Chapter 10

"Equipment automation is an inevitable trend in the development of China's equipment manufacturing industry. Nowadays, apart from those state-owned enterprises, there are virtually no private enterprises that research, manufacture, and sell such equipment. If we buy all our equipment from abroad, whether it be second-hand or simple CNC machines, the cost will be too high, and it will not be beneficial for our future development."

Due to the limitations of his time, although Wang Qingfeng could predict the prospects of the CNC machining industry, he had no ideas about the most critical part of CNC machines—the CNC system.

"Hey, Xiao Yun, why do you, a young kid, know so much about this? I heard from friends that just two months ago, a CNC equipment company was established in Luogang. They mainly produce CNC systems, and in the future, we can directly buy their CNC machines..."

"What? Huadu CNC? Is their name Huadu CNC Equipment Co., Ltd.?" Wang Qingfeng's words reminded Yun Fei of the company that, in his time, rivaled Japan's FANUC and Germany's Siemens, occupying half of the domestic CNC system market.

However, although Huadu CNC rivaled FANUC and Siemens, its market share was entirely built on the quantity of mid-to-low-end systems. High-end CNC systems were monopolized by foreign companies, and for every high-end system sold by foreign companies, Huadu CNC had to sell hundreds or even thousands of systems.

The lack of high-end domestic systems is a constant pain in the hearts of all Chinese mechanical engineers! Especially for senior technicians, who use English systems, how can they be satisfied! After all, the country started late and had a weak foundation! In the mid-1990s, there wasn't even a major in mechatronics.

The main issue with CNC systems is combining mechanics and electronics. There are plenty of mechanical talents, but finding electronic talents is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Even if there are any, they are not enough for state-owned factories, let alone private enterprises.

"Yes, but right now, they only have about twenty people, even fewer than our company. I originally planned to visit their company in a while and, if suitable, order a few CNC machines." Wang Qingfeng was a bit curious about how Yun Fei, a child from Shenzhen, knew about such a small company.

Hearing Wang Qingfeng's words, Yun Fei couldn't help but think about the information he knew about that company.

Although Huadu CNC has a substantial registered capital, it is currently just a small factory with twenty people, producing CNC systems that are imitations of foreign systems. Despite the small number of people, its output is not lower than that of Qingfeng Machinery Factory. After all, a set of CNC systems costs about 20,000 to 30,000 yuan, which is not much different from a regular machine tool.

"Old Wang, why don't we also develop CNC systems? What do you think?" Thinking about the prospects of the CNC industry and the market in China, such a large pie, if not taken a bite, would be a regret.

If I don't take this opportunity, the majority of the profits in the CNC industry will be taken by foreigners for at least ten years.

"Forget it, little brother. Let's focus on processing. By the way, little brother, you said you wanted to talk to me about the management of our factory. Since it's already after work, let's go to a nearby small restaurant to chat while drinking. I'll call the heads of the factory departments." Hearing Yun Fei's request to invest in CNC, Wang Qingfeng quickly changed the subject.

In recent years, many people in China have tried to develop CNC systems, but most have lost all their capital, or they opened small factories to imitate the lowest-end systems from Germany or Japan.

Even the small factory that was just built in Luogang is said to have invested several million yuan. NND, several million yuan could buy a hundred ordinary machine tools, and if the business is good, it could earn several hundred thousand yuan a month. If the CNC system fails, it will result in a total loss, with no chance of recovery.

Although he had seen Yun Fei's mechanical processing skills and his proficiency in operating CNC machines, Wang Qingfeng did not believe that a young kid like Yun Fei could develop a CNC system. No matter how talented Yun Fei was, his age was a significant factor. If a young kid could develop a CNC system, how would the engineers who have been working for years without even finding the right direction feel!

Originally, it was just a casual remark. Hearing Wang Qingfeng's response and seeing his reaction, Yun Fei felt a bit disappointed. After careful consideration, this was a normal human reaction. He had only known Wang Qingfeng for less than a month, and even though Wang Qingfeng seemed to trust him, no one would risk their entire fortune on a sixteen-year-old.

After all, he currently looks like a sixteen-year-old, and who would believe he is an engineer from the future with a background in mechatronics?

Yun Fei is very familiar with the CNC systems commonly used in China. If he could bring the FANUC and Siemens systems from ten years later, he could dominate the high-end market of this era.

Since Wang Qingfeng is unwilling to do this, it seems he will have to wait for an opportunity and start his own business once he has the money.

Thinking about money, Yun Fei remembered the first CNC system developed by Huadu CNC—HSK928. He had studied this system in depth during his school days. It has a strong resemblance to FANUC, but compared to the FANUC traces in the KND series products from the Capital Third Mechanical and Electrical Research Institute, it can be considered a domestic product. For this era, it is quite good.

Due to the limitations of industrial control chips, although the HSK928 system has a small storage capacity (24k, 100 programs), slow movement speed (15,000 mm/min for rapid movement, 6,000 mm/min for linear movement, 3,000 mm/min for circular movement), no macro program function, no thread clearance compensation, few subroutine calls, and no electronic gear function, the low price (only about 10,000 to 20,000 yuan for a complete set) makes it a good system for the Chinese market, where domestic CNC systems are almost non-existent. At least, it can meet the processing needs of some more complex parts.

The most criticized aspect of the HSK928 system is not its many defects but the use of stepper motors instead of the later servo motors.

Since the HSK928 system will not be developed until August next year, Yun Fei is not in a hurry. He plans to sort out the affairs of Qingfeng Machinery, then visit Luogang. If he can use his technical knowledge to gain shares in Guangshu, that would be ideal. Even if he can't, he will use this system to get the initial capital he needs.

In the evening, Wang Qingfeng brought the leaders of several departments to a small restaurant near the factory for a large meal. To be honest, this was the first time Yun Fei had eaten with the entire leadership of Qingfeng Machinery since he joined.

He is not good at socializing and knows that although eating and drinking are common in this era, the internal atmosphere of the factory is still relatively simple. Wang Qingfeng, who works alone in Guangzhou, usually eats in the canteen like the workers.

Although Yun Fei is not good at socializing, he has a good drinking capacity. After a few beers, he started to chat with the department heads. However, whenever he mentioned company management, they would change the subject, and Wang Qingfeng also avoided talking about it.

This made Yun Fei very depressed. With a bad mood, he soon felt dizzy and left the restaurant, apologizing to the excited crowd, wanting to take a walk outside.

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends