Chapter 691 The general trend

When it comes to aircraft carriers, the first thing that comes to mind is two giants. One of them still has a huge fleet of ten aircraft carriers at sea, and the other is that a lean camel is bigger than a horse. It also owns the only warship in the world other than the United States with a displacement of more than 60,000 tons. This is the intuition of ordinary people. It is difficult for them to directly think that the East also has a sister ship of the Kuznetsov.

  Of course, the warship was remodeled, so it doesn’t necessarily need to use bulbous flat steel, but Mingzhou Group is not just remodeling, they are also building an aircraft carrier! The ship in Siam has been in service for a long time, and the ship in Football Country is almost ready. Now Mingzhou Group is still negotiating with Saudi Arabia and plans to build one for Saudi Arabia. It is said that satellite images show that construction is already underway on the other side’s berth. A brand new aircraft carrier with a fairly high displacement.

  So, Mingzhou Group should have this kind of thing!

   "We are rivals with Mingzhou Group in the bidding for the procurement of this aircraft carrier. Will they help us?" Akar was a little worried.

   "Why don't you help? Akar, we were in a competitive relationship at the beginning, but now we are in a business relationship." Seniawin said: "Now, there is no time to hesitate, go to the East immediately!"

   "Why not buy from Da Mao?" Akar still didn't understand.

Why? It's not because Da Mao's asking price is too high! These people are so black! A boiler costs five million dollars! You must know that Sanhang Heavy Industry purchased a boiler for only two million US dollars. In just a few years, the price has more than doubled!

  So, I can no longer find Da Mao, and have to change suppliers. As for looking for the United States, don’t even think about it. Although they are in the same camp, their relationship with the United States is just that.

  So, after thinking about it for a while, Akar felt that it was time to try his luck in the East.

   "Report, the aircraft carrier boiler has arrived!" At this moment, a subordinate came over and reported: "It's at the airport, when are we going to pick up the goods?"

   "Now!" Akar said. Anyway, I plan to go to the east, and I have to take a plane, so I go to the airport to inspect the goods.

Seniawin was a little strange: "No, Da Mao has always been procrastinating, and now he delivered the boiler to us so quickly. This is not in line with their style. Could it be that what they gave us is a A second-hand one? No, I have to check it out too!"

   Da Mao can do this kind of thing, paint the old boiler and sell it as a new one, so they have to look carefully!

   A group of people went to the airport, and soon found the behemoth in the unloading area.

   "Take it apart and have a look!" Senyawin said: "If it is a second-hand boiler, we will return it to Da Mao and ask them to compensate us for the loss!"

  The boiler is packed in a wooden box, and the wood can be pried open with a crowbar. Several people stood there, looking at the silver-white boiler exposed inside.

   "Open the furnace lid!"

  The outside paint can be repainted, but if it is a used boiler, the inside will not be changed, otherwise it will be a big project. Renovating a second-hand boiler may not be cheaper than building a new one.

   So, just look inside and you'll know!

  Amidst the creaking sound, the furnace cover was opened, and Akar stuck his head in, shined it with a flashlight, and looked at the inner wall inside.

  Brand-new refractory bricks, bright heavy oil nozzles, and golden diesel ignition devices, all these can prove that this boiler is brand new.

   "That's right, it's a brand new boiler, and it doesn't look like it's in stock, with no signs of oxidation," Akar said.

   "That's strange. With the personality of the old man, it is impossible to send it to us so soon! Akar, check again to see if there are any other problems!"

  Akar nodded, looked carefully inside and out, and then, at an inconspicuous position, touched a steel seal.

  Made in China? When he saw this phrase clearly, Akar was a little shocked, isn't this Da Mao's? How did it become oriental?

  Wait, is it? Thinking of something, the expression on Akar's face was a little angry: "Da Mao sold the boilers for aircraft carriers from us at a high price, and then turned around to order from the Orientals. They don't need to produce them, but just change hands like this, and they make a lot of money. The production speed of the East is very fast!"

  Da Mao was so ashamed that he became a second-hand dealer! This way is too disgusting!

   "What?" Seniawin was annoyed.

  What kind of bidding is a joke! They originally thought that bidding would lower the purchase price, but he was wrong. In this seller's market, bidding is meaningless and may push up prices instead!

   "Akar, you go to Dongfang and ask how much their aircraft carrier boilers cost? If it is cheap, we will return the goods with Da Mao because of quality problems, and then order from Dongfang!"

   At the beginning, the bidding was bidding, but now the business is business. Since they know that the boilers are produced by Orientals, of course they have to bypass the middlemen!

   This should save money! Could it be possible that the money for purchasing flat bulbs can also be saved from the purchase funds for boilers?

  With Senyawin's expectations in mind, Akar embarked on a trip to the East. This time, he came with an important mission.

   Recently, Qin Tao has been in the Mingzhou Group, so Akar easily met Qin Tao.

"President Qin, we came here this time to purchase a batch of flat steel from you. The strength of this kind of steel should meet the needs of the keel of the aircraft carrier." It is better to get into the topic.

   "Are you going to start building an aircraft carrier?" Qin Tao was very excited: "Is our design good?"

   It turns out that Qin always thought that he would build an aircraft carrier according to that design? Akar breathed a sigh of relief, it would be great if the other party didn't think of the Gorshkov.

   "Yes, your design is indeed very good." Akar nodded.

   "Your choice is correct. You can find us to design the design drawings. You can also purchase all kinds of steel materials needed by aircraft carriers from us. In addition to bulb flat steel, there are also deck steels. Only our Mingzhou Group can meet your needs."

   "Boss Qin, if we want 300 tons of flat bulb steel, what is the price?" Akar continued to ask.

  If a 40,000-ton aircraft carrier is to be built, at least 3,000 tons of bulbous flat steel is required, but to repair a 40,000-ton aircraft carrier, 300 tons of bulbous flat steel is more than enough for reinforcement.

   "Do you want this much?" Qin Tao said in surprise: "It's not enough! Have you looked at the design drawing carefully? In the design drawing we gave, we need to use 3,000 tons of flat bulb steel!"

  Originally, Akar thought that buying hundreds of tons of bulbous flat steel was already a big deal. Who would have thought that it would be nothing at Qin Tao's place!

  Akar's mind was thinking rapidly, and an idea quickly entered his mind: "Boss Qin, we are just buying a few hundred tons first, to try the initial construction, and we will purchase again later."

   "That's not cost-effective." Qin Tao said: "If you buy 3,000 tons together, it's considered wholesale. We can give you the best price. If you only buy a few hundred tons, it's considered retail."

   Hundreds of tons, not a few tons, is this considered retail? Akar knew that Qin Tao said this to raise the price, but there was no other way but to let the other party kill him.

   "Mr. Qin, if it is 3,000 tons, what is the preferential price?"

   "$150,000 a ton."

  Nima, is this still called a discounted price? The bulbous flat steel needed for ordinary civilian ships does not cost 10,000 US dollars per ton! Bulb flat steel for warships costs 20,000 to 30,000 at most, but when it comes to aircraft carriers, it becomes 150,000 US dollars per ton, which is still a preferential price!

   Is there such an expensive one? The deck steel of an aircraft carrier is only $50,000 a ton!

   "Then what if we only buy a few hundred tons?" Akar had an ominous premonition.

   “Then it would cost $200,000 a ton.”

   200,000, 300 tons, this is 60 million US dollars! (The hero of Huadong made many calculation mistakes in front, thank you readers for your understanding!)

   Sure enough, there is not much money to buy a second-hand aircraft carrier, but it is a bottomless pit when it comes to maintenance!

   "President Qin, can you lower the price for us? It's too expensive! After all, we will continue to purchase in the future."

   "When you continue to purchase, we can recalculate and count the extra 50,000 US dollars per ton into the subsequent purchase funds, how about it?"

  If the native chickens continue to purchase, then of course there is no problem, but now, the native chickens plan to purchase these hundreds of tons, so the subsequent discounts are meaningless.

   "Boss Qin, can you give us a discount this time, at the rate of US$150,000 per ton?"

  Qin Tao hesitated for a while, and then said: "If you are willing to pay the full amount, then we can reduce it to US$180,000 per ton."

   One ton is 20,000 less, and 300 tons is less than 6 million US dollars, which is a huge sum of money, but the price is still too high!

   Akar knew that this time he might return in vain, and then go to Da Mao to try his luck?

   No, I can't go! What if Da Mao doesn't talk about martial arts, and asks them for 250,000 US dollars a ton, and then transfers the order to Mingzhou Group? This empty-handed white wolf's method is really slippery, and he can't be fooled again.

  Thinking of this, Akar sighed and decided to change the subject.

   "Mr. Qin, if we want to build an aircraft carrier, we have to purchase boilers. I don't know how much the boilers for your aircraft carrier cost?"

   "Are you sure to use boiler power?" Qin Tao continued to fool: "Such a choice is wise."

Of course, Qin Tao knew that the natives bought the boilers for the purpose of refitting the Anadolu, and now they are on the verge of riding a tiger. Even if they encounter various problems, they have to grit their teeth and spend money to solve the problems. However, if he sees it clearly, he will treat it as if the other party is building a brand new aircraft carrier.

   "Yes, we are already planning to use boilers as power. This way is more economical. We hope to purchase cheap boilers from you. If the price is too expensive, we can only choose gas turbines."

   "The boiler is not expensive, only five million dollars a piece." Qin Tao said with a smile.

   Akar froze right there, five million? Same as Da Mao's money? Impossible, absolutely impossible, Da Mao, the middleman, makes the difference!

   "Boss Qin, we came here with sincerity, please give us a reasonable price!" Akar said.

"Don't worry, I haven't finished talking yet." Qin Tao said: "I just said the price of purchasing a single boiler. According to the design of your aircraft carrier, you need four boilers, so you can enjoy the wholesale price. How about 4.5 million for one? Is this price cheap enough? If you purchase LM2500 gas turbines, one will cost more than 10 million US dollars, and even if you use four, you may not be able to reach three The speed of ten knots is the most suitable boiler for both price and performance.”

  It's only half a million cheaper, so what's the use? What he hopes is that it can be cheaper by one or two million, or even a half discount!

   "President Qin, didn't you sell the boilers to Sanxing Heavy Industry for two million dollars a few years ago? Why did the price go up so much when it came to us?"

"It's not that we are raising prices, it's that the exchange rate is changing." Qin Tao said: "When we sold the boiler to Sanhang Heavy Industry, our exchange rate was around 4. Now? Now our exchange rate is 8.3! Our exchange rate The exchange rate has doubled, so of course the price has to double, plus our labor costs have continued to rise over the years, from two million US dollars to five million US dollars, isn't it normal? If you have RMB , directly use our RMB for settlement, and these things will not happen.”

The rise of the exchange rate is good for imports, but not good for exports. Over the years, the exchange rate has changed greatly. In the early 1990s, it was around four o'clock, and now it is around eight o'clock. Qin Tao took this as an issue, of course It is also righteous.

   If you think this is not a good deal, then change it to RMB. Don’t treat the US dollar as the only foreign exchange reserve. Haven’t you seen that Americans can harvest the wealth of the world by printing waste paper without any value? Or our currency is safer.

  Qin Tao’s fooling around now will of course not have any results. The current renminbi does not have that kind of influence, but it is logical to use it to explain the price. There is no way, who asked you to trade in US dollars? It's not that the price we sell is too high, it's because the dollar is worthless.

  Hearing what Qin Tao said, Akar could only accept it. After all, it really is such a truth.

  However, it is still too expensive, what should I do?

"Mr. Akar, if you are really determined to build an aircraft carrier, you must do so as soon as possible. After all, we also need a lot of steel in our country. The production capacity of our Mingzhou Group's steel plant is just enough for our own use. Don't hurry up. If you place an order, it may take a long time to deliver, by the way, do you want to purchase aircraft carrier deck steel?"

   They have a lot of options for steel materials such as hulls, but there are not many deck steels!

  Mingzhou Group also sells deck steel. If Tuji wants to build an aircraft carrier, it will definitely need deck steel, but if it is just to modify the aircraft carrier, it is not necessarily so.

  Akar shook his head: "Let's talk about the order just now."

  Mingzhou Group’s deck steel is good and can withstand the impact of heavy fighter jets taking off and landing. However, the price is definitely not cheap. Now the local chickens can’t afford the money just to repair the aircraft carrier, so why would they consider purchasing deck steel.

Anyway, it's not a landing, it's just a takeoff. You can try it with domestically produced steel. If it doesn't work, then don't use the leap deck. It is another terrible expense for the Mingzhou Group to purchase fighter jets here.

  Actually, the local chickens are also unambiguous in terms of defense expenditure. Take 1998 as an example, the defense expenditure was 8.78 billion US dollars, ranking 12th in the world. However, this aircraft carrier is an accident!

Every year's national defense expenditure has been determined for the purpose in the previous year. A normal country must allocate these expenditures well. Therefore, even if their national defense expenditure is a lot, they will not attack this aircraft carrier. number.

Their army also needs a large amount of funds, and there is no way to spare this money. Now, they just swell their faces to pretend to be fat, and they have to tighten their belts to raise money if they have no money. It is impossible to spend money lavishly .

   Now, Akar just wants to get the looming project finalized.

