The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

After the Spring Festival.

Lin Zhichao came to Yangtze River Industrial Group and read the financial statements in the office. In 1957, the profit of the Yangtze River Industrial Group was HK$86 million, the investment limit was HK$28 million, and the net inflow into the account was HK$58 million; together with the previous working capital, the Yangtze River Industrial Group already had deposits of HK$120 million.

There is nowhere to spend the money!

This is Lin Zhichao's current trouble, including Global Shipping, which can only earn interest on the account.

Global Shipping and Yangtze River Industrial Group, the money earned by these two groups is in foreign exchange. This is something that Lin Zhichao is quite proud of.

In the previous life, among the four major families in Hong Kong, only Li Jiacheng made his fortune through industry, so his ultimate achievements and vision were also high, and he was not limited to real estate.

In this life, Lin Zhichao's Yangtze River Industrial Group was enough to add to his foundation.

"Boss, Manager Tao has gained a lot in the United States. After hearing the reports about Qiai Company, some dealers have chosen our Yangtze Plastic Factory as a partner. It is expected that we can increase orders of several million US dollars." Deputy General Manager Wang Liang Reported the latest good news.

Of course, Lin Zhichao still said calmly: "It's best if there is something to gain from this matter. Even if there is no gain, it can promote the welfare of Hong Kong workers. Don't worry too much! Moreover, this matter will not really affect Qi Ai Company, so we can't Stop paying attention and focus on your own quality and technology.”

Wang Liang nodded and said: "It makes sense! There are currently 500 plastic flower factories in Hong Kong, and the number is still increasing. The competition in this industry is really fierce." There was already some worry in his words.

Lin Zhichao also understands this. At the peak of plastic flowers in Hong Kong in his previous life, it was said that there were 3,000 plastic flower factories. The result was that as soon as a large number of factories were born, the plastic flower industry declined, and a large number of factories had to close down.

"The plastic flower machinery and equipment can also produce some parts of toys. This investment is not a loss."

Wang Liang thought for a while and asked a question: "Boss, according to the scale growth of Yangtze River Plastic Flower, theoretically we will need a lot of workers, but our labor costs are high; and if we use a large number of OEMs, we will also lose part of our profits; With the establishment of a large number of small plastic factories, profit margins have gradually decreased. Therefore, I think it is better to slowly increase the number of fixed workers to 6,000. Maybe 8,000 to 10,000 workers were originally needed. Although the cost of workers is higher, at least they are cheaper than generation workers. I can earn more by working.”

Lin Zhichao thought for a moment and said: "It is feasible. There is nothing wrong with adjusting the strategy according to the specific situation!"

At that time, he still underestimated the scale of the plastic flower industry. At first, he thought that 3,000 formal workers would be enough, and for the remaining parts, he could seek out OEMs.

Now it seems that in two or three years, even 6,000 people will not be able to stop it. I am afraid that dozens of larger factories will be needed, and a total of 5,000 to 6,000 workers will be needed.

Calculating this, the Yangtze Plastic Factory can support tens of thousands of workers, and it is easy to support 6,000 people.

Currently, the Yangtze Plastic Factory implements a ‘two-shift’ working model, otherwise the cost of machinery is high.

"Okay, I will have a meeting with Manager Tao and others to discuss this later."

"Um"

After Wang Liang left, Lin Zhichao thought for a moment.

The popularity of the plastic flower industry will subside in 1967, because at that time the Suez Canal was closed and freight costs increased significantly (the increase in oil freight costs will increase the cost of raw materials; when plastic flowers are exported, freight will also increase); until the 1973 oil crisis , plastic flower products are almost destroyed, because the raw materials of plastic flowers are petroleum derivatives.

Combining this information, Yangtze Plastic Factory could consider the "main OEM model" in 1963 and gradually reduce investment in labor and equipment.

So there are still seven or eight years of "making money" time, and it is expected that he can earn about 200 million. Including the 'wig industry', a profit of HK$250 million has been booked in the future.

As for the zipper industry and the toy industry, they are both long-term businesses and can be transferred to the mainland to invest in factories in the future.

The luggage and instant noodle industries will be handed over to Cheung Kong Holdings.

At the end of February, Hong Kong ushered in a new Governor - Robert B. Robertson. This was the original Governor of Sing Tao. He also served as the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong in the early 1950s and served as Acting Governor three times.

