novelslam Chapter 173 Moisture-proof R&D: Winning Trust
Chapter 173 Moisture-proof R&D: Winning Trust
Ten days after the spring equinox in 1983, the weather in Zhangcheng finally cleared up. In the backyard of Chenqing Hardware Factory, Lin Chen was squatting in front of a makeshift test bench, holding a rock he had just picked up from the beach, repeatedly rubbing it against packaging samples of different materials. The salt grains clinging to the rock gleamed white in the sunlight, leaving grayish-white streaks on the packaging paper as if silently simulating the erosion during sea transport.
"Director Lin, the imported moisture-proof canvas has arrived!" Warehouse manager Lao Wang pushed a cart quickly over, on which were stacked several rolls of beige canvas with blurry English labels printed on them. Lin Chen immediately stood up and hurried over, reaching out to touch the surface of the canvas—the texture was fine and dense, with no roughness felt when his fingertips ran over it, and it was nearly a third heavier than the domestic canvas he had used before.
"Quick, get the scissors!" Lin Chen's voice was filled with barely concealed excitement. Su Qing walked over with a glass of cold water and a pair of sharp industrial scissors in her hand. "Don't rush to try it, have some water first. Boss Chen just sent another telegram saying that the Southeast Asian clients have agreed to wait another week, but if they still can't come up with a solution, they'll have to sign with a new supplier." She handed the glass of water to Lin Chen, her gaze falling on the scattered samples on the lab bench. "You've only been sleeping three hours a day these past few days; if you keep pushing yourself like this, your health will collapse."
Lin Chen took the water glass and drank it all in one gulp, wiping the water from the corner of his mouth. "Now is not the time to rest. Look at these data," he pointed to the record book on the experimental table, "ordinary kraft paper will fail in 24 hours in salt spray, and the moisture-proof paper we used last time couldn't last more than 72 hours, while the imported canvas sample has been in the salt spray chamber for 96 hours, and the inside is still dry." He took the scissors and cut a piece of canvas with a "snip," "But canvas alone is not enough; the combination of sealant and desiccant is the key."
Inside the workshop, workers were busy around a newly modified mixer. Uncle Wang, wearing reading glasses, carefully poured rosin and paraffin into the mixing bucket. Chen Lei, standing beside him, held a thermometer and called out the temperature every minute: "Uncle Wang, it's 120 degrees now, it's up to standard!" Uncle Wang nodded, vigorously turning the mixing rod with his wrist, and the pale yellow liquid in the bucket gradually became uniform and viscous.
This was the sealant formula Lin Chen had designed overnight. Traditional paste would fail in humid environments, but the mixture of rosin and paraffin was not only highly waterproof, but also formed an elastic sealing layer after solidification, perfectly filling the gap between the canvas and the wooden crate. When Lin Chen entered the workshop, he saw Chen Lei applying the mixed sealant to the edge of the canvas, his movements much more practiced than before.
"How's it going, Chen Lei? Is this formula any good?" Lin Chen patted him on the shoulder. Chen Lei looked up, his face smeared with a little yellowish glue. "Director Lin, your formula is amazing! I just tried it, and it solidified in ten minutes on the canvas. You can't even wash it off with water." He pointed to a pile of desiccants next to him. "And as you said, I replaced the regular desiccant with silica gel desiccant. The moisture absorption rate is three times higher than before, and it can be reused."
Lin Chen picked up a packaged desiccant packet, and through the gauze paper, he could see fine silica gel particles inside. "Well done. But we need to add an extra layer of protection." He turned and took out several palm-sized pieces of paper from a canvas bag, printed with red and blue patterns. "These are humidity indicator cards. I asked a friend in Guangzhou to get them from a foreign trade company. If the humidity inside the packaging exceeds 60%, the blue will turn red, so customers can know whether the packaging is intact as soon as they open it."
Su Qing walked over with an account book in her hand, her brows furrowing slightly. "I've calculated the costs. The cost of imported canvas, custom-made sealant, and silicone desiccant has increased from eight cents to thirty-two cents per set of packaging, a fourfold increase. If Boss Chen refuses to accept the price increase, our profits will be squeezed considerably."
Lin Chen took the ledger, his fingertips lightly tapping the numbers: "Costs have gone up, but our product competitiveness has also improved. Think about it, how much do our Southeast Asian customers lose each time they need to replace goods due to rust? How much are the penalties for delaying production? Our new packaging can guarantee no rust within six months, and the value behind that is far more than 32 cents." He paused, "And I've already decided that this trip to Hong Kong is not only to resolve the crisis, but also to make this 'three-layer moisture-proof packaging' our core competitive advantage."
