MMB Chapter 1685 Don't Release the Hawk Until You See the Rabbit
Chapter 1685 Don't Release the Hawk Until You See the Rabbit
Chapter 1685 Don't Release the Hawk Until You See the Rabbit
"Hey! What do you mean by that?"
Li Huaide became annoyed when he saw that Gu Litong had nothing nice to say.
Li Xuewu pulled him up and helped him onto the elevator, explaining softly, "I didn't come here for you."
He raised his chin and said, "There's more to it than meets the eye."
"Oh!" Li Huaide's eyes lit up when he heard there was a story behind it, and he said with a smile, "You know?"
“Hehe—” Li Xuewu glanced at Liu Bin, who was huddled in the corner of the elevator like a mouse, and said, “You’ll know when we get to the restaurant.”
"Ha—you're still keeping me in suspense."
Old Li had no idea that this story was related to him, and he was joking about it at the moment.
Li Xuewu smiled without saying a word and walked all the way to the restaurant. Sure enough, while he was getting his food, someone was talking about this.
"Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Li, good morning."
Wang Xiansheng from Jiqi noticed Liu Bin following behind the two men and walked over in a sarcastic tone.
Before Lao Li could speak, Li Xuewu pointed at him and emphasized, "Don't come at me, I haven't offended you!"
Wang Xiansheng was caught off guard by his preemptive strike and choked back a sob. He forced a smile and said, "They're your people too."
"Bullshit, it's just a man's nature."
Ignoring Old Li's questioning gaze, Li Xuewu gestured to the empty round table and said, "Come on, let's go over there together."
Wang Xiansheng came to cause trouble, not to find company, but he couldn't stand Li Xuewu's banter, so he tolerated it.
Li Huaide sensed something was wrong. He looked at Wang Xiansheng and then at Li Xuewu, wondering what kind of riddles these two were playing.
"Liu Bin, could you get us some fruit?"
They sat down, and Li Xuewu pointed at the lecherous man who had been keeping his head down and instructed him, "Find another pot of tea."
Liu Bin responded in a muffled voice, seemingly sensing something, and got up to go inside.
Li Huaide felt something was amiss. Despite Li Xuewu being the secretary-general, he could easily order his secretary around.
But that's not Li Xuewu's style!
If we're talking about the most rule-abiding members of Honggang Group, there are many. Sticking to the rules isn't difficult; it's even a kind of inertia.
But if we're talking about the most disciplined, then it has to be Li Xuewu. He's so good at maintaining the proper order that even if you see him, you might not be able to understand it.
"Alright, if you have a grievance, speak up. If you have a grievance, speak up." Li Xuewu gestured in the direction of Old Li and said, "Our General Manager Li is not a narrow-minded or unreasonable person."
"What are you doing?" Li Huaide finally spoke up, asking, "You've all left me completely bewildered."
"You're confused? I'm still confused."
Wang Xiansheng sneered, "I haven't rested since I got up last night."
"Oh ho, so this has something to do with me?"
Old Li could see through his expression, and his own face became serious and earnest. He said, "It's alright. If I, Old Li, have done anything wrong, please feel free to speak up."
He then gestured to Li Xuewu and said, "Our secretary-general has also said that I will naturally give you an explanation."
"Then I'll tell you—"
Wang Xiansheng raised his eyebrows, glanced at Li Xuewu first, and then told Li Huaide what happened last night.
"It's not that I, Lao Wang, am complaining about you."
He raised his hand and said, "If you're talking about poor discipline, I, Old Wang, have no right to criticize others."
"But objectively speaking, what your Secretary Liu did was truly despicable. Does he even want to stay in this industry after this?"
It's unclear when exactly, but the "circle" culture that Li Xuewu let slip began to flourish at this time.
Of course, the term "small group" wasn't uncommon in the past, but it was more descriptive and referred to as "forming a faction."
The rankings bestowed by the times are, after all, derived from the barbaric era of mountain bandits ruling over the land and robbing the rich to help the poor.
It can be used now, but it has been redefined and summarized by the circle proposed by Li Xuewu.
Two types of people who can't sit at a round table and don't get along can't have a proper conversation. People who can eat and drink tea together must be able to talk to each other.