Grant Lianghong resigned from office in December last year. The Governor of Hong Kong usually has a vacuum period, and the Chief Secretary acts as the Governor. Therefore, among the three departments in Hong Kong, the Chief Secretary is truly under one person. Whenever the Governor is on vacation, the Chief Secretary will act as the Governor. The Chief Secretary will act as the Governor of Hong Kong.

Lin Zhichao also participated in Bai Liji's appointment activities, and he had no opinions in his mind. It would be the same for anyone who became governor. Moreover, the Governor of Hong Kong, Robert Brickey, also made many contributions in his previous life. For example, he took back Hong Kong's independent financial power and no longer had to report to London. After taking back its financial power, Sir Robert Kwok came to serve as Financial Secretary in the early 1960s. At that time, it adopted an economic policy dominated by "free market", which gradually developed into a "positive non-intervention policy" in the future, and was pursued by successive financial secretaries.

For businessmen, this policy is simply a paradise. The Hong Kong government does not interfere with business activities. This is a business society of "survival of the fittest".

For example: In his previous life, Li Jiacheng once publicly opposed restrictions on the freedom of capital entry and exit in Hong Kong. This was one of the rare times when he stood up.

Similarly, for Lin Zhichao in this life, the most important thing is the 'freedom of access to funds'. The reason is obvious. If nothing else, if there is an investment project overseas, he can get the funds in place within one day without being affected by 'foreign exchange restrictions'.

At the dinner that night, Bai Liji deliberately chatted with Lin Zhichao a few more times. Such behavior also made the guests aware of Lin Zhichao's influence.

Bai Liji said humorously: "Mr. Lin, I have only been away from Hong Kong for three years, and you have changed the fastest!"

He is a down-to-earth person with a sense of humor. His more than 20 years of service in the colonies has also brought him a lot of experience. He knows how to manage a colony, which is to establish a relationship with the local 'conglomerates'.

Because the upper echelons of Hong Kong are almost all British. They understand the local situation in Hong Kong from the Chinese members of the Legislative Council and the Executive Council, the bosses of British-owned foreign companies, and now there is another one - Chinese business tycoons.

Lin Zhichao responded in an equally humorous manner: "It's not that I have changed quickly, but that the Governor of Hong Kong laid a solid foundation for Hong Kong's industry when he served as the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong. Therefore, he has accumulated a lot of experience, which has led to the rapid development of Hong Kong's industry in the past few years."

People around couldn't help sighing that Lin Zhichao's ability to "climb to relationships" is really very strong.

From 1952.2 to 1955.3, Bai Liji served as the Chief Secretary (Colonial Secretary) of Hong Kong. His main job was to assist the then Governor Sir Grantham in handling economic affairs. The situation at that time was very complicated. The burden brought by the influx of "refugees" to Hong Kong's finances, and the impact of the embargo imposed by the United States on Hong Kong's re-export trade after the outbreak of the Korean War were all complex issues.

When Lin Zhichao said this, he undoubtedly praised Bai Liji for his contribution to Hong Kong's industry during that time, which led to the development of Hong Kong's industry today.

As expected, Bai Liji couldn't stop smiling, and then said: "The achievements of Hong Kong's industry today are indeed amazing to me in Star Island, and I am also very pleased. For this, Governor Ge Lianghong, I am just..."

In humility, he determined his contribution again, this is all human beings!

The industry in Hong Kong is indeed developing very fast, and it is much better than the same period in the previous life. This is because:

The 'wig industry' and 'plastic flower industry' are now the fourth and third largest industries in Hong Kong; in the previous life, plastic flowers started in 1957 and wigs in 1958.

There is also the toy industry and the zipper industry. In previous lives, they did not have the current scale and there was no zipper industry at all. In the previous life, the total export volume of Hong Kong's toy industry in 1957 was only HK$52.4 million. Last year (1957), the total export volume of the Yangtze River Toy Factory was as high as more than HK$70 million (profit of HK$16.5 million, including doll clothing). The total export volume of Hong Kong's toys It was 140 million, nearly three times that of the previous life. Needless to say, there is no need to mention the zipper industry. Hong Kong did not have this industry in its previous life. Last year, the total export volume of zippers produced in Hong Kong reached more than 200 million.

It is estimated that the industrial output value during the same period will be about 30% higher than in the previous generation.

Although only Lin Zhichao understands these data, he is still very proud in his heart.

And from now on, when people around the world talk about Hong Kong, they will immediately think of plastic flowers, suitcases, instant noodles, Rubik's Cube, etc., all invented by Hong Kong people, which will immediately expand Hong Kong's influence.

