Chapter 18: How Many Steps to Promote My Father to Factory Director?

Um, our factory is a machinery factory, so he planned for our factory to switch production to electric refrigerators.

Factory Director Wang, this electric refrigerator is indeed a hot-selling item on the market, but... do you know the structure of an electric refrigerator?

Factory Director Wang shook his head.

The principle of an electric refrigerator is heat exchange, taking the heat from inside the refrigerator out; currently the main refrigerant used is Freon, there is a loop of pipe inside the inner wall called the evaporator, the refrigerant evaporates inside, thereby taking away heat, then it enters a compressor, where it is compressed into high-temperature high-pressure gas, then passes through the condenser to dissipate heat and cool into high-pressure liquid, then goes through an expansion valve to reduce pressure and temperature, re-enters the evaporator, completing a cycle.

Qin Miao spoke while walking to the small blackboard in the meeting room and began drawing diagrams.

The teachers from Ha Gong Da all looked curiously at Qin Miao; the theme of this meeting seemed to have changed?

Among them, the compressor is key; it needs to be driven by an electric motor, this compressor has very high requirements: large torque, low noise, long service life; if we want to produce qualified electric refrigerators, these pieces of equipment all need to be purchased, even if we use domestic equipment, it's roughly...

Qin Miao did a quick calculation: 'About three million.'

'That much?' Factory Director Wang widened his eyes.

'Um, this is just the compressor; next there are the evaporator and condenser, these cannot be hand-made, otherwise the error would be too large; introducing a set of this equipment would need roughly... two million.'

Qin Miao kept adding up, and quickly the total reached the astronomical figure of eight million!

'San Shui, if you put it that way, our Qingshan Factory can only produce the shell?'

'Exactly!'

'Good heavens, where are we going to get that much money!'

'We can only take a bank loan; we calculate based on a three-year payoff, spread it over our products, then we continue to calculate the production cost...'

Qin Miao continued calculating: 'This way, the electric refrigerators produced by our Qingshan Factory, 120-liter size, would cost about eight hundred yuan.'

'The same type of refrigerator produced by the Qingdao Electric Refrigerator General Factory sells for only 658 yuan, right?' a teacher spoke.

Factory Director Wang took a deep breath; not knowing wasn't scary, but once calculated it was shocking! Niu Guishan spoke with certainty, saying that if we made electric refrigerators, we could surely lead Qingshan Factory to prosperity, but after all this effort, it turns out to be a loss-making venture!

'He also said, if we can't manage electric refrigerators, we'll make washing machines.'

'Um, washing machines do involve less technical content.' Qin Miao nodded: 'Our factory currently can only produce shells; the rest need a production line; I haven't calculated this investment, but I inquired, and currently there are over six hundred factories in China planning to produce washing machines...'

Factory Director Wang sucked in a breath of cold air; those with technical content can't compete, while those without technical content rush in en masse; although he hasn't studied economics, he knows that if too many factories produce this, profits will drop, possibly ending in a loss.

'So... washing machines also won't work!'

'Ah, the path of military-to-civilian conversion is difficult; how are the several thousand people in our factory supposed to get by?' Factory Director Wang painfully lowered his head.

'Factory Director Wang, if you don't mind, I last night just made a mold for a pressure cooker.' Qin Miao said: 'Just take it back, install it on our existing stamping press, and we can produce pressure cookers; Director Lu, wasn't that test-cutting workpiece from yesterday not thrown away in the trial workshop?'

Lu Yongping's expression was complex; you little brat, did you already anticipate today's situation? This ability to foresee the future is admirable!

'Old Lu? It's just a few test-cutting workpieces; what do you have to be reluctant about?'

'Cough cough, I didn't mean that; of course there's no problem.'

Factory Director Wang lifted his head, eyes sharp: 'Pressure cooker?'

'Yes, pressure cooker; no need to import any equipment, our factory's existing machines can be used, the price is low, many ordinary people can afford it; in recent years, living standards have improved, occasionally eating some meat, using a pressure cooker to stew is quick; even if usually drinking porridge, a pressure cooker can save fuel, sales are huge...'

