Chapter 385: Intercepting the Opportunity

Li Dongling looked at the "old ox" in front of him. Compared to his timidness when he was at the Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1, Zhou Wenyuan now had a bit more high-spiritedness.

But thinking about it, it was normal. When he was at Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1, the dirty and tiring work was usually pushed to Zhou Wenyuan to do, and he was also suppressed by Xu Yiqiao, the head of the technical section of the Wireless Factory No. 1. If there were benefits, not a single one would come to him, but if there were scapegoats, not a single one would be missing for him.

After coming to the Torch Group, there weren't so many bullshit troubles. Zhang Xiaocheng basically delegated the technical matters of the Torch Group to him. Zhou Wenyuan himself was the boss of the Torch Group's technical department, so naturally, no one would make things difficult for him.

There was also another point. Although no one mentioned it, as a batch of people who supported the Torch Group's predecessor, the Shangguan Town Component Factory, together back then, Zhou Wenyuan could be considered to have "shared weal and woe" with Li Dongling, Zhang Ao, and others to a certain extent.

Right now, Dongling High-Tech was one of the major shareholders holding 40% of the Torch Group. Coupled with the relationship between Zhou Wenyuan and Li Dongling, to a certain extent, he was regarded as the representative figure of Dongling High-Tech in the Torch Group, and even more so, no one dared to make things difficult for him.

This made Zhou Wenyuan's life quite good now. His salary was quite good, and he had both position and status. Naturally, he was no longer the old ox from a few years ago.

Seeing Li Dongling, Zhou Wenyuan excitedly took a lighter from the experimental bench and pressed it. A flame immediately emerged from the lighter.

"This is the constant-flow valve lighter we developed!"

As Zhou Wenyuan adjusted the regulator on the lighter, the size of the flame on the lighter began to change steadily. From the largest flame to the smallest rice-bean-sized flame, the whole process was quite smooth, without the scene of the flame flickering large and small when the current lighter was ignited.

Li Dongling took the experimental lighter and felt that it was basically not much different from the constant-flow valve lighter he used in his previous life.

"Now the constant-flow valve technology has basically been developed. Currently, the lighter laboratory is seeking to make its gas flow more stable and combustion more sufficient. In addition, it is to upgrade key components such as the lighter valve to make it safer and lower in cost. It is expected that mass production of constant-flow valve lighters can begin by the end of the year at the latest!"

Zhou Wenyuan said excitedly to Li Dongling. The launch of the constant-flow valve lighter was not just a new lighter technology for the Torch Group and Zhou Wenyuan!

This was the world's first constant-flow valve technology lighter, and it was also the first time domestic lighters had led the industry's technical trend. As long as the technology was mature, it was almost a certainty that constant-flow valve lighters would replace traditional lighters.

Because this was almost entirely a technical generation gap. Whether it was the control of the lighter flame size, safety performance, combustion level, or durability, constant-flow valve lighters had a qualitative improvement!

"You've worked hard, Old Zhou!"

Li Dongling looked at the flame on the lighter and patted Zhou Wenyuan on the shoulder. Hearing this, the latter couldn't hide the excitement on his face.

With the constant-flow valve lighter developed, Zhou Wenyuan proved himself. He wanted to prove himself at Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1 before, but he had no chance at all. Instead, he was disliked by the people in the technical section there for being a busybody.

And at the Torch Group, he spent so much funding and finally lived up to expectations, also proving his ability.

Li Dongling put down the lighter. With the constant-flow valve technology, the Torch Group had one more trump card to fight against lighter manufacturers like Bic and S. T. Dupont. It was difficult to make a final decision just by relying on a price war.

But when the Torch Group's products were cheaper than Old European brand lighters, better in technology, and safer, were they still afraid they couldn't beat them?!

After leaving the experimental bench, Li Dongling came to Zhou Wenyuan's office. After entering, he could see that it was piled up with various documents and books.

Li Dongling flipped through a few books and saw books involving more than a dozen disciplines such as materials, mechanics, and fluid mechanics. One could imagine how many hard bones Zhou Wenyuan had chewed to develop the constant-flow valve technology.

"If it weren't for you, Old Zhou, the Torch Group's lighter project wouldn't have gone so smoothly!" Li Dongling knocked on the book in his hand and said to Zhou Wenyuan with a smile.

Zhou Wenyuan had now become the manager of the Torch Group's technical department, but his nature was still the same as it was a few years ago, without any idea of taking credit.

"The constant-flow valve really wasn't something I could do alone. Just the money spent on inviting professors and research institutions from Huaqing and overseas in physics, mechanics, fluid mechanics, etc., was tens of millions. The money spent on the entire project was even more.

Without the funding you invested, we couldn't have invited those professor teams and research institutions, and the constant-flow valve technology could never have been developed!"

