Chapter 307: Solving The Support Company’s “big Trouble”
Tuo Yonggang already had the rank of captain, and serving as deputy company commander of Seventh Company was more than adequate, moreover, the deputy company commander is not the company chief officer, so it wouldn’t affect his leadership of the special operations platoon.
The platoon leader position vacated by the special operations platoon could be filled by any random pick from the special operations platoon.
It must be known that the special operations platoon is an all-officer platoon, and it is the only grassroots all-officer platoon within the entire Capital Military Region, or even across the entire army.
Only the A Detachment directly under General Staff Headquarters has this privilege; placing it in grassroots units is simply a dimensional strike.
Chen Jun promoted Tuo Yonggang to deputy company commander, aiming to transform Seventh Company into a unique armored special forces soldier unit, but he had no confidence whether it would succeed.
Everything could only wait until the emergence half a year later!
The refinement work on the Special Seventh Company side steadily concluded, and Chen Jun then arrived at the support company, which had the largest number of personnel and the widest occupied area in the park.
In the initial configuration plan for the engineer support company, this company’s personnel had already reached a massive
A proper reinforced company.
Later, when Steel Seventh Battalion officially landed and expanded, it added three full-strength companies and one missile platoon, equivalent to expanding the scale by one-third.
To continue doing the corresponding support work well, the support company also synchronously underwent supplementation.
The current support company scale is even larger, with various vehicles totaling over a hundred units, and total personnel having already broken through the 300 mark.
This is enough to match the troop strength of three regular companies, and it’s almost impossible to describe it as just a reinforced company anymore.
Describing it as “quasi-battalion level” is not overstated at all.
Chen Jun had not previously gone deep into the grassroots to experience it, so he only had numbers for the support company’s personnel and equipment, and didn’t feel there were too many problems.
But now, personally rushing to the support company, his first impression wasn’t good.
Because Chen Jun’s personal workload was really too much, over the recent half year he had been running around everywhere, and basically hadn’t attended the battalion’s internal working meetings.
This led to him being almost unfamiliar with the new company commanders except for acquaintances.
The support company commander was one of them.
Upon seeing Company Commander Xu Zhiqiang, who was only about 7 meters tall, wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses, looking scholarly and gentle, yet unable to hide his dark circles under the eyes.
Chen Jun knew at a glance that the support company definitely had problems now.
And the problems weren’t small.
Otherwise, under Steel Seventh Battalion’s current vigorous and thriving overall atmosphere, the support company commander couldn’t possibly have such an excessively exhausted and haggard appearance.
The reason he became so haggard was either due to insufficient personal ability or an excessively large workload.
Only these two possibilities.
Because the officers who could enter Steel Seventh Battalion, especially the chief officers of a company, all had ambitions and drive, and it was impossible for them to slack off or fish.
“Company Commander Xu, your spirit, energy, and mind aren’t up to par. Could it be that you’re ill?”
Chen Jun could tell Xu Zhiqiang wasn’t ill, but to give him a way out to explain the reason, he deliberately found an excuse for him.
“Report to Deputy Battalion Commander, no, I’m not ill. Don’t judge by my thinness; actually, my body is in great shape. As the saying goes, thin but with tough muscles and bones; when it comes to work, I’m like a fierce beast. No matter how intense the workload, I can handle it.”
Xu Zhiqiang looked like his energy was exhausted, but his mental state was actually pretty good; he was also quite optimistic, with high intelligence quotient and emotional intelligence.
The last sentence he said was enough to highlight his intelligence quotient.
It both showed his determination to Chen Jun, expressed his work positivity, and very cleverly explained from the side.
The reason he had severe dark circles and looked physically fatigued was precisely because the work intensity was very high, endured forcefully.
This kind of expression using hints was several levels higher than directly complaining.
As a leader, Chen Jun could get the answer and have better space to handle it, without being put in an awkward spot on the spot.
After all, if the support company’s work intensity was excessively large, beyond the normal range.
That definitely wasn’t the lower unit’s fault, but because the superior’s management had issues, failing to arrange it properly, leading to this situation.
“This Company Commander Xu is quite interesting.” Chen Jun thought to himself.
Originally, he had no impression of Xu Zhiqiang, but this high emotional intelligence response from Company Commander Xu immediately gave Chen Jun a good impression of him.
