Chapter 102: Diversified Development
Having settled the contract matters, Lin Haoran felt completely at ease.
This trip had been much simpler and smoother than he had anticipated.
The next morning, they boarded a ferry back to Doha.
In Doha, Lin Haoran efficiently completed the payment transfer.
Afterward, he and his group toured around the Middle East — visiting Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and other countries.
In his previous life, he would never have had the means to do something like this.
As long as they avoided unstable nations like Iran and Lebanon, there was little danger.
Even Iraq, in 1978, was stable and prosperous —
its oil and gas wealth had fueled rapid economic growth, and the country was flourishing, easily comparable to any developed nation.
Of course, Lin Haoran knew that two years later, the Iran-Iraq War would break out —
and Iraq would no longer be peaceful.
During his travels, he maintained regular contact with Burton and Lin Wanan via international calls.
He spent a full week in Iraq before flying from Baghdad International Airport back to Cairo, Egypt.
At that time, Egypt appeared stable —
but sporadic riots still occurred, a consequence of Egypt becoming the first Arab nation to recognize Israel the previous year.
This shift had turned Egypt from the leader of the Arab world into, in many eyes, a traitor.
Extremists frequently caused trouble.
Thus, even though Lin Haoran was fascinated by this ancient land of civilization,
he didn't linger.
For safety's sake, he quickly boarded a flight from Cairo International Airport — bound for Hong Kong.
At 3:30 p.m. on November 20th, a plane touched down at Kai Tak International Airport.
Stepping off the plane with Li Weiguo and Li Weidong, Lin Haoran couldn't help but smile when he saw the familiar sight of Victoria Harbour in the distance.
He hadn't expected this trip to last so long.
He had already settled the translator's wages before leaving the Middle East.
Thus, upon landing, they parted ways.
Qingzhou Cement was located close to the airport.
Since he was back, Lin Haoran decided to drop by for an inspection.
Arriving at the company, everything looked as busy as ever.
Returning to his office, Burton soon arrived with a stack of documents.
"Boss, these are the details of the cement factory we acquired in Luzon.
I personally inspected the site.
The facilities are complete —
with some upgrades, production could begin immediately," Burton reported respectfully, handing over the file.
A week ago, during a call with Burton, Lin Haoran had been informed that they had acquired a near-bankrupt cement factory near Manila for HK$2.38 million.
The facility was much larger than the Huafeng Cement Plant.
Once fully operational, it could easily meet Luzon's growing demand.
Land outside Manila was far cheaper than in Hong Kong, and the previous owner, desperate to offload the business, had sold at a heavy loss.
When Halier Centurion had stepped down, Qingzhou Cement still had over HK$8 million in cash.
Had Lin Haoran hesitated during the acquisition,
Halier would surely have found ways to siphon off much of that money.
Lin Haoran flipped through the documents.
There were detailed descriptions — and many photographs.
"This factory probably collapsed because of poor quality control, right?
Remember: Qingzhou Cement's success in Hong Kong and Macau is built on top-quality standards.
Even after acquiring this facility, we must ensure that our production quality remains world-class.
The Qingzhou brand has nearly a century of history —
I won't allow it to be tarnished under my watch," Lin Haoran said firmly as he reviewed the documents.
"Understood, boss.
I will strictly control quality!" Burton said solemnly.
"Speaking of which, are you familiar with a plant in Yuen Long called Huafeng Cement?" Lin Haoran asked casually.
"I've heard of it.
It's not very large —
its production capacity and quality are both lower than ours.
They're not really competition," Burton replied.
He added,
"Boss, our Hung Hom factory has already reached its production ceiling.
With Hong Kong's real estate boom, demand is skyrocketing.
Even running 24 hours a day, we're stretched thin.
Would it be possible to acquire Huafeng Cement?"
Lin Haoran smiled.
"That factory is mine."
"Ah? Boss, Huafeng Cement is yours?"
Burton was stunned.
"Yes.
It used to belong to my father, Lin Wanan.
Later he gave it to me.
But honestly, I haven't been paying much attention to it," Lin Haoran said casually.
In fact, after reincarnating, he had quickly moved away from Huafeng Cement —
nowadays, it earned ten or twenty thousand a month, which barely registered on his radar.
In fact, its assets were currently pledged as collateral at Yumin Finance.
"Boss, in that case, we could arrange for Qingzhou Cement to formally acquire Huafeng Cement," Burton said, his eyes lighting up.
"Not yet.
Let's wait until mid-next year," Lin Haoran said.
Right now, Huafeng Cement was still collateral —
he couldn't move it freely.
But this had long been part of his strategic plan.
Eventually, Qingzhou Cement would have to relocate.
Having Huafeng Cement as a backup factory would be invaluable.
Huafeng's land parcel was over 30,000 square meters, but less than half was developed.
There was enormous room for growth.
Moreover, if they updated the production technology,
both quality and speed would improve dramatically.
After all, Qingzhou Cement's century-old expertise was far superior to Huafeng's.
Burton nodded.
Waiting until next year wasn't an issue.
Especially once the Manila plant began production —
relieving pressure from Hung Hom.
"Boss, there's another matter," Burton said, handing over another file.
It was about the company's rental income.
Besides the factory, Qingzhou Cement owned three commercial towers.
The front faced the busy factory yard,
but the back side faced bustling Hung Hom.
Hung Hom had lagged behind Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok commercially —
but with Hong Kong's surging population, it was catching up fast.
In fact, Qingzhou Cement's location was closer to Tsim Sha Tsui than to Kai Tak Airport.
Thus, Qingdao Tower and Qingbao Tower had decent occupancy rates —
generating about HK$2 million a year in rental income.
Lin Haoran reviewed the document, frowning slightly.
"Is there a problem?
Looks fine to me," he asked.
"Boss, there's definitely a problem.
Buildings in Tsim Sha Tsui can sell for hundreds of millions.
Our towers, although smaller, are very valuable.
Yet they only generate a few million a year in rent — that's way too low," Burton said.
"Our rental prices match the market —
but the buildings' full potential isn't being realized."
He explained that while some spaces were leased for dining,
many office floors, especially the lower ones, were underutilized.
Nearby streets were thriving — even pedestrian zones were popping up.
Burton proposed a bold plan:
Transform the first three floors of all three towers into commercial arcades.
Create small retail spaces —
30 square meters renting for several thousand dollars a month —
instead of big, cheap office leases.
"The combined lower floors of Qingzhou, Qingdao, and Qingbao Towers exceed 100,000 square feet," Burton said excitedly.
"If we redevelop into a pedestrian-friendly arcade,
our rental income could easily double or triple!"
Lin Haoran looked at the proposal in surprise.
"Qingzhou, Qingdao, Qingbao Ground Floor Redevelopment Plan?"
"Exactly, boss," Burton said eagerly.
"It's time Qingzhou Cement diversified.
Property development is the natural next step."
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