diskusbooks Chapter 190 The Automotive Industry: A New Breakthrough
Chapter 190 The Automotive Industry: A New Breakthrough
In the late autumn of 1988, sunlight streamed through the windows of the R&D center of Chenqing Precision Manufacturing Co., Ltd., casting dappled shadows on the desks covered with blueprints. Lin Chen, a pencil between his fingers, stared intently at the 3D blueprints before him—the preliminary design for high-precision automotive wheel bearings, the edges of which were worn smooth from repeated handling. The enamel mug on his desk still held the warmth of his wedding; the words "Harmony in the Family, Prosperity in the Business" gleamed faintly in the sunlight, reminding him of the simple yet heartwarming celebration two days prior, and the 5 million yuan supply contract left behind by Manager Wang of Guangzhou Automobile Group.
"President Lin, these are the latest testing standards from FAW Group that we just received." Chen, the head of the R&D department, pushed open the door, carrying a thick stack of technical documents, beads of sweat still clinging to his forehead. He gently placed the documents on the table, pointing to a page and saying, "Look here, the high-speed rotational stability requirement is 12000 revolutions per minute for 200 hours of continuous operation without any abnormalities. This standard is three times higher than the appliance bearings we've worked on before."
Lin Chen picked up the document and carefully examined it, his fingertip pausing for a moment on the words "12000 RPM". He looked up at Engineer Chen and noticed the worry in the other's eyes—Engineer Chen was a retired senior technical expert from a state-owned bearing factory who had led the research and development of bearings for home appliances after joining Chenqing. Even he looked troubled, which was enough to illustrate the difficulty of this technology. "I know this standard is demanding," Lin Chen said calmly, reaching out to open a drawer and taking out a palm-sized piece of alloy material, "but this is our stepping stone into the automotive industry, and we must crack this tough nut. Look at this, aerospace-grade titanium alloy scrap, which I asked Old Chen from the foreign trade department to get from Hong Kong."
Engineer Chen took the alloy material and gently ran his fingertips along its surface, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "This kind of material is a controlled resource in state-owned factories. Its toughness and wear resistance are indeed top-notch, but it is also extremely difficult to forge. Ordinary machine tools simply cannot process it." He paused, then added, "Moreover, the cost is too high. If we were to mass-produce it, our pricing would be completely uncompetitive."
Lin Chen walked to the window, gazing at the semi-automated production line operating in the workshop, the fusion data on the system panel flashing through his mind. He had stayed up all night on his wedding night to conduct simulations, fusing aerospace titanium alloy with domestic high-strength steel in a 3:7 ratio, ensuring both strength and cost control. The key was solving the molecular bonding problem between the two materials. "I have a way to solve the cost problem," Lin Chen said, turning around. "The key is the forging process. I designed a double-layer heating scheme: first, the steel is heated to 1200℃ in a medium-frequency furnace, then the surface of the titanium alloy is locally heated in a high-frequency induction furnace. This reduces material stress."
He picked up a pencil and quickly sketched on the drawing, creating a completely new forging die structure: "Look here, I designed a spiral guide channel on the inner wall of the die, which allows the molten metal to fill the cavity more evenly. Tomorrow I'll take you to the workshop to modify the equipment, and we'll make three samples to try it out first." Looking at the ingenious structure on the drawing, Engineer Chen's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed. He knew that Lin Chen's technical intuition had never been wrong; it was precisely through similar innovations that Chen Qing had gained a foothold in the hardware industry.
The next morning, Lin Chen led his R&D team and key workshop personnel into the forging workshop. Liu Guangtian had specially come from Beijing to help, bringing with him the latest forging process parameters from Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, as well as a batch of mold parts meticulously crafted by his younger brother, Liu Guangfu. "Brother Lin, these are the hydraulic press parameters that our factory just debugged. I've compared them, and they match your design perfectly." Liu Guangtian handed over a thick parameter manual, densely covered with annotations. "Guangfu specifically controlled the mold precision to within 0.005 millimeters, which is 0.002 millimeters higher than your requirements."
