Chapter 151: Factory Revival Blueprint

Fang Jun quickly finished his introduction, and the three city leaders even took the initiative to applaud.

The two mechanical factory leaders sitting nearby looked a bit awkward but still clapped along.

In the eyes of these two veteran mechanical factory leaders, Fang Jun had essentially shattered their ‘sky,’ so they still felt wary and cautious toward him.

Xu Zhiquan stood up again, smiling as he said:

“Next, let’s have our Yang Congxin present the overall plan from East Morning Star Co. for building the electric vehicle factory and transforming the old mechanical factory!”

Yang Congxin rose to his feet and adjusted his black-framed glasses slightly.

This part was originally meant to be presented by Xu Zhiquan himself, since he hadn’t known Yang Congxin would show up until that morning.

But having Director Yang handle it was indeed more appropriate.

The plan itself was compiled by Yang Congxin, covering the mechanical factory’s transformation and electric vehicle technical issues, making it far more detailed than what Xu Zhiquan could provide.

The moment Yang Congxin stood up, the two mechanical factory leaders on the review panel looked uncomfortable.

As the technical backbone of the mechanical factory, Yang Congxin had just submitted his resignation yesterday, and these two leaders had approved and signed it.

Little did they expect that today, he was already positioned with the potential acquiring company.

Although the mechanical factory’s two leaders were sitting on the review panel, appearing to score the presentations,

in reality, as leaders of a bankrupt old factory, they had almost no decision-making power in this review; they were only there as a courtesy from the city.

Yang Congxin began his presentation in a subdued tone.

He was concise, focusing on the feasibility and deployment plans for introducing electric vehicle technology, production lines, and talent.

This naturally included the recent on-site inspections in Jiangsu Province.

Then, Yang Congxin outlined the plans for transforming the old mechanical factory.

He mainly discussed the specific adjustments needed for the existing factory buildings, equipment, and production lines to transition into an electric vehicle factory.

This section once again caught the attention of the city leaders.

“Yang, sorry to interrupt, but on the old factory transformation part…”

You seem very familiar with the mechanical factory’s current situation and resources?”

Yang Congxin smiled and replied:

“To be honest with you leaders, I was originally the technical manager at the mechanical factory, overseeing two agricultural tricycle production lines.

Additionally, starting three years ago, the factory considered adding a new electric tricycle production line,

and that project was led by me.

So, when it comes to East Morning Star building the electric vehicle factory and how to transform the old factory—adjusting the existing buildings, equipment, and staff—I have a strong say in the matter.”

As his words settled, the three city leaders turned to the mechanical factory’s two leaders for confirmation.

After a brief, quiet exchange, they clearly received affirmative responses.

One of the city leaders chuckled and looked at Xu Zhiquan, saying:

“President Xu, it seems East Morning Star Co. has poached two key players from the mechanical factory—your presentation today is set for success!”

Xu Zhiquan responded:

“Please trust us, leaders—we at East Morning Star Group are fully committed and confident in building Tiancheng’s future!

The reason Fang Jun and Director Yang chose to join East Morning Star Co. is because they see our determination and plans to rebuild the mechanical factory.

As veterans of the mechanical factory, they have deep feelings for it!”

His words prompted the reviewers to nod in silent agreement.

Even the mechanical factory’s old secretary and union chairman looked visibly moved.

Xu Chen, sitting quietly on the edge, couldn’t help but give his father Xu Zhiquan’s recent remarks a mental thumbs-up.

Those lines were clearly Old Xu’s impromptu additions, spoken from Fang Jun and Yang Congxin’s perspectives…

And they were perfectly executed, touching without a flaw.

…

Director Yang’s discussion leaned toward practical implementation, providing a detailed analysis of the feasibility for establishing the electric vehicle factory.

The goal was to convince the reviewers that East Morning Star Co. truly had the capability and roadmap to make this happen!

Once Yang Congxin sat down, the mechanical factory’s old secretary led the applause this time.

As a longtime leader of the mechanical factory, his attachment to it was undeniable.

In truth, he was deeply against completely dismantling the factory for conversion into a chemical plant or real estate.