Forming a circle, helping and supporting each other, is what Wang Xiansheng just mentioned as a circle.
Liu Bin was considered Li Huaide's protégé, so no matter where he progressed in the future, he would always be labeled as "Old Li."
Unless Liu Bin finds another way or changes his allegiance, people will always recognize him as someone taught by Li Huaide.
Now that Liu Bin has made a mistake, Wang Xiansheng isn't bothering him anymore; you can tell from Gu Litong's cold snorts.
If you really go head-to-head with Liu Bin, you're slapping Lao Li in the face and making things difficult for yourself.
Arguing with a secretary? That's beneath you!
Therefore, Li Xuewu wanted to send Liu Bin away so that the two could face each other and talk things out.
However, Wang Xiansheng's last question was tantamount to sentencing Liu Bin to death with reprieve. Now it's all up to Lao Li to decide his fate.
Old Li frowned slightly and looked at Li Xuewu, asking, "You knew about this before I did?"
There was no need for any beating around the bush between the two. Li Huaide had already decided that Li Xuewu would fully support him and had also designated Li Xuewu as his successor in his position, intending to protect and support him.
So he asked whatever came to mind, and even his attitude showed a hint of doubt.
Of course, he wouldn't be dissatisfied, because by now he could see that Li Xuewu was coordinating and handling the matter.
If we had just treated it as a spectacle, or even tried to sabotage him, we wouldn't have had this breakfast this morning.
"Liu Bin called me last night."
Li Xuewu sneered, "You said you ran into Xiao Liu and the others and got into trouble, and then asked me what to do."
Li Huaide narrowed his eyes upon hearing this; this lack of responsibility was really unlike his apprentice.
Wang Xiansheng sat on the other side without saying a word. He had said everything he needed to say, and now it was up to Honggang Group to give an explanation.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Li Huaide or Li Xuewu, but rather that he feared this matter would create a rift between the two families.
If we don't bring it up now, Li Huaide will find out sooner or later and it will leave a thorn in his heart.
Putting aside other matters, by this time the Honggang Group had become quite powerful, and most people wouldn't dare to offend it.
Especially for companies in the automotive industry, trying to compete with one of the Big Five is just asking for trouble.
Times are changing, and industry is progressing. As leaders in the automotive industry, they have long recognized that the domestic manufacturing sector is undergoing a new round of reshuffling and resource redistribution.
Industry without scientific research support is like a Hercules who has run out of steam; he looks strong, but he's actually weak.
His attitude towards Honggang Group, Li Huaide, and Li Xuewu was consistent with that of respect.
They are able to accurately grasp the pulse of progress amidst the tides of the times, and take every step precisely. Isn't that worthy of their respect?
So speak your mind directly and be polite.
"I stumped him with just two questions."
Li Xuewu raised his chin, gesturing to Liu Bin who was walking over with a fruit platter and tea, and said, "He confessed everything."
Li Huaide didn't speak, but his face was serious and gloomy as he watched Liu Bin tremblingly set out the fruit and tea platters.
"Sit down and talk."
His people are naturally under his control, which shows how well Li Xuewu has managed to maintain a proper balance.
But the more Li Xuewu was around, the more dissatisfied he became with his secretary.
Even if you only learn one-tenth of what Li Xuewu has learned, that would be enough to work for him.
The previous secretary, Li Haiyang, was a great guy; I almost told him I wanted to be Li Xuewu's secretary.
Over time, it becomes easy to see that Li Haiyang bears the imprint of Li Xuewu. This is a trace left by long-term learning and imitation, which cannot be changed in a short period of time.
If he can't compare to Li Xuewu, is he really inferior to Li Haiyang?
He's not as good as Liu Bin; he's less than a third as good as Li Haiyang.
However, one must be careful when educating subordinates; he cannot be too serious in front of creditors.
In Liu Bin's eyes, he was already very serious, and even after sitting down, he didn't dare to look up at him.
"I'm sorry, boss, I was wrong."
"Well, it's good that you know you were wrong," Li Huaide said calmly. "I was just afraid you would try to justify yourself and not know where you went wrong."
