Chapter 162: The Future Path of the Factory (Eighth Update)

As the two of them chatted animatedly, Zhao Xiaojing couldn't even manage to get a word in, and before long, her enthusiasm waned.

After exchanging meaningful glances with the girl multiple times, He Huifen finally called her out of the room under the pretext of helping prepare dinner.

"Are you out of your mind, girl? Didn't you see how well your brother and Teacher Murong were getting along? Why on earth did you have to stay in there acting like a third wheel? Where is your basic common sense and social awareness?" Once inside the kitchen, He Huifen immediately began lecturing her daughter.

"Ah! Mom, are you saying that my brother and Teacher Murong..." Zhao Xiaojing seemed to realize something. She pointed toward the inner room, her face frozen in a daze.

"You just focus on your studies, young lady! These matters are none of your concern!" He Huifen scolded, glaring at Zhao Xiaojing with a look of utter exasperation.

Back in the living room, free from any interruptions, Zhao Guoqiang finally asked the question that had been lingering on his mind.

"Teacher Murong, how come you haven't been wearing that hairpin you bought last time? Is it not comfortable to use?"

Murong Jing smiled gently, took out a small handkerchief pouch from her bag, and unfolded it to reveal the hairpin nestled inside.

"It's not that it's uncomfortable. It's just that I had just washed my hair when I left home today, and it wasn't completely dry yet. I was afraid that putting a wet hairpin on might cause it to rust..."

"Oh, don't worry about that at all!" Zhao Guoqiang hurriedly explained.

"The hairpins we make are completely rust-resistant. You can use it with absolute peace of mind, Teacher Murong. If it rusts, I'll replace it for you free of charge!"

"Really? That's wonderful!" After all, Murong Jing was still a young woman who had just recently graduated, and she said cheerfully, "You have no idea, I've been keeping this hairpin like a precious treasure, terrified that I might ruin it..."

Most of Murong Jing's home visit was spent conversing with Zhao Guoqiang, straying quite far from its original purpose.

Of course, given Zhao Xiaojing's academic standing, a home visit from the head teacher to guide parents on filling out college entrance examination preferences was essentially just a formality anyway.

Seeing that Zhao Xiaojing had such a capable older brother, Murong Jing naturally no longer needed to worry about that matter.

By the time Murong Jing left, it was already close to eight o'clock in the evening. Just as Zhao Xiaojing offered to walk her teacher out, she was met with another round of scolding from He Huifen.

In the end, this arduous task naturally fell upon Zhao Guoqiang.

Murong Jing was not a native of Jianghai County and was temporarily staying at the school dormitory. Zhao Guoqiang accompanied her all the way to the main gates of Jianghai Middle School before reluctantly bidding her farewell.

Walking back home, Zhao Guoqiang recalled Teacher Murong's words from earlier, and his mind began to buzz with new possibilities.

According to Murong Jing, her hairpin was immensely popular at Jianghai Middle School.

Many people, both teachers and students alike, had been asking her about its origin and wanted to purchase one.

A conservative estimate suggested that in Jianghai Middle School alone, there was a potential market capacity of five hundred to eight hundred units.

Zhao Guoqiang calculated that if he could expand sales to other schools like Jianghai No. 2 Middle School and Jianghai No. 4 Middle School, he wouldn't need to worry about finding a market, even if he multiplied the production of these hairpins several times over.

Most importantly, due to Jianghai County's relative isolation from outside information, the selling price of the hairpins here was even higher than what Bai Rou had been getting.

"No, expanding the scale of the workshop can't be delayed any longer. I must get it moving right away!" Walking home through the night, Zhao Guoqiang made up his mind.

The next morning, Zhao Guoqiang caught the earliest morning bus back to Ninghai City, arriving at the factory bright and early.

Sitting in the empty office, Zhao Guoqiang checked the time. It was not yet seven-thirty, still a little while before work officially began.

With nothing better to do, Zhao Guoqiang pulled out the blueprint for the underbone motorcycle frame from the Sanyang Group and began to study it meticulously.

Regarding the future path of the Hongda Machinery Factory, Zhao Guoqiang had pondered for a long time. Judging by the current situation, manufacturing motorcycle frames remained the primary source of the factory's profits.

With the acquisition of the laser spot welding machine, the efficiency of frame production would also be greatly enhanced. It was fair to say that the profit margin in the frame sector was still substantial.

However, supplying frames as an OEM for other manufacturers was ultimately a low-tech business. No matter how large or successful you became, you could still not escape the fate of being at the mercy of others.

If he wanted the Hongda Machinery Factory to possess truly formidable market competitiveness, relying solely on supporting products like frames and fuel tanks was absolute out of the question.

Producing firefighting equipment meant they wouldn't have to depend on other manufacturers, but that market was also prone to saturation, and the competitive pressure was relatively high. Even with guaranteed product quality, it was impossible to maintain a high-speed growth rate indefinitely.

With this in mind, Zhao Guoqiang's train of thought gradually expanded toward other directions, such as complete vehicles.

Although Zhao Guoqiang had been proficient in many fields in his past life, his true core expertise remained the mechanical manufacturing industry.

He had once served as the leader of a top-tier domestic research institute specializing in vehicles, ships, aerospace, and heavy machinery, possessing an unmatched depth of knowledge in this domain.

Of course, starting the production of complete automobiles or heavy machinery right now at the Hongda Machinery Factory was completely impractical and unrealistic.

You have to eat your meals one bite at a time; you have to walk the road one step at a time.

In Zhao Guoqiang's view, the Hongda Machinery Factory had already met certain preconditions for an upgrade.

Setting aside complete automobiles for the moment, the factory was fully capable of venturing into complete motorcycle manufacturing.

Under the current domestic market conditions, the price of a single motorcycle easily ran into ten or twenty thousand yuan, and even the cheapest domestic models cost seven or eight thousand. The profit margins hidden within were exceptionally lucrative.

If the Hongda Machinery Factory could produce its own motorcycles in a short period, successfully break into the market, and establish its brand name, it would undoubtedly ride the first wave of the domestic motorized vehicle boom.

Looking at the frame blueprints in his hands, Zhao Guoqiang silently calculated in his heart.

If he were to undertake the manufacturing of complete motorcycles, standard street bikes with straddle frames were definitely out of the question; the production costs were simply too high, and the Hongda Machinery Factory might not be able to afford the gamble.

As for choosing between scooters and underbone motorcycles, that was the dilemma currently hesitating him.

In terms of lifespan and rugged durability, underbone motorcycles outperformed scooters.

In terms of driving convenience, scooters were easier to operate and looked somewhat more pleasing to the eye.

Additionally, scooters offered convenient storage for personal belongings, making them particularly suitable for the stop-and-go conditions of crowded urban traffic.

However, the disadvantages of scooters were also quite obvious. Because of their smaller wheels, lower ground clearance, and shorter shock absorber travel, they were only suitable for driving on well-paved roads.

From this perspective, underbone motorcycles possessed superior adaptability to poor road conditions and a wider range of applications.

Furthermore, regarding production costs, scooters were also more expensive than underbone bikes.

Following the principle of cost versus profit, producing scooters was naturally less advantageous than underbone bikes, but Zhao Guoqiang had his own judgment.

In his view, the primary consumer demographic for motorcycles was still concentrated in developed cities and could not be popularized in vast rural areas for the time being. Therefore, the target audience for underbone bikes was noticeably smaller than that for scooters.

If he could truly persuade the factory leadership to undertake a complete motorcycle manufacturing project, his personal preference leaned more toward scooters.