After chatting for a while, Bai Liji greeted the others, but the time he stayed with Lin Zhichao was even longer than that of some foreign companies. It can be seen from this point that Lin Zhichao's status in the eyes of senior Hong Kong government officials is no less than that of Taipan, a foreign banker.

A few days later, Lin Zhichao took several senior executives of the Yangtze River Industry Group to inspect the ship-breaking site in Hong Kong.

After going around, Lin Zhichao asked: "Which place do you think is the most suitable for shipbreaking in Tseung Kwan O, Drunken Bay, or Ngau Tau Kok?"

Wang Liang immediately said: "How much investment does the boss plan to invest? If the investment is large, there will definitely be more ship-breaking yards. You can choose to invest in two places. Zuizui Bay and Ngau Tau Kok are the most economically beneficial. The traffic in Tseung Kwan O is poor."

Everyone expressed their opinions. It is true that Zuiwan Bay and Ngau Tau Kok are the two best places. Among them, Zuizuiwan is located between Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung, with a pier over there; Ngau Tau Kok is located in Kwun Tong, itself in an industrial area, and also has a pier.

On the contrary, transportation is not very convenient in Tseung Kwan O. The land purchased by Lin Zhichao had been smelting copper. As for the aluminum alloys, they were now imported from Japan. It would not be affected anyway, so he gave up the idea.

It would be possible to set up a steelmaking plant. After all, after the ship is dismantled, the steel can be remelted and then used in construction.

Lin Zhichao said: "The investment should be huge, just choose three places! Over at Tseung Kwan O, a steelmaking plant will be established later. Deputy General Manager Wang, you have recently established a subsidiary, the Yangtze River Shipbreaking Plant, and selected a location. , and then I arranged for people from Global Shipping to join in selecting ships to be scrapped from major ports around the world.”

Wang Liang immediately said: "No problem, I promise to form a professional team as soon as possible!"

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "You really have to be professional!"

The threshold for the ship-breaking industry is actually not high. In the past, Hong Kong had a large number of ship-breaking yards from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. Because as long as one ship-breaking yard makes a lot of money, everyone will soon flock to it. In the previous life, Hengchang Trading was the first to enter the ship-breaking industry, and everyone followed suit. In the end, the price of old ships increased, and the profit from ship-breaking became unprofitable after two or three years.

Since Lin Zhichao is interested in this industry, he is afraid that he will have to buy many ships in one go. Although he will not monopolize the ship-breaking industry in Hong Kong, he can at least get a big share of it.

There are two good times:

First, starting from this year (1958), the world will gradually enter the "little cold winter period (1959~1961)" for shipping, which also coincides with the high incidence of the elimination of second-hand ships in Europe and the United States. Therefore, there are many ships for sale in major ports around the world, and some ships You can still run away, but most of the ships can only be dismantled.

Second, the demand for steel has increased in various countries around the world. After the war, various countries have ushered in a construction wave. In recent years, the demand for steel has been high, and steel prices have also risen. Even in Hong Kong, the construction industry is expected to be booming by the end of this year or early next year.

In recent years, Hong Kong's ship-breaking companies have no problem feeding thousands of people!

As for environmental pollution, Hong Kong is not qualified to talk about it. In a place where there is not enough food to eat, there is no need to consider the issue of environmental pollution, not to mention that the sea water is flowing, even if it is a little polluted, it will have no impact.

Originally, the United Kingdom and the United States had brought some aircraft carriers and warships to Hong Kong for dismantling in recent years. Hong Kong's ship-breaking industry has been developing for many years.

What people working in this industry don't know is that the world's major ports are about to be filled with second-hand ships. They are more waiting for Britain and the United States to send warships and aircraft carriers to their doorsteps for disassembly.

Lin Zhichao was the first to learn this information, so he could naturally make more profits.

No matter how small a mosquito is, it's still meat. It's easy to make more than tens of millions of dollars in a few years.

After returning to the Yangtze River Industrial Group, Lin Zhichao summoned all the group management to systematically lay out the integration of ship-breaking yards and steel-making plants.

When he invests in a steelmaking plant, he may not necessarily invest a lot of money, nor does he necessarily want to compete for the title of "Steel King". Everything depends on the situation.

Over the years, Yangtze River Industrial Group has had many skilled workers, so investing in these industries is not a big problem.

At the same time, the University of Hong Kong actually has a mechanical major for a long time. Taikoo Dockyard has been building ships and it uses many graduates.