Chapter Ninety-two: Launch

  Wearing the halo of "National Science and Technology Tackling Plan", Dahua Industry merged with Jinan Power Machinery Factory without any obstacles.

  As it was already in a state of insolvency, Suzhou only needed to agree to take on the debt and it could be incorporated into its fold.

  The Petroleum Department sent a commissioner to take charge of this matter, a certain Vice Director Wang who was unknown, roughly the deputy of Director Mu. He was around 45 or 56 years old, short in stature, with a big nose. Upon seeing the list of over 2,000 employees and hundreds of retired workers, he immediately felt overwhelmed.

  In the industrial sector, deputy positions are as numerous as cow hair. The deputy director is not necessarily more valuable than the factory director of Jinan Power Machinery Factory. Su Cheng just treated it equally and took the initiative to say: "The workers of Jinan Power Machinery Factory owe wages, I suggest that the department solve part of it, we solve part of it, and the bank loan can be repaid by us, but the interest is too high, hoping that the department can coordinate and exempt part of the amount. In addition, retired employees need to be returned to the department, this burden is too heavy, we cannot bear it."

  Retirees entering the social security system is mainstream, Wang has no opinion on this, and the focus is still on wage arrears and interest.

  After two days of discussion, it was finally decided that the ministry would take on 30% of the owed wages and waive 60% of the bank interest, which can be considered a draw.

  The final signing ceremony was held in the factory area of Jinan Power Machinery Factory, with local reporters coming to take photos, and the atmosphere was relatively casual.

  After signing the contract agreement, Deputy Director Wang posed for a photo with reporters and then rubbed his wrist, smiling: "Director Su's family is wealthy and influential, but he's still quite easy to talk to."

  "Director Wang handled things efficiently, and I don't want to drag it out either."

  As soon as Su Cheng's words fell, there was a sudden burst of firecrackers outside.

  The two of them looked at each other in surprise and went to the window, only to see that outside were workers setting off firecrackers, with a crowd of nearly a thousand or two thousand people, many of whom were family members of the workers.

  The king looked at Su City with a strange expression and said, "There are many people."

  He thought: buying someone else's old factory and then organizing workers to set off firecrackers in the factory area, isn't that a bit too much?

  Su Cheng slightly shook his head and said: "There are 5 of us in total, we didn't prepare for a celebration. Director Yang, you go ask."

  Director Yang grunted and ran down, coming back a moment later to say: "It's the workers from the Power Machinery Factory setting off firecrackers on their own initiative."

  The king's long was a little curious, and hearing him say so, he put on his thick outer garment and went downstairs.

  Arrived in the crowd, asked a few people, and it was indeed a spontaneous celebration ceremony.

  They actually took this young factory director seriously! Wang, the director, was shocked and said: "I've been doing this for so many years, I've dealt with shutdowns and mergers, shareholding system reforms and overall sales, but it's the first time I've seen workers support someone like this."

  Su Cheng smiled and didn't say anything.

  But as he walked into the crowd, he was immediately surrounded, like a drop of water falling into oil, with people chattering all around him.

  "Director Su, from now on we'll be under your leadership."

  "Director Su, let's start work."

  The voices shouting "start work" were much louder.

  Workers rely on their work to eat, without work, the food is not delicious. Even if officials have repeatedly assured them that they will start working after the acquisition is completed, the silent machines still cannot reassure people.

  Another string of firecrackers went off, and the person holding them slowly moved towards the workshop.

  Su Cheng looked at Wang Si Chang, who nodded and smiled: "My main work is already done, don't worry about me."

  Then, a group of people surrounded them and went straight to the machine processing workshop.

  Here is exactly where Su Cheng and Shu Lan first came to see the workshop.

  Pushing open the old factory gate, more than 60 machines are in front of you, with over a hundred workers wearing washed and bleached work uniforms, standing neatly at the operating table, as if it were the heyday of the factory, waiting for the leader's inspection.