'Then how many military-to-civilian factories nationwide are also undertaking this project?'

Qin Miao smiled: 'Nowadays, domestic pressure cookers are almost all made by aluminum product factories; our factory makes stainless steel pressure cookers! It's unique nationwide! No corrosion, no rust...'

'Stainless steel!'

'Factory Director Wang sighed helplessly: 'Ah, San Shui, you don't know; this stainless steel, currently only a few factories in China produce it, output is low, and it mainly supplies military enterprises; if we were still doing military work, we could just file a report and have it sent; now we have to buy it ourselves on the market, aluminum material is still relatively easy to obtain, this stainless steel...'

'In this era, not to mention pressure cookers, even the stir-fry pans used by every household are mostly aluminum; after all, as long as you can get some aluminum scrap, then find a street-side artisan who casts pots, open the big bellows, and soon you can make an aluminum pot.'

'As for the scrap, cough cough cough, there are some useless bits on the utility poles...'

Boom boom boom!

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside.

Bang!

The door opened, Professor Yuan's figure appeared at the doorway: 'Old Lu, Old Lu, hurry, hurry, quickly come with me!'

'Old Yuan, we're in a meeting; this is an important meeting concerning Ha Gong Da's reputation! If there's something, let's talk after the meeting ends!'

'That won't do, the military called over, saying... eh, Qin Miao you're also here, hurry, come together, come together!'

Qin Miao shook his head: 'I'm not leaving; this meeting is very important for our Qingshan Factory.'

'No matter how important, can it compare to the military's new artillery shell? The artillery shell you developed for the military... cough cough, hurry up and go!'

'Artillery shell! And it's the one Qin Miao developed!'

'Factory Director Wang's eyes lit up: 'San Shui, I never imagined you'd already become a military-industry personnel developing artillery shells for the military! Our Qingshan Factory produces artillery shells; could this product be handed over to our Qingshan Factory for production?'

'Of course not.' Qin Miao shook his head: 'So many frontline military factories have no food to eat; where would it be Qingshan Factory's turn.'

Factory Director Wang felt his heart panic; this hope, despair, hope again, despair again—who could bear that!

'However, I also count as having made a contribution to the military; I coordinated a batch of stainless steel plates from the military side for our Qingshan Factory to produce stainless steel pressure cookers; it shouldn't be a big problem; by then our factory will have a winning edge, eat everywhere, and definitely become a model of success for military-to-civilian conversion...'

'Good, this pressure cooker, our factory will make it!'

'Um, this pressure cooker is just a start, Factory Director Wang; I can still develop some other technologies at Ha Gong Da; once they're ready, I'll send them to our Qingshan Factory; rest assured, as long as I, Qin Miao, am in college, I will definitely make our Qingshan Factory thrive and prosper; although my dad is still just an ordinary worker, he too is part of our Qingshan Factory!'

'San Shui, rest assured; when I return, I'll promote Lao Qin to vice factory director, fully in charge of our Qingshan Factory's military-to-civilian project; when I retire, Lao Qin will become the factory director!'

Qin Jianhua was instantly startled: 'Factory Director Wang, this must not be done, must not be done!'

'Old Qin, don't refuse; can you bear to watch our factory drink the northwest wind? You have a fine son, our factory has a fine worker's child!'

Qin Miao secretly rejoiced; a person who has been a factory director all his life has high awareness, understands at a glance, saving me a lot of trouble!

'Well said, our military also has a good expert!' Just then, two people in green military uniforms walked in from the doorway; the leader spoke: 'Your Qingshan Machinery Factory is indeed a military factory; this makes things easy to say; our military-industry system will issue an appointment letter for Comrade Lao Qin as factory director! That Niu family will also be handed over to our military-industry system for handling!'

Qin Miao turned his head; Representative Zhao has arrived? This artillery shell seems to have had a good test-firing effect!