Chapter 402: The Hot-Selling Storage Box
The property liquidation was bound to attract attention—after all, the scale was enormous. It involved not only some of the town's most recognizable landmarks, but also large plots of industrial land, even some old warehouses that had long been abandoned.
In the broader market, many people didn't understand Yang Wendong's strategy. Some even mocked him, saying he was foolish—after all, real estate prices were clearly on an endless upward trend, and yet Changxing Real Estate was moving in the opposite direction?
But Yang Wendong didn't care about public opinion. In fact, the more "brilliant" minds out there who believed in infinite growth, the better. As long as land prices and property values kept climbing, his liquidation plan would proceed even more smoothly.
June 16, Yang Wendong arrived at the Changxing Industrial Park in Kwun Tong, where Wei Zetao personally led him to the design meeting room. As soon as Yang Wendong entered, he noticed several transparent plastic boxes on the conference table—the very same kind he remembered from his past life. While not 100% identical, the general form and function were close enough.
"Mr. Yang, this is the storage box we've been working on recently," Wei Zetao said with a smile. "There are four threaded sockets on the bottom so users can decide whether or not to install wheels.
And the top is a sealing lid with latch clasps. Here, take a look."
As he spoke, he demonstrated how it worked. He pressed down on the four latch clips around the box's lid with a satisfying "clack clack" sound, then lifted the entire box with one hand.
Yang Wendong tried another unit himself. After clicking the latches shut, he asked, "Have you done water resistance tests?"
"We have," Wei Zetao replied. "We didn't do full submersion tests, but we simulated rain. Under normal rainfall conditions, no water seeps in. Only under something like a typhoon-level downpour might it fail.
Of course, we could improve it further, but that would drastically increase production costs and reduce the durability of the clasps. It wouldn't be worth the trade-off."
"That's good enough," Yang Wendong said, smiling and waving his hand. "It's not a car—we don't need that level of waterproofing. As long as it protects against regular rain, that's more than sufficient."
After all, this was a household product. If it could prevent light rain from soaking through and help people store clothes or daily items with some confidence, that was already enough. Even traditional wooden boxes couldn't boast much water resistance.
Wei Zetao nodded. "That's great. Compared to wooden boxes, our storage containers are lighter, cheaper to produce, and can be manufactured at scale quickly."
"How many can we make per day right now?" Yang Wendong asked.
The replacement of wood and metal with plastic in household goods was a natural trend. Only in certain industries, like packaging with high structural requirements, did wood still dominate decades later—things like pallets or heavy-duty shipping crates.
"Right now, we've only got one mold running," said Wei Zetao. "It produces one unit every two minutes. That's about 650 units per day.
But the mold is simple, and we already have multiple suppliers lined up. With just one word from us, they can produce dozens more within a week. Once that's done, producing 10,000 units per day won't be a problem."
"What about assembly, packaging, and shipping? Any issues there?" Yang Wendong asked with a grin.
"None at all," Wei Zetao said confidently. "Our entire industrial chain is integrated within the park. If the market demand is high enough, even 100,000 units per day is achievable."
"Well, if we're producing that many, we need to get serious about exports," Yang Wendong said. "Alright, go ahead and commission a few more molds. Decide the quantity based on estimated demand.
Then use the Carrefour distribution network to test the market."
The advantage of having control over the entire supply chain—from production to retail—was that when a new product was ready, the company could push it to market at lightning speed, with full vertical integration.
Of course, this level of execution was currently only possible within Hong Kong. Overseas markets weren't as easily controlled. While Yang Wendong had some sales channels abroad, they couldn't yet match his local precision and flexibility. Expanding those would take time.
"Understood. I'll get right on it," said Wei Zetao. "Honestly, with an idea like this, I want to buy a few myself. I'm sure it'll become a hit here in Hong Kong."
So far, every one of Yang Wendong's creative product ideas had succeeded, and that alone earned him deep respect from everyone inside Changxing Industrial.
Yang Wendong nodded. "I think so too. Let's launch it as soon as possible. If this product takes off, our plastic demand will increase even more. The higher our downstream volume, the lower our upstream production cost."
