In the evening, Lin and Tang's family had dinner at a high-end restaurant.
Tang Zhongyuan introduced the second South African customer he had received, and he was very happy. Because these customers are all large customers, one order is almost the same as the order for one or two months last year. Scott alone ordered the Yangtze River Garment Factory
Increase the scale by 50%.
To be honest, Hong Kong's garment factories generally only developed in the late 1950s. In the previous life, Lai Yan Garment Factory was able to purchase a three-story industrial factory on Castle Peak Road in the early 1960s. This also illustrates a problem.
The money earned by a garment factory may not be higher than the land and factory buildings.
The Yangtze River Garment Factory currently has an annual profit of about 200,000 yuan. It is not very profitable, but it is the largest garment factory in Hong Kong, and it is also an earlier garment factory. In the past, there were mostly tailor shops. The newly established garment factories this year are relatively large.
many.
"Father-in-law, how much cash is there in the account of Yangtze Garment Factory?"
Tang Zhongyuan smiled and said: "You, the major shareholder, don't even know how much money you have. Since we opened the factory, we have invested a total of 600,000 Hong Kong dollars, all out of our own pockets, and we have not touched the money in our accounts. So once we opened the factory, we invested a total of 600,000 Hong Kong dollars.
At the beginning of this year, I earned a total of 175,000 Hong Kong dollars, mainly after receiving orders from South Africa, which started to increase rapidly."
Lin Zhichao did not check the accounts, but instead paid a full 450,000 Hong Kong dollars. The total investment was 600,000 Hong Kong dollars, and the Xiangjiang Garment Factory was the only one. Almost all garment factories in this era invested tens of thousands, or even thousands of Hong Kong dollars, in family-style
factory.
For example, for a garment factory with more than 100 people, an investment of 100,000 yuan is enough.
"Father-in-law, this is what I think. Let's inject another 50,000 Hong Kong dollars into it. Take out 200,000 Hong Kong dollars and buy some advanced Singer sewing machines. It's best to take action immediately."
Tang Zhongyuan was stunned and said: "Half of the machines in the warehouse are still untouched!"
Although he knows that the Yangtze River Garment Factory, which has a new type of electric car clothing, has an advantage when taking orders from South Africa; but after all, the current scale is enough to cope with it, not to mention the money and fear of not being able to buy machines, so why rush
Woolen cloth!
Lin Zhichao could only say: "I know, but there are big opportunities behind the Yangtze River Garment Factory. We need to be willing to invest first. This time we invested 200,000 Hong Kong dollars first. Anyway, we will make it back soon."
Tang Zhongyuan no longer objected. After all, he could afford the investment, and his son-in-law had always had a vicious vision.
"Okay, I'll order from them right away!"
Since we have already cooperated once, there is no need to go to the United States for inspection.
Lin Zhichao nodded with satisfaction and said, "Don't worry, our husband-in-law must be at the top of Hong Kong's garment industry."
"Haha, I have confidence too!"
Weng and son-in-law soon started drinking together, and their relationship was like that of good friends. Naturally, the relationship between the two families was very good. After all, Lin Zhichao was going to be the son-in-law of the Tang family again.
When Lin Baixin found out that Yangtze Garment Factory used the most advanced Singer sewing machines and received an order from South Africa, he immediately understood where he had lost.
However, he couldn't think of a way for a while because he only had a cash flow of less than 100,000 Hong Kong dollars.
Lam Pak Yan moved to Hong Kong in 1945 and worked as a garment salesman at first. Later, she opened the Shing Fook Weaving Factory in Yuen Chau Street, Sham Shui Po. It was not until the beginning of this year that she took over the Lai Yan Garment Factory. The Lai Yan Garment Factory was established before the war.
, it was just a small garment factory at that time.
Therefore, the financial strength makes Lin Baixin anxious!
"Husband, I know you want to buy new machines to make up for the gap. But there is no need to rush. There are hundreds of garment factories in Hong Kong, and only a few can use all new machines. As long as you have this perseverance
, you can realize your wish very quickly, half a year or a year, it won’t have much impact.”
