess their pipes are more expensive per kilogram than we do."

Qian Jun, Mubea's sales manager, seemed very confident at this time.

Before entering the Huaxia market, they also investigated Huaxia's automotive suspension springs and hollow stabilizer bar business.

In addition to Thyssen's rival being competitive, they feel that they have no rivals in the industry.

Even in terms of hollow stabilizers, they have made some cost comparisons by themselves, and feel that the current price is enough to obtain orders from OEMs such as Volkswagen and General Motors.

Xingchen Automobile is a new local company, and the planned output is only 10,000 units.

The price I gave myself was already very good.

Now I still dislike this and that, and I want to force myself to find a domestic stabilizer manufacturer.

They were even asked to submit a report explaining the difference between the hollow tube they used and the domestic one.

Naturally, Mubea was reluctant to respond to these requirements.

"I understand what you're saying."

"As a cutting-edge technology application, the experience accumulation of various domestic manufacturers is indeed a little worse."

"But I think the future trend is definitely to achieve 100% localization."

"You also know very well that the domestic labor cost is not an order of magnitude compared with the European labor cost."

"The same parts, produced in China, are definitely cheaper than in Europe."

"I even think that after being produced in China, I can export it to Europe."

It was impossible to localize the hollow stabilizer bar in a short period of time, but the work of the land breeze did not stop.

On the one hand, we need to find ways to bring costs down.

After all, the important purpose of 100% localization is, at this stage, mainly due to cost considerations.

The issue of supply is not so sensitive.

On the other hand, Nanshan Special Steel has begun to carry out the project review of the pipe factory.

Nanshan Equipment is even preparing to launch a research and development project for pipe making equipment.

Because of the investigation, it was found that all the pipe-making equipment used by domestic pipe manufacturers were imported.

Even if the technical content is relatively low, it will cost millions of dollars to get down.

As for some stainless steel pipe production lines with high difficulty and high technical content, one will exceed 10 million.

However, in the eyes of many people in Nanshan Equipment, building pipelines is not so complicated.

As long as the welding parameters and roll forming parameters are set, the other costs are very low.

A 10 million pipe production line, even if it is sold according to 8 million, there is at least 200% profit.

This business can be done.

"I understand what you said, but there's nothing we can do more at this stage."

"If the demand for hollow rods in Huaxia comes up in the future, maybe the headquarters will consider investing in a pipe production line in Huaxia."

"In the short term, it is definitely necessary to continue to use imported materials."

Qian Jun's attitude was already a little impatient.

The orders that Mubea is receiving now are mainly orders from European and American manufacturers such as Volkswagen, BMW, and GM.

For the projects of Huaxia's own brands, there are very few hollow stabilizer bars at present.

It can even be said that there is no at all.

That is, Xingchen Automobile was the first to propose the use of hollow stabilizer bars, so whether it is Mubea or ThyssenKrupp, they all want to get this first.

"If we want to go to your tube factory in Germany to confirm the production process and ensure that the performance of the parts meets the requirements of the drawings, is it convenient for your company to arrange it?"

Lu Feng knew that there would be no result if the discussion continued, so he changed to a new question.

If Nanshan Special Steel wants to build a pipe factory, it is best to be able to see how others are doing it.

When the time comes, it will be much easier to do it.

After all, there is no domestic manufacturer that can produce this kind of pipe for stabilizer bar.

Drawing on the domestic production line, the significance is not estimated.

Besides, the level of German steel pipe manufacturers, whether it is Mubea or ThyssenKrupp, is indeed world-class.

Among other things, the barrel on the Krupp cannon is the most convincing evidence.

"I need to ask for instructions on this, and I can't answer you yet."

"However, our steel pipes in Germany have been applied to many car companies in Europe, and Xingchen Automobile does not need to worry about it."

Qian Jun couldn't help but complain in his heart, thinking that Lu Feng had so many things.

"Then please help communicate, our quality and R&D want to go to the site to confirm it, so that further testing can be carried out."

Lu Feng felt the other party's impatience and did not continue to ask.

However, what he didn't expect was a hollow stabilizer bar, and there were more and more things to do later.

