The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

Lin Zhichao took Gao Qiqiang and two business managers to Kai Tak Airport.

At this time, Kai Tak Airport has not yet added a new runway. In fact, the Hong Kong government has also considered rebuilding the airport in other places, but chose to give up because the cost is too high. It will not be operational until the end of the 1950s.

In this aviation era of 'propeller planes' and 'seaplanes', the runway does not need to be too long; but now people have realized that jet planes will replace propeller planes, so the airport needs to be re-planned.

"How are the guests from the past two days?" Lin Zhichao asked at the airport.

In order to attract business, Lin Zhichao innovatively brought the business manager to Kai Tak Airport to get first-hand business on the flight from Japan to Hong Kong. This is a pioneering work that pulls business directly from the source.

I'm afraid those shipping companies never thought of this trick. Almost all the Japanese who came to Hong Kong in this era were merchants, and no one came to travel. Even if there are tourists, it will not affect their solicitation.

Japanese looks and clothing are unique, so as long as you quickly find the target and ask, it is easy to gain.

"We have already negotiated, so we will use our ship to pull the goods. They trust us very much." Gao Qiqiang said happily.

Although the first few groups are retail investors, that is, they are not chartering ships, but only carrying cargo, they can still grow the business of Global Shipping. Generally speaking, it is impossible for a cargo ship with a load capacity of 10,000 tons to be fully loaded. A cargo ship with a load capacity of 8,000 tons is considered a very good performance, and a cargo ship with a load capacity of 5,000 tons is considered profitable.

Therefore, the amount of cargo determines the shipping income. And fixed routes cannot wait until the cargo is full. After all, they all have timetables. Flights without a sense of time will slowly lose customer confidence.

"This shows that it is easier to get business by taking the initiative. You must study hard. This is all knowledge." Lin Zhichao said without forgetting to educate his subordinates.

He has many undertakings, and it is impossible to do it personally every time. He can only do it as much as possible as time permits. Therefore, he likes to personally cultivate excellent management and technical personnel.

"Well, we get it!"

After a while, the flight time from Japan to Hong Kong arrived. A group of people walked out. Lin Zhichao quickly walked towards a Japanese man and saw him holding a luggage bag.

"Sir, are you coming to Hong Kong to rent a boat?"

The Japanese merchant nodded instinctively and was surprised.

Lin Zhichao was overjoyed and immediately snatched the Japanese bag.

Japanese merchants are in a hurry, why do they encounter bag snatchers?

Could it be that I encountered a robber today? This is too crazy!

"Sir, my surname is Lin, and I am the boss of Global Shipping. Do you want to rent a ship, or do you need to carry cargo?" Lin Zhichao said as he took the initiative to take the person out.

When the Japanese businessman saw his bag in Lin Zhichao's hand, he could only follow him quickly and said, "I'm here to rent a boat!"

He was in an unfamiliar place and his bag was robbed. How could he not follow Lin Zhichao closely? There was still money and documents inside.

"Okay. We have prepared a hotel and a banquet. Please come with me. Don't worry, we have large ships of seven to eight thousand tons and fixed routes to many cities in Japan. By the way, we also have cooperation with Yamaguchi Steamship , Nippon Lines and Sanko Kisen are partners, and they have leased many of our ships."

When the Japanese merchants heard this, they breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out to be just a shipping company promoting business.

When I heard that the hotel and banquet had been arranged, I thought it was good to avoid running around. It also shows that others value you.

In fact, Lin Zhichao was also surprised that he could still get a businessman to rent the entire boat today.

When Gao Qiqiang on the other side saw this, he separated from the two business managers and followed Lin Zhichao towards the parking lot.

After all, as the business department manager, he needs to be the boss's assistant.

Arranging the merchants at the Peninsula Hotel means they are chartering guests after all; if they are cargo-carrying guests, the hotel will have to be of a lower quality.

That night, Lin Zhichao ate and drank with Japanese businessmen, and signed a one-way short-term rental the next day. The shipping fee for one trip was US$106,000 and took about 45 days.

If this kind of one-way short-term rental can be seamlessly connected for a year, you can definitely earn back a second-hand ship.