"I know I shouldn't have any wicked thoughts."
Liu Bin's face flushed red, then turned pale, then flushed again, and he sat there like a quail.
Li Huaide then turned to Wang Xiansheng and asked, "How was this matter handled? Do you need our help?"
"It's almost over. At worst, I can just go back and write a self-criticism." Wang Xiansheng said helplessly, "It's just not worth the scolding from Director Han. All these days of work have been for nothing."
“Then I’ll go find Director Han and get a scolding too,” he nodded under Wang Xiansheng’s surprised gaze. “We can’t say we share the joys and sorrows, but we certainly have that sense of responsibility.”
"Director Li..."
It was only then that Liu Bin realized the enormity of his mistake. Sometimes, escaping punishment after making a mistake isn't necessarily better than facing consequences; only someone like Lao Li, who has been through similar experiences, understands this principle.
"I know you're feeling restless."
Li Huaide glanced at his secretary and said casually, "It's because of what happened in Osaka, isn't it?"
Seeing Liu Bin nod, he sighed and asked, "What did the Secretary-General tell you back then?"
"I... should study harder."
Liu Bin mumbled a reply, then looked up at Li Xuewu and said, "I'm sorry to have disappointed you."
"I'm quite disappointed," Li Xuewu said with some self-reproach, "but this matter is also related to me."
He looked at Wang Xiansheng and Lao Li and explained, "I knew at the time that the people from Panasonic had bad intentions, but after talking with Liu Bin, I thought everything would be fine. Who would have thought—"
"Oh—" Wang Xiansheng suddenly realized and said, "So the thing they were whispering about was something you encountered in Osaka!"
He glared at Liu Bin again and said angrily, "You little Liu, you can't listen to any good advice and you insist on causing trouble. Now look what's happened, even your boss is in trouble because of you."
"I'm sorry, Director Wang, I really know I was wrong." Liu Bin explained with a mournful face, "We were having a good time together, and I just couldn't help but brag a few times as a joke."
"I think you guys are just bored out of your minds."
Wang Xiansheng only made a few loud noises after seeing that Lao Li had already scolded him, just to let Lao Li know that he had vented his anger.
But you could tell from his tone that he was disappointed in him, without a trace of direct resentment.
“They’re all young people, how many of them can resist temptation?” Li Xuewu nodded and said, “Let’s organize a training course together when we get back. Honggang will be in charge of the organization and we’ll invite everyone to participate and learn theoretical knowledge.”
“Hmm, I think that’s a good idea,” Li Huaide said, pointing at Liu Bin. “You are the number one student.”
This is the attitude of Honggang Group: take the blame together, and even hold a training course to make amends.
This not only gave these brother units face and convenience, but also showed the higher-ups that they had admitted their mistakes and were willing to correct them.
That's why people's opinion of Li Xuewu, this young man, has never been that he's a rising star.
If this is a rising star, then there's really no place for the young talents in their unit.
They all believed that Li Xuewu was a cunning old fox, and they envied the Honggang Group for having such a ruthless person.
In just a few words, the impact of the matter was mitigated, and a proper solution and approach were provided.
No wonder I was able to sleep well last night after receiving the news; such confidence is something not everyone possesses.
"Then we at Jinan Automobile will not stand on ceremony."
Wang Xiansheng finally smiled, cupped his hands in thanks, and said, "Not many, not many, we only have a dozen or so people."
"No problem, no problem, we'll arrange for as many as you come."
It's just a training course, and Lao Li is confident enough to do so. He has already decided to send Liu Bin up the mountain to study for a few months.
Young people are always resentful of why their leaders keep telling them to "temper their temper," but now they should understand.
-
"You two came here just for this?" Han Song glanced back and forth between Li Huaide and Li Xuewu across from him, put down the documents in his hand, and said, "My sharp blade doesn't kill innocent people."
"Didn't your secretary run away?"
He glanced at Old Li and snorted, "Go back, I won't deal with him here."
"You can run away from the monk, but you can't run away from the temple."
Li Huaide said calmly, "Even if he were Sun Wukong, he couldn't escape your grasp."