  Looking at these workers who have worked hard for twenty, thirty or even forty years, Su Cheng knew that they were not waiting to be inspected. They were inspecting themselves, their own lives and the life of the factory.

  The workers who came later stood quietly in a corner of the workshop so as not to disturb the machines.

  A brief silence, Su Cheng said softly: "Boot up."

  A worker holding a firecracker waved down a small red flag with a "whoosh".

  The substation hummed to life. The workers bent down and opened the machines, one by one, two by two, three by three... All the machines started up, emitting cheerful whirs.

  A small workpiece is mounted on a lathe, and after careful alignment of the tool, it is slowly brought close to the cutting tool.

  With a "whoosh" sound, the iron filings that had been scraped off curled up wildly, and a thick white mist rose before Master's eyes.

  A fist-sized connector was quickly and mercilessly cut out.

  "Your turn, Second Brother." Teacher Fu took down the workpiece.

  His apprentice, who was at least 30 years old, carefully handed over the workpiece to the worker operating the drilling machine.

  A few minutes later.

  The workpiece is handed over to the next master again.

  Liu Qiu stood behind, saying in a low voice: "These machines have been used by the masters for generations and have feelings. The 90-liter diesel engine was produced using these machines, and later it will produce 190-liter diesel engines."

  Su Cheng looked at the workpieces being transmitted and those outdated old machines, also speechless.

  Just like every old Chinese factory, the Soviet machines of the 1950s and the Northeastern machines of the 1960s would quietly survive in a corner of the factory. It's said that they've been used for a generation, but this is actually an understatement. Many machines have been passed down from master to apprentice, and then from apprentice to disciple, with several generations polishing them until they're as transparent as glass jars. They know every detail, even the changes in the screw pads, and rely solely on their skills to delay the update and replacement of the machines time and again.

  China is a backward country. If we were like the Americans or Germans and used machines, let alone achieve industrialization, we wouldn't even be able to earn enough money to support ourselves.

  Until the 21st century, China became the world's factory, and its factories still had machines with signs from the 1960s and 1980s that were rejuvenating their second and third springs... In the chemical industry, the longest cotton yarn and the most polyester fiber are produced by machines from decades ago.

  When Jinan Power Machinery Factory purchases machinery, they first consider how to extend the life of the machinery.

  "With precious foreign exchange and state construction funds, the machines bought must be used for at least 50 years!" Every factory director who has purchased machinery will mention this topic countless times.

  They did it.

  This is not just a personal behavior of some workers, but a common spirit shared by tens of thousands of workers for four generations.

  Xu Fuyou thought that by changing into new equipment and taking away several hundred high-level workers, he could rebuild a large heavy industry factory, which is simply nonsense.

  Even if Su City didn't stop him, the new factory would still go bankrupt in the end.

  The factory is a collaborative entity, not a solo stage for skilled workers and technicians. The auxiliary workshop staff may not have impressive professional qualifications, but good workers often have their own methods, providing better and more suitable tools, sending different cylinder bodies with accumulated processing precision to different masters, allowing them to play to their strengths. Many things are not written in books, and even workers in the same workshop do not know until a certain auxiliary workshop teacher retires, and the workshop director suddenly finds that the pass rate has dropped by 5 points.

  Looking at the workers who were silent but cooperating seamlessly, Su Cheng thought to himself: I took on hundreds of millions in debt, but I left behind the soul of this factory. Even if I didn't spend 45 million purchasing new equipment, the factory could still produce world-class diesel engines.

  "When it's done, put it in the factory's honor room." Su Cheng took a deep look at the workpiece being passed on and walked out of the workshop.

  Wang, the director, was also deeply shocked. Before leaving, he said: "Selling Jining Power Machinery Factory as a whole may be the most correct decision we have ever made."

  "Undoubtedly." Su Cheng and he shook hands heavily.