Of course, the business cannot be seamlessly connected, and there will always be some free time; if it is an off-season, it will be even worse.

The same is true for fixed routes. If the cargo is not loaded enough, it is also worrying.

Therefore, the benefits of long-term rental are obvious, provided that the opportunity and cycle can be grasped well.

Zhao Congyan of Huaguang Shipping is in a good mood recently and has stopped taking risks. Although he does not earn that much, the shipping business is very easy to do due to the rapid development of Japan's economy.

Zhao Congyan currently owns two 7,800-ton second-hand freighters and a 3,500-ton antique second-hand freighter; he thought he could buy three ships, but he did not expect that the price of freighters has also increased in recent years. Two 7,800-ton second-hand 30-year-old The freighter also costs close to one million US dollars.

He had no choice but to run away with three ships. Even so, he felt very satisfied.

One ship runs the fixed route from Yokohama to Hong Kong, and the other runs the route from Southeast Asia to Hong Kong. The original China Star continues to be leased to others and runs the route along the inland coast, but not the north, so it is safer.

"Boss, World Shipping has added another flight from Yokohama to Hong Kong, with a cargo ship of seven or eight thousand tons."

Zhao Congyan was surprised when his subordinates reported a piece of news. Lin Zhichao owns many ships, so he is called the "new shipping king" in Hong Kong after Xu Aizhou. Everyone knows that Lin Zhichao has a loan from HSBC Bank. His fleet has surpassed Xu Aizhou, and even approached Swire, Jardine, Wheelock and other British companies. Capital foreign companies (actually more than).

"What about the situation of receiving orders for goods? Now that the United States has transferred Yokohama to Japan, Yokohama is a city for reconstruction, so we should not be short of goods, right?" Zhao Congyan frowned.

At the beginning, with a slightly more favorable price, it quickly gained a firm foothold on this fixed route and became a comparable opponent to Global Shipping.

It's just that he didn't expect that now that Global Shipping quickly added a ship, he was already at a loss.

"They seem to have lowered the price a bit. With the addition of a new large ship, our cargo orders are very influential. The ship will be shipped in a few days. Currently, there are only 4,000 tons of cargo. I'm afraid it will be difficult to get 5,000 tons."

Who doesn’t want to travel with a full load? Although four or five thousand tons of cargo can also make a good profit, six or seven thousand tons is obviously better.

Zhao Congyan said: "I'm afraid we are being targeted! We have to work hard. Fortunately, the demand for transportation capacity on the Yokohama line has increased, so the impact should not be big."

In the past, the reconstruction of Yokohama was led by the US military stationed in Japan. This year, the US military stationed in Japan will hand over the port of Yokohama to the Japanese government. Therefore, many livelihood projects will be carried out one after another, which requires a lot of resources.

"good"

"I'm still worried, I have to go to the port and have a look!"

Zhao Congyan walked out of the office with a solemn expression.

As soon as Global Shipping's ships arrived in Hong Kong, arrangements were immediately made for long-term charter, fixed routes, and one-way short-term charter. Seven ships were put into operation at one time.

Lin Zhichao has calculated that in the remaining four months of this year, Global Shipping's monthly profit will reach US$1.7 million, which is a profit of US$6.8 million. Because it is a long-term contract, it is easier to settle the accounts, not to mention that the market has not changed much this year.

The debt of Global Shipping was only US$5.2 million, so by the end of 1952, Global Shipping not only had "zero debt", but also had a cash flow of US$1.6 million.

At the same time, the number of global shipping ships has reached 38, with a total load capacity of 362,000 tons, enabling instant communication of global information.

"Boss, I heard that Huaguang Shipping's cargo ship left the port before it was even full of 5,000 tons. It seems that our method is very effective." Gao Qiqiang reported the situation with a smile.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "We are not afraid of difficulties, but we are afraid of being unable to do anything. In shipping, we must try our best to promote ourselves. If Huaguang Shipping cannot detect the problem for a while, then it will slowly disappear on this fixed route. A complete loss.”

These are normal business competitions. In the future, ship owners like them may gather at Kai Tak Airport, just like soliciting passengers at a railway station. This is the fact, you have to do whatever it takes to attract customers.

