In the scorching summer, on the Route 783 bus heading towards Beicang, there were mostly elderly folks returning from a stroll in Yongcheng city area.
Their chirping conversations echoed throughout the entire space.
Gu Qingqing, Qin Siyu, and Zhao Xianbo sat side by side in the last row.
Unlike last time, this time they were smarter.
If they sat in the front row, these elderly folks would ask them to give up their seats.
Standing for over an hour to Beicang was truly unpleasant.
It wasn't a big deal for the elderly folks to go to the city; it was simply because bus rides were free for seniors.
They would wander around the city, have breakfast, or buy some groceries.
But on their way back, they appeared to be walking with faltering steps.
If Gu Qingqing had told Tan Jincheng about this experience last time, Tan Jincheng would have merely smiled.
This was probably one of the distinguishing features of the Route 783 bus, where such incidents happened daily on its round trip between Beicang and the city area.
In his previous life, Tan Jincheng had taken this bus many times and often encountered such situations.
Once, while standing near the bus door waiting to alight, an elderly woman rushing off the bus cut his finger with a hard object, and blood instantly gushed out.
As soon as the elderly woman saw what happened, she ran away.
In the end, a cleaner by the roadside helped Tan Jincheng stop the bleeding first, and he then went to the hospital on his own to get several stitches.
"Hey, Qingqing, let me tell you something. After we go back today, Zhao Xianbo and I want to treat you to a meal,"
Qin Siyu said, nudging Gu Qingqing, who was lost in thought.
"Yes, Classmate Gu, Qin Siyu and I want to treat you to a meal to thank you for helping us get the job,"
Zhao Xianbo also nodded, though he didn't dare call Gu Qingqing by her first name like Qin Siyu.
Gu Qingqing smiled and said,
"Next time. Boss Tan will probably treat us to dinner tonight."
"Oh, eating at their company cafeteria again? Then tell us when the time comes; we have something to do tonight, so we'll leave without eating."
It was indeed like that last Sunday.
It was quite late after the shoot, so Boss Tan had the cafeteria cook a few dishes, and then sent the three of them back after dinner.
Gu Qingqing just smiled and didn't speak.
This time was different; last time was probably impromptu, but this time Boss Tan explicitly said they would have dinner together, so it naturally wouldn't be just a casual meal in the cafeteria.
Gu Qingqing had previously mentioned to Qin Siyu that all future clothing photography work would be handed over to her.
If she was too busy to handle it, Gu Qingqing would temporarily step in.
Logically, Gu Qingqing no longer needed to come along, especially on such a hot day.
But for some reason, Gu Qingqing couldn't help but want to come along and see.
The excuse she found was simply to learn how to operate on-site with the customer service staff.
Thinking of this reason, Gu Qingqing herself felt a bit shy.
It was simply because Tan Jincheng said that from next week until the end of the month, he might be on a business trip for a long time, and Tan Jincheng himself didn't know exactly how long.
It could be ten days to half a month, or even more than a month.
In short, they wouldn't see each other on weekends for a long time.
For no reason, Gu Qingqing felt a sudden panic.
By this point, even if she was caught in the moment, Gu Qingqing already knew that she had developed feelings for Tan Jincheng.
Was it love?
Gu Qingqing wasn't sure, but it was certainly the first time in her life she had felt something for a boy.
It wasn't because he was rich.
If one were to compare their family fortunes, Gu Qingqing's family assets were not inferior to Tan Jincheng's, and perhaps even higher.
With half a floor of shops in the International Trade City, whether in terms of actual valuation or rent, Tan Jincheng at this time really couldn't compare.
What attracted Gu Qingqing was Tan Jincheng's very contradictory temperament: gentle as jade in daily life, but full of presence at work.
In Boss Tan's words, it was a sense of contrast, a big boy with a very strong sense of contrast.
Since she had feelings, she would face them directly.
Unlike most people, Gu Qingqing was the type who dared to love and hate.
Having determined what was in her heart, she would seek more interaction to confirm whether she truly liked this big boy, or if it was merely a feeling beyond ordinary friendship.
"More than friends, not yet lovers; sweet worries, joyful confusion; what will become of us, I can't wait to know the answer."
The song "Not Yet Lovers" by S.H.E. played in her headphones at the right moment, seemingly expressing Gu Qingqing's current mood.
"I wonder what Boss Tan feels about me? He probably doesn't dislike me, right?"
---
"Hello, General Manager Zhang, yes yes, we'll be there the day after tomorrow, which is Monday. No need, no need, just send us the exact address then, and we can navigate directly, it won't take long, right?"
"Alright, alright, then it's settled. Thank you, General Manager Zhang."
"I'll leave it at that for now, I won't disturb you further, General Manager Zhang."
After hanging up the phone, Tan Jincheng took a bottle of mineral water from the small refrigerator in his office and handed it to Gu Qingqing, who was sitting on the sofa.
"It must be tough riding the bus on such a hot day, wasn't it?"
Tan Jincheng asked with a smile.
Shortly after the girl came in, he received a call from Bo Neng to confirm his itinerary and how many people would be attending.