Lin Chen took the manual, turned to the page on hydraulic press parameters, and couldn't help but nod in praise: "Guangtian, your technical skills are much better than mine were back then. This batch of parts is well made; Guangfu's craftsmanship is getting more and more exquisite." He patted Liu Guangtian on the shoulder and pointed to the intermediate frequency furnace in the center of the workshop, saying, "Today we'll proceed in three steps: first, we'll modify the heating system, then install the new molds, and we'll start trial production this afternoon. Everyone needs to be focused, and every piece of data must be recorded accurately."
The renovation work was more complex than expected. The temperature control system of the intermediate frequency furnace needed to be reprogrammed. Engineer Chen and two young technicians squatted in front of the control cabinet for four whole hours, sweat dripping from their foreheads onto the circuit boards, making a soft hissing sound. Lin Chen and Liu Guangtian installed the forging mold, which weighed over 300 kilograms and required precise hoisting with a crane. The two repeatedly checked with a level to ensure that the mold was perfectly aligned with the hydraulic press. Su Qing was also busy. She and the finance department staff set up a temporary supply point outside the workshop, preparing hot tea and steamed buns for everyone. She would come in from time to time to check on the progress and give Lin Chen encouraging looks.
At 3 PM, the first batch of steel was fed into the induction furnace. The red-hot steel tumbled inside, the numbers on the temperature display steadily climbing until they stabilized at 1200℃. "Heating complete, add the titanium alloy now!" Engineer Chen shouted. Two workers carefully added the titanium alloy scraps into the furnace, and Lin Chen immediately started the high-frequency induction furnace. Blue flames enveloped the furnace opening, heating the surface of the titanium alloy to 1500℃. "Maintain this temperature for five minutes to allow the two materials to fully fuse!" Lin Chen stared intently at the temperature display, a barely perceptible tension in his voice.
Five minutes later, the molten alloy was poured into the new mold. The hydraulic press slowly descended, the immense pressure causing the mold to creak and the entire workshop to vibrate slightly. Liu Guangtian gripped the pressure gauge tightly and loudly announced the real-time data: "Pressure reached 800 tons, stable!" Lin Chen nodded, indicating to maintain the pressure for ten minutes. During those ten minutes, the workshop was completely silent; everyone stared intently at the hydraulic press, even their breathing became cautious. Su Qing stood at the workshop door, her hands unconsciously clasped together. She knew that this trial production was crucial to Chen Qing's future.
As the hydraulic press slowly rose and the mold opened, everyone crowded around. The red-hot bearing blank gradually cooled in the air, its surface smooth and flawless, without any cracks or bubbles. "Success!" a young technician shouted excitedly, and enthusiastic applause immediately erupted in the workshop. Lin Chen, however, did not relax. He picked up calipers to carefully measure the dimensions of the blank, and then used a hardness tester to test the surface hardness. His brows gradually furrowed: "The dimensions are fine, but the hardness is 5 Rockwell units lower than the standard. The heating time needs to be adjusted."
Over the next two days, the R&D team repeatedly adjusted the process parameters. The first time, increasing the heating time achieved the hardness target but resulted in coarse grains; the second time, reducing the proportion of titanium alloy failed to meet the strength requirements. Engineer Chen, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion, couldn't help but feel discouraged: "President Lin, how about we lower the standards? This level is already higher than many state-owned factories." Lin Chen shook his head, took out FAW Group's testing standards from his drawer, pointed to one of them, and said, "Look here. Their new models are for export to Europe; they must pass the EU's ECE certification. Even missing one indicator won't work."
That night, Lin Chen stayed alone in the R&D center, repeatedly working through the system panel. He discovered the problem lay in the uniformity of the titanium alloy; the previous mixing method had resulted in uneven distribution of the titanium alloy within the steel, affecting the overall hardness. At 2 a.m., he suddenly had an idea: to use the system's fusion function to simulate a new type of stirring device that could fully mix the two materials during the melting process. He immediately picked up the phone and dialed Liu Guangfu's number: "Guangfu, could you please work through the night to make a stirring device? I'll send you the blueprints now."