Gao Qiqiang nodded and said: "You have learned a lesson! Our large number of ships is an advantage, but we also need to spend more effort to promote ourselves, especially now that long-term rentals are becoming more and more difficult."

This time, Yamaguchi Steamship and Nippon Steamship directly refused to charter ships. It can be analyzed that shipping is already changing. Although it will not fall to the bottom, there are signs of a decline.

"You pay close attention to the route from Hong Kong to Yokohama and see how Huaguang Shipping responds. If they don't know what to do, then we will no longer hold back."

Lin Zhichao was already a little angry when Zhao Congyan solicited goods at a low price, but he did not respond immediately. This time he added a scheduled flight from Hong Kong to Yokohama because of the surge in business in Yokohama, so he made the arrangement.

At the same time, soliciting customers at the airport is also a normal method, so it is not targeted at Zhao Congyan. If he doesn't understand, then Lin Zhichao still has a great trick that can put Zhao Congyan into trouble and let him experience the pain of moving rocks in Southeast Asia like Cao Wenjin.

The route from Hong Kong to Yokohama was first opened by Global Shipping Lines. Now it is becoming more and more prosperous. It is natural for Global Shipping Lines to enjoy more.

"Okay, boss. This Zhao Congyan is a habitual offender, I will keep an eye on him."

Although Gao Qiqiang is the business manager, because Global Shipping adopts long-term chartering of most of its ships, his burden is not as heavy as expected. What's more, Lin Zhichao likes to do things himself, so Gao Qiqiang is a little nervous and insists on following the boss's pace to avoid making fewer mistakes. Learn more and do more.

He has strict requirements on himself, and he will personally maintain it even for a small customer. In his opinion, global shipping has so many advantages that a maritime academy has beaten other shipping companies to pieces.

How many people praise the ‘Global Maritime Academy’ for cultivating a large number of ‘maritime talents’ for Hong Kong and improving Hong Kong’s overall shipping strength. After all, after the three-year contract expires, Global Shipping's seafarers will become the targets of mad rush.

Of course, the salary level of Global Shipping also determines that most seafarers will stay.

On the other side, Zhao Congyan investigated the port for several days and found nothing unusual; if anything, it was that the two ships of Global Shipping were actually fully loaded with cargo, while his own cargo ship was loaded with less than seven into goods.

Although he still makes money at this level, he is not satisfied.

"Boss, Global Shipping has a certain reputation in the Japanese shipping industry and even the business community, which is really beneficial to them. I heard that many of their ships are leased to Japanese shipping companies on a long-term basis, and the price is very cheap, only 60~70%. "The subordinate said cautiously.

Zhao Congyan showed an unhappy look on his face and said: "This has nothing to do with that aspect, and it is not a long-term lease. Whoever has the cheaper fixed route will have an advantage. And we only need to be cheaper to recover the disadvantage. What's more, whoever has the cheaper price will have an advantage." No matter how cheap it is, it’s still much more cost-effective than long-term renting.”

He is very optimistic about the fixed route from Hong Kong to Yokohama, which has low competition pressure, while other routes have greater competition. At the same time, he also wants to enter the Japanese market, so the price reduction measure is very good, but everyone adopts different methods.

"Will this cause dissatisfaction with Global Shipping?" his subordinate asked cautiously.

Zhao Congyan immediately smiled and said: "I have not just come to Hong Kong. Although Lin Zhichao is powerful, he can't do anything to me. I know the laws of Hong Kong better than him, and he can't control me!"

He is a lawyer by training, and he has become familiar with Hong Kong in the past few years and joined the Ningbo Chamber of Commerce, so there is no need to worry about those things; what's more, it is not illegal or illegal to solicit goods at a lower price, and it is not a free gift.

Even if the price is lower, as long as the freight volume increases, only those who earn more will earn more.

"Okay! But they have also reduced the price by 5% anyway. There will be no problem if we reduce the price further." The subordinates could only comfort themselves.

Global Shipping's price reduction was in line with the market, and it was not an immediate price reduction, so it did not cause any sensation in the market.

"Yes, we will lower the price by another 5% and stabilize the market first. Moreover, you have to continue to investigate why they are always more popular with customers than us and whether there is something wrong."

