The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

When Lin Zhichao received the 538,000 Hong Kong dollars from Li Gaofu, he immediately laughed. It was beyond his expectation that Wang Tongyuan was so easily fooled.

"This is your commission of 53,000 Hong Kong dollars. If you agree to a good deal, you will naturally keep your word!"

He didn't care how Li Gaofu easily made this money, but he only knew that six second-hand machines or obsolete machines were actually sold for the price of four new machines he imported from Germany.

What a deal!

"Thank you Lin Sheng!"

"You deserve it, thank you for what I did!"

Li Gaofu did not remain polite. Although the money was great for him, to his cousin, it was probably just a drop in the bucket. As for the 10% commission, he originally wanted to help, but since his cousin insisted, he couldn't resist.

"This Wang Tongyuan is so happy that he is still dreaming about his spring and autumn dream of being a zipper king!" Li Gaofu joked.

"Everything is fair competition! Six machines cost US$16,000 each, which is not expensive for him to buy. As for the rest, everyone will use their own methods. This is a shopping mall." Lin Zhichao said nonchalantly.

"It makes sense! He has already decided to fail by entering this industry rashly." Li Gaofu laughed at Wang Tongyuan. However, he was also grateful to Wang Tongyuan for allowing him to receive a commission of more than 50,000 yuan.

The two chatted for a few more words, and then Li Gaofu stood up and left.

Later, Lin Zhichao called Wang Liang and said: "The machine has been sold! Now you ask the sales department to inform the major zipper demand customers in Hong Kong that our new aluminum alloy zipper only costs 7 cents a piece. How to promote it specifically? You should understand!"

Wang Liang said confidently: "Of course! We make it with new machines. Whether it is zippers or sliders, the craftsmanship and quality are higher than those of old machines. And the price of 70 cents, even the Hong Kong zipper factory is willing to make it, but the quality is poor For one thing, zipper demand suppliers in Hong Kong are not allowed to choose us.”

Lin Zhichao deliberately left Wang Tongyuan a chance of survival, which was not an act of kindness.

If Wang Tongyuan wants to receive an order, it is possible for at least HKD 0.65;

Even with this price of 0.05 Hong Kong dollars cheaper, merchants in Hong Kong will still choose Cheung Kong Industrial zippers.

Therefore, Wang Tongyuan is already on the edge of the cliff!

At the same time, Lin Zhichao did not give him the last push, but let history give him this push.

If the Hong Kong zipper factory can persist until the middle of next year, it will naturally go out of business if it finds that aluminum alloy cannot be imported.

As for Hong Kong customers, they will take advantage of this opportunity next year to raise prices back or even raise prices.

Anyway, it is already a monopoly business, and it is not the final decision of Cheung Kong Holdings.

The Hong Kong zipper factory is holding an 'opening ceremony'. It originally had three machines. Wang Tongyuan planned to keep a low profile and did not want to invite friends to visit. Things are different now. The Hong Kong Zipper Factory owns nine automatic zipper rice arranging machines. Naturally, he wants his friends to pay their respects.

In the past few days, through research with his subordinates, he found that if the materials could be ordered in large quantities, the price could be reduced to 5.5 cents. This greatly increased their confidence, and they felt that it was a mistake for Cheung Kong Industries to rely on agents.

"Brother Tongyuan, you also set up a zipper factory. Is this very profitable?" my friend joked with a smile.

"Whatever I want to make, I just feel that diversified development is very promising, so I try to do it." Wang Tongyuan said modestly.

"Hey, there are still nine automatic zipper machines. Are you trying to compete with Yangtze River Industries?" Another friend looked at the large number of machines in the factory.

"No, we are late learners, but there is only one zipper factory in Hong Kong, which is obviously too monopolistic. So, let's compete fairly!" Wang Tongyuan said with a proud expression.

Friends congratulated Wang Tongyuan one after another, but there was one person in the crowd, fellow textile tycoon Tang Bingyuan, who was carefully observing the rice rowing machine in the factory.

It seems that Wang Tongyuan deliberately invited Tang Bingyuan so that he could declare war on Lin Zhichao through him, saying that he also wanted to enter the zipper industry. Let's compete fairly!

"Hey, brother Tongyuan, why is this machine of yours similar to the machine of Yangtze River Corporation? It feels like a second-hand rice rowing machine that was eliminated by Yangtze River Corporation."

As soon as Tang Bingyuan finished speaking, he attracted the attention of more than a dozen Shanghai businessmen.

