fictionpage Chapter 96 Expanding Production Capacity
Chapter 96 Expanding Production Capacity
Chapter 96 Expanding Production Capacity
After leaving the first factory, Gu Ming went to the second factory, Dongsheng Factory.
Dongsheng Factory is the largest of the three, with 500 employees, and has done OEM manufacturing for Daliyuan and Panpan.
Currently, some production capacity is idle, so in order not to waste the capacity, we are taking on orders in the market.
When Gu Ming arrived, a senior executive came out to greet him. Gu Ming asked, "President Li, you don't have any objections if I go directly into your factory for an inspection, do you?"
"Hey, it's okay, feel free to look. Our factory has done OEM manufacturing for Panpan and Daliyuan, so you can rest assured about food safety."
Gu Ming followed the executives into the factory and saw that the production line was neat and orderly, and the workers were wearing uniforms and food-grade white gloves.
Gu Ming nodded in satisfaction. This didn't seem like a last-minute attempt to fake it. If the hygiene was usually poor, a last-minute effort would always leave some clues.
Just as Gu Ming was about to leave the factory, a conflict suddenly broke out on the production line.
A worker had just returned from the restroom when the line foreman, who was replacing him, immediately berated him: "You lazy donkey, always dawdling around in the toilet! Were you slacking off? Five minutes late, fifty yuan off your wages!"
The worker instantly flew into a rage, rushed forward, and started fighting with the line foreman, yelling, "I've been putting up with you for ages!"
Upon seeing this, the executive frowned and immediately stepped in to handle the situation, adopting a "fifty-fifty" approach: each of the two men would have fifty yuan deducted, and the deducted money would be used to buy popsicles for the workers on this production line.
Gu Ming nodded secretly; this approach was quite appropriate.
After the conflict subsided, the executive wiped his sweat and returned, apologizing, "I'm sorry you had to see this. Conflicts are inevitable on an assembly line."
Gu Ming nodded: "I understand."
The executive invited, "Mr. Gu, would you do me the honor of having a meal in the VIP room at the Walter's next door?"
Gu Ming shook his head and refused: "I'll just eat in the cafeteria. Why don't you take me to your staff cafeteria? That should be convenient, right?"
'
As a second-generation entrepreneur, Gu Ming had inspected many factories and knew that many details could be gleaned from a factory's canteen and restrooms.
Before long, the two arrived at the staff canteen.
It was lunchtime, and many employees gathered together to eat according to their own social circles.
When Gu Ming saw the food, his expression changed slightly: the workers were eating four dishes and a soup, consisting of bok choy, cauliflower, water spinach, and cabbage, with seaweed and egg drop soup. Some even ate their own homemade chili peppers with their rice, and there wasn't a single piece of meat in sight.
Gu Ming said meaningfully, "President Li, the food here is quite frugal."
The executive waved his hand: "Boss Gu, you've misunderstood. This is the staff canteen, not the executive canteen. Come on, I'll take you to the executive canteen."
Passing through a small door, Gu Ming entered the cadre canteen, which was filled with large fish, meat, chicken legs, and even lobsters. A senior executive casually picked up a lobster and put it on his plate, then picked up another one for Gu Ming.
Gu Ming was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped; the contrast between the two was simply too great.
He had heard his father say that around the turn of the millennium, factory owners from Hong Kong and Taiwan who came to the mainland would treat people differently because of salary differences. But now it's 2009, and people are still doing this.
Gu Ming asked, "Mr. Li, this food must be expensive, right? Was it specially made for me, or is this what you usually eat?"
The executives didn't take it seriously, instead thinking it was perfectly normal: "That's how the staff canteen is. The boss is very generous to us; it's all free. Eat as much as you can."
"President Gu, I know you feel the gap is too big and you feel pity, but why should we managers be treated the same as workers? I can earn hundreds of thousands for the factory a year, while an ordinary assembly line worker earns at most ten or twenty thousand a year. It would be unfair if we were treated the same. If they are capable, they can also be managers."
Gu Ming chuckled inwardly; this executive was still too young. Where there is oppression, there is resistance. Such blatant discrimination in management is bound to breed resentment among employees, which will either be vented on management or on the product itself.
However, Gu Ming did not directly reject the Dongsheng factory because of this. Strictly speaking, there is no perfect factory in the world, and assembly lines are inherently prone to causing resistance.
For example, the factory he currently works with has an extremely stingy boss who treats his employees, himself, and his family the same way. His stinginess has even led to worker protests and product delays.
He plans to take a closer look at this factory and add it to his shortlist.
A day later, Gu Ming visited the third factory, which was called Guoke Factory, a very elegant name.
He first inspected the factory's hygiene, finding the food hygiene to be quite thorough. Then he went to the canteen, and Gu Ming's eyes lit up: the canteen's food had both vegetables and meat, tasted fresh, and even included hearty dishes like braised prawns and braised pork knuckle—
The food is delicious. Moreover, management and ordinary employees eat together in the cafeteria, and the food is charged, but the price is more affordable than outside.
The only advantage that managers have over ordinary assembly line workers is that they receive food subsidies.
Gu Ming made an excuse to go to the toilet and checked the bathroom, which was also clean and tidy.
The reason he wanted to inspect the toilets was because management is reflected in every aspect, and a slight oversight in a detail might be a microcosm of an overall imbalance in management.
Finally, Gu Ming conducted an additional investigation: he privately approached several employees, gave each of them one hundred yuan, and inquired about the factory's secrets.
He first found Old Qin, the old security guard at the guard booth. Security guards usually know the most gossip.
Gu Ming said, "Sir, I want to ask you some gossip about the factory."
Grandpa Qin looked at the hundred yuan note but didn't dare accept it immediately. Instead, he asked, "What do you mean by this?"
Gu Ming stated his purpose directly, saying he was there to inspect the OEM factory and would randomly interview a few employees. Assembly line positions have high turnover rates, and employees there generally lack loyalty, making them more likely to speak the truth.
Upon learning that Gu Ming wasn't there to cause trouble, Grandpa Qin accepted the money and said, "The latest gossip is that the boss couldn't control himself and had an affair. His wife found out and even came to the factory to cause trouble, scratching him all over. I heard he bought his mistress an LV bag, but he's never bought one for his wife."
Gu Ming remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was secretly complaining that this kind of thing was already commonplace.
He then asked, "Did your boss arrange for his mistress's younger siblings to work in the factory? Was the finance position filled through external recruitment, or was it filled by someone from the boss's own circle?"
Grandpa Qin lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled the smoke before saying, "I don't know about that. Apparently, the people in the finance department are relatives of the boss."
Afterwards, Gu Ming asked several employees, and the answers were largely the same. They only heard some more sensational gossip, such as female workers on the assembly line being promiscuous, couples working together, and some people being bisexual. Most of it was just to satisfy their curiosity and had nothing to do with the business itself.
After careful consideration, Gu Ming ultimately chose the fruit processing plant.
The first factory goes without saying. The reason for not choosing the second factory is that although the owner of the fruit factory has an unsavory private life, he has not let his personal affairs affect his work, has not let messy relationships get into the factory, and can distinguish between work and life.