The larger the production scale, the lower the per-unit cost—except in luxury goods, where pricing was driven by branding, not volume.
"I'll prioritize it right away," Wei Zetao said. "I'll also coordinate with Mr. Liu on the Carrefour rollout."
"Good. I'll be waiting for the results," Yang Wendong nodded.
The structure of the storage box was extremely simple. Even centuries ago, wooden versions existed. In more recent years, there had been plastic equivalents.
But a stackable, transportable, water-resistant version? That was something no one had mass-produced. Likely because the existing wooden crates were "good enough." Heavy, yes—but nobody had thought to improve them, so they stayed the same.
Many things seem obvious in hindsight. Only once they exist do people realize how simple and necessary they are—like the Post-it Note.
One week later, thousands of storage boxes were rolling off the lines at Changxing Industrial Park in Kwun Tong. They were loaded onto trucks and sent straight to Carrefour supermarkets. The retail chain cleared half an aisle just to display different sizes of the new boxes.
By 8:00 AM, as the store opened, early-bird shoppers—many coming to buy vegetables—were drawn to a new display near the produce section.
"What's this?" someone asked, eyeing the neat stacks of plastic boxes. A price tag underneath read: HKD 4.90, labeled simply as: "Storage Box."
"Is it for holding stuff?" another customer guessed.
"Looks like it."
At that moment, a store employee approached with a smile. "Good morning, everyone. This is our newest item, called a 'storage box.' It's perfect for storing clothes and household goods."
As the employee gave a brief demo and explanation, many shoppers looked on with satisfaction and curiosity.
He continued, "Our storage boxes are extremely lightweight—much lighter than wooden crates. And because they're transparent, you can see exactly what's inside without digging through it like with wood.
They're also rain-resistant. Unless it's a typhoon-level downpour, they'll hold up fine. If it does get wet, just wipe it dry. Unlike wooden crates, there's no risk of rot, and pests like termites, ants, or even rats won't chew through it."
The shoppers were clearly impressed.
A man nodded. "That makes sense. I've got stuff lying all over the place at home. One of these would help tidy up."
"And it's cheap too," said a housewife nearby. "A wooden crate this size would cost three times more."
Soon, the boxes started flying off the shelves.
Yang Wendong had once again proven the power of a simple idea—executed flawlessly with the backing of a complete industrial and retail infrastructure. The storage box was no longer just a concept. It was a new best-seller.
"Good stuff," more and more customers were saying aloud.
Wooden boxes at home were extremely heavy, easily chewed through by mice, and if they got rained on, they could warp and become unusable.
The store clerk continued, "As long as you don't fill them with really heavy items, our plastic storage boxes are much better than wooden ones."
The only real disadvantage of plastic was its limited load-bearing capacity. If it was overloaded, it could warp or collapse under pressure. That's why for furniture or heavy-duty storage, wood was still preferred.
But for lighter items, storage boxes were more than enough—clothes, bedding, kitchenware, even small appliances could be neatly and efficiently organized inside.
A number of customers began picking up the boxes, inspecting them carefully. They talked among themselves and quickly reached a consensus—these were much more convenient than wooden crates.
The clerk added, "Ladies and gentlemen, since the storage boxes are newly launched, they're on special offer these days. A plastic box of this size is just HKD 4.90. It's super practical for home storage and helps save a lot of space.
You see, you can stack them up like this," she said, demonstrating how multiple boxes could be nested on top of each other. She stacked them until they towered over her head. The onlookers instantly understood: this was a great way to maximize limited household space, and because they were transparent, you could easily find what you needed without rummaging through.
After some discussion, a good number of shoppers became interested and began picking up units to purchase.
Suddenly, a man in a business suit asked, "Miss, I'd like to buy three. How should I carry them home?"
The clerk responded promptly, "You can stack the three boxes inside each other, place the lids on top, and I'll help tie them together securely for you.
Also, our storage boxes have slots for optional wheels. Since many customers don't need them, they're sold separately. If you'd like, a set of four wheels is HKD 2."
