MMB Chapter 778: Strategic Development of Logistics
Chapter 778: Strategic Development of Logistics
Two days later, at the Guangda Real Estate Building, the door to Huang Xiaochuan's office was pushed open from the outside, and Gao Song came in to announce: "Mr. Huang, General Manager Zhou from Shidai Logistics has arrived!"
"Please let him in!" Huang Xiaochuan said, making a mark on the calendar. The annual summer vacation was approaching again, and as usual, a parent-teacher conference was to be held. Yu Xiang had recently gone to Hong Kong, so he, as the father, had to attend the conference. However, he had to go to two classes by himself, since he had given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, and they weren't even in the same class.
"Boss!" A loud voice soon rang out in the office.
Huang Xiaochuan looked up and saw Zhou Wei from Shidai Logistics Group standing respectfully in front of him.
He stood up and greeted Zhou Wei with a smile, "Sit down, sit down! Don't be so reserved here."
Zhou Wei remained standing until Huang Xiaochuan sat down, at which point a female employee brought him a cup of tea.
"Thank you!" Zhou Wei nodded slightly to express his gratitude.
Once only the two of them were left in the office, Huang Xiaochuan finally spoke: "I've read the strategic development plan report your group sent. Tell me honestly, who drafted this report?"
Zhou Wei laughed and said, "Boss, you have such keen eyes. Nothing can be hidden from you. This was drafted by Ma Weidong from our group's strategic development department. He is a PhD from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and a talent I hired at great expense. I brought him here today as well."
Huang Xiaochuan immediately became interested: "Oh! You brought everyone?"
Zhou Wei sat up straight: "Boss, have you forgotten? You were the one who taught me to learn from Liu Bang and to use people wisely. I've always followed your teachings, otherwise I wouldn't dare to cling to this position. It's a small matter to hold a position without doing anything, but it would be a real sin to delay your important matters!"
Flattery never fails, and Huang Xiaochuan was quite pleased with Zhou Wei's words. He smiled and pointed at Zhou Wei, saying, "You've really mastered the art of talking now. Since you're already here, let him in too, and let me see this talent."
To be honest, Zhou Wei has done a very good job as the general manager of Times Logistics Group. The development of Times Logistics in recent years can be described as rapid, which makes Huang Xiaochuan very satisfied.
"Hey!" Upon hearing this, Zhou Wei immediately stood up and went outside to lead his men.
Soon, a man in his early thirties followed Zhou Wei into the office. Huang Xiaochuan looked him up and down. He was not tall, about 1.7 meters, slightly overweight, and had the kind of appearance that you would easily lose in a crowd. He was very ordinary.
But Huang Xiaochuan knew the principle that one cannot judge a book by its cover, and one cannot measure the sea with a bucket, especially since he had carefully read the report written by this person several times.
"Wei Dong, this is our group's real boss, Mr. Huang! Quickly greet him!" Zhou Wei introduced Huang Xiaochuan to Ma Wei Dong.
Ma Weidong quickly bowed slightly: "Mr. Huang!"
Huang Xiaochuan smiled and pointed to the sofa: "Sit down!"
"Thank you!" Ma Weidong said after thanking him and sat down.
After they were both seated, Huang Xiaochuan asked, "I heard from your General Manager Zhou that you drafted the logistics group's strategic development plan report?"
Ma Weidong sat up straight and said, "Yes!"
"Then explain this report to me, and why you think this way." Huang Xiaochuan immediately began to test Ma Weidong.
Huang Xiaochuan had a very good first impression of this person. He was not timid or hesitant, and it was clear that he was polite and courteous in his dealings with others, which set him apart from many others. After all, there weren't many people who could remain so composed even knowing Huang Xiaochuan's identity.
"Yes, Mr. Huang!"
Ma Weidong then began to explain the report to Huang Xiaochuan.
In the report drafted by Ma Weidong, his strategic positioning for the future of Times Logistics is not only to be a first-class logistics company in China, but to position it as a "global supply chain service provider".
Therefore, with the domestic commodity trading liquidity increasing significantly year by year, in order to achieve faster logistics and reduce logistics costs, Ma Weidong suggested establishing a Times Logistics air cargo fleet. Of course, this is not a requirement to do it all at once, but rather to break this idea down into several steps.
First, establish Times Logistics Air Freight Company to reduce purchase costs by leasing or purchasing and modifying second-hand aircraft. Then, based on market demand and the future profits generated from air transport operations, gradually purchase cargo aircraft. It is also suggested to select an airport in a central province of China for cooperative operation, making it the exclusive airport for the air freight company. In this way, Times Logistics' cargo planes can operate 24 hours a day, greatly increasing efficiency. Increased efficiency means reduced costs.
According to relevant data calculations, if such a dedicated airport were built in the future, goods could be sorted 24 hours a day, reducing unit transportation costs by 25%. Except for remote border areas, goods could be delivered to other provinces and cities the next day. Once this goal is achieved, Times Logistics will firmly become the industry leader in China and can also use this to enter the international logistics market, delivering Chinese goods to overseas users quickly and conveniently.
Huang Xiaochuan became more and more satisfied as he listened. Through this report and his face-to-face examination, he was certain that Ma Weidong was indeed a talented person. To write such a report, one must have a very good understanding of the current operational data of the Times Logistics Group and also have knowledge of air transport. Obtaining and organizing the relevant data is a very time-consuming and energy-intensive process. Moreover, this man's strategic vision is truly rare. He had really struck gold.
Although he was thinking about it, Huang Xiaochuan kept his thoughts to himself.
The report had been delivered for half a month. Because he needed to discuss with Zhang Sui how to use the subprime crisis to short the US financial market, Huang Xiaochuan temporarily put the report aside. Only after Zhang Sui left did he ask Gao Song to notify Zhou Wei to come see him.
After listening to Ma Weidong's explanation, Huang Xiaochuan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then said unhurriedly, "The vision is grand, and the data is very solid. However, could you tell me what bottlenecks we currently face in achieving this goal of becoming a 'global supply chain service provider'? I'm not referring to money; money is not the issue."
Ma Weidong first looked at Zhou Wei, who quickly urged, "Mr. Huang is asking you, just say whatever you want."
Ma Weidong then said, "Mr. Huang, I think the most important thing is talent and a modern management system to match it. Of course, Times Logistics has already done a good enough job, so it has a solid foundation. Air freight may seem like an investment in hardware, but in reality, the core of air freight is composed of extremely efficient scheduling, maintenance, and safety management, so it requires a professional and experienced team to do these things."
Our current logistics team specializes in ground networks and land transportation, but has never ventured into the aviation sector. While we could solve this problem by hiring new members with high salaries, the real challenge lies in integrating these new members with our existing team and avoiding internal friction. Compared to that, buying airplanes is a relatively minor issue.