Chapter 386: Adding Fuel to the Fire

Zhou Wenyuan looked at the design drawing handed over by Li Dongling. At first glance, he saw the complicated pattern carving on the lighter's exterior, which was almost completely different from the disposable lighters of the Torch Group now.

At first glance, the feeling Zhou Wenyuan had wasn't how gorgeous the lighter's exterior was or how complicated the craftsmanship was, but that this lighter looked... expensive!

The drawing Li Dongling took out showed the entire shell carved with patterns, a flip-top structure, requiring the use of pure copper etching technology, including parts like the copper shell, inner shell, hinge, cam, spring, lighter wheel, flint, cotton ball, and needle.

Zhou Wenyuan had already made I don't know how many lighters. Although the craftsmanship of this type of retro-style lighter was different, after a few glances, he also figured out the tricks inside.

"This type of lighter requires many more parts than the lighters the Torch Group is currently producing, and it also needs to use processes like pure copper etching. I'm afraid the cost will be very high!"

Zhou Wenyuan said to Li Dongling, not mentioning whether it was difficult or not. It was clear that it wasn't a technical problem, at least not as difficult as developing the constant-flow valve lighter.

"As long as the cost can be compressed to below 50 yuan, it will be enough. In the future, Zorro lighters, the high-end models, will sell for 30 US dollars, or even over 50 US dollars!"

"Sell a lighter for 50 US dollars?"

Zhou Wenyuan's eyes widened. The cost he mentioned was a bit high, but he didn't think about selling a Zorro for 50 US dollars, which was equivalent to a high price of 400 yuan. Selling one Zorro was almost equivalent to selling 400 ordinary lighters, and the profit could be several times more.

"Now the S. T. Dupont lighters coming from Old Europe sell for thousands of yuan each, and they are sold as luxury goods. Zorro's pricing, compared to S. T. Dupont, is nothing. In the future, the Zorro brand can promote that every lighter is polished by craftsmen by hand, unique in the world!"

Li Dongling was prepared to play the routine of Xiao Guan Tea. When Xiao Guan Tea was launched, the promotion was that every can was tea fried by hand by several masters over fifty years old.

Although he didn't know how Xiao Guan Tea, with an annual sales volume of 2 billion, managed to fry 1,446 jin of tea leaves every day by several masters over fifty years old.

This kind of artificial creation of product scarcity wasn't a very clever means, but it didn't prevent it from selling expensively. Silver can tea was 3,000 per jin, and gold can tea was 6,000 per jin. At least it created a name for buyers of tea, saying it was master-fried and a boutique product.

Similarly, there were rumors of hand-polished sports cars, Swiss watches meticulously crafted by master craftsmen, etc. Without exception, they all sold expensively, but they sold better than their peers. Clearly, buyers just ate this set.

In the future, Zorro lighters under the Torch Group could also use the same routine, promoting that Zorro high-end lighters were all polished by hand by lighter master craftsmen with thirty years of experience. What, the Torch Group and Zorro hadn't been established for thirty years yet? No need to care about these trivial details, as long as it was made by a "master," it would be fine.

"If we push Zorro lighters, I'm afraid we need to establish a set of new lighter production lines, and we also need to place orders for new standard parts from parts manufacturers!" Zhou Wenyuan put down the drawing and said.

Upon hearing this, Li Dongling said directly, "The Torch Industrial Park was originally intended to build the largest lighter industry base in the country, and even in Asia, or even the world.

Whether it's disposable lighters, metal lighters, or electronic lighters, waterproof lighters, solar lighters, voice-controlled lighters, or portable lighters that can connect to cars, computers, or even mobile phones that might appear in the future.

The Torch Industrial Park can provide parts for these types of lighters, and even one-stop assembly, production, transportation, etc.!"

The fat water doesn't flow into outsiders' fields. The Torch Group is the largest shareholder of the Torch Industrial Park, including the land, water, electricity, and other infrastructure of the industrial park, all supplied by the Torch Group. The more companies that enter the Torch Industrial Park, the more the Torch Group earns.