After receiving the call, Liu Guangfu immediately rushed to the hardware processing workshop next to the factory. Following the drawings sent by Lin Chen, he cut and welded high-strength steel, working through the night, and finally finished the mixing device at dawn. When he delivered the device to the R&D center, his eyes were bloodshot, but he excitedly said, "Brother Lin, look at this, is it okay? I specially added a wear-resistant coating, it will last longer." Lin Chen took the device, carefully inspected it, and nodded in satisfaction: "Great, Guangfu, this success depends on it."
The third trial production began. As the molten alloy entered the mold, Lin Chen activated the new stirring device. The device rotated at high speed inside the mold, creating a strong vortex that thoroughly mixed the titanium alloy and steel. Everyone was even more tense this time. Su Qing specifically canceled her morning meeting to stay in the workshop the entire time. After the bearing blank cooled, Lin Chen immediately conducted tests. The hardness reached the required Rockwell hardness of 58, the grain structure was uniform, and all indicators met the standards. "It's qualified!" Lin Chen held up the test report, his voice filled with excitement. Applause rang out again in the workshop, this time even more enthusiastic and prolonged than before.
Over the next week, the R&D team mass-produced 100 sets of bearing samples and sent them to FAW Group's testing center for comprehensive testing. While awaiting the results, Lin Chen didn't rest. He took Su Qing to Guangzhou Automobile Group to sign a formal contract and visited several auto parts distributors to prepare for future market expansion. Liu Guangtian stayed in Zhangcheng, helping the workshop optimize production processes and increasing bearing production efficiency by 20%.
A week later, FAW Group's test report arrived at Chenqing Company. Lin Chen, Su Qing, Engineer Chen, and Liu Guangtian opened the report together. When they saw the words "All items meet the requirements and have passed certification," everyone jumped for joy. The report showed that the bearings produced by Chenqing had worked continuously for 250 hours without any abnormalities in the high-speed rotational stability test, far exceeding the required 200 hours. Even more surprisingly, in the fatigue resistance test, the bearings remained intact after 100 million cycles of loading, achieving performance levels comparable to imported products.
"Mr. Lin, congratulations!" Manager Zhang from FAW Group's purchasing department called personally, his tone full of praise. "Your samples performed exceptionally well. Even our senior experts in the technical department couldn't believe that these were products manufactured by a private company. We've decided to list you as a first-tier supplier, with an initial order of 500 million yuan, and we will increase our purchases thereafter." Lin Chen held the phone, incredibly excited: "Manager Zhang, thank you for your trust. We will definitely complete the order on time and with high quality."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Chen shared the good news with all the employees. The company courtyard immediately erupted in celebration; employees spontaneously hung red lanterns and banged drums and gongs. Old Chef Wang personally cooked a lavish feast, and everyone sat together, sharing the joy of success. "I knew following General Manager Lin was the right choice!" a veteran employee exclaimed, raising his glass. "Back when I followed General Manager Lin from the farm implement factory, I was drawn to his skills and character. Now, our Chenqing has finally made it into the automotive industry!"
At the celebratory banquet, Su Qing walked onto the stage with a microphone, looking at Lin Chen with deep affection: "Today's success is inseparable from Lin Chen's technological innovation, the R&D team's tireless efforts day and night, and the hard work of every employee. But the person I want to thank most is Lin Chen. Ten years ago, he came to Zhangcheng with a wrench, and ten years later, he has led us into the high-end field of precision manufacturing. In the future, we will create even more miracles together!" Enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience. Lin Chen walked onto the stage, took Su Qing's hand, and the two smiled at each other, their eyes filled with understanding and love.
