Chapter 716

"Li Ye, the factory is calling you to a meeting, in the factory director's small conference room."

"Alright, Master, I'll go right away."

The afternoon of the second day after returning from Changbei, Old Ding received a phone call and then notified Li Ye to attend a meeting.

Li Ye packed up his things and stood up, ready to leave.

Then he noticed that his master, Old Ding, had no intention of moving.

"Master, isn't there a meeting? Aren't you going?"

Old Ding said with a smile: "That's right! They didn't call me."

At this time, Yue Lingshan said with a giggle: "Wu Kezhang Li, going to the factory director's small conference room means it's a small meeting. People always say small meetings discuss big matters, and big meetings discuss small matters. Wu Kezhang, you are now an important figure in the factory."

Li Ye scolded with a smile: "Cut the crap! What kind of figure am I? Maybe they're calling me over to serve tea and pour water!"

"."

After Li Ye arrived at the small conference room, he found it was indeed a small meeting, with fewer than ten people in total, each one a figure who "has the final say" in the factory.

The big factory director and Ma Zhaoxian were both there, as well as those in charge of finance, personnel, and party members. The lowest-ranking people were the foreign manager's secretary, Min Lei, and Li Ye, the deputy section chief of the supply section.

However, after the meeting started, Li Ye understood that he had come because of his status as the deputy leader of the "management reform" group.

"Everyone is here! Today we mainly discuss the affairs of the First Branch Factory. The ministry has given us profound instructions to strive for innovation and bold reform."

"So starting from today, our unit's trial reform group will fully invest in the construction and production of the First Branch Factory."

"Although reform requires boldness, it also requires caution. After the First Branch Factory is established, it will implement a plan of independent accounting and self-responsibility for profits and losses... Deputy Manager Ma will be responsible for the overall work of the First Branch Factory. Everyone must give full support."

Li Ye quietly kicked Lu Zhizhang next to him, and Lu Zhizhang also gave a slight smile, which counted as a response to Li Ye.

Listening to this, it seems that the people from above have actively intervened this time; otherwise, Ma Zhaoxian wouldn't have been able to get the right to independent accounting.

【Brother Guan Liang, you have made a great contribution!】

If Guan Liang hadn't taken a crooked path to frame Li Ye, the people above wouldn't have found it easy to step in and support Ma Zhaoxian! If the referee doesn't enter the field, what's the difference between them and a ball boy?

In the time that followed, Li Ye felt the confrontation between the two sides.

"The First Branch Factory currently has only three hundred people, which really cannot meet production needs. I think, why don't we hold a voluntary application drive to increase the number of people working at the First Branch Factory?"

"Deputy Manager Ma, there is a lot of opinion among the workers regarding management reform! The day before yesterday, Master Tan and the others came to us with a pile of complaints; they were just short of holding up banners saying we were messing around."

"If you don't believe me, look, we've already drafted a list of nearly a thousand names, but if they don't want to go, we can't force them with guns! Even these three hundred people are the result of our hard coordination!"

Ma Zhaoxian glanced at the personnel list and casually put it into his bag.

【If you don't come today, don't blame me for being ruthless tomorrow.】

"Alright then! We'll find a way to deal with the workers' issues ourselves, but this startup capital is also too outrageous. And since it's independent accounting, this profit distribution is also too unreasonable."

Ma Zhaoxian had a lot of complaints because the First Branch Factory not only had a shrunken scale, fewer people, a smaller site, and old equipment, but the unit also only allocated two hundred thousand in startup capital.

The First Branch Factory currently has over three hundred people, and paying wages costs thirty thousand a month. But since it's independent accounting, all water, electricity, taxes, and production accessories like frames, bodies, and hubs must be paid for to the general factory.

But this independent accounting is also not "independently" clean. The profits earned must be distributed according to the three-party investment ratio. China Grain and Hong Kong capital are the minority, while the original Second Auto occupies the majority.

In other words, if China Grain and Hong Kong capital inject capital into the First Branch Factory separately, it's like using their own money to raise a chicken to lay eggs, but the others can lie down and take away most of the eggs.

Have you ever seen a unit that has become independent pay 51% of its profits to the original unit?

But Li Ye also understands that this is a means of restriction, to prevent the First Branch Factory from "growing strong wings" and leaving the in-laws to live separately.

【Sigh, the pattern is too small, and they underestimate me too much.】

Li Ye is not a stingy person; many good things die in this kind of nitpicking.

Ma Zhaoxian argued with everyone for a long time, and in the end, he only got independent sales rights and a financial account exclusive to the First Branch Factory.

Otherwise, if the produced cars were handed over to the general factory for sale, and you had to wait for the general factory to allocate and settle accounts after selling, it would be too easy for them to manipulate you.

【This payment for goods is not those cars of yours; the payments for the cars from your First Branch Factory are still owed outside!】

Isn't this like withdrawing ten thousand from an ATM, but it spits out twenty thousand, you take ten thousand and leave ten thousand, but then you have to pay back ten thousand?

Because the ten thousand you took away belongs to the bank, and your own ten thousand was left in place.

"Cough~"

As the meeting neared its end, Xiao Jingang from the Party Office spoke up: "Production matters have all been discussed. Let me say a few points about ideological matters!"

"Although the First Branch Factory implements independent accounting, it is still one with the general factory. We cannot have a situation where some eat meat while others drink thin gruel. Do not worry about scarcity, but worry about inequality. Pay attention to unity, pay attention to influence..."

Li Ye glanced at Xiao Jingang, knowing that he must have asked someone about yesterday's visit to Changbei. If the First Branch Factory significantly increased workers' wages like Changbei did, that would be a major event that destroys unity.

"In addition, management reform cannot be changed randomly. Our factory's products are ministry-level silver award winners, and every technical plan has been strictly designed and considered."

