Chapter 55: Tidying Up (2) - Doing Things Requires a Team

  (2nd update, seeking red envelopes)

  Shen Hua asked Xu Xiting again: "Yesterday there was a worker named Hu Zhigang who performed quite actively, what does Comrade Xu think of him?"

  "Oh, he's a backbone employee of the electric furnace steelmaking workshop and the deputy head of the slab continuous casting section" Xu Xiting was worried that Shen Hui was not familiar with the technical terms in the steel industry, but Shen Hui just nodded and asked him to continue speaking.

  "Hu Zhigang, although he only graduated from a technical secondary school, is someone who is very willing to use his brain to do things. He just has too much vigor and doesn't quite get along with the management level in the workshop. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a big problem for him to directly take charge of the continuous casting section." Xu Xiting gave a cautious evaluation of Hu Zhigang, without speaking too highly of him.

  To rectify production, in the end, someone has to be able to use it. Previously, not many of the management team could stay on, and most had to be replaced. What Shen Huai lacked most at this time was people, lacking capable and daring individuals.

  Xu Xiting's evaluation of Hu Zhigang has some underlying implications, which Shen Hua naturally understands, but he never thinks that a stubborn and unmanageable employee who doesn't get along with the leadership is really not good.

  Workers like Hu Zhigang are exactly what Shenhua needs, a crucial stirrer of the water, and he is willing to use his brain, which is even better.

  In 1993, he had a junior college education and relied on his own ability to become the deputy foreman of the workshop in a large steel factory, indicating that all aspects of his level were above standard; Yesterday, he took the lead in making trouble, which shows that he also has prestige among ordinary workers; If there is anything insufficient, it can be strengthened later.

  As for Xuxiting's slight dislike of Hu Zhigang, Shen Hua didn't think much of it.

  Xu Xiting is forty-five years old this year and graduated from Huaibei Mining University in the mid-1960s.

  He looks thin and unimpressive, was wrongly struggled against in the 70s, has a conservative and cautious personality. He probably wouldn't like young people who are too bold and showy, Shen Huai thought to himself: Maybe Xu Xiting didn't approve of his actions yesterday either?

  Hu Zhigang quickly brought a set of clean work clothes and a safety helmet to the office, where there was a group of old men. Shen Hua directly changed into the work clothes in the conference room, feeling that they were slightly too big.

  Shen Huai was about the same height as Hu Zhigang, but his build wasn't as sturdy. He put on a safety helmet and said to Xu Xiting and Zhao Dong:

  "We'll go straight into the factory area and talk while we walk."

  Shen Huai also said to Hu Zhigang who was about to leave,

  "I'm currently selecting one or two outstanding young workers from each workshop and department in the steel plant to temporarily serve as my special assistants. Xu Gong just mentioned the electric furnace steel workshop and recommended you. Are you willing to serve as my special assistant? Of course, this is only a temporary position and won't come with any extra salary."

  Hu Zhigang couldn't understand what the position of "special assistant" was at first, but after thinking about it, he knew that even a temporary "factory director's special assistant" wouldn't be a bad job, even without extra pay.

  The entire factory has only three main production lines, with a total of 500 frontline workers. There are only three to six special assistant positions available, which can be said to be as scarce as the workshop director.

  Hu Zhigang led the team of workers to make trouble, which is a manifestation of their dissatisfaction and anger towards the current situation of the steel factory, but it does not mean that he is unwilling to participate in changing the status quo together.

  Yesterday, Shen Hua's inspiring words directly pointed to him, and Hu Zhi Gang was also excited for half a night without sleeping soundly. Unexpectedly, he rushed to the factory early today, bumped into Shen Hua, and immediately got such an important opportunity. It can be said that the early bird gets the worm, so he hastily nodded in agreement.

  "Alright, then let's go directly to the electric furnace steelmaking workshop..." Shen Huai said.

  Shen Hua cannot immediately kick out the entire management team, nor can he hastily convene a staff meeting before getting to the bottom of things at the steel plant, so the current management team will have to be used temporarily for now.

