Chapter 144 Reserve Batteries
"Do you want those instruments so badly?"

Unexpectedly, this time the factory director Liu Biao was not angry, but spoke to Xu Qiang calmly.

Perhaps he felt that the announcement of the military order this time was inappropriate, and out of a feeling of guilt, Liu Biao also began to take Xu Qiang's request seriously.

"If we were just a small factory, it wouldn't matter whether we had these instruments or not, and we wouldn't even have to have a chemical laboratory. We would have few workers anyway, and we could survive for many years by selling one product at a low profit and in large quantities." Xu Qiang paused, then continued, "But our factory is different. This is a large factory with tens of thousands of employees, and we have many highly educated elite talents. Salaries and bonuses must increase every year to retain people, but do our current products really have such high profits? If you want to make money, you can only produce top-notch products with high technology and added value. But now is different from when you first came to build the factory. The R&D investment in new products is getting higher and higher, and the competition is getting more and more fierce. If you are reluctant to invest, it is only a matter of time before you are overtaken by others. By then, how long can our factory last, and how long can the workers below endure..."

It is estimated that Xu Qiang is the first person in the entire factory who dares to speak so frankly as Liu Biao, the factory director.

Long-term paternalistic and authoritative management has made everyone accustomed to the habit of obeying the factory director. They do not need to consider the long-term development of the factory, but only need to do their current work as required.

But Xu Qiang is different. Although he is only a temporary worker in his early twenties, he was a top chemical expert in the country in his previous life. That is why he has the courage to speak frankly when facing Liu Biao.

After Xu Qiang finished speaking, Zhang Decai, who was standing behind Liu Biao, was stunned and didn't even dare to breathe. It was the first time he saw someone dare to talk to the factory director like that.

"...One hundred thousand yuan may sound like a large number, but in fact, the investment in foreign military research and development is even more exaggerated. Any new weapon will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and they spend it in US dollars. If we want our products to be top-notch in China, or even exported abroad, how can we have a big return without a large investment in research and development? Can we succeed just by carrying forward the spirit of hard work? Do you think this is realistic?" Xu Qiang said this with a little excitement in his tone.

In fact, Xu Qiang knew in his heart that with his current status, it was a bit inappropriate to say this in front of the factory director, but he had been holding these words in for a long time, and since he had the opportunity, he naturally had to say it out loud.

"What you said does make sense." Liu Biao did not get angry for once. After Xu Qiang finished speaking, he said calmly, "If I invest 100,000 yuan in the equipment, can you guarantee that you can make back the money?"

"No, but if you don't invest, you will have no chance to make money." Xu Qiang said bluntly.

"Hahaha!" Hearing this, Liu Biao laughed and said to Xu Qiang, "Xiao Xu, I admire your courage and drive. In addition, you let the factory invest 100,000 yuan to buy equipment instead of striving for more personal interests for yourself. This is commendable! But there is one thing you have to remember. In our factory, no matter what project you want to do, you need results to speak for yourself. Just like your research and development of a new battery project this time, if you didn't succeed in the previous chemical workshop renovation project, do you think I would approve it?"

"This...probably not."

"So I will listen carefully to the suggestions you make now, all because of your previous achievements. But you want the factory to invest 100,000 yuan to buy equipment, which is not a small amount. Even if I am the factory director, I am responsible for every penny spent by the factory..."

"But what if I succeed in developing this battery project?" Xu Qiang asked.

Having said so much before, Xu Qiang actually still wants to increase the reward for this battery project.

Because in Xu Qiang's view, the successful research and development of each new product project is not an easy task, and he wants to apply for projects with higher technical difficulty in the future. However, the things currently available in his own laboratory are simply not capable of handling more complex product research and development, and advanced equipment is required. Therefore, he is also paving the way for his future career development.

Besides, if you don’t ask for money and equipment now, you will miss it forever.

"If your project is successful, the factory will definitely reward you, but it is absolutely impossible to spend such a huge investment of 100,000 yuan, unless..." Liu Biao pondered for a moment, and then said: "Unless your new product can win an award in the province, I can realize your wish."

Liu Biao was quite shrewd in his calculations.

Generally speaking, as long as a new product project can win an award from the Provincial Defense Industry Office, it will basically pass the review of the Fifth Ministry of Machine Building, and then allocate funds to the factory to build a new production line. The amount of money ranges from hundreds of thousands to millions, which is undoubtedly a beneficial support for the factory.

For example, the electronic fuse developed by Liu Siying previously won the gold medal for technological innovation in the provincial military industry system. For this purpose, the Fifth Ministry of Machine Building allocated more than 700,000 yuan to open a new electronic substrate production line in the factory. This not only created a large number of orders and benefits for the factory, but also solved the employment problems of some of the family members of the factory employees. The returns were quite huge.