"Don't flatter me," Han Song glanced at him and asked, "Tell me, what are you up to now?"
"This attitude of taking the blame for yourself is not like your style, Li Huaide."
“You’re still our old leader,” Li Huaide complained, feigning dissatisfaction, “you don’t know me at all.”
Am I the kind of person who takes advantage of others and then acts innocent?
He tilted his chin and said, "Don't worry, if my secretary makes a mistake, it's definitely my responsibility."
"You did not do anything wrong by slapping me with those thirty strokes of the cane. I should reflect on my actions and be punished accordingly."
"Yo ho—" Han Song became interested and looked him up and down, saying, "I didn't expect you could say something like that."
He glanced at Li Xuewu with a knowing look in his eyes, understanding without saying a word, his gaze full of knowing.
"Okay, then I'll treat everyone the same."
"No problem, I can handle it."
Old Li readily agreed, but before Han Song could speak, he added, "Not only should you be punished, but we should also punish ourselves."
"Are you out of your mind?" Han Song couldn't stand his high-sounding attitude, so he threw down his pencil and scolded, "Are you trying to put on an act with me?"
"This is not acting; it's from the bottom of my heart."
Li Huaide carefully explained the opinions raised by Li Xuewu, emphasizing the significance of organizing the theoretical training course.
This made Han Song take it seriously, and he was even more impressed with Lao Li's attitude.
"So you guys are serious after all?"
"If it's our fault, we'll admit it."
Li Xuewu smiled and explained, "Even without this incident, we would still organize training courses when we get back."
He raised his chin, indicating, "As you know, many people's mindset will change after this trip."
"Oh—" Han Song nodded slowly and said, "It seems that Honggang Group has a good idea and attitude in its organizational work."
"I'm not bragging, but my opinion is the same as our Director Li's, which is to keep this string taut."
Li Xuewu became serious and said, "We must always regard organizational discipline as the bottom line of our daily work."
"A bottom-line mentality is an important foundation for implementing and promoting the new direction and new changes in industrial development in the new era."
He frowned slightly and said, "Last year we went to East Germany, which was a bloc country. Now we've come to Japan, which is a new situation."
"This situation will become more and more common in the future. We will eventually need to have a set of effective management ideas that can both protect and educate our cadres."
“Your suggestion is correct,” Han Song leaned back in his chair and tapped him, saying, “We can never relax our efforts in organizational work.”
"So this training course is feasible?"
At this moment, Li Huaide interjected, asking, "Could we invite you to give a lecture sometime?"
"If Director Han were to give a lecture, it would be a great benefit for the trainees in this training course. I'd love to listen to it myself."
"Hahaha—" Han Song pointed at Li Huaide and Li Xuewu, who had just been teasing him, and said, "You two!"
"It's not that I want you to go through all that trouble."
Li Huaide said with a smile, "When we came here, our secretary-general said that we must invite you to give us a lesson."
"We also discussed it, and this time it's not all bad. If we can really pave the way for the training courses, then we'll have something to follow in the future."
He nodded and said, "Moreover, I believe that our colleagues from other units have also gained something from this trip to Japan. We can exchange ideas while we are learning together."
"Turning a bad thing into a good thing, achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop, what do you think?"
"I have no objection if you're willing to set up the stage and put on a show." Han Song nodded after hearing his words and said, "This matter has a very bad impact, and the leaders are also very angry when they hear about it."
“He’s going to complain about me, saying that I, as the team leader, didn’t do my job well.”
He looked at the two of them and said, "I was also thinking about how to properly handle this matter when you came here."
"Now that's good, your approach is correct, which saves me some trouble. I'll report this to my supervisor, and I believe he will support your opinion."
"Since the leaders have agreed, let the department take the lead and we will assist in organizing it."
Li Xuewu first glanced at Old Li before saying to Han Song, "We'll handle the organization. You have a lot of influence and high standards, so you just need to find the teachers."
He smiled and said to Old Li, "With Director Han managing things for us, we've saved ourselves a lot of trouble."
"Oh, your CEO Li is willing to spend that much?"
Han Song, of course, understood the meaning behind Li Xuewu's words, and smiled as he looked at Li Huaide, emphasizing, "Over a hundred people, that'll be quite expensive."