"Mr. Cao, this process parameter seems to be no problem at all, and now you can arrange personnel to start producing the pipe making machine."

The internal affairs of the Nanshan Group, unless it is a trivial matter, it is rare for it not to be reported to Cao Yang.

For example, if you are reviewing the development of a new piece of equipment or building a new factory, you will naturally report to Cao Yang as soon as possible.

Otherwise, the boss doesn't agree, and you start to invest resources in this area, what do you want to do?

After listening to the idea of Nanshan equipment, Cao Yang directly set several key parameters for the pipe-making machine proposed by the other party a few days later, and also gave the drawings of the most critical welding machine.

As for how these drawings came about, Pan Jinxing did not ask.

If you ask Cao Yang, you won't answer him.

In Pan Jinxing's view, Cao Yang should have cultivated a group of commercial spies and was able to obtain information from some manufacturers.

In other words, Cao Yang arranged for someone to use illegal means to buy these drawings.

"Although the pipe making machine is not a large amount of equipment, if the pipe making needs of all walks of life are gathered together, this demand is very considerable."

"All car exhaust pipes need to use a large number of stainless steel pipes, and this market will not be small."

"There is also a demand for pipes on various hollow stabilizer bars, instrument panel beams, seat frames, shock absorbers and other parts, and if they can be provided in China, I think the relevant OEMs are interested."

"In addition, if the steel pipes used in various pipelines can also use our equipment, then this demand can be expanded many times at once."

"This pipe-making equipment, ordinary should not be so difficult."

"Very small pipes and very large pipes, the pipe-making equipment they use, is the most difficult."

The best thing Nanshan equipment is doing now is the press, which can basically be said to be the world's first.

Then, in terms of various machine tools and equipment, it has been able to meet most of Nanshan's own needs, and the next step is to prepare for external promotion.

However, on the whole, the presence of Nanshan equipment in the industry is much lower than that of Nanshan auto parts.

Cao Yang obviously also wants Nanshan Equipment to keep up with the group's development.

If Nanshan Group wants to become the pillar of China's automobile industry, it is definitely not enough to build a car alone.

The production of various parts and components is also only a supplement.

The production equipment and materials of related parts are actually more critical core technologies.

Just like a press, Nanshan equipment can produce a variety of excellent PRG presses and TRF presses, which means that Nanshan has a deep grasp of the technology of stamping parts.

Otherwise, you won't be able to produce a good press at all.

"Mr. Cao, speaking of which, I have a proposal."

Pan Jinxing thought about the sales of various equipment and felt that he could take this opportunity to raise it.

"Now the sales of each company are basically managed by the group."

"This is of course a certain benefit, but with the sale of more and more products, many times the factory needs to have its own sales in order to better promote products to customers."

"So I think in terms of sales business, the group can have someone who is responsible for connecting with the sales department of each branch, but the specific customer follow-up is the responsibility of each factory itself."

"Even in addition to the research and development of some basic science and cutting-edge technologies, the research and development work of the group research institute can also be divided into various branches."

"As long as the headquarters grasps the personnel, procurement and finance, other specific work is handed over to the corresponding departments of the branch to be responsible."

Pan Jinxing is not a person who loves power.

He knew that Cao Yang knew this character of his own.

Otherwise, they would not dare to come up with such a bold plan.

After all, this plan has the intention of giving the heads of each branch more power.

"The sales side is in charge of each branch, I don't think it's a big problem, you can do it first."

"But in terms of R&D, because different branches will use a lot of similar technologies, the group's research institute will unify and coordinate, and the efficiency will be higher."

"Of course, the general manager or deputy general manager of each branch can hold a position in the corresponding project team of the research institute to facilitate the timely grasp of the progress of research and development, which is also necessary."

Cao Yang is not the kind of person who can't listen to other people's opinions.

It's not a person who says what others say.

Pan Jinxing's suggestion made sense, and he directly adopted it.

If I don't think it's appropriate, I use a more flexible solution to deal with it.

In this regard, Pan Jinxing has no opinion.

(End of chapter)