But Yang Congxin’s points focused on building upon the existing foundation with modifications and improvements, which resonated strongly with someone like him—a ‘veteran’ of the factory.

Xu Zhiquan stood up again and said:

“The next part is brief but might be the most important in this presentation…

That is, the resettlement of nearly five hundred former mechanical factory employees!”

As soon as he spoke, the leaders who had been zoning out snapped back to attention.

For the city, this was indeed a critical and challenging issue.

Especially lately, with a group of employees voicing strong concerns.

Xu Zhiquan followed the plan he had discussed with Xu Chen, speaking smoothly.

He first highlighted the core problem:

“Simple compensation won’t solve the root issue…”

“The factory workers care about having stable, dignified jobs for the next ten, twenty, or even thirty years…”

“They were all state-owned enterprise employees; handing them money and sending them off to fend for themselves, maybe even starting as small vendors, could plant seeds of instability…”

When Xu Zhiquan casually mentioned ‘instability,’ the city and provincial leaders instantly grew serious.

The issue he raised was exactly what the review committee and the real decision-makers had been grappling with.

After a brief pause, Xu Zhiquan presented East Morning Star’s solution:

“Handing the mechanical factory to East Morning Star ensures no employee is forced to lay off…”

“As Director Yang just explained in the old factory transformation plan, once the new production lines are introduced, we’ll need skilled workers.

The current factory employees can transition seamlessly after some training, directly integrating into the new electric vehicle production lines!”

“This is a ‘win-win-win’ approach.

The five hundred former employees won’t face layoffs; they’ll stay in the factory and continue with familiar roles and tasks.

Our electric vehicle production lines won’t need to recruit new workers, saving time and effort on hiring and training.

And for the city and you leaders, it resolves the resettlement of five hundred workers and their families, promoting overall stability and development in our city…”

Once Xu Zhiquan finished, the review panel erupted into a small discussion.

The city leaders and the provincial leader whispered among themselves, clearly giving this topic serious thought.

During the discussion, Xu Zhiquan glanced at Xu Chen.

The father and son exchanged a knowing look and both smiled.

So far, the key points they’d planted in the presentation had played a crucial role in persuasion.

And now, by raising the employee resettlement issue, it had become a condition the reviewers couldn’t ignore.

This resettlement plan, with virtually no downsides, seemed like only East Morning Star Co. could pull it off.

After some discussion, the mechanical factory’s union chairman spoke up:

“President Xu, I have a question.

The old factory transformation and new production line introduction will take some time.

So, how will the employees be arranged in the meantime?

Don’t laugh, but these several hundred mechanical factory workers haven’t received wages for the last two or three months, and there are more months without pay coming…

They need to eat, after all!”

As he finished, the other leaders turned to Xu Zhiquan, waiting for his response.

This question was indeed tricky.

By throwing it at the potential acquiring company, the union chairman was being a bit unreasonable.

After all, these issues should be handled by the current mechanical factory leaders and the city.

But Xu Zhiquan had already thought it through and replied:

“As Director Yang mentioned earlier, the old factory transformation and production line introduction won’t take much time.

The plans are all set; we can proceed with the factory transformation, line introduction, and employee training simultaneously.

Additionally, as I mentioned at the start, East Morning Star Co.’s main revenue now comes from Chenxin Nurseries.

The city leaders might know that the four construction sections on the South City Highway are being handled by our company!

We also have several ongoing projects in the seedling cultivation stage.

Currently, Chenxin Nurseries is short on labor…

If the former mechanical factory employees are willing, they can transition to Chenxin Nurseries in the interim.

Seedling planting and transplantation don’t require much skill; our internal experts can train them quickly to get started.

This way, we can address the income issues for the employees during this gap period.

But I should note that the compensation at Chenxin Nurseries might not match the original state-owned enterprise levels.”

Before the union chairman could respond, the mechanical factory’s old secretary jumped in:

“That’s not a big issue…

As long as there’s income, it’s better than no wages at all.

Our factory workers are tough and hardworking; the production line isn’t any easier than fieldwork!

I believe they can overcome these challenges!”

The union chairman stayed silent but nodded vigorously.

Clearly, Xu Zhiquan’s proposal was very appealing to them.