Chapter 377: The Sword Wielder

Seeing the expressions on the faces of Gu Xiguang, He Heng, and the others, Li Dongling could also guess the thoughts in their hearts and said directly, "The Torch Group wants to establish the Lighter Import and Export Association, not to suppress any peer company, but as a last resort!"

"The resources of the Torch Industrial Park are not exclusive to the Torch Group. In the future, domestic lighter manufacturers can all move in and use the lighter industrial chain of the Torch Industrial Park to compete 'fairly' with the Torch Group!"

"However," Li Dongling changed the subject, "If the Torch Group wants to complete the goal at the time of establishment, with an annual shipment volume of 3 billion, 5 billion, or even 10 billion lighters, and complete the goal of 300,000 employment positions, it must open up the overseas market!"

"This requires ending the chaotic, disorderly, and loss-making price war situation in the domestic lighter industry. The guns need to be consistent with the outside world, and the Lighter Import and Export Association is needed to restrain the entire industry!"

Just now Yao Zhengru talked about the Torch Group wanting to create an industrial park with 200,000 employees in the future. Now Li Dongling directly pointed out that if they don't support the Torch Group in establishing the Lighter Import and Export Association, then the Torch Group's future export goals and hundreds of thousands of employment positions might be ruined...

The choice was handed over to the Economic and Trade Commission, the Development and Reform Commission, the Industry and Commerce Department, and other departments to see how they would choose.

Gu Xiguang smiled bitterly. What choice did they have? The Torch Group is related to the official career of I don't know how many people. The more money it earns, the more tax it pays, and the more employment positions it provides, the more benefits and credit those involved in this project, whether it is the investor or the municipal government, will get!

The Pingyang Municipal Government, the Hanxi Provincial Government, and various departments in Yanjing, how many people want to go further in their official career relying on the Torch Group? Whoever blocks the Torch Group is the enemy of everyone. Cutting off people's wealth and official career is to become a mortal enemy!

"We certainly support the establishment of the Lighter Import and Export Association to end the chaotic and disorderly situation in the lighter industry in the past. But this matter still needs to be determined by Yanjing departments such as the Economic and Trade Commission, the Foreign Exchange Bureau, the Customs Administration, and the Industry and Commerce Department before it can be determined!"

Gu Xiguang expressed his attitude. His attitude basically represented the attitude of departments such as the Economic and Trade Commission, but this kind of thing certainly needs to follow the process.

"The Torch Group will definitely live up to expectations!" Zhang Xiaocheng also expressed his attitude at this time. He also knew clearly that once the Lighter Import and Export Association was formed by the Torch Group, the Torch Group would almost become the standard setter for the entire domestic lighter industry.

Which lighter manufacturer dares not listen to the Torch Group's orders after the Lighter Import and Export Association is formed? The Torch Group has plenty of ways to clean them up.

In the future, in the country, lighter standards will be formulated by the Lighter Import and Export Association. There will no longer be a situation where the exported ones are high-quality and safe lighters, while the ones sold in the country are those that might explode if put in pants pockets.

All lighter manufacturers must pass the association's review to sell goods. What if they don't meet the standards? Then they can only be cold-mixed; don't even think about selling in the country!

And the most important overseas export of lighters, export share, and minimum export price guidance are also formulated by the Lighter Association. Any company that wants to export lighters must ask the Lighter Import and Export Association for a share; otherwise, don't even think about going to sea with a single lighter!

"Junior Brother Li, you have given us a difficult problem!"

After the meeting, Gu Xiguang said to Li Dongling with a bitter smile, "Once the Lighter Import and Export Association is established, I don't know how much turmoil it will cause and how much opposition it will encounter!"

Gu Xiguang could imagine that once the news spread, a group of domestic lighter manufacturers, as well as some units and departments behind them, would probably be dissatisfied.

The Torch Group is currently doing disposable mass-market lighters. Other domestic lighter manufacturers are mainly doing metal lighters, and the selling price is above ten yuan. Domestic purchasing power is not very strong. At least within ten years, not many smokers and families will buy metal lighters for ten, twenty, or even hundreds of yuan for a lighter. It is destined that these metal lighters will mostly rely on exports to sell.

Once the Lighter Import and Export Association is established, all domestic lighter manufacturers will be subject to the Torch Group, and they will not be able to export overseas at will. It's strange if these lighter companies are happy. The departments and units in their local areas probably won't be happy either, after all, it is related to local tax revenue.

"Breaking and then establishing. If domestic lighters want to compete with overseas lighter giants, they must solve the situation of being scattered!"

"The Torch Group is not trying to kill those metal lighter companies. On the contrary, the establishment of the Lighter Import and Export Association might be an opportunity for them!" Li Dongling said.

A group of people came to the Torch Group's restaurant. Although they didn't go out to eat, the masters in the back kitchen still took out their full level and burned a table of hard dishes.