Wang Tongyuan's face was slightly red. After all, it was a second-hand mobile phone, but he still said: "It is indeed a second-hand mobile phone imported from Germany, but it is not eliminated by Yangtze River Industries. Besides, their factory has only been open for a few years, how could they eliminate the machines? ?”

It is impossible for machines to become obsolete in just two years. This is Wang Tongyuan’s view.

Tang Bingyuan seemed to understand a possibility at this time. Thinking that Wang Tongyuan wanted to take advantage of him, he deliberately raised his voice and said: "You may not know, Yangtze River Industry uses an improved automatic zipper rice arranging machine. You can build 1,800 buildings an hour." , then their machine is 3600, which is twice as fast and of better quality; at the same time, they also use an automatic slider stamping machine, abandoning the traditional slider production process. I have visited Yangtze River Industrial, so it is very Clearly, they originally had 16 rice arranging machines, six of which were old machines like this. And here you are”

For a time, everyone paid attention to this matter!

Wang Tongyuan and Wu Mingcheng were stunned. At this time, they seemed to understand that they had been tricked by Lin Zhichao.

"Could this be that Yangtze River Industries eliminated six machines and then deliberately sold them to Brother Tongyuan?" Someone said with an 'angry' tone.

Tang Bingyuan always had to protect his niece and son-in-law, saying: "Cheung Kong Industrial sold it on purpose, and Brother Tong Yuan has to buy it. Brother Tong Yuan is not stupid, how could he buy the machine that Changjiang Industrial eliminated."

"That makes sense!"

"That's right, Brother Tongyuan is so smart!"

All the friends held back their laughter and comforted Wang Tongyuan.

At this time, they already understood some things. It may be that the machines eliminated by Cheung Kong were sold to other agents; and this agent sold them to the Hong Kong zipper factory.

As for whether there is any meaning for Yangtze River Industries in this, it is unknown.

Of course, these are not the most important things. The most important thing is that Wang Tongyuan is going to be unlucky. From Tang Bingyuan's mouth, I learned that Changjiang Industrial used improved zipper rice arranging machines and automatic slider punching machines. With these alone, the Hong Kong zipper factory had no way out.

When all the guests left, Wang Tongyuan finally couldn't help but cursed: "These Cantonese guys are more treacherous than the last!"

Wu Mingcheng immediately did not dare to speak, because if it was true, then the real revenge of Cheung Kong Industries had just begun.

Maybe it’s worry, eagerness to turn it into reality.

"Boss, Manager Wu, just now a garment factory called and said that the order would be cancelled. They told us that Cheung Kong's zippers for the whole of Hong Kong only cost seven cents. And, and," a salesman hurried in and said After talking about it, I didn’t dare to say the next words.

"And what?" Wang Tongyuan said with a serious face.

"And the quality is very good. It is said that the newly improved machine produces chain teeth, and the automatic slider stamping machine produces sliders. In short, even if we quote 6 cents, they will not buy us." The salesman said tremblingly.

Wang Tongyuan was so angry that he almost vomited blood.

The zipper factory invested with a cost of 250,000 US dollars has almost turned into a pile of scrap metal. Of course, it may be able to be produced, but it will never use a few machines, and it can only be regarded as lingering.

"Lin Zhichao" Wang Tongyuan whispered through gritted teeth.

In this battle, he was completely defeated!

If it is counted as a loss, I am afraid it will cost millions of Hong Kong dollars. With such a large amount of money, the Hong Kong textile factory will have to earn more than a year.

Cheung Kong regained the zipper market in Hong Kong and firmly held onto the Southeast Asian market, all due to the credit of the machine and the cost.

This time, Cheung Kong did not actually suffer any losses. Originally, Lin Zhichao was pursuing a gross profit of 30% to 40% (that is, excluding machine loss and plant loss).

Even if it currently pays 70 cents to Hong Kong customers, Cheung Kong still has a gross profit of 40 to 45%; not to mention, several machines to be eliminated have withdrawn more than 480,000 yuan, which is his unplanned income.

This unexpected capital was enough to cover the purchase of 150,000 square feet of land.

Changjiang Industrial currently only has 15 automatic zipper rice arranging machines in production, but the annual output is 5.4 million meters, so the output has not decreased; on the contrary, there are 5 automatic zipper rice arranging machines to be delivered by the end of the year, and the output will reach 720 Thousands of meters.

Of course, orders will definitely not grow that fast.

The conference room of Cheung Kong Holdings.

The gathering of senior executives showed that Changjiang Industrial has grown into a large industrial company.