"OK"

Zhao Congyan always felt that something was abnormal. As soon as Global Shipping put in a ship, it could load up the cargo. This is obviously an abnormal phenomenon. No matter how high the reputation of Global Shipping is in Japan, if others only load goods once or twice, why do they think so much?

Therefore, he must find out the real reason why he lost. He obviously felt that there were fewer customers coming to his door recently.

In the Yangtze River Industrial Park, a five-story industrial building rose from the ground. This building is the tallest industrial building in Hong Kong, so it has been criticized by many people. Does it mean that the Yangtze River Industry needs such a huge factory?

In fact, there is no need for it at the moment, but even if someone asked about leasing, Lin Zhichao refused flatly. He was the one who was short of rent! Moreover, he has decided to start showing off his talents in industry next year. How can he think that this factory building will not be used up.

After Lin Zhichao inspected the zipper production workshop (first and second floors), he was very satisfied. The zipper factory in Hong Kong supplies the local market, Southeast Asia, Japan, and Europe, while the Sing Tao factory supplies the American and European markets.

At present, Yangtze zippers are still maintaining a steady growth, and raw materials such as aluminum alloy and copper can also be imported. There are 45 automatic rice rowing machines and nearly a thousand other various machines (including some small equipment).

"Manager Wang, please take someone to inspect Tseung Kwan O. We need at least 80 acres of land, which will later be used as an industrial park for smelting aluminum alloys, copper, and a ship-breaking plant."

Wang Liang, who was following Lin Zhichao, quickly said: "Okay, I'll go there to investigate right away!"

80 acres of land is 480,000 square feet, which is about the same size as Tsuen Wan Industrial Park. Since Tseung Kwan O is more remote than Tsuen Wan, the price must be very low; according to Lin Zhichao's estimate, it is estimated that 3 million Hong Kong dollars can be obtained.

Of course, in this case, you need to apply to the Hong Kong government. The Hong Kong government will only approve it if you are engaged in industry.

"By the way, have you heard about the development of YKK zippers in Japan?" Lin Zhichao was still very concerned.

Although he will do many industrial projects, he hopes to be the industry leader in every project, so he will always invest in the zipper industry to achieve the best.

Wang Liang said: "I probably know that the main reason is that the US market is growing very fast. In the European market, Southeast Asian market, and other markets, we still have an advantage. After all, our channels are very mature. In terms of products and costs, everyone is actually about the same ."

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "Yes. A small zipper has a very high technical content, unlike garment textiles; fortunately, we are also working hard."

Nylon zippers have made substantial progress and may be declared successful next year. Of course, there is still a long way to go before non-metal zippers can surpass metal zippers, so there is no rush.

In the future, Changjiang Zipper can go to Taiwan Island to invest in a nylon factory.

"Yes, we have invested heavily in this, and it will definitely be more successful."

Later, Lin Zhichao walked to the third floor, looked at the production workshops of clothing and leather shoes, and had some thoughts in his mind.

After all, Uniqlo has been divided into the Yangtze River Industrial Group, so it cannot stay in the Yangtze River Industrial Park in the future, and should build its own industrial plant.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the investment value of industrial plants was not lower than that of residential buildings, and everything had to be determined by the market. For example, at a certain period of time, commercial buildings in poor locations were not as good as residential buildings. Some real estate developers simply moved commercial buildings to The land was converted into housing.

At present, the funds on the account of Crocodile Shirt have reached 1.6 million Hong Kong dollars. This is all the profits earned in the past two years. It can be said to be very profitable. At this time, Crocodile Shirt has already become famous in Hong Kong. As for the competitor Lion King, it is only It can be said that it is so-so, there is only one store, and no branch is dared to open.

Originally, Lin Zhichao planned to use the funds from the crocodile shirt to buy a shop, but he found that shops in this era did not sell retail; after all, there was only one owner of a building, so how could he sell the shop downstairs?

Stratified sales are not suitable for commercial real estate, and no one has this idea.

Instead of doing this, Lin Zhichao planned to let Crocodile Shirt buy land, buy an industrial land in North Point, and build a 12-story industrial building in the future; the remaining money will continue to buy industrial land in other places and develop industrial buildings for rent in the future.

This is called making full use of idle funds.