That afternoon, Lin Chen, carrying three meticulously crafted packaging samples and a thick stack of technical documents, boarded a bus to Guangzhou once again. This time, instead of taking a long-distance bus, he gritted his teeth and bought a direct ferry ticket to Hong Kong—to save time and to demonstrate sufficient sincerity to Boss Chen. The sea breeze in the cabin carried a salty, damp scent. Lin Chen leaned against the porthole, repeatedly rehearsing his negotiation skills, his hands rubbing the samples until they shone.
The next day at noon, when Lin Chen appeared in Boss Chen's office, the man's face was still grim. Several samples from other suppliers were laid out on his desk, along with a draft termination agreement. "Manager Lin, I've given you enough time," Boss Chen said, pointing to the samples on the desk. "These suppliers have all promised to solve the rust problem, and their prices are 10% lower than yours."
Lin Chen didn't rush to explain. Instead, he took out three well-sealed wooden boxes from his bag and placed them one by one on his desk. "Boss Chen, before you make a decision, could you please show me an experiment?" He turned on the office tap, filled a basin with water, and then completely immersed the first wooden box in it. "This is our original packaging, you see."
In less than five minutes, water began to seep from the surface of the wooden crate, and through the gaps, the moisture-proof paper inside could be seen gradually becoming transparent. Boss Chen's lips curled slightly, clearly having anticipated this outcome. Lin Chen didn't stop and immersed the second wooden crate in the basin of water—this crate was made of imported canvas and ordinary sealant. Ten minutes later, a small amount of water appeared on the surface, but it hadn't penetrated to the inside.
"This is the best level of moisture-proof packaging on the market," Lin Chen said, immersing the third wooden crate in a basin of water. "This is our new packaging, a three-layer moisture-proof structure, with silicone desiccant and a humidity indicator card." He glanced at his watch. "We can continue discussing the details of the cooperation now, and come back to see the results in half an hour."
Mr. Chen was clearly intrigued. He gestured to his secretary to make two cups of tea, then opened the technical documents Lin Chen had brought. When he saw phrases like "96 hours of salt spray test with no rust damage" and "warranty extended to three years," his brow gradually relaxed. "Director Lin, how much have your costs increased?" he asked, looking up, his tone much more gentle than before.
"The cost of each set of packaging has increased by 24 cents, but I promise that as long as you use our new packaging, if any rust or damage occurs, we will not only provide a full refund, but also cover all replacement shipping costs and the customer's penalty fee." Lin Chen handed over a detailed cost accounting sheet. "Moreover, we can offer you a discount: if you increase your annual order volume to three times what it was before, we will only charge the cost price and will not make a profit on the packaging."
Boss Chen tapped his fingers lightly on the accounting sheet, remaining silent for a full five minutes. Then, Lin Chen reminded him, "Boss Chen, time's up." The two walked to the basin, and when Lin Chen pulled out the third wooden box, its surface was completely dry. He opened the box; the humidity indicator card inside was still blue, and the plowshare accessories wrapped inside were as shiny as new, without a trace of rust.
"This..." Boss Chen's eyes lit up. He picked up the parts and examined them repeatedly, then touched the inside of the dry packaging. "Director Lin, can this packaging really guarantee that it won't rust for six months?"
"Not only that," Lin Chen said, taking out a test report, "this is a report issued by the Guangzhou Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau. Our new packaging passed the sea transport environment simulation test. After being placed in an environment with a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius and a humidity of 90% for six months, the corrosion rate of the accessories was zero. Moreover, this humidity indicator card is one of our special services. Customers can immediately determine whether the goods have been damp upon receipt, which can also avoid future disputes."
Looking at the bright red stamp on the inspection report, then at the three wooden crates on the table, Boss Chen finally smiled. "Director Lin, I knew I hadn't misjudged you. I can overlook the previous rust issue, but you need to resend this batch of goods, and with new packaging." He paused. "As for the annual order, I can triple it, but could you lower the price by another two percent?"
Lin Chen immediately nodded: "Two points are acceptable, but I have one condition." He took out a supplementary cooperation agreement, "I want 'three-layer moisture-proof packaging' to become the exclusive mark of Chenqing Hardware. You cannot disclose this technology to other suppliers. Moreover, to your customers, you need to highlight the advantages of our moisture-proof technology. We can provide promotional materials."
This condition was exactly what Boss Chen wanted. The reason he had been cooperating with Chenqing Hardware was because he valued Lin Chen's technological innovation capabilities. If he could obtain the exclusive moisture-proof technology, his competitiveness in the Southeast Asian market would be greatly enhanced. "No problem!" Boss Chen picked up a pen and signed his name on the supplementary agreement. "I'll arrange for someone to go to Zhangcheng tomorrow to supervise the production of the new goods and, incidentally, learn about this packaging technology."
