Export Processing Zone, Flashride Technology workshop.
On a nearly 60-meter-long assembly line for electric scooters, 50 workers in uniforms were busily moving back and forth, coding frames, installing wiring harnesses, headlights, tires, meters, and conducting tests.
After 14 steps and about 5 minutes, a brand new electric scooter rolled off the line fully assembled.
"This efficiency is pretty good, one unit every 5 minutes. Calculated at 10 units per hour, one production line can produce at least 200 units a day. Five production lines would yield a monthly capacity of over 30,000 units, and an annual output of over 400,000 units."
Including the old factory in Xiapu Industrial Park, the two factories would have an annual capacity of about 500,000 units.
"Yes, the efficiency is really good. It might even be faster once they're more skilled. The annual output of five production lines should be between 430,000 and 450,000 units. Adding your old factory, President Tan, an annual capacity of 500,000 units is definitely not a problem."
Hey, an annual capacity of 500,000 units, if all sold, would mean sales of at least 800 million yuan annually.
Does this count as completing my five-year plan ahead of schedule?
Excellent, excellent.
"Then, President Tan, do you think the subsequent production lines can be scheduled for installation?"
Tan Jincheng nodded and said,
"Mm, yes, go ahead and arrange the installation."
It had been tested for a week, and the assembly workers were skilled ones transferred from the old factory.
To achieve the current results after a week, Tan Jincheng was already very satisfied.
The fastest installation speed for an electric scooter should be within one minute, but the current technical conditions didn't seem mature enough yet.
Technological progress never involves shortcuts; it can only happen step by step.
Being able to roll out an electric scooter within 5 minutes is already considered good.
"Alright then, I'll contact the company and arrange for them to ship as soon as possible."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Engineer Lin. I'll surely have to trouble you more later."
"This is what we should do."
"Let's go, we'll go eat first."
Tan Jincheng naturally didn't dare to introduce five new production lines at once.
Installing one first for thorough testing was essential.
Judging from the test results this past week, it basically met the manufacturer's claims.
Given this, there would be no problem with arranging the subsequent four production lines.
The sooner they are installed, the sooner they can generate profit.
"Brother Sun, I'm leaving the rest to you. I'm heading back to the old factory."
"Okay, boss."
After treating the other party's technical team to lunch, Tan Jincheng handed over the remaining matters to Sun Yuming.
These technicians would be staying here for a long time, and Tan Jincheng couldn't accompany them all the time.
But occasionally, the boss showing his face and treating them would significantly improve their service attitude.
Sun Yuming also felt considerable pressure.
The new factory's scale was different from the old one, and the requirements were also different.
The factory area planning needed to be more standardized, something he hadn't encountered before.
Zhang Xuhui, who was assisting him, also had assistant duties and couldn't always follow him.
In reality, the available manpower could only be drawn from the purchasing department.
Fortunately, the purchasing department was responsible for this area, so it wasn't asking too much of his subordinates.
Working during the day and studying at night became Sun Yuming's routine for this period.
While others were on holiday during the National Day, he stayed cooped up at home studying.
It must be said, the workers of this era were truly good.
They genuinely believed any casual promise made by their leaders, much easier to "fool" than those more than a decade later.
Of course, with Tan Jincheng, there was no fooling around.
Due treatment would be fully provided, and promises made would be fulfilled as much as possible.
Driving back to the company, just as Tan Jincheng was about to head to the R&D department to check on development progress, he was stopped by Zhang Xuhui.
"Boss, Liu Yifei's side responded, saying they can talk."
"Oh? That's not easy, finally got in touch. What did they say?"
There was no way around it; a big star's schedule was tight, and work arrangements were packed.
To secure the endorsement, Flashride had to cooperate.
That's how the capital market works.
When negotiating with Brother Chun's team during the top ten competition, Flashride had considerable bargaining power.
But with a popular female star, the effect wasn't as obvious.
To put it plainly, she had capital backing her, her career was well-arranged, and she didn't particularly lack this one endorsement.
"They said to send them a quote contract first for review before they decide."
"Alright, go contact Lawyer Zhou. Have her draft a few contracts based on Brother Chun's previous endorsement, with endorsement periods of two years, five years, and ten years. As for the price, I'll think about it first, no need to fill it in yet."
Lawyer Zhou was Lawyer Zhou Biyu, who went to Shanghai with Tan Jincheng last time.
She was quite knowledgeable in this area.
"Okay, I'll go right now."
After Zhang Xuhui left, Tan Jincheng was no longer in a hurry to go to the R&D department.
Finalizing the endorsement was important, and he also needed to write a new advertising campaign plan.
Advertising is crucial for brand promotion.
Tan Jincheng currently preferred not to delegate the planning of such things.
Even if his writing was poor, he would write it multiple times, and even slowly revise it during the shooting process; he had to do it himself.
It wasn't out of confidence, but to ensure confidentiality as much as possible.
If the promotional plan leaked prematurely, it would be troublesome.
As for the endorsement fee, for a two-year endorsement, it was definitely 3 million yuan, with no premium.
However, for endorsements like five years or ten years, a certain premium would be required.
One had to consider the cycle of a celebrity's popularity, otherwise, it would be disrespectful.
"How much is appropriate?"
Tan Jincheng mused, stroking his chin.
After some thought, Tan Jincheng decided that a 40% to 50% premium for a five-year contract should be about right.
So, he settled on 10.5 million yuan for five years.
As for ten years, even a 100% premium wouldn't really matter.
Signing Liu Yifei for 10 years at 30 million yuan would be incredibly profitable.
After capital enters the market, it might not even be possible to sign her for one year at that price.
Of course, the first offer definitely couldn't be 30 million, otherwise, there would be no room for negotiation.
30 million yuan was Tan Jincheng's psychological price; any higher and he wouldn't want to sign for ten years, five years would be enough.
Actually, signing Liu Yifei at this point wasn't a particularly good timing.
Her peak years of popularity were these few years.
Afterwards, when she transitioned to the big screen, her movies all flopped miserably.
She even released albums in Japan, it seems?
Speaking of which, her career planning was truly awful.
With her main base in the mainland market, she went to the Hong Kong entertainment industry just as it was declining.
She rushed to release albums just as the music market was collapsing, and in Japan of all places.
It would be a miracle if she could adapt.
This plan was no different from joining the palace as a eunuch in 1911.
She wasted good years for nothing.
It was only the reputation she accumulated over these few years and her deeply ingrained TV drama image that saved her; any ordinary female celebrity with a less iconic image would have long been completely forgotten.
"For the endorsement fee, fill in 3 million for 2 years, 10.5 million for 5 years, and 27 million for 10 years."
After deciding, Tan Jincheng called Zhang Xuhui.
Hope to sign for ten years, Brother, I'm being generous enough, right?
A 10-year endorsement contract!
Without a God's perspective, which celebrity would dare to say they could stay popular for ten years?
Why not make a killing while someone is willing to sign now?
Next, what Tan Jincheng needed to do was write an advertising plan for the Fengchi series.
Fengchi was taking the "light luxury" route, targeting white-collar workers and office workers in terms of colors and design.
So, in the early stages, Tan Jincheng didn't plan for any 60V models; 48V would be sufficient.
Most white-collar office workers don't ride very long distances, and 48V is perfectly adequate in this era.
Even ten years later, a 48V battery would still be enough for city use.
Costs must be controlled where possible, and it also prevents performance waste.
Just like smartphones in later generations, in Tan Jincheng's view, unprincipled competition in hardware performance is actually a waste.
Ordinary people pay high prices for performance they don't need, which only serves to enrich merchants' pockets and is otherwise useless.
In Tan Jincheng's opinion, the Fengchi series should focus more on promotion compared to the Flashride series.
Relying on celebrity endorsements to gain popularity, coupled with advertising slogans, and achieving sales breakthroughs through channel penetration.
Flashride's advertising slogan was:
"Stars shine, spring breeze gallops; Flashride electric vehicles!"
So, what kind of slogan should Fengchi have?
Tan Jincheng pondered as he returned to his office from the R&D department, preparing to write the advertising plan.
Advertising slogans don't need to be too complex; the simpler they are, the easier they are to remember.
"This holiday season, don't accept gifts; accept only Naobaijin."
"Afraid of getting heaty? Drink Wong Lo Kat!"
Listen, how vulgar and simple these ad slogans are, yet they are incredibly memorable.
After much deliberation, Tan Jincheng decided to start with Fengchi's appearance:
"Light and agile, making travel more convenient, Fengchi electric vehicles!"
Excellent, excellent, this is the one.
With aggressive promotion, the market must remember that in the future, the Fengchi series will be synonymous with lightness and agility in the electric scooter field, able to easily navigate the city.
A seemingly nonsensical phrase, heard year after year, eventually becomes a classic.
After positioning, it was time for pricing.
The highest price for the Flashride series was 2299 yuan.
Since Fengchi was going for the "light luxury" route, its pricing would naturally be higher.
Fengchi was expected to have a much richer variety of colors and styles than Flashride.
For its primary focus on appearance, it couldn't use spray painting technology like Flashride; baking paint technology must be employed.
The most obvious difference between baking paint and spray paint is that baking paint produces a smooth, bright, mirror-like surface that also appears more durable, while spray paint cannot achieve this level.
The process requirements are more complex, and the demands on the working environment are naturally higher.
Baking paint requires baking in a dust-free paint booth, preventing contamination from dust and other particles, and also demands higher technical expertise.
This aspect could also be used for promotion, aiming for a high-end image.
Lei Bus's Xiaomi promoted ordinary 304 stainless steel as "austenitic 304," creating a high-end impression that could be referenced.
With my awesome craftsmanship, selling it for 2599 yuan isn't too much, is it?
Perhaps it could even sell for a bit higher?
As long as it doesn't exceed 3000 yuan, it's fine.
Mainstream electric vehicles on the market are currently around 3000 yuan; being lower than them would be acceptable.
(End of Chapter)