Chapter 46: Shock Absorbers and Tires Are Running Out

Zhang Xiangyang rushed into Chen Geng's office, drenched in sweat. Without waiting for Chen Geng to ask, he frowned and shouted, "Manager Chen, it's no good, it's no good. You have to think of a way, or we'll be in big trouble..."

"Ha... What has you so flustered?" Chen Geng filled a tin cup with iced tea for Zhang Xiangyang and smiled, "Don't worry, have a drink first, and we'll talk slowly."

The weather was scorching, and as the deputy factory manager and manager, Chen Geng's office was pitifully equipped, not even with a fan. To beat the heat, Chen Geng had found a small bucket and filled it with iced tea, both for his own convenience and for his colleagues who visited his office.

Although Zhang Xiangyang was always dramatic, Chen Geng didn't think there could be any real trouble.

Zhang Xiangyang was indeed parched. He took the tin cup, and in just a few gulps, the entire cup of water was gone. He wiped his mouth and let out a sigh of relief before saying, "Just now, Yang Lei sent a telegram from the Shengli Oilfield. He's secured the order for 20 Jiefang 212 Jeeps. They want to replace the suspension, tires, seats, and even add heaters. Those guys from Shengli Oilfield are really rich."

"That's good news," Chen Geng smiled. "We're in business; why worry about having too much business?"

"It's good news, but it's also a problem," Zhang Xiangyang said with a bitter laugh. "Shengli Oilfield said these 20 vehicles are just to test our skills. If we can satisfy them, they'll give us all their 212 Jeeps, which is over 200 vehicles! If this continues, we won't have enough tires and shock absorbers. You need to think of a way, or we won't dare to take on any more business."

Chen Geng immediately frowned.

According to the agreement between Chen Geng and Langbao, Huacheng Industrial could only obtain 1,000 sets of shock absorbers and 1,000 sets (5,000 units) of tires from Shanghai each year. By the end of this year, Huacheng Industrial could only get 500 sets of tires and shock absorbers from Shanghai. However, the 212 Jeep modification business was even more successful than Chen Geng had hoped. Not only was it thriving locally, but the reputation had spread to neighboring provinces, and people from local governments and state-owned enterprises were driving to Huacheng Industrial for modifications.

This was certainly good news, but the problem was that the quota of tires and shock absorbers from Langbao was already half used up. At the current rate, the remaining 500 sets might not last a month. What should they do next? Stop doing business? Of course not!

Zhang Xiangyang was right; they needed to find a way to solve this problem.

Zhang Xiangyang watched Chen Geng intently. Whenever he raised an issue, Chen Geng always had a solution. But two minutes had passed, and Chen Geng's frown hadn't eased. Zhang Xiangyang began to worry: Could it really be that difficult?

Could they just give up such a good business? Absolutely not! If he hadn't experienced good times, it would be one thing, but after just a few good days, going back to the days when he had to count every cigarette he bought would be worse than death. This was the difficulty of going from luxury to frugality.

"Is this really that hard?" Zhang Xiangyang asked cautiously, his face full of hope. "Didn't you say our company was planning to produce coil springs and shock absorbers? If Shanghai can't supply them, can't we make them ourselves?"

"It's very difficult; we can't do it yet," Chen Geng shook his head. As a designer and engineer, he knew how challenging it was. It might look like a simple coiled spring, but the technology involved is highly advanced. "Our country has the technology and experience to produce hydraulic shock absorbers, but we can't yet produce qualified coil springs for passenger vehicles."

"Is it really that hard?" Zhang Xiangyang blinked, puzzled. "The spring on the Shanghai shock absorber doesn't seem that special. You can buy all kinds of springs at any hardware store. Can't we just find a spring factory to custom-make them?"

"If it were that simple, it would be easy," Chen Geng said with a bitter laugh. "There are two technical challenges we haven't overcome. One is the material of the spring. The coil springs on the Shanghai shock absorbers are made of spring steel, an alloy steel that requires both high toughness and high strength. The second is the design of the spring. To ensure the shock absorption effect under different loads, road conditions, and speeds, the design, thickness, and heat treatment process of the spring must be very precise, and our country's technology hasn't reached that level yet."