Zhou Wenyuan said with emotion. He could now be considered to have led a large project, but precisely because of this, he knew how money-burning it was, how difficult it was to coordinate numerous R&D personnel for the project, to determine the R&D direction, and how much risk he had to bear.

This was also the reason why he didn't want to engage in any R&D or take risks during the Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1 period. He was afraid that after spending so much money, it would end up being a waste.

But at the Torch Group, Zhou Wenyuan developed the constant-flow valve lighter, and Li Dongling fully supported it, investing huge R&D funds. Even if there were mistakes in the R&D, it still didn't stop!

Having experienced the R&D of a large project, Zhou Wenyuan understood even more how difficult it was to encounter a qualified big financier.

"In the future, the Torch Group will have new projects that need you to develop!"

Hearing Li Dongling's words, Zhou Wenyuan couldn't help but raise his head and look at Li Dongling. "Another new project?"

Li Dongling nodded. "Just now, I have already talked with Zhang Xiaocheng. The Torch Group wants to enter the high-end lighter market and launch a new metal windproof lighter!"

"The Torch Group needs a new high-end lighter brand to obtain more revenue and profit. In the future lighter industry, the most profitable one will definitely be the high-end lighter market. The Torch Group needs to launch its own domestic high-end lighter brand... Zorro!"

In his previous life, in the domestic lighter industry, the only one that could slightly compete with brands like Zippo was Zorro.

Although there were many voices claiming that Zorro was imitating Zippo, and that its status wasn't high enough, and its brand awareness wasn't high, etc.

But in his previous life, Zorro's establishment time was too short, totaling only ten or so years. Being able to be mentioned and compared with Zippo already proved the significance of Zorro's appearance.

At the very least, a considerable number of domestic lighter users could buy a "high-end" lighter for dozens or hundreds of yuan without having to look at lighters costing hundreds or thousands of yuan with fear. Zorro satisfied the dreams of many men who wanted to own a high-end lighter...

Moreover, Zorro lighters had their production lines placed domestically, but Zippo lighter production lines were placed in America, with at most parts suppliers in Canada, the Bangzi, etc. Zippo paid local staff in America a salary of over 15 US dollars per hour, equivalent to 120 yuan per hour!

Zippo had always occupied the top of the high-end lighter sales list in the country, and sales were flying. But no matter how much they sold, it basically had nothing to do with the country. The revenue from high-end lighters was basically snatched away to America by Zippo, which was also the reason why it could continuously increase salaries for its staff.

It was just like the dispute between new energy vehicles and traditional vehicles in later generations. Traditional vehicles were basically dominated by Japanese, American, and German brands, plus the Bangzi and France. The automotive industry was an industry that could provide millions of high-paying jobs with an annual salary exceeding 300,000 RMB.

Although Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, General Motors, etc., built assembly plants all over the world, the most core high-paying jobs such as automotive design, engines, and systems were always placed in their own territories. Automobiles alone brought over 5.4 million high-paying jobs to Japan.

And in his previous life, in the field of traditional fuel vehicles, the country was never able to gain an advantage in the competition from Japan, Germany, America, the Bangzi, etc. After new energy vehicles started to have a chance, they began to seek to overtake on a bend.

Similarly, if the country could dominate the automotive industry, the entire industry could also bring millions or even tens of millions of high-paying jobs to the country, snatching the rice bowls of Japanese, German, Bangzi, and American automotive manufacturers.

Li Dongling was prepared to let the Torch Group launch Zorro high-end lighters. If they could gain an advantage in advance, Zorro could also bring a batch of new high-paying jobs to the Torch Group!

Not to mention jobs at 120 yuan per hour, just providing a batch of jobs with a monthly salary exceeding 5,000 yuan would be worth it. Compared to the 350 yuan salary provided to production line staff by the Torch Group every month now, it was much stronger!

"Now the high-end lighter market hasn't fully risen yet. I need the technical department here to develop Zorro high-end lighters at the level of art pieces or even collectibles."

"This..."

Zhou Wenyuan felt bitter on his face when he heard Li Dongling's words. He felt that Li Dongling's requirement was even more difficult than his development of the constant-flow valve lighter.

Seeing this, Li Dongling laughed, took out a design drawing, and placed it in front of Zhou Wenyuan. This was a lighter drawing that Li Dongling had prepared earlier. As a senior designer, Li Dongling hadn't forgotten his craft in these few years.

The design drawing that appeared in front of Zhou Wenyuan was "a tiny bit" like the Constantine lighter from Zippo in his previous life that had been a bestseller for 19 years...

Of course, placed now, if the Torch Group and Zorro were the first to launch this lighter, then this lighter would be the Torch Group's opening work for entering the high-end lighter market.

Once the Torch Group applied for patents for this type of Constantine lighter, in the future, in the lighter industry, who imitated whom and who counterfeited whom might not be certain!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 386 =====