Smart, understands things, and high emotional intelligence subordinates are what superior leaders like most.
“From the preliminary look, this Xu Zhiqiang’s ability should be fine. To wear him down to the point of spilling bitterness, there must indeed be major problems inside. Since I’m here now, I must solve it, and absolutely cannot leave any hidden dangers for the comprehensive inspection a year later.”
Chen Jun quickly pondered in his mind and swiftly made a decision.
Decisively issuing instructions: “Company Commander Xu, I think you already know that my visit to the company this time is to solve the problems in each company.
Since your support company has problems, you lead me to take a good look.
Don’t be afraid or deliberately hide things; I won’t hold you accountable. Just take me to the problematic places, and we’ll thoroughly solve the problems together.”
“Yes, Deputy Battalion Commander.”
Xu Zhiqiang looked at Chen Jun in surprise, seemingly not expecting Chen Jun to be so untaboo, then smiled, his spirit, energy, and mind improving.
After a crisp reply, he walked ahead to lead the way, taking Chen Jun to tour the support company.
The support company, composed of the cook platoon, supply platoon, maintenance platoon, sanitation platoon, and engineer platoon, almost undertook all the logistics work of Steel Seventh Battalion.
While guaranteeing Steel Seventh Battalion’s lower limit, it also supported Steel Seventh Battalion’s upper limit.
To fully exert Steel Seventh Battalion’s strongest strength, the support company must achieve perfection, with absolutely no hidden dangers.
To thoroughly investigate the support company, Chen Jun mustered twelve parts spirit, not missing any detail.
Under Company Commander Xu Zhiqiang’s guidance along the way, Chen Jun and his group first came to inspect the cookhouse, which was the most important to the warriors.
Because it had to guarantee meals for eight companies, the support intensity had risen sharply.
Under the premise of later expanding by three companies, the cook platoon’s scale also changed, expanding from the previous five squads to eight squads.
However, limited by personnel establishment numbers, Steel Seventh Battalion was really severely over establishment.
Combat personnel couldn’t be cut, so logistics had to be controlled.
The cook platoon expanded to eight squads, adding logistics support needs for three companies, yet not even a single cook was assigned down.
Previously, nine people per squad group guaranteed three meals a day for one company.
The remaining platoon leader and another four cooks served as material mobilization and division personnel, responsible for procurement and distribution of daily supplies.
Now downgraded to six-person squad groups, eight squads took up 48 quotas.
The remaining platoon leader and one cook had to, just like before, oversee the cook platoon and be responsible for distributing required ingredients to eight companies.
This change in the cook platoon’s establishment directly made everyone in the cook platoon complain endlessly.
The two overseeing material distribution in the cook platoon had their work intensity maxed out, with basically no free time every day.
Even though the fuel and ingredients needed by the cook platoon were directly delivered by regiment vehicles.
But the factory only responsible for delivery to the cook platoon; the sorting, storage, placement, and other work for ingredients all had to be handled by those two people.
The daily ingredients and fuel for eight companies were calculated in tons by weight.
After sorting, they still had to distribute and register to ensure no mistakes in any link.
Otherwise, if one company got an extra bag of rice, another forgot to load the meat on the vehicle, such small matters adding up could paralyze the cook platoon’s work.
The two at home were exhausted to death, and the support squads going out for support work were also high intensity.
Originally ten people’s workload now done by five people, equivalent to the workload directly doubled, turning the easy cookhouse into hard labor.
If not for being the entire army’s first combined arms battalion, the entire army combined arms battalion pilot unit, with that title giving the cook platoon warriors an inner sense of honor and sense of mission, supporting their selfless dedication without complaint.
If placed in an outside restaurant, they probably would have quit long ago.
Company Commander Xu’s severe dark circles.
The cook platoon leader coming every day to vent was the biggest reason.
“As expected, without going deep into the grassroots, problems can’t be found. The cookhouse’s work intensity is so high, yet they don’t dare report upward, definitely afraid of being seen as insufficient work ability, worried about being transferred out of Steel Seventh Battalion, so they’ve been forcibly holding on.
One or two months can hold, half a year or a year can hold with life, but this isn’t a long-term solution after all; the hidden thunder will explode someday.”
After discovering the cookhouse problem, Chen Jun pondered darkly, his expression becoming very serious.
Company Commander Xu Zhiqiang discovering the problem but not reporting it upward, instead leading the troops below to forcibly hold on—Chen Jun could understand his thinking.