  However, to ensure that the existing management does not secretly hinder or deliberately slack off, Shen Hua plans to select a group of excellent employees with prestige, ability and entrepreneurial spirit from the grassroots level and various departments, forming a temporary quasi-management layer composed of "factory-long special assistants" to ensure that the steel plant can operate smoothly during the transition period and make preparations for the new management team.

  On his way to the production area, Shen Hua communicated his ideas with Xu Xiting and Zhao Dong.

  "This temporary special assistant team, I will lead directly, but I want Xu Gong to take care of it for me. Zhao Dong, you need to play a core role in this - I'll arrange for the two of you to have dormitories prepared in the dormitory building. For this period of time, just the two of you, like nails, will be nailed to the factory. If Sister-in-law and Mingxia have any opinions on this, please let them know for me..."

  Xu Xiting and Zhao Dong both smiled.

  Hu Zhigang followed behind, listening with his heart also boiling with enthusiasm.

  It would be unrealistic to drag it to the staff meeting and change the management through a drumbeat. The temporary special assistant team that is about to be established will play what role, and for those who can enter this team, the significance is how important, Hu Zhigang has already been able to fully understand...

  Shen Hua said to Zhao Dong, "Municipal Steel Factory, you recommended two engineers. If they haven't changed their minds, please invite them over for an interview with Xu Gong. If there's no problem, we can start by having them work as special assistants first and get familiar with the steel factory. For other personnel from Municipal Steel Factory who are willing to come work in Meixi, if they have ability and level, even if we can't put them in important positions right away, I can promise that their salary will be doubled based on what they were earning at Municipal Steel Factory..."

  Zhao Dong smiled and said: "Before, Xu Wen Dao and Pan Cheng were a bit hesitant, but after knowing what happened yesterday, they came to my house overnight and also met with Xu Gong..."

  "Xu Gong has met them all, right?" Shen Huai was familiar with Xu Wen Dao and Pan Cheng, who were recommended by Zhao Dong, but he couldn't show it, so he pretended to be respectful of Xu Xi Ting and asked, "Does Xu Gong think they can win the role of special assistant..."

  "They were all university students brought up by Xiong Wenbin when he was the factory director, capable and of high level, also grassroots backbone in the municipal steel plant." Xu Xiting said that although he didn't understand why Shen Hua trusted Zhao Dong so much, he had to admit that Shen Hua was very accurate in selecting people, including Zhao Dong, Xu Wenda and Pan Cheng were all the most promising talents at the grassroots level of the municipal steel plant, unfortunately they couldn't be reused in the municipal steel plant.

  "Xu Gong agrees, then it's settled," Shen Huan turned around and instructed Zhao Dong, "You notify those two to come directly to the factory office to see me later..."

  Zhao Dong, Xu Wenda and Pan Cheng, as university students in the 1980s, had technical expertise, management skills, and rich grassroots experience. However, they were not reused at the municipal steel factory, which can be said to be related to their straightforward personality, adherence to principles, and unwillingness to compromise.

  In society, these people can be said to be not sophisticated enough and lack worldly experience.

  However, a modern large-scale enterprise is truly suitable for production management only with people who have perseverance and uncompromising integrity.

  Only such people can manage meticulously and make valuable contributions to the enterprise.

  The overall environment of Donghua City is not good, making it difficult for these talents to emerge, and there are no foreign-funded or joint-venture enterprises with management levels that can provide them with employment channels. It's also good, Shen Huai thought of pulling them to Meixi, the resistance will be smaller, otherwise, relying on this broken factory in Meixi, what can attract first-class talents?

  It was also at this moment that Xu Xiting had a deeper understanding of Shen Huan's decisive decision.

  Of course, this is also directly related to Shen Hua's tough stance yesterday that forced the mayor to bow his head.

  He is now not afraid of the collapse of the steel plant, even if he clears out the entire management layer, no one dares to say a word of dissent. What's more, he is only bringing in three truly capable people from the municipal steel plant to join the quasi-management layer?

  The kind of lion leads what kind of team.

  Xu Xiting, even as a conservative and cautious person, at this moment also has the hot blood of doing something surging out.