The design of the storage box had considered mass transportation from the start, so the containers were tapered like bowls, allowing them to nest inside each other when empty.
"Wheels, huh? Sounds good. Give me a set," the man replied without hesitation. With wheels, transporting them would be even easier.
For the rest of the morning, many customers who passed by the storage box section were attracted by the transparent design. A quick introduction from the clerks was enough to turn interest into sales.
By noon, Yang Wendong personally visited the Carrefour supermarket in Changxing Plaza. Liu Huayu and Wei Zetao came to greet him with smiles.
"Mr. Yang, we've already sold 86 units just this morning," said Liu Huayu cheerfully. "And that's just from this one store. Looks like Changxing Industrial has another hit product on its hands."
"First-day numbers tend to be inflated," Yang Wendong said with a grin. "Once people who've already bought or seen them have made their decision, sales will stabilize."
Liu Huayu nodded. "That's true. But homes in Hong Kong are usually quite small. These storage boxes really do fill a gap in the market."
"Still, the real focus should be exports," Yang Wendong said as he turned to Wei Zetao. "Old Wei, your next task is to lead the export drive. Prioritize cities similar to Hong Kong—places with limited living space but decent economic conditions."
Plastic could replace wood only under the right conditions. In very poor areas, wardrobes and cabinets would still be made of wood, because local labor and materials were cheap. But in developed regions, plastic was cheaper and more practical.
Wei Zetao responded, "Understood. My first export target is Japan. In recent years, they've been emulating Western urban development, but their population density is much higher than Europe or America. A lot of their cities resemble Hong Kong."
"Japan really is an ideal market," Yang Wendong said, smiling. "Can production keep up? Their demand could be dozens of times higher than Hong Kong's."
"No worries there, Mr. Yang," Wei Zetao replied confidently. "Changxing Industrial Park is already one of the largest plastic product manufacturing bases in Asia. Our production speed is incredibly fast.
What's more, many of our suppliers have idle equipment. As long as we provide them with the molds, they can start production immediately. The structure of the storage box is simple—it's easy to manufacture. Even if we have to scale production 100x, we could do it in just a few months. Only if we run out of equipment would we hit a bottleneck."
"And even then, we still have Dongsheng," Yang Wendong said, nodding. "That's the advantage of owning the entire supply chain—everything is in our hands. When we launch a product, we can go to market almost instantly."
The benefit of vertical integration wasn't just lower costs—it was speed and control. When everyone in the chain was aligned, execution was fast and efficient. The opposite was also true: relying on external suppliers often led to delays and half-hearted cooperation.
Of course, part of this efficiency came from the relative simplicity of Changxing's creative products. For more complex items like home appliances, even a well-coordinated team couldn't shorten development cycles as much. Still, things would move much faster than in a disjointed supply chain.
"Exactly," Wei Zetao nodded. "Now we're just missing the raw plastic production. But give it another three months, and the Tsing Yi Island factory will be finished. Our Japanese-made equipment will arrive, and then we can try producing plastic ourselves."
"Good," Yang Wendong said with satisfaction. "If all goes well, we can scale up production. We might not reach Formosa Plastics' level, but at the very least, we won't have to rely on them completely. Plus, we'll be bringing new industries to Hong Kong."
In the future, Hong Kong would inevitably face deindustrialization—that was the fate of most advanced economies. Capital naturally favored finance and real estate, not unpredictable factories.
Even if Yang Wendong could force some industries to stay in Hong Kong, keeping them alive while bleeding money wouldn't make sense. It wouldn't be sustainable. That's why he needed to seed Hong Kong with industries that were truly suited to its conditions.
The best candidates were naturally electronics, semiconductors, or LCD manufacturing, but those were still years away. Too early to touch. In the current era, petroleum-based industries were ideal.
In his past life, Singapore's economy had caught up to and even surpassed Hong Kong's by the 21st century. One of the key reasons was its strong internal support for the petrochemical sector.
Of course, even as a time traveler, Yang Wendong couldn't guarantee success. But there was no harm in trying. And for now, having plastic production facilities in Hong Kong would directly benefit his existing industries. It was a clear win.
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