After all, Steel Seventh Battalion’s entry threshold was so high, exhausting efforts to finally climb the high door.
No one wanted to be transferred away, missing the great opportunity.
Since the problem was now discovered, Chen Jun had to think of a method to solve it, but how to solve it was indeed a bit difficult.
Steel Seventh Battalion as a battalion, even a reinforced battalion, breaking a thousand personnel was indeed a bit over standard.
A regiment only had a little over a thousand people!
The eight combat companies’ personnel definitely couldn’t be reduced; that was the combined arms battalion’s most fundamental core, so personnel control could only start from logistics.
Under strict personnel control, the support company had already broken through
Wanting superiors to supplement cooks for the cook platoon was probably impossible; having other battalions send personnel on temporary duty to help was treating symptoms not the root.
Chen Jun could forcefully ask superiors using his own face, possibly getting people assigned down.
But the support company had only reached the first platoon now, and asking superiors for people upon finding a problem—there were still four platoons waiting behind.
Seeing the whole picture from one part.
Each platoon definitely had very high work intensity, each platoon going to superiors for people would, in one round, at least add over a hundred people.
If logistics personnel took up over 400, infinitely approaching half of total troop strength.
That configuration would definitely be pathological.
Unhealthy.
After rationally analyzing, Chen Jun determined that to solve these problems in the logistics company, he could only draw on our older generation’s glorious tradition—
Think of methods to overcome difficulties!
“So what to do?”
Chen Jun racked his brains for a long time, even stopping the subsequent inspection work, focusing solely on solving this matter; he couldn’t eat without resolving it.
After thinking hollowly for half a day like this, finally, effort pays off for the persevering.
Chen Jun really thought of a solution.
Chen Jun recalled later generations’ chain hotel catering; to control their costs, and more to make flavors more unified, a massively popularized operating model—
Central kitchen model!
This model first emerged in the 1950s, when U.S. McDonald’s and other fast-food chains developed centralized procurement, centralized processing, centralized distribution methods, greatly improving production speed.
By the 1970s and 1980s, the central kitchen model had matured and begun global popularization.
China in the 1990s was relatively backward; the central kitchen model had appeared but wasn’t very popularized, basically small-scale.
Not that there was no money to do it, but consumption couldn’t keep up yet, fundamentally no need for central kitchen model.
And targeting the cook platoon’s current difficulties: sufficient ingredients and equipment, devices, but severely short on manpower.
The central kitchen operating model was exactly the best solution.
As long as making corresponding adjustments and changes to the troops’ meal methods and troops’ various fixed demands, it would absolutely solve the problem perfectly.
Chen Jun locked himself in the office to tailor a central kitchen plan.
After another half day’s desk toil, a plan that Chen Jun considered perfectly suited to the cook platoon, enabling the cook platoon to outstandingly complete support work, with cooks’ work intensity at least halving, came hot out of the oven.
When Chen Jun drove to the support platoon and handed the paper-full plan to Xu Zhiqiang.
After reading the entire plan, Xu Zhiqiang’s eyes bulged like a cow.
Completely shocked!
Chen Jun’s central kitchen operating model completely exceeded his imaginable scope; in his view, it was simply god-like operation.
He had heard many rumors about Chen Jun being awesome, but this was the first time feeling Chen Jun’s awesomeness.
Xu Zhiqiang was truly convinced, thoroughly convinced.
“Deputy Battalion Commander, this plan of yours is too brilliant.”
Xu Zhiqiang praised endlessly in shock: “Set up a central kitchen in the cookhouse, eight pots working simultaneously, uniformly processing the dishes.
Reduces intermediate distribution and transport time, centralized personnel work efficiency doubles, required time absolutely reducible by over half.
After central kitchen completes processing, each company sends a five-person team; just one hour in advance, deliver dishes to each company for heating, then responsible for distributing food to each company’s warriors.
After food distribution, each company’s cookhouse returns to central kitchen for next meal’s ingredient preparation.
Intermediate processes cut by over half, saved workload is huge, saved time is plenty, enough for us to rest and adjust.
Better completion with fewer personnel, brilliant, simply too brilliant. I, Old Xu, can’t help but be convinced, haha.”
With the biggest problem solved, Xu Zhiqiang was really too excited, his face flushed red with excitement.