"It's only right to spend money, since we're your soldiers. Honggang Group will always follow the organization's decisions."
Li Huaide also heard Li Xuewu's signal and said very seriously, "I will contact the domestic authorities as soon as I land to make preparations. Our training course will start as soon as we land."
"Okay, you're a thoughtful person."
Han Song thought for a moment and said, "I won't make a record of your secretary's matter. You can handle it yourself later."
"Also, if you're going to organize this event, then do it well, so I can save face too, okay?"
"Don't worry, you'll save face a lot."
When Li Huaide heard him say that, he jokingly replied, "Honggang Group never lets the organization down."
"I think you planned this all along!"
Seeing the two of them stand up, Han Song also stood up with a smile, pointed at them and said, "One is good at talking, and the other is good at thinking. Ah? Your group has done a good job in uniting the old, middle-aged and young people!"
"That's also thanks to your guidance and contributions." Li Xuewu sensed the teasing in his words, but returned the joke.
"Your time is precious, don't waste your time on these things."
As he saw them off, Han Song patted Li Xuewu's arm earnestly and emphasized, "Securing a few more projects is a rare opportunity for you!"
“I understand. I’ll go to Toyota after I leave here.”
Li Xuewu explained softly, "If we can take down Toyota, we will; if we can't, we'll at least bring down Honda."
"Good, that's the kind of spirit you need to have when you're doing something!" Han Song said to him, "Go do your work, and I'll throw you a celebration banquet when we get back to China."
"That won't do, we'll have to treat you to this drink."
Li Xuewu smiled and gestured to Old Li, saying, "Just don't complain that our wine is too weak."
"Five-star Moutai, still too thin?"
Han Song smiled and raised his chin, indicating that they could leave. His eyes were filled with appreciation and satisfaction as he looked at the two of them.
The old man and the young man worked together seamlessly, truly making Honggang Group as stable as a rock. Of course, he appreciated and was pleased with them.
He disagreed with the idea of transferring Honggang Group to the city government and had a special talk with Director Du about it.
It was precisely because of his opinion that Honggang Group now has two mothers-in-law.
These two mothers-in-law each had their own agendas, and naturally, they didn't want the other to interfere too much or too much.
Ultimately, it's a large corporation, a key focus for higher-ups. Otherwise, it would have been squeezed out of existence.
Li Huaide was facing Zhou Wanquan's relentless pursuit, and Han Song was somewhat dissatisfied, but he did not express it.
The question of who should manage Honggang Group has long been settled and cannot be decided by one or two people.
But in reality, he believed that with Li Xuewu around, Li Huaide, that stinking piece of dog shit, would definitely give Zhou Wanquan a run for his money.
Competition is everywhere, though unseen, it is ever-present. As the old saying goes, "Man fights for a breath, Buddha fights for a stick of incense."
Just think about it, even Buddha has a competitive spirit, how could the department not have one?
-
"Is Toyota's chairman retiring?"
Wang Xiansheng sat in his car, smoking a cigarette, and looked at the documents in his hand. He asked, "Is the current top leader Eiji Toyoda?"
“Toyota’s organizational structure and business model are very complex.” Li Xuewu opened the minibus window to let the wind blow away the smoke in the compartment.
Every time Feng takes a puff, these people take a puff less; he's doing it all for everyone's health.
The chairman of Harbin Automobile Group is about to go bald, but he insists on keeping half a circle of hair around his head in an attempt to cover up the fact that he is balding.
Now, the wind is blowing, and half of his hair is dancing wildly in the wind, just like seaweed.
"Will we be able to see Eiji Toyoda today?"
Gu Litong had already calmed down, and since Li Xuewu didn't keep the food to himself, he actually pulled them all into the car.
At this moment, the minibus carried him, Wang Xiansheng, the deputy director of Jinan Automobile, Yang Aidong from Changzheng Automobile, Lao Dong from Harbin Automobile, and Liu Yang from Nanjing Automobile.
Just by looking at these people, you can tell that this is another small circle, a circle belonging to the steel city and automobile city.