When news of the successful negotiation reached Chenqing Hardware Factory, cheers erupted in the workshop. Su Qing, holding the telegram, was so excited her hands were trembling. She immediately convened a meeting of all employees and announced two pieces of good news: First, Boss Chen not only withdrew his claim but also tripled the annual orders; second, the factory would establish a dedicated packaging R&D team, with Chen Lei as the team leader and Uncle Wang as the technical consultant, to develop more efficient packaging technologies.
"This time, we not only resolved the crisis, but also found new growth points." Su Qing stood on the stage, her gaze sweeping over the employees below. "When Factory Director Lin was negotiating in Hong Kong, he repeatedly emphasized that quality and innovation are the foundation of our business. To reward everyone for their hard work these past few days, the factory has decided to give each person a 50 yuan bonus, and each student in the specialized training program will receive a professional tool kit!"
Cheers erupted from the audience. Chen Lei, holding the newly received tool kit, was so moved his eyes welled up with tears. He walked to Uncle Wang's side and bowed deeply: "Uncle Wang, thank you for your guidance these past few days. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to master the sealant mixing technique at all." Uncle Wang patted him on the shoulder, his face full of satisfaction: "The younger generation will surpass the older. The future of packaging R&D will depend on you young people."
Three days later, the technical team sent by Boss Chen arrived in Zhangcheng. When they saw the production workshop of Chenqing Hardware Factory, they couldn't help but praise it: the raw materials and semi-finished products were neatly arranged in the workshop, and detailed operating procedures were posted on each workstation. There were also dedicated quality inspectors in the packaging process, and each set of packaging had to undergo water seepage test and salt spray test before it could leave the factory.
"Director Lin, your management is more standardized than many large state-owned factories." The head of the technical team gave a thumbs up. "Especially the mixing of this sealant, the temperature control is precise to one degree, no wonder the waterproof performance is so good."
Lin Chen smiled and handed over a technical manual: "This is our standard production process, which contains detailed parameters and operating methods. You can take it for reference, but the core formula and the procurement channels for the humidity indicator cards are our trade secrets. Please understand."
The technical team leader nodded understandingly: "That's only right. To be honest, Manager Lin, our boss sent us here not only to supervise production, but also to discuss long-term technical cooperation with you. The Southeast Asian market has a huge demand for moisture-proof packaging. If you can customize a packaging solution for us, we can pay for the technical services."
This suggestion caught Lin Chen's eye. He immediately discussed it with Su Qing and decided to establish a "Technical Service Department" to provide customized packaging solutions for customers. In this way, the factory could not only sell products but also technology, significantly expanding its profit margin.
For the next two weeks, all employees of Chenqing Hardware Factory worked overtime and finally completed the reshipment order on time. As the cargo ship loaded with the new packaging parts sailed away from the port, Lin Chen and Su Qing stood on the dock, watching the sails gradually disappear into the distance, their hearts filled with a sense of accomplishment. Su Qing took out a financial statement: "Based on the new order volume and price, our sales this year can exceed three million, and the net profit will be at least five hundred thousand."
Lin Chen took the report and looked towards the distant sea: "This is just the beginning. Boss Chen has already told me that there is a large agricultural machinery expo in Southeast Asia, and they have invited us to participate next year. At that time, our 'three-layer moisture-proof packaging' will be able to go abroad and let more customers know about Chenqing Hardware's technical strength."
Just then, Lin Chen's pager rang. It was a message from Liu Guangtian: "Brother, Guangfu and I have quit our jobs back home and are heading to Zhangcheng tomorrow. We'll work for you from now on!" Lin Chen looked at the message and couldn't help but smile. He turned to Su Qing and said, "Our team is getting stronger and stronger. Guangtian understands forging technology, and Guangfu is good at warehouse management. With them joining us, our plan to expand the factory next year can be implemented ahead of schedule."
Su Qing smiled too, the afterglow of the setting sun shining on her face, gilding it with a warm golden light: "Yes, before, it was just the two of us gritting our teeth and persevering, but now we have so many reliable partners and so many clients who trust us. No matter what difficulties we encounter, we can overcome them."
By the time Lin Chen returned to the factory, night had fallen. The lights in the workshop were still on. Chen Lei was leading several students in debugging new packaging equipment, while Uncle Wang was instructing them on how to mix the sealant. Everyone's face was beaming with busy but fulfilling smiles. Lin Chen walked into the workshop, picked up a freshly packaged component, and through the transparent observation window, he could see a blue humidity indicator card inside, like a steadfast belief, shining brightly in the darkness.
He knew that this moisture-proof technology development not only solved the immediate crisis but also allowed Chenqing Hardware Factory to take a solid step forward on the path of technological innovation. The tacit cooperation between him and Su Qing, as well as the hard work of everyone on the team, were the factory's most valuable assets. In the spring breeze of reform and opening up, this small factory, born in an abandoned suburban factory, was relying on technology and integrity to gradually move towards a broader future.