Chapter 85: Product Upgrade
At this point in time, Japan's industrial efficiency was exceptionally high. The country was in a phase of rapid development, much like the mainland would experience decades later.
The equipment Yang Wendong needed wasn't complicated. Compared to real book-printing machines, it was much simpler—books required page sorting, various types of printing, even color printing, while Post-it notes didn't. All the pages were the same except for the first one, which made the production process far easier.
After two rounds of communication and once the payment was in place, the Japanese side promised to complete and ship the machines to Hong Kong within three weeks.
That pace was already considered fast for imported equipment. Still, Yang Wendong felt it was a bit too slow.
Inside the Changxing Industrial Factory:
Beside the always-busy Post-it note production line, several unfamiliar men had appeared. They were walking around the machinery, taking notes constantly, and occasionally pulling out rulers to measure various parts.
After a while, Yang Wendong walked over. Zhao Liming, who had been observing, immediately came close and said, "Brother Dong, those guys are from a company called Dongsheng Equipment Factory."
"Dongsheng?" Yang Wendong found the name familiar and asked, "Is that the company that makes injection molding machines?"
Zhao Liming nodded. "Yeah, they were the first in Hong Kong to start manufacturing injection molding equipment. Before that, everyone had to import those machines, and they were insanely expensive.
After Dongsheng figured it out, the price of injection molding machines dropped. They also produce equipment for the textile industry."
"That impressive? And they're interested in our small-time operation?" Yang Wendong chuckled.
"I thought the same thing at first," Zhao Liming admitted. "But then I found out they're planning to enter the printing and page-layout equipment market. What we're doing with Post-it notes is pretty much a super basic version of a book layout machine."
"Ah, that explains it. Dongsheng really does have both capability and ambition," Yang Wendong nodded.
The pattern of industrial development is universal: it starts with basic light industries like textiles and injection molding. At first, all the necessary equipment is imported—expensive and limited.
But a group of sharp-eyed and capable people will inevitably move into equipment manufacturing, gradually expanding into other types of machines. This brings down costs and contributes enormously to the region's or even the country's industrial development.
The mainland followed the same path in the later years. Now, Hong Kong was on its way there too. By the 1950s, both the plastics and textile industries in Hong Kong had grown rapidly, creating a huge demand for industrial equipment, and companies like Dongsheng emerged to fill that need.
"Their capabilities are strong," Zhao Liming added. "I visited their factory. They have a wide range of machines, all self-developed."
"Calling it 'self-developed' might be a stretch—probably more like copied," Yang Wendong laughed. "But even that's impressive."
Zhao Liming grinned. "True. I chatted a bit with Engineer Wu over there. If we let Dongsheng build our machines, they said each one would only cost three or four thousand."
Yang Wendong nodded. "Lower cost is good, of course, but I care more about speed and efficiency. Relying on importers is just too much hassle."
"They also said that if we buy enough machines, they can assign an after-sales technician to be stationed at our factory."
"How many units counts as 'enough'?" Yang Wendong asked.
"They didn't say exactly, but I'd guess ten to twenty. And you know how labor costs are here—one of their engineers wouldn't even cost us a hundred dollars a month."
"That's really not expensive," Yang Wendong agreed, then stayed silent for a moment as he watched the Dongsheng team at work. After a bit, he stepped forward and addressed the man in charge, "Engineer Wu."
"Yes? And you are?" Wu clearly didn't recognize him.
"I'm a design engineer at Changxing Industrial," Yang Wendong replied with a smile. "Surname Yang."
It wasn't a lie. The only two products the company had so far were both designed by him. There was no need to bring up his real title.
"Engineer Yang, nice to meet you," Wu said, smiling. "We've already got a pretty good understanding of how this machine works. Give us a few more days and we'll have the blueprints ready for trial production."
"You're able to replicate the blueprint exactly? Including tolerances?" Yang Wendong asked curiously.
Wu laughed. "Not exactly. For a machine this simple, once we understand how it works, we can draw up our own plans. As for the tolerances and dimensions, we define those ourselves.
As long as the end result performs the same function, it doesn't need to be an exact replica of the original."
"True," Yang Wendong nodded. Light industrial machines like this weren't as complex or precise as automobiles or high-precision equipment. As long as the functionality was there, it was good enough.
He followed up with another question: "Wouldn't doing this infringe on the Japanese company's patent?"