"Not necessarily. Even if we could meet, it wouldn't make much sense." Li Xuewu held in his hand the investigation data provided by his team, which was very detailed and included a thorough account of Toyota's situation.
"If seeing Eiji Toyoda is useless, then who should we see?"
Liu Yang frowned and asked, "If your words lack authority, what good will it do you even if you see them?"
“You may not know this,” Li Xuewu explained, shaking the documents in his hand, “In April, Japan implemented a policy of capital liberalization in the automobile industry.”
“Normally speaking, Japan’s economy has entered a period of rapid development, so it is expected that the automobile industry will boom.”
He tilted his head and said, "Now that Japan has introduced such a policy to stimulate the auto industry, what kind of company do you think Toyota will become?"
"An annual production capacity of two million units, wow."
Old Dong exclaimed in amazement, looking at the data in the document and saying, "That's more than all the automobile manufacturing industries in our country combined!"
“That’s for sure,” Gu Litong said, raising his head. “Third in the world, that’s a big enough name.”
"Let's go see Shoichiro Toyoda."
Li Xuewu thought for a moment and said, "This is the managing director of Toyota, in charge of overseas and sales work."
"Toyota's manufacturing and sales are separate operations, which is different from Honda's, so it's easier to talk to them."
He looked at the group and emphasized, "The key is to figure out what you want. Steel & Auto is planning to introduce an engine production line, and we want Toyota's own equipment and technology."
"Nissan engines are still the best."
Gu Litong said with some envy, "We went to talk to them, but we couldn't reach an agreement."
"Actually, the technology of the third generation of Red Star is also good enough."
Li Xuewu looked at him and said, "You can really try the Red Star's engine; it's perfectly feasible to use it to power your 130."
"Then our engine factory will be shut down?"
Gu Litong looked at him, still hesitant, and said, "We have already invested a lot of manpower and resources in tackling this problem."
“I’m not trying to discourage you,” Li Xuewu nudged him with the back of his hand, reminding him, “No matter how much you invest in scientific research, you’re still catching up from behind, so it’s better to take a shortcut that saves time and effort.”
"Hey! That's the right line of thinking."
Liu Yang nodded at Gu Litong and said, "There's a reason why Honggang Group does such good research."
"What does 'introduction' mean? Isn't it just about bringing in good technology, learning it thoroughly, and then using it in your own company?"
He shrugged and said, "We don't have that opportunity anyway, so we can only copy their work from the steel mill."
“If you had copied it well, that would have been fine,” Yang Aidong said with a chuckle, “but you didn’t even copy it well, you’ve made a huge fool of yourself.”
The minibus turned into the gate of Toyota headquarters. Thanks to prior coordination and communication, the journey was relatively smooth.
A leader in charge of sales must be refined and open-minded; Shoichiro Toyoda possessed a refined and open-minded quality.
As soon as Li Xuewu and the others got out of the car, they saw him standing there waiting for them, behaving very humbly.
Introduced by the commissioner of the Ministry of Commerce, Li Xuewu shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with him first, followed by Gu Litong and the others.
Actually, with so many automotive companies here today, it wouldn't be difficult to meet their chairpersons.
But once Li Xuewu made his decision, everything became much easier to arrange.
Shoichiro Toyoda is not tall, so he was at a disadvantage when taking photos next to Li Xuewu, but he still smiled very politely.
After exchanging pleasantries, both parties went upstairs. Toyota had arranged for them not a conference room, but rather a large reception room.
Li Xuewu seemed to see through the deeper meaning behind the other party's arrangement, smiled, and didn't care.
To reiterate, if Toyota can take it, then take it; if not, then use Toyota to take over Honda.
Toyota holds 40% of the Japanese car market, Nissan holds 22%, and Honda only holds 8%. You can imagine how big the gap is.
If you had to summarize Japan's three major automakers in one sentence, it would be:
Toyota is the all-around champion, Nissan is the hardcore second-place contender, and Honda is still primarily a small car player, mainly focused on motorcycles.
Actually, there are some advantages to being a small player; at least Li Xuewu's target—motorcycle engines and manufacturing technology—has potential.
