Chapter 57

Lin Qiangsheng returned home, and there was no one in the yard. His father was sitting in the kitchen, head down, deep in thought.

Seeing her son come back, Xu Hongmei pointed at his father and said with a smile, "He's been hit hard. Talk to your father and try to cheer him up."

Lin Qiangsheng nodded with a smile and said, "Mom, you should go to bed early. I'll talk to Dad for a while."

Xu Hongmei nodded, looking at Lin Qiangsheng with satisfaction. She reminded him to rest early and then went into the house.

Currently, his mother's job at the Health Bureau had stabilized. From the initial unfamiliarity and overwhelming busyness, she had gradually become more composed. She now managed her time well and no longer needed Lin Qiangsheng to cook for her.

The city's Health Bureau now had a more adequate workforce. Since the national comprehensive rectification began, many people who had been laid off in the past had returned to work, and his mother now had a few capable subordinates.

Seeing his son, Lin Xiangrong pointed to a chair. After Lin Qiangsheng sat down, he asked after a moment, "What do you think of the Japanese factory you saw today?"

Lin Qiangsheng knew his father was referring to the Nissan's Zama factory, where Japan's automotive industry began to fully implement automated production during this period.

He thought for a moment and said, "Compared to them, our domestic manufacturing level is at least one generation behind!"

Lin Xiangrong, not quite believing it, asked, "What do you mean by one generation behind? Explain it to me."

Lin Qiangsheng said, "It looks like the Japanese factory has already achieved computer-controlled automated production. They have extensively used computer-controlled industrial robots, such as the robotic arms that automatically weld the car bodies, which are controlled by computers. In this area, we are clearly far behind. Our manufacturers, in terms of computer control and automated production, are basically at zero!"

Lin Xiangrong asked, "Computer control? Is that what Li Guoxian at Harbin Institute of Technology is working on with his students?"

Lin Qiangsheng nodded and said, "Yes, that's it."

Lin Xiangrong sighed and said, "Sigh! I thought our production line was pretty good and quite advanced in the country, and that we had accomplished a lot! But seeing the Japanese technology, it seems they are far ahead of us! What did Li Guoxian and his team do? How did they give us a half-finished product?"

Lin Qiangsheng opened his mouth, looked at his father's puzzled face, and explained simply, "It's not that they didn't want to make an automated production line like the Japanese car factory. They are still exploring. If the Japanese hadn't voluntarily shown the inside of their factory on TV, who would know what it looks like inside? The teachers at Harbin Institute of Technology and our domestic robot researchers are still in the research and exploration stage!"

Lin Qiangsheng remembered that in 1979, when the Japanese visited China, a Japanese company brought a humanoid robot, which was quite impressive to the domestic researchers, even though such a robot had little practical use in industry.

Lin Xiangrong nodded and said, "Yes! The Japanese were foolish to voluntarily show their production line, letting us know their situation!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and said, "Dad, if there's an opportunity to go abroad for inspection, you should go and see. Look at their technology level and talk more with domestic experts to gauge the gap between us and them!"

Lin Xiangrong shook his head and said, "Going abroad? That's not so easy!"

Lin Qiangsheng said, "This time, the old man's visit to Japan has opened the eyes of the people, and many are eager to go abroad to understand the world. When such an opportunity comes, you and Mom should go together. Visit more cities and see how advanced they are. We can learn from them and do the same. I don't believe we can't do it!"

Lin Xiangrong nodded and smiled, "Right! If they can succeed, we can too! We have the same brains and bodies as them. With the technology, our workers can also produce beautiful cars!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and nodded. As long as enterprise managers like his father have a spirit of not giving up and not believing that everything foreign is better, with gradual development and opportunities, they will surely succeed in the future!

"By the way, has our trademark and company name been approved?" Lin Qiangsheng suddenly thought of this and asked his father.

When the car factory was led by Zheng and Chang, Lin Qiangsheng did not inquire much. Now that the enterprise was under his father Lin Xiangrong's management, it was much easier for him to ask.

Lin Xiangrong said, "I have specifically asked the comrades at the provincial industrial bureau. From what I learned, the industrial and commercial administration underwent major adjustments from 1977 to 1978, and all levels of units were in chaos. The national industrial and commercial administration was only recently reorganized. Our trademark and company name are currently under review. It should be approved in about a month."

Lin Qiangsheng nodded and said, "Yes! We can't keep using the Jiang'an Car Factory name forever. The higher-ups should give us a clear answer!"

It must be said that local car manufacturers were not highly regarded by the higher-ups, who did not believe they could produce any cars, so they kept delaying. If it were a national first or second-level project, they would treat it seriously. This shows how biased the higher-ups' industrial policies are!

...

In this era, whether in China or abroad, cars often used lettering on the front or rear. For example, Honda and Toyota used letters on their car fronts in the 1970s.

Lin Qiangsheng guessed that it might be because these companies had not yet found a logo that represented their corporate culture, had a sense of the times, was widely recognized, and had popular elements.

The trademark Lin Qiangsheng recommended for the car factory used a wide V-shape with a curved line connecting the two ends, similar to the triangular mark on the forehead of the Transformers' Autobots.

This mark, when seen from a distance, was clearly visible, which was very important. Some car logos were not clear from a distance and could not be used. Some logos had a dizzying effect, which also made them unsuitable for car logos.

Compared to the logos of domestic manufacturers in the future, few were comfortable to look at.

This triangular mark, with a curved line at the top and a solid base, gave an impression of being honest, reliable, and easily recognizable. The triangle also had a high level of universal recognition worldwide.

This mark was also part of the Autobots' and Superman's logos. If these characters appeared before the audience, many people would naturally think of this Chinese car manufacturer, which would help with free publicity for the factory.

Therefore, Lin Qiangsheng chose this mark. He wanted to implement a strategy of integrating the company, product, and cultural image from the beginning, which was a major trend in the late 1980s for world-renowned companies.

A company logo is not immutable. If a better one is found in the future, it can be changed. For example, the logos of Buick, General Motors, and many other famous companies have undergone significant changes over several decades. This is a process of the company's image becoming simpler, more elegant, and more popular.

As for the name of the car factory, they applied for "Volkswagen Auto Company." At that time, the translations of Volkswagen in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan were different.

However, in mainland China, the Taiwan translation "Fusha Auto" was used, and the company had not yet registered a trademark.

Therefore, Lin Qiangsheng preemptively registered this trademark. Although there was a small dispute, there was no significant issue with the name.

This was fine! Lin Qiangsheng was delighted thinking about the reactions of some people a year later when they saw that the name had already been registered!

(Translation differences: Mainland China—Hong Kong, Lamborghini—Lamborghini, Aston Martin—Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz—Benz, Jaguar—Jaguar, Bentley—Bentley, Saab—Saab, Volvo—Volvo, Volkswagen—Volkswagen, Audi—Audi, Lexus—Lexus, Subaru—Subaru, Mazda—Mazda, Acura—Acura, Skoda—Skoda, Alfa Romeo—Alfa Romeo, Bugatti—Bugatti, Rover—Rover, Land Rover—Land Rover, Cadillac—Cadillac, Buick—Buick, Citroën—Citroën, Renault—Renault, Dodge—Dodge, Fiat—Fiat, Iveco—Iveco, Daimler—Daimler, Chrysler—Chrysler, etc.)

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends