Chapter 18: The New Boss Arrives At The Automotive Factory
Automotive manufacturing requires considering several major important key points,
such as the research and development of the engine and the production line, the research and development of the chassis, tuning technology and production line, the research and development of the gearbox and production line.
There is also the research and development of tires and production line, as well as the research and development of other parts and production line.
In short, to independently research and develop and produce a car, that is not an easy thing.
Especially the main raw material for tire manufacturing is still rubber.
The main production areas for rubber are Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, China, India, Brazil, Vietnam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Côte d’Ivoire.
In later generations, the domestic sources of rubber are in Hainan, Yunnan, Guangxi and Guangdong.
However, Zhou Wenhua can still consider importing rubber from Thailand, or establishing his own private rubber industrial park there, because that country in later generations is considered the world’s largest natural rubber production country, with output accounting for about one-third of the global output.
The reason it is in these places is mainly because rubber trees like to grow in tropical rainforest climates, high temperature and rainy, calm winds, and fertile soil places,
that is, climate issues affect rubber production and planting.
Rubber is divided into natural rubber and synthetic rubber. Natural rubber is rubber extracted from rubber trees, and synthetic rubber is obtained from monomers through polymerization reactions.
Rubber is not only an indispensable raw material for people’s daily life, but also light industry such as medical uses needs this rubber as raw material for production,
In addition, heavy industry such as mining, transportation, construction, machinery, electronics, and emerging industries also need to provide various rubber production equipment, or use rubber components for research and development production.
So rubber has great uses,
Therefore, on the journey riding in the car to his father’s automotive repair and assembly factory,
Zhou Wenhua also thought a lot about the raw material issues for car research and development,
So rubber production bases and plantations, he must obtain and establish.
Fortunately, there are places domestically where rubber can be planted, so after thinking of this, Zhou Wenhua also relaxed his mood, no need to worry about rubber being suppressed and embargoed by foreigners.
As for like in later generations, by integrating world-leading technology equipment from Russia, United States, Canada, Germany, etc., building a globally leading full set of fully automated, continuous, green environmental protection full industry chain production demonstration line with waste tires as raw material to produce recycled rubber, compounding rubber new materials, and rubber and plastic products.
This idea, don’t even think about it, because in this era with zero industrial foundation, it is impossible to achieve.
Car manufacturing materials are divided into metal materials and non-metal materials, composite materials.
The raw materials for most of the car body shell are mainly metal materials, steel plate, carbon fiber, aluminum, magnesium alloy, reinforced plastics, etc. Car shells for different uses require different raw materials for research and development production.
However, general car shells are steel plate, then aluminum, and carbon fiber or reinforced plastics for research and development production.
Early car bodies followed the carriage body structure, with the entire body mainly made of wood materials.
Until 1912, Edward Bart first made an all-metal body, and in 1925, Vincenzo Lancia invented the monocoque body, composed of metal structural parts stamped from steel plates and large cover parts, then car raw materials began to gradually shift from carriage body structure mainly wood materials to all-metal bodies as mainstream.
And this mainstream has continued to later generations.
While Zhou Wenhua was in the car, recalling the research and production issues of automotive industry raw materials from his previous life,
He had unknowingly arrived at the gate of his father’s automotive factory,
And at this time inside the automotive factory,
The number of workers is not many, just over 30 people, except for a few repairmen and assembly parts masters, most are automotive apprentices.
Inside the automotive repair factory,
“Hey! Have you heard? Today our new boss will come here for inspection and meeting?”
“I heard, the new boss is the boss’s fourth son, heard he’s young, seems like only in high school second year, about to enter high school third year!”
“Hiss! So young? Rich people are great, so young can be a boss, while we work to death and exhaustion, can only be an apprentice, at most a repairman in the future, envious!”
“You can’t envy this, who told you to have poor background? But we can still be apprentices, already better than those factory workers and those bottom people’s lives, at least we can live a bit decently, income is relatively stable! No need to starve!”
“You’re right! Save a bit, we can still go watch a movie once a week!”
“But I’m worried that recently our automotive repair factory here has much fewer customers! If this doesn’t improve, I’m afraid we’ll be unemployed!”
“If unemployed, just job hop! Anyway, it’s not only here that has automotive repair work, and I know why our repair factory has fewer customers, isn’t it because those newly opened ones, and new repair shops backed by foreigners, snatched a lot of customers?”
“Those damn foreigners, suppressing us everywhere, pity we don’t have our own domestic cars! Otherwise we wouldn’t need to look at those foreigners’ faces, and those damn Japanese people’s faces, they occupied many of our northern regions!”
“Don’t talk about those foreigners and Japanese people, talking about them makes me upset, let’s just work properly! No customers, just clean up the hygiene here well, don’t let the new boss criticize!”
Just as Zhou Wenhua’s car convoy arrived at the automotive factory,
The apprentice workers inside the factory were also buzzing discussing their new boss’s arrival, the factory’s future development situation, and situations about suppression by foreigners and Japanese people, etc.
However, these discussions were quickly stopped by those conscientious repairmen, making each apprentice worker return to their work posts and continue working,
Those repairing customer cars, continue repairing,
Those assembling customer ordered car parts, also continue assembling.
As for those with nothing to do, start cleaning sanitation, or stand at the gate ready to smile and welcome, receive customers.
Just as the automotive factory inside restored normal work and operation,
Zhou Wenhua’s car convoy also arrived.
Then, Zhou Wenhua also got down from the car,
Under the protection of his father’s bodyguard, started walking towards the automotive factory.
Seeing this, the apprentice workers and repair workers standing at the gate also immediately perked up, to welcome Zhou Wenhua, and some hurriedly ran into the factory to report the news that the new boss had arrived.