Wu shook his head. "Not really. These kinds of industrial machines have been around a long time—books have existed for centuries, after all.
The patents in this field are generally technical patents for high-end machinery. Basic equipment like this rarely involves enforceable patents."
"But there must still be some cases of infringement, right?" Yang Wendong asked. He wanted to understand society's current attitude toward patents.
Wu smiled. "Yes, there are some. If we come across a design that's really unique, we'll look into it. But it's hard to track down specific patent filings.
If the patent holder does approach us, we're usually willing to negotiate compensation and reach an agreement."
"I see…" Yang Wendong nodded. Patent law could only restrict so much; it wasn't all-powerful.
Fortunately, his products fell into the category of appearance and innovative-use patents. It would be easy to tell if someone had copied him—especially now that a major industrial distributor like 3M was handling the marketing.
Unless someone infringed in a very small market or sold in a country where patents couldn't be enforced, it would be hard to avoid notice. But even if that happened, the impact on his business would be minimal.
Then he asked, "Engineer Wu, we're thinking of hiring a few structural engineers. Do you know anyone decent you could recommend?"
"You're hiring structural engineers?" Wu's expression changed slightly—his tone more cautious now.
Yang Wendong chuckled. "We're focused on product structure, not machinery. Don't worry, we're not poaching from your company."
"Oh, maybe I was overthinking it," Wu said, somewhat embarrassed. Then added, "If you're seriously hiring, I can ask around for you."
"Thanks, that'd be great," Yang Wendong nodded.
Recruitment in this era was nothing like the future. Back then, a few hundred bucks could get you a job listing on an online talent portal. Now, you had to post ads in the newspaper.
Not only was it expensive, but the efficiency was abysmal. Plus, given how modest his factory still looked, attracting talented professionals wouldn't be easy.
Wu added, "Changxing Industrial may not look big or new, but from the meals you provide your workers, I can tell your boss is definitely a good-hearted person."
"Haha, he'll be really happy to hear you say that," Yang Wendong laughed, genuinely pleased.
Praise like that, especially when it comes from someone who doesn't know your real identity, is often the most genuine.
Of course, it wasn't that Yang Wendong was especially kindhearted—it was more that he was running the factory with a mindset from the future. He wasn't overly generous with wages, but at the very least, the food had to be edible, right?
In reality, the meals at Changxing Industrial weren't anything fancy. Usually, there was a bit of shredded meat, slightly more oil, some cheap seasonal vegetables, and unlimited rice. That was it.
But even with such a simple setup, it was already better than what most big companies in this era offered. In a sea of stingy Hong Kong workshops where owners didn't even treat their workers like human beings, this made Changxing stand out.
Engineer Wu chuckled again, "I'm serious. I wouldn't mind stopping by your company more often—just for the lunch."
"Haha, then I'll tell the kitchen to give you some extra meat later," Yang Wendong laughed, then took his leave.
He firmly believed in one principle: if you fed your workers decently, they'd work better—and in the end, that would benefit him the most.
…
That afternoon, Zhao Liming and Lin Haoyu came to Yang Wendong's small office.
Zhao Liming reported, "Brother Dong, the guys from Dongsheng left. They estimate they'll have the first machine ready in about a month."
"Alright, that works. The Japanese equipment should arrive around the same time. They can start their batch production just as the Japanese machines come in," Yang Wendong said, mentally calculating the timeline. Everything seemed to line up perfectly.
Zhao Liming smiled. "Exactly. If all goes well, starting next month we'll be able to purchase the equipment directly from within Hong Kong. If their production process is fast enough, they might be able to turn out a unit in just a week."
"A week? That fast?" Yang Wendong was surprised—that was an incredibly efficient pace.
Zhao Liming nodded. "Yeah, Dongsheng has a wide range of processing machinery. They can make most components in-house. If they run two shifts, they could definitely do one a week. Though, if we want that speed, it might cost a bit more."
"We'll see. That'll depend on the situation," Yang Wendong replied casually. "What matters most is whether the machines they produce meet our quality standards."
Zhao Liming agreed, "We won't know for sure until we see the finished product. But Dongsheng seems confident. Our machines are way simpler than injection molding ones."
"True. We'll deal with that when the time comes," Yang Wendong nodded.
With that topic wrapped up, Lin Haoyu chimed in, "Brother Dong, the glue traps Liming gave me yesterday—I delivered over a dozen to several warehouses. Two of them caught rats."