"Let's get started!" Lin Zhichao said, sitting at the head of the table.

Next, Bao Chunlai took the lead in reporting: "At present, our Xingdao Engineering has undertaken all orders from the Americas. From the import of raw materials, receiving orders, production and manufacturing, delivery and other steps, we have implemented a one-stop independent operation."

What we want is this effect. Even the finance is run independently. Of course, the finance is sent from Hong Kong. Of course, the Sing Tao factory is still operated under the Yangtze River Industrial Group. The headquarters has the responsibility for supervision and guidance. It can only be said to be a relatively independent subsidiary.

Lin Zhichao said: "Okay, I will go to inspect it after a while, and I hope you will be the same as the head office. As for the orders, we will take over the American orders for the time being; after the remaining five machines are delivered, we will consider taking on the European orders."

Bao Chunlai said enthusiastically: "Okay!"

As time went by, he felt that he was rising again, and this time he felt more at ease.

Next, various departments reported their work one after another. Generally speaking, everything is developing steadily and steadily. In 1950, Cheung Kong Industries was expected to achieve a gross profit of HK$5 million (which can be understood as net profit, that is, excluding the cost of machinery and factory buildings).

As for 1951~1953, Lin Zhichao was already prepared for slow and difficult development. After all, the Peninsula War and the rise of YKK zippers would be new challenges.

Finally, Lin Zhichao said: "The deputy general manager and department managers should be more proactive in their work and have a broader vision in the future. To put it simply, they should all share some of their responsibilities for me, because my energy needs to be allocated to other undertakings. I hope that I am not in Hong Kong, but you can still organize management meetings, analyze internal and external affairs, and achieve corporate development."

Everyone quickly responded ‘yes’.

This is a strategy of Lin Zhichao, to cultivate the independent capabilities of the management of his companies and free up his own energy. After all, Lin Zhichao will probably have several group companies in the future.

In Lin Zhichao's view, instead of dividing the family like Li Chaoren did in his previous life, it would be better to set up several large groups from the beginning, and his son would directly take charge of them in the future.

Shipping, real estate, and industry are the three major group companies. Each group company can be involved in many industries and even cross-border industries.

Early November.

The crisis on Hong Kong Island still hangs over every citizen, and land prices have plummeted by 70%.

Of course, although land prices have plummeted by 70%, the Hong Kong government has definitely stopped auctioning land.

As for the land on the market that was eager to cash out, although there were some, the quality varied. Lin Zhichao did not take a fancy to it for a while. After all, he had time to choose. If the land, although cheap, has limited future development, he would obviously give it serious consideration.

Location is also very important!

But on this day, when Lin Zhichao took Hu Zhaoxu through Paterson Street in Causeway Bay, his eyes suddenly lit up.

I saw that there were all warehouses here, but they felt a little deserted, or piled with junk; it was obvious that the warehouses here were not valued by the original owners.

At the same time, Lin Zhichao also knew that Paterson Street was also a shopping street in Causeway Bay in later generations. The famous Japanese Daimaru Department Store was the first to land in Hong Kong. In the early 1960s, its opening attracted tens of thousands of people to shop and go shopping.

The shopping street of later generations is still a warehouse. If it is concentrated on this street, it can be planned to be developed into residential, commercial retail, office buildings, etc., all in one street.

In Hong Kong, or in this era, commercial and residential buildings can be developed in one building. The lower one is a shopping mall, and the upper one is residential and even office areas. Some people even move factories into it (family workshops).

As a result, a lot of contradictions have arisen. Factories are disturbing residents, and the neon lights of shops are glaring, etc., resulting in different prices for different floors and units.

Because of this complexity, later generations of people like Tai invented the "communal contract", but his public stall was completely different from that in India. What Tai invented was actually called a "public contract", which mainly solved the problem of each householder being responsible for a certain amount of management fees. In the future, if this building is demolished or collapsed, each unit will be folded into several pieces of land, which can be divided according to the price when buying the building. The underground shops are more expensive and account for a larger proportion, but the management fee will also be more expensive. ; As soon as a buyer purchases a property, he or she must sign a public contract and bear joint responsibilities and expenses.

Later, this "public contract" was developed by India into a clever strategy for "area reduction". It is really better than the previous one.

"Manager Hu, from now on, you will lead your team to focus on conquering the warehouses and other properties on Baidexin Street, and acquire as many as possible, but the price must be reasonable."