It seemed the other party attached considerable importance to this on-site visit.
Based on the information received, Bo Neng currently had around 400 employees, clearly a medium-sized enterprise.
Tan Jincheng likely understood why the other party was so serious: future battery orders from an electric vehicle company designed for an annual production capacity of over 30,000 units would be quite attractive to a medium-sized enterprise.
An electric vehicle is equipped with more than one battery.
Besides the battery normally installed on the electric vehicle, there would also be a trade-in program.
Tan Jincheng planned to use 72V20Ah high-power lead-acid batteries for the Shanchi series.
Currently, the procurement cost for such battery packs from major brands on the market is around 650 yuan for new batteries, with used ones being cheaper.
If possible, Tan Jincheng wanted to control the price below 600 yuan.
If he could negotiate it down to 500 yuan, that would be even better.
But he thought that might not be possible.
For under 500 yuan, only 60V and 48V batteries could be bought, which would involve cutting features.
48V was not being considered for now.
Currently, due to the design of the frame and plastic parts, the Shanchi series only considered 60V and 72V models.
After testing and comparison, the calculated procurement cost for the seven core major components was approximately 1060 yuan, with batteries accounting for the largest portion.
This 1060 yuan was also based on the battery price being controllable within 600 yuan.
"We can still push the price down, even if it's just 10 yuan less. The ideal scenario would be to control the procurement cost of the seven core major parts within 800 yuan. That would be best."
A cost of around 800 yuan, plus some other additional costs, miscellaneous expenses controlled around 1000 yuan, and a final retail price of 1999 yuan for the end retailer, would yield a gross profit of 100%.
To be even more exploitative, one could achieve higher.
For example, using refurbished batteries, which consumers normally wouldn't notice, or selling only the empty vehicle and having the battery bought separately, which could also earn a profit on the electronics, making the total selling price exceed 1999 yuan.
However, since the goal was to establish a brand, such unethical practices couldn't be done.
A 100% gross profit margin from cost to retailer already provided enough room to open up the market.
A cost price of 1000 yuan, selling to terminals at 1500 or 1600 yuan, and then they sell for 1999 yuan—isn't a 400-500 yuan operating margin enough for them to earn?
Of course, at the beginning, one certainly couldn't reveal one's bottom line.
One would have to negotiate, and even getting it to 1650 yuan would be good.
Designed with an annual production capacity of 36,000 units per production line and an ex-factory price of 1500 yuan, the annual output value would be 54 million yuan.
After establishing a firm footing this year, another production line could be added next year, so by 2006, Shanchi Vehicle Industry could achieve a genuine annual output value of 100 million yuan.
But all of this had to start by conquering Bo Neng.
Next week's visit couldn't afford to go wrong.
In fact, Tan Jincheng had no turning back.
Procurement plans for some small parts had already been finalized, and 50% of the mold manufacturing costs for the exterior plastic parts had already been paid to Zhang Mingcan.
In the future, over 60% of plastic part orders would also be given to Zhang Mingcan.
There was an advantage to purchasing plastic parts from Zhang Mingcan: when orders reached a certain volume, Zhang Mingcan would return the mold manufacturing costs, and the cost of making molds for a set of electric vehicle exterior parts was not cheap.
As for the remaining 40% of plastic part production capacity, Tan Jincheng planned to handle it himself.
Labor wages were cheap these days.
A machine setter with a few day and night shift workers, some robotic arms installed on the plastic presses, and mold designs that preferably chose semi-automatic demolding methods.
With the machines running non-stop 24 hours a day, a certain plastic product could produce nearly half a month's worth in a single day.
Shanchi Vehicle Industry had its own plastic presses; although they were all second-hand, the brand was Haitan.
Some simple plastic products could entirely meet the production capacity themselves.
While reducing the procurement cost of plastic parts, it could also support a group of workers, preventing dependence on others at critical moments.
Additionally, Tan Jincheng also had a bit of a trick up his sleeve regarding plastic parts.
Normally, for plastic parts that don't have special quality requirements, PP material is used.
When producing the products, a little recycled material could be added, and the product's wall thickness of 2mm could also be changed to 1.8mm. A difference of 0.2mm would make it a bit softer, but couldn't you just design the appearance to be more appealing?
"What? The fender broke with one bump? How could this thing not break when hit? Do you think it's a car bumper? As long as the frame is fine."
"How much does it cost to replace a fender?"
"Let's discuss this."
Hmm, maybe those shops that repair motorcycles and electric vehicles would even thank him.
"Come on, let's go to the workshop. I'll show you how a design turns from plastic into a product,"
Tan Jincheng said with a smile to Gu Qingqing.
Staying in the office seemed to be pointless.
Today, Zhang Mingcan happened to bring over a few molds for trial.
The factory didn't have any days off, let alone today being Saturday.
Tan Jincheng had never seen a factory in Beicang with a two-day weekend, not even for administrative staff!
Only two chapters today.
I've had a headache for several days recently, and churning out ten thousand words every day is too much.
(End of Chapter)
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