Chapter 65: Efficiency... Is Still Too Low

"Too low?" Factory Lou Changzhang widened his eyes, "Our current efficiency is already the highest in the entire country!"

Li Mingyuan stood up, walked to the window, looked at the busy workers and the mountains of raw materials in the factory area, and said softly:

"That is because everyone has not yet truly understood the essence of modern industrial production."

Factory Lou Changzhang was bewildered, "What essence?"

"Scale and automation." Li Mingyuan turned around, a strange light flickering in his eyes,

"What we need is not simply adding a few converters, but building a brand-new production system, a complete, automated Continuous Automated Production System."

Factory Lou Changzhang opened his mouth wide, unable to speak for a long time, "You... you mean... like that Assembly Line?"

"No, much larger in scale than that." Li Mingyuan walked back to the table and unfolded a magnificent blueprint,

"We need to build a complete production chain from ore to steel, with every link highly automated to minimize human intervention to the greatest extent."

Factory Lou Changzhang leaned over to look, only to see the blueprint densely covered with various machinery, equipment, and conveyor belts, crisscrossing and connected from end to end, resembling a massive industrial labyrinth.

"This... this..." Factory Lou Changzhang stammered, unable to speak, "How can this be done? How much money will it cost?"

Li Mingyuan calmly stated a figure; Factory Lou Changzhang kicked his legs on the spot, his face turned deathly pale, and he nearly fainted.

"Are you crazy? This is more than the entire Ministry of Industry's annual budget!"

"But the returns are also astonishing." Li Mingyuan was confident, "According to my calculations, once this system is built, the annual steel output can reach 2 million tons, which is more than double the current national output."

Factory Lou Changzhang shook his head and plopped down into his chair, "Stop dreaming, no one will approve a project of this scale."

Li Mingyuan smiled slightly, "That may not be certain; it depends on how one convinces them."

……

Early the next morning, in the Ministry of Industry's temporary conference room, Li Mingyuan introduced his "Continuous Automated Production System" in detail to the leaders present.

As he explained, the atmosphere in the conference room shifted from initial skepticism to shock, and finally to complete Silence.

Everyone was so stunned by this young man's grand vision that they were speechless.

"According to your calculations, can this system really achieve an annual production capacity of 2 million tons of steel?" Yang asked cautiously, fearing he had misheard something.

Li Mingyuan nodded, "And this is only a preliminary estimate; if it runs smoothly, the capacity can be further increased."

The conference room fell into a shocked Silence again; 2 million tons... this number was too crazy!

"Chief Engineer Li, do you know what our country's steel output was last year?" an old leader with white hair and beard asked.

"About 900,000 tons." Li Mingyuan answered without hesitation.

The old leader nodded, "That's right, 900,000 tons. You want to produce 2 million tons in a single factory? This... this is simply a fantasy!"

Li Mingyuan smiled slightly and calmly took a document out of his briefcase,

"I have done a detailed feasibility analysis and investment return calculation. Although the initial investment is large, from a long-term perspective, this is the most economical choice. Please take a look, leaders."

The document was passed around, and the atmosphere in the conference room became even more solemn.

Li Mingyuan's calculations were precise to an outrageous degree, covering every detail from initial investment and operating costs to capacity forecasts and investment payback periods.

After several experts calculated on the spot, it was determined that the first step of the plan could be realized in just two years.

"This... this doesn't look like the work of an engineer, but more like the work of an... economist and futurist." Yang muttered to himself, the surprise in his eyes impossible to hide.

A leader nearly sixty years old slowly stood up, staring at Li Mingyuan with a piercing gaze, "Young man, your ideas are bold, but I have a question..."

The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly became tense, and everyone held their breath, waiting for this highly prestigious old leader to speak.

"I want to know, why are you so certain about these data? Your experience and age do not seem sufficient to support planning of this level." The old leader's question hit the nail on the head.

Li Mingyuan had already prepared his answer and explained with a smile:

"I simply deduced it based on basic physical and mathematical principles, supplemented by some actual test data for verification. Science has no age limit; as long as the thinking is correct and the logical deduction is rigorous, the conclusions reached are naturally reliable."

The old leader stared at Li Mingyuan for a long while, then suddenly laughed heartily, "What a 'science has no age limit'! I think this project can be launched and tested!"

A burst of warm applause erupted in the conference room, and Yang excitedly slapped the table, "Great! I will go prepare the report right now and strive to get approval as quickly as possible!"

Just as everyone was rejoicing, Li Mingyuan coughed lightly: "Two years... actually, it is still too long."

The entire conference room instantly became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Everyone's gaze turned toward Li Mingyuan, as if he were a monster from outer space.

"Too... too long?" Yang's voice trembled, "Xiao Li, do... do you know what you are saying? Building such a project in two years is already unprecedented!"

"Indeed, young man, don't be too impatient." The old leader said earnestly, "No matter how capable you are, you must keep your feet on the ground; haste makes waste."

Li Mingyuan looked at everyone's horrified expressions and realized he might have said too much.

In this era, completing such an industrialization process in two years was indeed already the limit of speed.

"Then what better suggestion do you have?" Yang asked eagerly.

Li Mingyuan's gaze was firm, "I suggest adopting a parallel strategy. On one hand, start the approval and construction of the large-scale production line; on the other hand, immediately carry out small-scale modifications based on the existing foundation to first double the capacity, accumulating experience and funds for the large project."

"This... is this feasible?" The attendees looked at each other.

Li Mingyuan took another document out of his briefcase,

"I have already prepared a detailed plan. It will only take three months and an investment of less than one-tenth of the large project to double the capacity of the Hongxing Rolling Mill."

Yang took the document, and after reading it carefully, an expression of disbelief appeared on his face,

"This plan... is too thorough! From equipment modification to personnel training, from raw material supply to product sales, every link has been considered!"

Another leader leaned over to look and exclaimed: "And this modification plan is very clever; by using existing equipment and adding only a small number of new parts, efficiency can be greatly improved!"

Li Mingyuan smiled modestly, "These are just some small tricks; the key is to change the way of thinking, shifting from purely pursuing equipment performance to optimizing the entire production process."

The meeting quickly reached a consensus, immediately approving Li Mingyuan's two plans: the short-term modification plan would be implemented immediately, and the large-scale automated production line project would simultaneously start the approval process.