Lin Baixin suddenly realized that he was too impatient. He didn't know what was going on. He always thought that he should get the order from South Africa. Because of this, he was worried about it.
However, in fact, he has only entered the garment industry for less than half a year, although he entered the textile industry very early.
And no matter what, with a market as big as South Africa, more customers will choose to place orders in Hong Kong in the future, and then there will be another opportunity.
"Baozhu, I'm really lucky to be able to marry you. Well, let's work hard to make money and try to buy a new Singer sewing machine next year."
After the two made love to each other in the small room, they walked out of the door and regrouped.
At this time, Lin Baixin had two businesses, one was Chengfu Weaving Factory and the other was Lixin Garment Factory. After marrying Yu Baozhu, Lin Baixin felt that she had a capable helper.
Of course, what Lin Baixin doesn't know is that if Lin Zhichao hadn't appeared, only Lai Yan Garment Factory in Hong Kong would have taken orders from South Africa. This would have been a big opportunity for Lin Baixin to win the title of "King of Africa".
Without the large number of orders from South Africa, it would be difficult for Lixin Garment Factory to become one of the "four major garment families" because this piece of meat is very fat.
At the same time, the United States will soon ban all machines exported to Hong Kong, and by the end of the year it will be expanded to include all European and American machines.
Before the mid-1950s, it was not considered very potential.
Of course, this is only one part of it. After all, the textile industry's entry into Europe and the United States also requires the accumulation of technology, and Europe and the United States restrict the Japanese textile industry, and then Hong Kong will take over.
Before this, the markets that everyone dreamed of were Indonesia and South Africa. As for Southeast Asia, it was originally the market of Hong Kong. (Indonesia was separated separately due to population and other reasons)
In late May, Lin Zhichao came to London again and found ship broker Willis.
When they met, Willis did not make any accusations. It seemed that Williamson's company did not disclose the buyer's information last time. The reason was simple. Williamson was also worried about offending the intermediary because he was dealing directly with the customer.
Lin Zhichao came to see Willis this time, but it was a sincere cooperation, because he felt that Willis was one of the few honest brokers among ship brokers. The shortcomings of the free ship were openly stated last time, which was the best
proof of.
At the same time, Willis's sincerity in hospitality is something Lin Zhichao values more.
In the next ten years, Lin Zhichao may have to deal with second-hand ships. Although he will also build new ships in the late 1950s, second-hand ships will be the main force of global shipping throughout the 1950s.
Therefore, if Willis is worth cooperating with, there will be many opportunities for both parties. In the future, Lin Zhichao may not even need to come to Europe and entrust it to senior executives and Willis.
"Lin, did you buy a boat last time?" Willis asked enthusiastically.
"Bought!" Lin Zhichao answered truthfully.
"Congratulations! You are here this time. Do you need to buy a boat again? You are really amazing!" Willis only sees customers, no skin color, and is very sincere.
Seeing this, Lin Zhichao also said generously: "Yes, this time I need to buy two more cargo ships of 8,000 to 10,000 tons, either coal-fired or oil-fired ones!"
Coal-burning ships are still very common in this era. After all, they are ships in their twenties and thirties.
At this time, Global Shipping had more than 1 million US dollars in hand, and two ships were not a problem.
The two Freewheelers last time were just a mistake. Soon the Freewheelers would shine in the 1950s, proving their performance was very good.
"No problem! It just so happens that I have a lot of ship sources in my hands. I guarantee you will take your fancy this time."
Later, Lin Zhichao looked at the information and found that some ships were indeed very good, mainly because of their good prices. For example, an 8,600-ton (load capacity) coal-fired cargo ship was built by a famous shipyard in Glasgow. It was built in 1928 and he was only 22 years old (
Not old for Lin Zhichao).
Glasgow is the third largest city in the UK, the largest industrial and commercial city and port in Scotland, and the center of the British shipbuilding industry. There are dozens of shipyards built along both sides of the Clyde River.