Zhou Wenyuan was stunned for a moment listening to the types of lighters Li Dongling mentioned. He didn't expect that there would be so many types of lighters. Although they hadn't appeared on the market yet, he didn't know if they could be developed, which made Zhou Wenyuan feel a bit itchy for a while.

"I will start the R&D of Zorro lighters as soon as possible!" Zhou Wenyuan said.

"There is another project!"

Li Dongling spoke again. Zhou Wenyuan looked at Li Dongling suspiciously. Looking at the solemn expression on Li Dongling's face, he felt that what Li Dongling said probably wouldn't be a small matter.

"This project needs the technical department to keep it confidential during R&D. In addition, it needs to be developed together with medical schools, pharmaceutical R&D institutions, and pharmaceutical engineers to develop an electronic cigarette aimed at quitting smoking!"

Occupying the high ground of righteousness is very important. The R&D of any product is nominally required to be beneficial to users, not harmful to users. Even for firearms, when they were developed, it was for hunting, for protecting one's own safety, and never for doing evil things!

Electronic cigarettes also need righteousness. When developed, they are for users to quit smoking, not to harm health. They need professional medical practitioners to conduct experiments to ensure the safety of users.

Seeing Zhou Wenyuan's surprised expression, Li Dongling said, "The electronic cigarette project needs to be kept confidential. We must ensure product safety. In addition, R&D also needs to be kept confidential!

In the future, if it can be successfully developed, the main market for electronic cigarettes will be overseas markets such as America, Old Europe, Japan, and the Bangzi!"

As early as when Li Dongling mentioned the electronic cigarette project to Zhang Xiaocheng, he was prepared to sell it in overseas markets.

In this regard, they definitely need to cooperate with overseas tobacco giants; otherwise, it would be impossible to lay out goods overseas at all. If they don't give up certain profits, tobacco giants in America, England, and other places will never let the Torch Group's electronic cigarettes appear on local sales counters.

With the patents for electronic cigarettes in the hands of the Torch Group, they have the qualifications to negotiate with those overseas tobacco giants. But if they want to sell goods, they still need to give up a large amount of profit, or even let those overseas tobacco giants take the big share.

This is also something that can't be helped. Think about how aggressive domestic tobacco companies are. That is the style of overseas tobacco companies, or even more domineering, because tobacco is related to tax revenue all over the world, and extending it a bit further, that is, military spending, weapons R&D, and other funds, the big share comes from the tax revenue brought by tobacco.

If you want to move the cheese of those overseas tobacco giant companies without some ability, that is, before you eat the cheese, you will be beaten to death.

And if the Torch Group's electronic cigarettes want to gain a foothold overseas and be sold in America, Old Europe, etc., they need to share a certain amount of profit with local tobacco companies; otherwise, can those tobacco giants do things without benefits?

Only by pulling them into the same camp can the Torch Group's electronic cigarettes proceed smoothly overseas. And with the help of the sales channels of overseas tobacco giants, electronic cigarettes can be quickly promoted. By then, cutting leeks together is the kingly way!

If you want to make electronic cigarettes sell explosively in America, England, etc., you definitely can't do without the adding fuel to the fire of Huaerjie and London financial institutions.

Just selling cigarettes, how much money can you earn? As long as the Torch Group creates an electronic cigarette concept stock and can get the support of Huaerjie institutions and London financial institutions to complete the listing on the New York Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange, then after listing, isn't cutting leeks fragrant?

This is not groundless. In his previous life, a certain electronic cigarette giant company in the country completed its listing in America, and its market value broke through 45.8 billion US dollars, equivalent to a market value of 320 billion RMB. It is hard to say that there is no adding fuel to the fire of Huaerjie behind this.

The Torch Group can also play like this in the future, launch an electronic cigarette brand, complete the listing in America, and follow Huaerjie to cut some leeks.

However, Li Dongling letting the Torch Group launch electronic cigarettes is mainly for the future consideration of the Torch Group. The Torch Group needs new industries to provide jobs for so many staff members. Electronic cigarettes supporting ten or twenty years in the future is not a problem at all.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 387 =====