  Shen Huai and Xu Xiting, Zhao Dong, and Hu Zhigang went to the electric furnace steelmaking workshop, which is currently the most important and core production line of Meixi Steel Plant.

  Unfortunately, this line runs very poorly.

  Due to a lack of technical strength and serious lag and rigidity in management, nearly 70% of the production capacity potential of this line has not been brought into play.

  The production line, centered on two 45-ton electric arc furnaces, is equipped with pre-treatment, refining furnace, and slab continuous casting machine, as well as three sections of raw materials, steel billets, and steel storage yards, stretching over a mile.

  Standing in front of the second gate of the production area, looking at the connecting steel iron corridor and the towering blast furnace, the momentum of modern steel industry is fully displayed in front of us.

  Unfortunately, this picture has its surface, but inside it is all defeated.

  At that time, when Meixi Steel Factory introduced the electric arc furnace continuous casting production line, it was the peak period of township enterprises in China. Under various stimuli, counties and towns, including Donghua City, didn't care whether they could digest it or not, and decided to adopt advanced technology from abroad that had just matured in the early 1980s.

  The city and county governments provided strong support for the loan, borrowing nearly 50 million yuan from multiple banks at once. Before 1990, Donghua City had not given such a large amount of support to township-level enterprises, which was extremely rare in the province.

  Shen Hua was originally a technical backbone who was borrowed by Mei Xi Steel Factory to participate in the three-month equipment installation and debugging, and is very familiar with the situation of this line.

  Even though it has been three years since then, the technical level of this production line is still top-notch in the country.

  It's a pity that even the sharpest blade is useless without someone who knows how to wield it.

  This production line requires 120 to 200 trained professional workers to operate, and can achieve a high production rate of 300 tons of steel per capita per year.

  Now, there are nearly three hundred frontline workers invested in this line at Meixi Steel Plant, but truly technically competent professional engineers like Xuciting are scarce, and production safety management is also relatively backward.

  In the face of severe production safety pressure, Xu Xiting's cautious nature did not dare to open up production capacity.

  Shen Hua had a long conversation with Xu Xiting and Zhao Dong in the factory office, now he arrived at the production area, which is also close to working hours, and frontline workers are gradually taking their posts.

  After what happened yesterday, frontline workers are very emotional, but being emotional doesn't necessarily mean they can do things correctly.

  Shen Hua walked into the slab continuous casting workshop, where the production line had not yet started operating. Out of twenty or thirty workers, less than half were wearing their uniforms, labor insurance shoes and safety helmets in accordance with regulations. Some people were even standing in front of the punching machine wearing cotton slippers, and cigarette butts were openly lying on the ground; the plates and tools were stacked in disarray, and the floor was covered in oil stains everywhere.

  Xu Xiting could feel Shen Hua's meticulousness in production management, as he furrowed his brow. Although he didn't say a word, every glance swept across the production site, revealing severe defects in production management. Xu Xiting, although not responsible for production management, was also under pressure to promote Shen Hua as the overall technical head of the factory, which made it hard for him to breathe.

  Several deputy factory directors also rushed to the factory office, knowing that Shen Hua had entered the factory for some time in the morning, and they didn't dare to be careless. They checked each other for any loopholes and rushed to the electric furnace steel car workshop to meet with Shen Hua.

  Watching several deputy factory directors enter the workshop, Shen Hua stood in front of the rolling mill and watched them walk over. He said to one of them: "As a manager, first and foremost, you must strictly follow production rules and regulations. You, go submit your resignation report to my office..."

  After what happened yesterday, who dares to be careless in front of Shen Huai again?

  They had checked each other before entering the factory area to ensure that there was no problem that Shen Hua could pick on, but who would have thought that as soon as they saw Shen Hua, they were accused of not following production rules and regulations and forced to resign?

  The deputy factory director who was forced to resign in front of everyone by Shen Huai stood there stupidly, his face flushed red, and he had no idea what he did wrong.

  It wasn't until half a shift had passed that someone noticed and pulled on his sleeve, pointing at his shoes: he hadn't changed out of his leather shoes into safety shoes before entering the factory area.