Gu Xiguang had been on the road for a day. Although he was hungry, he had no intention of eating at this time. Hearing Li Dongling's words, he put down the chopsticks he had picked up and asked directly, "What does Junior Brother Li mean by this?"

Li Dongling's stomach had long been empty. He was just about to eat a piece of gourd chicken, but looking at Gu Xiguang, He Heng, Li Weimin, and others who were looking at him, Li Dongling had to give up for the time being.

"The most important opponent of domestic metal lighter companies is the lighter manufacturers in America, old Europe, and Japan, not the Torch Group!"

Li Dongling said, "Disposable lighters replacing metal lighters in the mass-market lighter industry is only a matter of time. Without the Torch Group, other companies would appear!"

Mass-market lighters have a sufficient market scale, but the profit is not high. It is true that they can provide employment positions, but they cannot earn too much revenue.

Metal lighters need to enter mid-to-high-end lighters with higher profits to survive. In the future, the Torch Group will definitely launch mid-to-high-end lighters!"

"In the future, a high-end metal lighter, with brand, endorsement, and product story, becomes a product like an artwork, symbolizing love, friendship, and the representative of men, etc. The starting price might exceed 500 yuan, and the profit can exceed 80%!"

"If domestic metal lighters can successfully transform, the revenue might be much more than in the past. With cheapness as a bargaining chip, it might fall into the quagmire forever, and users who buy this product might not even remember this brand!"

Li Dongling made it clear that he would not kill domestic lighter manufacturers, and also left them a way out. In the domestic involution mass-market lighter market, they certainly couldn't compete with the Torch Group. How could domestic lighter manufacturers compete with the Torch Group for a one-yuan lighter?

It's better to transform into mid-to-high-end lighters. Whether in the country or testing the waters overseas, as long as they can stand firm, it is much more profitable than rolling for a few cents of profit all day long!

The Torch Group will definitely enter the high-end lighter industry in the future. To shape the brand, compared to history, the Torch Group can pull it to the pre-Qin period, claiming that the Torch Group's high-end lighters originate from the fire-folding tools of the pre-Qin period. Isn't it longer than Zippo's history?

As for the class, it needs to be advertised. Planting Torch Group high-end lighter advertisements in movies, inviting superstars to endorse, etc., let the Torch Group's high-end lighter brand be linked to love. Just like men giving women diamonds symbolizes love, what if it is rumored that women giving men Torch Group's high-end lighters also represents love?

Zippo played this trick in his past life, linking the lighter brand to love, shaping the rumor that if you love a man, give him a Zippo lighter.

Let the extravagant women in America crazily buy Zippo to give to boyfriends or husbands, let people who don't need lighters crazily buy more than 70% of Zippo lighters, and hard-lift Zippo from hardware stores to gift shops.

Plus, Zippo's propaganda that it can block bullets on the battlefield, using it to become a symbol of men, and co-branded products launched with Harley, Marlboro, Playboy, etc., made it fly. In his past life, Zippo's annual revenue exceeded 1 billion US dollars, and the profit exceeded 600 million.

In this regard, Nvidia's Old Huang is obviously a step behind. If he let the graphics card be linked to love and let women pay for the graphics card, then I guess the sales volume could fly. Without waiting for the arrival of the artificial intelligence era, he could sit on the throne of the world's richest man!

"In addition, after the Lighter Import and Export Association is established, the first thing is to respond to the anti-dumping lawsuits initiated by America, old Europe, and other places against the domestic lighter industry. The Torch Group wants domestic lighter manufacturers to win this lawsuit!"

Li Dongling's words made the expressions of Gu Xiguang, He Heng, and others change. Now domestic companies, let alone private companies, even state-owned factories, have a sense of fear when facing overseas lawsuits, fearing that they will lose the lawsuit and compensate. Companies that dare to take the initiative to file a lawsuit have not appeared yet.

If the Torch Group does this, it can be considered a precedent, daring to run to America and old Europe to take the initiative to file a lawsuit.

If they really win the lawsuit, then in the future, domestic lighters will be able to go unimpeded almost all over the world.

Looking at Li Dongling, Gu Xiguang's expression was somewhat complicated. He saw Li Dongling's style of doing things today, and now he also understands why Dongling Gao Ke dared to fight with those giant companies overseas. Things that make people fear like tigers, when placed on Li Dongling's side, are just like ordinary things...

"Today, I have seen the demeanor of Junior Brother Li. The Economic and Trade Commission will help the Torch Group run down the Lighter Import and Export Association as soon as possible!"

Gu Xiguang said, obviously preparing to support Li Dongling. As for other lighter manufacturers and the pressure from local departments and units behind them, the Economic and Trade Commission is prepared to carry it for the Torch Group.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Gu!" Li Dongling said to Gu Xiguang.

He Heng on the side said meaningfully at this time, "Regarding the Lighter Import and Export Association, since Director Gu is willing to take action, it will definitely be done!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 378 =====