After the order was officially launched, the workshop was bustling with activity. Lin Chen implemented meticulous management of the production process, establishing strict quality control standards for each step to ensure flawless product quality. Su Qing was responsible for supply chain management, procuring sufficient raw materials in advance and signing expedited transportation agreements with logistics providers to ensure timely delivery of orders. After completing his work in Zhangcheng, Liu Guangtian returned to Beijing to coordinate the cooperation between Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill and Chen Qing. The two parties quickly reached an agreement to establish a joint R&D center to jointly develop high-strength steel for automobiles.
Just as production was proceeding smoothly, an unexpected incident occurred. During final inspection, five sets of bearings from a newly produced batch were found to have minor precision deviations. While these deviations did not affect usability, they did not meet Chenqing's quality standards. Upon learning of this, Lin Chen immediately ordered the five sets of bearings to be sealed and convened an emergency meeting. "Quality is Chenqing's lifeline. Even a deviation of only 0.01 millimeters cannot be tolerated," Lin Chen stated sternly. "All related batches of products must be re-inspected to find the root cause of the problem, and those responsible must be held accountable."
After two days of investigation, the problem was finally discovered to be a batch of raw materials. To reduce costs, the supplier had secretly changed the grade of steel, resulting in some products failing to meet precision standards. Lin Chen immediately contacted the supplier, demanding compensation for the losses and terminating the cooperation agreement. Simultaneously, he arranged for the R&D team to reproduce the bearings to ensure order delivery was not affected. Su Qing personally searched the market for new suppliers, and after rigorous screening, ultimately signed a long-term cooperation agreement with a state-owned steel mill, guaranteeing the quality of the raw materials from the source.
In December 1988, Chenqing Company completed its first batch of orders from FAW Group on schedule. As the trucks loaded with high-precision bearings drove out of the Chenqing factory, Lin Chen and Su Qing stood at the gate, watching the trucks disappear into the distance, their hearts filled with a sense of accomplishment. The delivery of these bearings not only propelled Chenqing Company's annual sales to over 10 million yuan, but also marked Chenqing's formal entry into the high-end field of precision manufacturing, breaking the monopoly of foreign companies in the automotive bearing market.
At the year-end summary meeting, Lin Chen stood on the stage, looking at the more than two hundred employees below, and said with emotion: "Ten years ago, we started our business in a dilapidated factory. At that time, we only had a dozen people and a few old machines. Ten years later, we have a modern factory, three branch offices, and our products are sold all over the country and even exported abroad. These ten years have been achieved through technological innovation, prioritizing quality, and everyone's concerted efforts. In the future, we will strive for even higher goals and build a leading Chinese precision manufacturing brand!"
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience, and employees stood up, waving their glow sticks. Su Qing walked to Lin Chen and handed him a new R&D plan: "This is our key R&D project for next year—automotive gearbox bearings. It's technically more challenging, but the market prospects are also broader." Lin Chen took the plan, looked at the technical parameters, and a determined glint flashed in his eyes: "Okay, next year we'll overcome this hurdle, allowing Chenqing to establish itself in the automotive industry and go global!"
Night deepened, and the employees gradually dispersed, but the lights in the R&D center remained on. Lin Chen and Su Qing sat side by side at their desks, gazing at the starry sky outside the window. The 500 million yuan order contract was neatly placed in the most prominent position on the desk, next to the wedding ring made of alloy. "What do you think Chenqing will be like in ten years?" Su Qing leaned on Lin Chen's shoulder and asked softly. Lin Chen took her hand, his gaze fixed firmly on the distance: "Ten years from now, Chenqing will be a globally renowned precision manufacturing company. Our products will be installed in the world's best cars, and we will take our children to see the world."
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting warm silhouettes on the two figures. In the distance, the roar of machines in the workshop gradually subsided, leaving only the bright lights of the R&D center illuminating Chenqing Company's even brighter future. Lin Chen knew that this breakthrough in the automotive field was merely a milestone in Chenqing's development history; they still had a long way to go and many more miracles to create on the path of technological innovation.