Hu Zhaoxu immediately said: "Boss, the warehouse on Paterson Street is basically owned by Bu Nei Men Co., Ltd. It is headquartered in London and mainly deals in soda ash and fertilizers, and has many sales channels in the mainland."

Lin Zhichao nodded with satisfaction. It seemed that Hu Zhaoxu had been carefully investigating properties and land on Hong Kong Island in recent years.

"That's just right. Bu Nei Men Co., Ltd. has lost its market in the mainland, and these warehouses in Hong Kong are slowly being eliminated, so they will sell it. However, we can't show that we have to buy it. I can tell you that within three or four years, , Hong Kong will be in this current situation. So, you slowly communicate with them, the price must be reasonable, and communicate with me if there is any situation."

"Okay, I will definitely do my best!"

Since Daimaru Department Store in Hong Kong opened in the late 1960s and early 1960s, the previous owners should have been the Cheung Yu-liang family in Hong Kong. It is said that their family purchased a large amount of land on Paterson Street and developed many commercial and residential buildings. It can be inferred that this family made a lot of money selling medicines during the Peninsular War, and it is said that some medicines of unknown origin were sold.

Now that Lin Zhichao has taken a fancy to it, he will spend several million Hong Kong dollars to clear out a large number of warehouses in Bu Neimen, and let him plan the development of this street.

Lin Zhichao estimated that one side of Paterson Street would have about 200,000 square feet (Patrick Street is shorter). If all of them were taken, it would cost about HK$3 to 4 million (land prices have plummeted by 50 to 70%). ).

Assuming that the Zhang Yuliang family in the previous life purchased it in the mid-1950s, it would have cost an estimated seven to eight million Hong Kong dollars, which shows the strength of the Zhang family.

Returning to the office building in Central, Lin Zhichao came to an office room listed as "Global Shipping", with a total of 800 square feet and an annual rent of 12,000.

"boss"

Several management and staff members inside greeted him one after another.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "Are you ready?"

A gentle man in his thirties immediately said: "When you are ready, we can start establishing the Global Maritime School and recruiting."

He is the deputy general manager of Global Shipping recruited by Lin Zhichao. His name is Feng Yongfa, but he is a native of Ningbo. He has studied in college and worked as an executive in a mainland government-run shipping company. The only pity is that he is an executive in an inland shipping company.

But it doesn’t matter, we all learn and make progress together. Interestingly, most of the management and staff of Global Shipping are from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai. Even Lin Zhichao speaks Wu dialect (generally referring to the language of Jiangnan).

Using magic to defeat magic, Lin Zhichao is the son-in-law of the Shanghai style in this enterprise, intending to compete with the four shipping kings of the Shanghai style. Of course, he started at the Dong Ship King level, maybe even higher. After all, two of Dong Shipwang's three 10,000-ton ships were confiscated by the Americans and did not return until the Peninsula Campaign. They were used to help the United States escort supplies or transport troops to Taiwan.

"Well, then we will recruit seamen and ship maintenance workers on the second floor of the Cheung Kong Industrial Building in Tsuen Wan. They will undergo systematic training for three to six months. Once my ship arrives at the port, it will be shipped immediately."

"Well, let me show you the recruitment standards and requirements." Feng Yongfa took out a piece of paper seriously.

1. Priority will be given to those who have served as seamen or navy soldiers.

2. Priority will be given to those who know how to repair ships.

3. Those who have served as captain, first mate or second mate will be given priority.

The recruitment requirements one after another can be described as a big wave, and in the end there are only 80 places.

"Well, that's about it! Try to recruit all the people in November, and I will buy ships as soon as possible."

"Okay, let's take action immediately!"

The people in the office were full of enthusiasm. Although the boss is from Guangdong Province, he called himself the son-in-law of the Shanghai School to win everyone over. At the same time, when they first arrived in Hong Kong, they were lucky to meet such a powerful boss.

Open a global maritime school, recruit colleges, recruit professional maritime elites to teach students, and even foreign captains and maintenance engineers give lectures.

At the same time, the boss also said that Global Shipping will purchase three freighters with a capacity of 8,000 to 10,000 tons within half a year.

Big money, almost 8-10 million investment.

really!

Lin Zhichao divided the US$1.71 million of Changjiang Real Estate into two parts: US$610,000 (about 3.4 million Hong Kong dollars) was reserved for Changjiang Real Estate to purchase reserve land; of which US$1.1 million (about 6.2 million Hong Kong dollars) was used to purchase two large ships.

At the same time, Cheung Kong took out another 3 million Hong Kong dollars for the purchase of a ship.