"..." Zhang Xiangyang was bewildered.

Chen Geng explained, "The military just received two Cherokee Jeeps. The rear suspension of the Cherokee is the same as the 212 Jeep, using a solid axle with leaf springs and hydraulic shock absorbers. However, the performance of the Cherokee's leaf springs and hydraulic shock absorbers is much better than our domestic products. As a result, the Cherokee has much better load-bearing capacity and comfort, all because the Americans have more advanced technology in spring steel formulation and processing."

"I see. It looks simple but is actually very difficult. We can't develop qualified coil springs in the short term, and even if we do, we can't match the quality of the German springs, right?"

"That's right," Chen Geng nodded.

Actually, there was a way. After being reborn, Chen Geng found his memory was astonishingly good. He remembered clearly the knowledge he had forgotten, including the formula and production process for high-quality leaf springs, which were now etched in his mind. However, it wasn't the right time to reveal this.

"We can't just let the business go," Zhang Xiangyang insisted. "There must be a way. We can't be outdone by a simple problem. How about... you try to get more tires and shock absorbers from Langbao?"

Chen Geng looked up helplessly, "Do you think my favors are so valuable?"

Zhang Xiangyang was embarrassed. Huacheng Industrial's success was entirely due to Chen Geng's favors and the technology he provided. Asking Chen Geng to use his reputation and favors for something he wouldn't benefit from... Zhang Xiangyang felt ashamed.

Chen Geng waved his hand, "Don't worry. I'll think of a way. We can't be outdone by a simple problem. We still have over a month, so there must be a solution. By the way, you seem to have something else on your mind?"

"Yes, there's another issue. Our office furniture production is lagging. We need to find more carpenters. Also, I think our furniture factory's production efficiency is too low. Can we add some production equipment?"

"Absolutely," Chen Geng didn't hesitate. "Ask the masters what equipment they need and report it to me. Tell them not to worry about the cost."

It was pitiful, but the furniture factory's production process was almost entirely manual. From cutting the wood to drilling holes, everything was done by hand using traditional tools. This resulted in high-quality work but very low efficiency.

With fewer orders in the past and a focus on training new workers, the factory hadn't invested in equipment. But now, with many orders accumulated, it was time to improve efficiency with modern equipment.

As they were chatting, they heard someone calling Chen Geng's name outside, sounding very urgent. Chen Geng looked out the window and recognized Zhao Xiaohua from the factory office.

"Director Zhao, what's the matter?"

Seeing Chen Geng's head, Zhao Xiaohua sighed in relief and said, "Manager Chen, come quickly. There's an important meeting at the factory. We can't afford to delay."

1985 was a difficult time for communication. The entire Third Armament Repair Factory had only two external telephones, and there were no internal lines or walkie-talkies. If something urgent came up, the only options were to announce it over the factory's loudspeaker or send someone to find people. This is why meetings were so frequent; without regular gatherings, the factory couldn't be managed.

A meeting? Seeing Zhao Xiaohua's worried face, Chen Geng asked, "What's the matter?"

"I don't know, but it seems to be related to the large-scale military downsizing." Mentioning this, Zhao Xiaohua looked close to tears: apparently, he would have to take off his military uniform.

The large-scale military downsizing had finally arrived?

PS: "Super Electronic Empire" is finally complete, and I can now focus all my energy on "Power Dynasty." This period has been incredibly tiring, even during the New Year, I maintained at least two updates a day (new and old books). Without being modest, I'm almost exhausted.

Brothers, please allow me a small break today. There will only be one update today, and from tomorrow, we will resume two updates a day.

Finally, brothers, I humbly ask for your support. If you have any recommendation tickets left, please consider giving them to me. The ratio of points to recommendations has dropped to 5:1, which is quite dire. Thank you all.