   "Mr. Qin, if we purchase the flat steel and the boiler together, can you give us another discount?"

  Akar looked at Qin Tao expectantly.

Qin Tao shook his head: "How is that possible? It is already the cheapest. If you purchase the deck steel together, we may be able to give it a zero. You should contact your superiors quickly and tell them about our plan. Say it."

  Akar had no choice but to get up and leave.

Looking at the back of Akar leaving, Zhao Ling frowned: "According to the original plan, the local chickens purchased these from Da Mao, now, they come to us to purchase, will Da Mao be unhappy? "

"What can we do?" Qin Tao said: "The customer is God. Since the customer chooses us, we can't push the customer out. As for the explanation with Lao Maozi, we can order more club missiles. As compensation."

  As long as the old man can make money, now order more missiles, and then resell them to the Pyramid country, and you can earn two copies of the money. Everyone is happy.

  Zhao Ling nodded. She and Brother Tao still have a lot to learn. If they want to achieve a win-win situation, they still need to use a lot of means. Brother Tao is already proficient in this aspect.

   "Mr. Qin, just got the news that the Tropical Glory has been rescued, and the route of the Suez Canal has been completely opened up." Xu Zhengyang walked over and reported to Qin Tao.

   "Where's our dredger?"

   "Our dredger Sky Whale is passing through the Gulf of Aden under the **** of a warship and headed for the Red Sea."

Qin Tao nodded: "After reaching the Red Sea, let the dredgers wait there. After the fleet from the Red Sea gathers, they will return with this fleet. Inform the Pyramid Kingdom that we must give us a exact answer."

   After saying this, Qin Tao felt that it was not enough, and continued to add: "Also, disclose this news to the reporters so that they can continue to put pressure on the Pyramid Kingdom."

  At the beginning, it was to show Mingzhou Group’s concern and help to the global economy, so the dredger was sent there for free. However, since it has passed, it must earn a certain amount of money before returning. Or would this trip be in vain?

  Pyramid Kingdom, Osama came to the capital, and before entering the meeting room, he heard a roaring sound from inside.

"Two million dollars a day, which means giving them almost half of our canal revenue. It's impossible, absolutely impossible!" A person said: "The Easterners strongly support the Arctic route, and now many freighters are starting to Going that route, the cargo ships passing through our canal are not as good as before, we have to increase revenue and reduce expenditure!"

"It's not because our canals are restricted. If we widen the canals, those cargo ships will keep coming back. That's the largest dredger in the world. Two million dollars a day is not much. If we don't take the opportunity this time, The next time you want to widen the canal, it will definitely cost more."

   "Damn it, all of this must have been done by the Mingzhou Group!"

   "How is it possible, that cargo ship has nothing to do with Mingzhou Group."

   "That Mr. Qin made several remarks about the canal blockage, it must be behind his back, even if it is a curse!"

Osama pushed open the door of the meeting room, looked at the chaotic noise below, and looked at the serious-faced leader on the rostrum, feeling very helpless in his heart. The Orientals played too slippery, and they didn't even react at first. , now, has been engulfed by this tide, and it is impossible to turn back.

   "Osama, you are here? As the person in charge of the Canal Management Office, what do you think?" the leader asked him.

"Everyone, my opinion is no longer important. I have brought a joint request from 32 shipowners around the world. They unanimously request that we widen the shipping route, completely solve the problem of shipping route congestion, and even expand the shipping route to meet the needs of two-way traffic." Osama said: "Now, all the media in Europe are discussing this matter. Hiring the dredgers of Mingzhou Group to widen the shipping route is the general trend and cannot be stopped."

   "Whatever the general trend is, it is clearly promoted by the Mingzhou Group!"

"Everyone, Mingzhou Group is still good to us, especially they built a submarine for us, and its performance has reached the highest level of similar submarines. I believe that Mingzhou Group will not do these things. After all, they are world-renowned The multinational group doesn't care about our construction costs." Mamish said.

   "That's our money too, we don't have that money!"

   "If we don't widen the canal, our income will plummet!"

   "Okay, stop arguing." The leader on the rostrum finally said: "Widening the canal and increasing our income is a good project. We must take a long-term view. This is what we must do!"

   "But, two million a day, if the dredgers of Mingzhou Group work for a year..."

"According to their construction capabilities, we set a ten-day construction period. We can widen the canal as wide as possible without delaying our existing canal traffic order. The cost is from the owner of the Tropical Glory. They must Give us the money first!"

  (end of this chapter)