"This is a new model launched this year." Shoichiro Toyoda enthusiastically showed Li Xuewu a car model, which was the Toyota Crown S60/S70, the latest generation of Toyota this year.
This is Toyota's current flagship luxury car for official use; it was the same car that Kenichi Nishida gave to Su Weide.
However, that car was the previous generation model, and it looked a bit more rugged compared to the model.
Toyota not only has flagship models like the Crown, but also the globally best-selling Corolla E20, as well as the affordable rear-wheel-drive sports car Celica, the mid-size car Carina, the Hilux pickup truck, and the Toyoace light truck.
Toyota's style is characterized by durability, fuel efficiency, moderation, conservatism, and maximum reliability.
This is somewhat similar to the car manufacturing philosophy of SteelCars: large and comprehensive, small and exquisite.
“It’s beautiful,” Li Xuewu smiled and praised, “The first standard for laymen to judge a car is its appearance.”
“You’re right, a car is, after all, a commodity,” Shoichiro Toyoda affirmed. “Appearance is definitely a criterion that customers consider when deciding whether to buy.”
"Yes, we've thought of that too."
Li Xuewu nodded slowly and introduced, "The Honggang Group Vehicle Engineering Research Institute has also established a dedicated design office."
Gu Litong and the others watched Li Xuewu, who was sitting at the head of the reception room, talking eloquently. It would be a lie to say they weren't envious.
If their factory also establishes a research institute, then they will have a better understanding when discussing technology research and development and design concepts.
Currently, in terms of automotive design and engineering, Honggang's research institute is truly the strongest, even surpassing FAW and Beijing Automotive.
During that period, Honggang Group poached a lot of people from FAW and Beijing Automotive. At the time, they called them enemies, but it turned out they were wrong.
Honggang Group has struck gold; it possesses a very rich foundation in scientific research and education, and its industrial manufacturing potential is bound to explode.
Only a comprehensive enterprise like Honggang Group has a leader who has the qualifications and confidence to sit in front of Toyoda Shoichiro and boast.
"We've started an automobile city project in the steel city." Li Xuewu finally brought up the project, introducing the identities of Gu Litong and others, as well as the industrial situation.
When introduced, they would add some details and take the opportunity to chat with Shoichiro Toyoda.
Li Xuewu was very patient at this time. He had come as part of a group, and Toyoda Shoichiro was under pressure.
The sofas in the reception room were already full, with some Toyota staff and Li Xuewu's entourage standing behind them.
To say that the two sides communicated and exchanged ideas under friendly conditions is the most accurate way to put it.
Shoichiro Toyoda listened attentively, even taking a notebook from his secretary to take simple notes.
After the others finished their introductions, he began to seriously inquire about the Steel City Automobile City project.
While listening to Li Xuewu's introduction of the combined development of the Gangcheng Automobile City project with the machining project, chemical industrial park, metallurgy, and Yingcheng Port, a look of envy appeared on his face.
"The power of unity is truly great."
Shoichiro Toyoda nodded and said, "It's a smart decision that you've made to combine parts production and assembly."
“We plan to outsource the production of components,” Li Xuewu explained. “We will establish production standards through the supply chain and unify procurement and application.”
"This will save a lot of costs."
Shoichiro Toyoda said thoughtfully, "If Toyota's domestic production scale wasn't this large, they would probably still use this approach."
In Japan, Toyota is like Beijing Automotive Group (Kyoto) – it's too big to turn around.
On the contrary, Li Xuewu and his automotive industrial companies are very flexible and have the opportunity to make timely adjustments in response to changes in the market and the times.
Take the automobile city project as an example. He asked Beijing Automotive and Factory No. 17 to move over there. Would they be willing to do that?
Even if they were willing, the local authorities wouldn't be. Wouldn't that be giving Liaodong a huge gift for nothing?
"It's not just about saving costs, but also about the convenience in research and development and transportation," Li Xuewu emphasized. "It also makes it easier to obtain preferential industrial policies."
"I understand what you mean."
Shoichiro Toyoda smiled slightly and looked at him, asking, "You have a policy in place right now, right?"
“Of course,” Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and said, “If there weren’t good policies, we wouldn’t be meeting, would we?”