If you calculate it this way, spending 100,000 yuan to purchase equipment for Xu Qiang's chemical laboratory is obviously very cost-effective. Moreover, these equipment are also assets of the factory and do not belong to Xu Qiang himself.

"Then we have a deal." Xu Qiang's eyes lit up when he heard that.

"Make your new product first!" Liu Biao regained his usual seriousness at this time, and said, "You have been thinking about bargaining with me all day long, and you haven't done much of the real work. You have to work hard recently and make the sample for me! Don't say I didn't warn you, if you mess up this project, I will go back to being your porter in the future!"

"I understand. I will definitely speed up the process!" Xu Qiang said quickly. "Okay." Liu Biao responded and turned away.

"Xiao Xu, you are so awesome. You dare to talk to our factory director like that. I was almost scared to death just now..."

Seeing Liu Biao leave, Zhang Decai said with a frightened look on his face.

After all, Xu Qiang is his subordinate. If the factory director really wants to deal with him, Zhang Decai will definitely be implicated. After all, it's only two years before he retires, so Zhang Decai is really worried that something unexpected might happen.

"What's the big deal? I just gave him some suggestions?" Xu Qiang said.

"Give some suggestions? Does the factory manager need your suggestions? You are still a temporary worker, and he can fire you with just one word! Fortunately, the factory manager Liu is patient and has a good temper..."

"Haha!" Xu Qiang laughed when he heard this and said, "Do you think he really has such a good temper? He is willing to listen to my nonsense because he needs me now. Otherwise, why would Director Liu come to our scrap warehouse when he has nothing to do and patiently bargain with me?"

"That's true. When you were not assigned here, he didn't bring you here to visit for half a year..." Zhang Decai nodded slightly when he heard this.

"Okay, don't say anything." Xu Qiang was too lazy to explain to Zhang Decai, and just said: "Master Zhang, when I do experiments in the backyard in the future, you must not let anyone in. This thing is very dangerous. If something goes wrong, it will be a big deal."

"Okay, I won't do that again in the future." Zhang Decai responded.

Seeing that Xu Qiang and factory director Liu Biao dared to speak so boldly, Zhang Decai also realized that Liu Biao really attached great importance to him. So even though Zhang Decai was Xu Qiang's nominal leader, in fact, Xu Qiang was the most important person in this scrap yard. Zhang Decai could see this clearly.

After Zhang Decai left, Xu Qiang packed up all the things used for the experiment.

In fact, after today's experiment, Xu Qiang's battery project has basically been successful. What remains is to wait for the customized acid bottles from Shanghai to arrive, and then complete the assembly and testing of the samples.

However, judging from the electronic fuse parameters Liu Siying gave him, as long as there were no major accidents, the possibility of the sample being successful in one go was very high.

In the next few days, Xu Qiang began to prepare various complete design drawings and parameters of the new product battery in advance, and then made a complete performance report on the battery product.

Those who are engaged in technical research and development know that new product samples are important, and the relevant instructions are equally important. Only in this way can the superior review experts fully understand the performance and various parameters of the new product, and thus make a final evaluation of the product.

In other words, the success of the sample experiment is only the first step. If Xu Qiang wants to win an award at the provincial or even ministerial level, these data are crucial. Just like the last chemical workshop renovation project, if Xu Qiang had not gone to the province to discuss and explain with those experts face to face, the project would still not have been finally passed.

The chance of some experts being able to identify gold with their keen eyes is very small. Xu Qiang had an element of luck last time. This is the reality.

In addition, while waiting for the acid bottles to arrive, Xu Qiang did not interrupt his idle time. He planned to use the information and process principles obtained from the research and development of artillery shell electronic fuse batteries to develop another type of battery, which is a military reserve battery.

The so-called reserve battery is a special form of primary battery in which the electrode active material and the electrolyte are stored separately, have no self-discharge, and can be stored for a long time (5 to 10 years) without maintenance.

When the battery is needed for power supply, a certain mechanism can be used to activate the electrolyte or water (solvent) to complete the discharge in one go.

In fact, for Xu Qiang, relying on the design principle of the perchloric acid fuse battery, he only needs to improve some external components to turn it into a new type of reserve battery. It can be said to be a new product completed by the way.

But with one more product project, Xu Qiang would have one more chance to win an award. Besides, the perchloric acid battery was his invention, and Xu Qiang would not allow others to use this battery combination idea and let others reap the spoils...

(End of this chapter)