"Did the traps show signs of being dragged far?" Yang Wendong asked immediately.
"There was a bit of movement, and the rats we caught weren't even that big. If it had been a larger one, it probably would've been dragged a lot farther," Lin Haoyu replied.
"That's one of the drawbacks of cardboard—it's too light," Yang Wendong nodded.
Zhao Liming asked, "Brother Dong, why switch to cardboard when it costs more and doesn't work as well?"
Yang Wendong smiled. "Because it's lighter. For customers—especially in Western countries—weight matters. Products designed to kill rats aren't bought often, so even if they're a bit pricey, people don't really notice.
But if the product is lightweight, they're more likely to buy more of it. That was something both the UK and Japanese distributors advised me. Plus, lighter products reduce shipping costs. So even if the raw cost is higher, it may still be more cost-effective overall."
"I see," Zhao Liming murmured thoughtfully.
Yang Wendong continued, "Switching to cardboard is just an experiment. Moving forward, we'll need to control the amount of glue applied. It shouldn't be so sticky that a rat gets stuck just by touching it with one foot. Ideally, it should step fully onto the board, get trapped, and only then be immobilized. That saves glue, too."
Zhao Liming frowned a little. "Brother Dong, rats come in all sizes and strengths. That kind of control seems tough to achieve."
Yang Wendong chuckled. "That's why the experimental testing I mentioned yesterday is so important.
Don't underestimate the complexity just because glue traps seem simple. Different environments, different rats—getting the best results requires real R&D.
If there's too little glue, big rats escape. If there's too much, they sense danger too quickly. You've seen it yourselves—some rats will chew off their own tails to escape.
That wasn't much of a problem when we were using plastic or wooden boards, but with lightweight cardboard, it becomes a serious issue."
Zhao Liming nodded. "Makes sense. But it'll be hard to test."
Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "Haoyu manages rodent control for a lot of warehouses and offices. He can help collect all kinds of real-world results.
Later on, I'll hire some people with an academic background to help analyze the data. We'll try to create a fully quantified standard."
Right now, Yang Wendong had two core business branches—one was the factory, which he managed directly. The other was the pest control service, handled by Lin Haoyu.
Thanks to its high cost-performance ratio, Changxing Pest Control had already secured a good number of clients in Hong Kong. It was also perfect for product testing and verification.
The only downside was that it was currently winter. Hong Kong wasn't exactly cold, but there were definitely fewer rats than usual.
"Got it," Zhao Liming and Lin Haoyu replied without hesitation.
Looking at the two, Yang Wendong smiled. "Don't worry. The new hires might have degrees, but they'll still report to you.
That said, it's about time you two felt some pressure. Life's been a lot better these past few months—maybe too good. You're probably losing your drive to improve, aren't you?"
"You're right, Brother Dong," Zhao Liming said, a bit embarrassed. It was true—they'd gotten too comfortable.
Yang Wendong continued, "I know you're both busy, but learning is still important. We've got electricity and lights now at night.
There's a saying I heard once: What a person does in the time outside of work and sleep will determine where they are five years from now."
"Five years…" Zhao Liming repeated thoughtfully.
Yang Wendong nodded. "Yes. If you use your spare time well for five years, you can completely change your life.
Eventually, you'll have capable people under you. You won't need to do everything yourselves—just like how I've been delegating to you."
"Got it, Brother Dong," both men said seriously. They understood now. In the short term, being close to Brother Dong gave them an advantage. But in the long run, if they didn't keep learning, they'd be left behind.
The room fell quiet for a moment before Zhao Liming suddenly asked, "Brother Dong, if we switch all our glue traps to cardboard, what do we do with the three injection molding machines?"
"Apart from the plastic boards, weren't there some orders left behind by Li Hongxing?" Yang Wendong asked in return.
He hadn't paid much attention to those—they were just small OEM jobs. His focus the past few months had been solely on glue traps and Post-it notes.
Zhao Liming replied, "There are some, mostly plastic toys. But the scale is tiny and shrinking fast. I think Li Hongxing had some personal contacts that are now fading away."
"If we stick with plastic, toys are probably the only viable direction," Yang Wendong nodded. "I know. No rush—let's first handle the pressing issues with our two core businesses.
Even if we switch to cardboard, it won't happen overnight. And the plastic version still has a market. Countries in Southeast Asia, for example, might actually prefer plastic boards."
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