Wang Xiansheng smirked, thinking to himself, "Li Xuewu is really good at talking nonsense. He not only fooled the other party but also flattered the leader."
After chatting in the meeting room for more than half an hour, everyone went to the conference room at the invitation of Shoichiro Toyoda.
Toyota's preparations were quite thorough, with a public relations representative introducing Toyota's development history and main products.
Then, an engineer came forward to introduce Toyota's manufacturing technology and R&D achievements.
To be fair, the title of being number one in China and number three in the world is well-deserved; even the staff are extremely professional.
Of course, Li Xuewu wasn't saying that Honda wasn't professional enough, just that it wasn't good enough.
The introduction mentioned the research and technological development of engines, which Li Xuewu listened to very carefully. In the following conversation, he also talked with Shoichiro Toyoda.
"Actually, the engine manufacturing technology is not difficult; the difficulty lies in the process." Shoichiro Toyoda paused, looked at the group, and said, "You are all from automobile manufacturing companies, so you should easily understand what quality control fears most."
“The skilled workers at each workstation are a valuable asset to Toyota.”
"Is there a greater emphasis on workers' technical training?"
Li Xuewu thought for a moment, then first introduced the vocational and technical college system of Honggang Group, and then talked about the current management model, which made Toyoda Shoichiro listen very carefully.
"You mean you built your own education system from kindergarten to vocational college?"
Shoichiro Toyoda looked at him with some surprise and asked, "Just to train professional workers for your company?"
“This is an additional purpose,” Li Xuewu emphasized, “mainly to better accommodate the children of employees.”
“Our system is different from yours. Our company is committed to taking responsibility and having a strong sense of accountability.”
His words were somewhat insulting, but we accepted them anyway.
"All the problems of our employees are our problems."
"That's very strange." Shoichiro Toyoda thought for a moment and asked, "Has your education system yielded any results?"
"Of course, this year marks the second cohort of graduates who will be working at Honggang Group."
Li Xuewu smiled and introduced, "The first batch of trainees performed exceptionally well overall, showing more resilience and focus than the veteran workers."
“Is that so—” Toyoda Shoichiro then looked at Guli and the others and asked, “Is it the same for you?”
“No, we are not,” Gulitong smiled awkwardly and explained, “Our factory only provides education up to junior high school level.”
“I understand,” Toyoda Shoichiro said to Li Xuewu, “Your company needs to be bigger and more comprehensive.”
He smiled and nodded, saying, "Only with sufficient capital can we expand our business scope more quickly."
"I came to Toyota today for this very reason."
Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, "If we have the opportunity to cooperate with Toyota, I believe this future gift package will be very generous."
"I'm really looking forward to it too!"
Shoichiro Toyoda, as the person in charge of overseas business, was certainly well aware of the demand from the domestic automotive industry.
Furthermore, he was also very clear about Hongxing Automobile's export volume, which was a key metric for assessing competitors.
The initial negotiations for the project were a difficult and tedious process, and the meeting room simply couldn't hold all the demands.
So next to this meeting room, there is another meeting room where a business discussion meeting is being held.
Once Li Xuewu has agreed on a direction, the meeting room next door will follow suit, quickly transitioning to the negotiation stage.
Toyota has engine production technology, and given the current circumstances, they are not reluctant to sell this technology.
But as I said before, cooperation is the ultimate goal.
With a foundation of cooperation, Toyota can enter the domestic market more smoothly.
He had already considered the Honggang Group's automobile city project in the steel city. If they exported their technology and equipment, it would definitely affect the development of this project for the next ten years or so.
Therefore, the two sides reached a very good understanding and there were no intense disputes. They were not in a hurry about the price; the key was the degree of negotiation.
Li Xuewu wasn't sure if they could reach an agreement, so he hadn't informed Yoshiko Oshima yet.
However, Shoichiro Toyoda's secretary reported that many reporters had already arrived and applied for interviews.
Li Xuewu's eyes darted around, and he said with a smile, "No rush, we can discuss it first and then do the interview together."
Shoichiro Toyoda glanced at him, and seemed to have figured out this man's personality: he wouldn't act until he saw the benefit.