The price is also very good, including the agency fee, it only costs 171,000 pounds (478,800 US dollars). Generally speaking, the agency fee is about 5%; if you buy a European ship in Hong Kong, the agency fee will be 5~10%.
When Lin Zhichao saw a "Victory Ship" for sale, his eyes couldn't help but jump. How could such a ship be in British hands?
"Did the Americans sell this Victory Ship to foreign shipping companies?" Lin Zhichao asked directly.
Willis was happy to answer these questions: "Of course, in early 1948, the United States sold a total of 98 Victory ships to foreign companies, including the British Cunard Company, Holland American Steamship Company, Argentine International Steamship Company, South African Shipping, etc.
Another 20 ships were leased to the U.S. Army, and the rest were leased to the U.S. Navy. You know, the United States built a total of 570 Victory ships, and after the war, there were almost more than 400 Victory ships."
Lin Zhichao nodded. He knew that compared to the free wheel, the victory wheel was simply an enhanced version. The first was the shortcoming of the free wheel - speed, while the victory wheel was already much faster and could reach 15 to 18 knots. The second was the cargo capacity.
, a Liberty Ship can carry 5,000 to 9,000 tons (depending on the cargo), while a Victory Ship can carry 12,000 to 15,000 tons; finally, there is the cost. A Liberty Ship costs 1.8 million US dollars, while a Victory Ship costs 1.8 million U.S. dollars.
Then it is 2.5 million US dollars.
"Why would Cunard sell such a good ship?" Lin Zhichao asked curiously.
Willis was stunned and then understood that Lin Zhichao had already guessed the owner, but he was not worried because the shipping company would not sell it directly to an Asian.
"Operational issues! Cunard Company is now focusing on large cruise ships. As business in this area has reduced, they will naturally choose to sell one. To be honest, the price is 250,000 pounds, and they are not losing money. In two years, they have made almost 77
It’s eighty-eight years old. They must be happy if it can be sold at this price now. And for you, it is an opportunity. Although this ship is welded, it is only 6 years old, so it is quite cost-effective."
It was a bargain, after all, it only cost 700,000 U.S. dollars, but Lin Zhichao had prepared a total of 1 million U.S. dollars.
This time, he overspent by a total of 200,000 US dollars, and he had no money to pay for it. Although Global Shipping still had more than 30,000 US dollars, it was operating expenses, and it was still insufficient.
"Can I pay a down payment of US$500,000 for this Victory Ship and pay off the remaining six months?"
Willis smiled and said: "Of course this is not a problem, even our company can guarantee it for you!"
Large ships need ports and supplies when docking, so it is impossible to escape. For example, Dong Haoyun's two ships were detained by the United States because of failure to pay off the money (ZZ reason). It was because of the trick of the U.S. Embassy that they were detained at the port. .
So Lin Zhichao doesn't owe much, and others don't worry about you running away.
Finally, Lin Zhichao expressed interest in the 8,600-ton cargo ship in Glasgow and the 15,000-ton cargo ship Victory.
Willis was overjoyed!
However, Lin Zhichao still proposed: "Mr. Willis, you may not know my shipping business. After buying these two ships, I own four 10,000-ton cargo ships. I bought these ships in full, and I I plan to lease all four ships to Japanese customers on a long-term basis to obtain stable income. In this way, I will soon come to London to buy ships. So, can you reduce the agency fee, which can be a bridge for our long-term cooperation? .”
Willis immediately thought about it. Lin Zhichao was indeed a powerful businessman. The four ships cost almost 800,000 pounds (actually 720,000 pounds). With such purchasing power in a year, he was obviously the top Chinese rich man.
"Why did you choose to rent long-term?" Willis asked.
Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "The cost of long-term rental is generally 75% of that of short-term rental. Even so, in my opinion, the ship must make money. If it is empty, it is obviously a waste, while long-term rental is stable, has less risk, and It’s easy to get a letter of trust from a bank.”