"After the First Branch Factory starts production, it cannot change parts and supply partners at will. We must never smash our own brand..."

Li Ye looked up at Xiao Jingang in surprise, always feeling that this guy was talking about him, because he was the only one from the supply section present, and he had the "job convenience" to change parts suppliers.

Sure enough, Xiao Jingang then asked Li Ye: "Little Li! I heard that when you went to visit the Changbei Machinery Factory yesterday, you promised to purchase their gearboxes? How could you decide such a big matter so casually?"

"I didn't decide! Who said I decided?"

Li Ye said with a face full of surprise: "We just saw their new products during the visit. Even if we want to purchase, it must be after strict bidding and comparison. It hasn't even started yet!"

Li Ye's tone made Xiao Jingang somewhat displeased. He said with a dark face: "The five-speed gearbox we are currently using is the most advanced light gearbox in the country."

"And this gearbox was only modified and installed in 83. There is no need for another bid. You cannot disregard the unit's interests because of personal relationships."

Xiao Jingang is very good at "using big hats to suppress people," casually pinning a charge of "seeking personal gain through power" on Li Ye.

Li Ye interrupted directly: "Deputy Director Xiao, I must defend myself against this. I will not let any relationship affect the unit's interests."

"Any manufacturer that wants to supply our unit must have advantages in product quality, product price, and so on."

"The Changbei Machinery Company promised a fifty-thousand-kilometer warranty, which is why I believe they have the qualifications to participate in the bidding."

"."

Seeing Li Ye contradict him to his face, Xiao Jingang's anger immediately flared up. But before he could scold him severely, Ma Zhaoxian spoke first.

"Deputy Director Xiao, I think what Li Ye said is correct. Parts procurement must be strictly compared and fairly bid to be in the unit's interest. Take that Fangshan Auto Parts Factory, for example."

"I know very well what their headlights look like because I drove a 130 for many years. But after changing the headlight manufacturer, night driving has become much safer."

"And I personally went to the warehouse to see that batch of defective products; it was truly shocking. How much money has been lost over so many years..."

Ma Zhaoxian's tone was very calm, but he pointedly accused: "How much money did you waste for the sake of relationships in the past? How many interests were damaged? And you still have the nerve to nag about Li Ye here?"

Xiao Jingang was not afraid of Ma Zhaoxian at all, and immediately said: "Deputy Manager Ma, you are also a worker from an old state-owned enterprise. You should know that the Third Gear Factory and we both belong to the First Ministry of Machinery. We have a responsibility to help and support each other..."

Before the eighties, state-owned enterprises were very "loyal" to each other.

At that time, a sales section chief of a state-owned enterprise going to a brother unit to pull orders wouldn't be like a grandson, groveling and eating, drinking, singing, and dancing.

They would just sit in the supply and marketing section with justification: "If you don't give us this production plan, I'm not leaving."

But now that reform has happened, the situation is different.

Li Ye said calmly: "Can the Third Gear Factory guarantee fifty thousand kilometers?"

"Why do you always bite onto this fifty thousand kilometers? Who knows if Changbei is just bragging? They are foreign capital now..."

Xiao Jingang scolded Li Ye very angrily, but halfway through, he realized something was wrong because there was a representative of the Hong Kong capital present!

Min Lei, the secretary of the Hong Kong manager, glanced at Xiao Jingang and said coldly: "Excuse me, Mr. Xiao, may I ask what's wrong with foreign capital?"

"Is the money we invested not in place? Have the promises we made not been fulfilled? Have we ever gone back on our word, been irresponsible, or been untrustworthy?"

"May I ask Deputy Director Xiao, if state-owned enterprises never brag, can our investment receive profits on time?"

"."

Xiao Jingang couldn't speak. The three units jointly established the Light Auto Company, and the Hong Kong capital had long been injected on time, but their money was dragged out again and again.

And after the Hong Kong capital was in place, it was misappropriated here and borrowed there, which had already affected the normal launch of new cars.

The Hong Kong side was unfamiliar with the place, and their right to speak was not as good as Ma Zhaoxian's, so Manager Chen had long been holding his breath. At this moment, Min Lei naturally vented her anger.

Seeing Xiao Jingang being retorted, the boss finally spoke.

"Don't discuss this issue anymore. Since the First Branch Factory is a trial reform, let's try it! Little Lu, you must summarize the experience well and lay a good foundation for our factory's future reform."

Lu Zhizhang nodded slightly and said: "Okay, we will summarize the experience well."

"Then let's adjourn the meeting!"

Everyone stood up and left, and when Xiao Jingang passed by Li Ye, he gave him a sharp look.

In today's meeting, the boss wouldn't personally clash with Ma Zhaoxian. He was the knife in the boss's hand, but in the end, it was chipped by Li Ye and Ma Zhaoxian.

Fortunately, there was still Lu Zhizhang, holding the position of reform group leader, who could strive to become the factory director of the First Branch Factory in the future; otherwise, it would really be impossible to check and balance Ma Zhaoxian.

But what they didn't know was that ten minutes later, Lu Zhizhang was "conspiring" with Ma Zhaoxian and Li Ye.

Lu Zhizhang asked Ma Zhaoxian carefully: "Deputy Manager Ma, if we follow what was said at the meeting, we will be tied hand and foot, and it will be difficult to produce normally for a while..."

Ma Zhaoxian curled his lip and said disdainfully: "Reform, reform—if you don't change, what kind of reform is it? This factory isn't decided by one person; there is still the state above!"

There, Director Lu immediately confirmed his guess.

Ma Zhaoxian had received support from above, and someone was endorsing this First Branch Factory.

If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up, so what's there to hesitate about? Let's toss and turn!