In fact, his long-term rental is not the long-term rental of Bao Yugang in his previous life. Lin Zhichao chose a more profitable long-term rental, which is to use cyclicality to obtain greater profits.
For example, Global Shipping will choose long-term lease with Japanese shipping companies at the beginning of next year. By then, the freight may rise to 20 US dollars per ton. Even if the rent is 75%, it is still 15 US dollars per ton (long-term lease), which is still higher than the current price. The price of 10 US dollars per ton increased the price by 50%. He leased it for two years. Two years later, in 1953, the shipping price was still high, so he leased for another three years. Or he leased for five years! But he could not lease for three years. !
Through this adjustable lease period, greater profits can be obtained.
After all, customers don’t understand the future market conditions, so they don’t doubt anything!
Lin Zhichao's long-term lease can not only make good profits in ordinary market conditions, but what he ultimately wants is to obtain a letter of credit from the bank.
Whether it is HSBC or a Japanese bank (available for shipbuilding in Japan), if they support you, they want to see a steady style from you; after all, shipping is a risky asset-heavy business, how to gain the credit of bankers The shape is self-evident.
Finally, Lin Zhichao must also engage in long-term leasing, short-term leasing, and fixed shipping together, with long-term leasing taking a larger share of the business.
Willis immediately saw the shining point in Lin Zhichao, so he lowered the agency fee by 1 point and only took 5% of the agency fee.
Lin Zhichao knew that it was enough, enough was enough!
Willis, as the host, warmly entertained Lin Zhichao, and the two even made an appointment to watch the musical "Appetizer" together.
The two of them sat in the front row and immediately attracted the attention of many people. After all, it was rare for Chinese people to come to see this artistic musical. If Willis had not led the show, there might have been some unnecessary trouble.
"Lin, relax, you are my friend!" Willis reassured with a smile.
He only saw the surprised looks around him, but did not see that Lin Zhichao was not affected at all.
"Of course, I am very relaxed and looking forward to it!"
After a while, the musical began and the two of them had already calmed down.
Soon, it was Hepburn's turn to appear. She was wearing a ballet skirt and nylon stockings on her thighs, performing a solo dance on stage.
When she saw Lin Zhichao in the front row, she almost made a performance mistake. Fortunately, Lin Zhichao didn't seem to recognize her, so she quickly calmed down and did not make any mistakes.
It turned out that the 500 pounds had troubled her a lot in the past few months. Her life was very tight, and she did not want to use funds from strangers; but she soon had to use the money again because her mother was ill.
Therefore, when I saw Lin Zhichao today, I felt a little ashamed and uneasy.
Lin Zhichao was admiring Hepburn on the stage. Although he was small, he looked like an elf.
The show is over.
The audience was about to leave. Lin Zhichao asked Willis: "Are you familiar with this place?"
Willis immediately said: "Of course, if you don't believe me, I can take you backstage to meet the actors!"
Lin Zhichao nodded, and then followed Willis into the backstage. Sure enough, the staff at the door said: "Mr. Willis" and did not stop him.
In this way, the two met many actors participating in the performance backstage, including Hepburn, who had already changed into costumes. The two of them understood each other tacitly and did not pretend to know each other.
But when Lin Zhichao was about to leave, Hepburn handed him a note, and Willis happened to see this scene.
"Do you know each other, or did it fall in love at first sight?"
"know!"
Then Lin Zhichao looked at the note and said, "You don't mind having one more person at night!"
Because the two of them are still going to the bar!
"Of course, but I have to change my plans, you know!"
Willis had a Y smile. Originally, he wanted to take Lin Zhichao to see the foreign chickens in London, and use the women of the British Empire to corrupt this potential navigator, so as to get more cooperation in the future.
Lin Zhichao smiled and said: "I can't accept such an open thing."
"Well, you are so boring! No, it's very interesting. You actually picked up an actor. It's incredible."
The two stood outside and joked, and their relationship quickly became much closer. Of course, business is business, and entertainment is entertainment.