Technical personnel are mostly proud at heart, but they are not unreasonable; on the contrary, if you can offer constructive feedback, they will respect you even more.
This is probably a self-confidence in their profession and a disdain for laymen guiding experts.
Interacting with technical staff is actually very simple: meet their technical requirements, give developers full respect, and ensure their compensation is competitive.
For the development of the Shanchi series exterior parts this time, Zhang Mingcan's factory also dispatched a mold designer to follow the entire process, because all subsequent plastic part molds will be produced by Zhang Mingcan's factory.
Tan Jincheng could be said to be getting Zhang Mingcan's technical expertise for free.
With the mold designer's full involvement, subsequent product modifications will be much fewer.
The thinking behind product R&D design and mold design is different.
During the product R&D process, designers might, due to aesthetic or assembly issues, design structures that cannot be produced by molds.
At this point, modifications are needed, and this back-and-forth will waste a lot of time.
With the involvement of more types of labor, progress will be much faster.
Tan Jincheng even invited some experienced injection molding machine masters to oversee the process.
Although these individuals might not even know how to operate computer software, they possess extensive practical experience.
As for where the samples come from, they can't just be designs conjured out of thin air, right?
It's nothing more than buying a few popular products from the market, then disassembling them, then avoiding their structural types, and transforming them into the desired style.
The early Shanchi, for survival, certainly couldn't be called excellent; first open up the market and survive, then talk about anything else.
Taking the path of imitation is also a last resort.
Even if Shanchi's planning was very standardized, in the early stages, it was merely a slightly larger assembly plant, with no significant technical content and no technical barriers.
All it could do was rely on Tan Jincheng's vision, which was ahead of its time, using novel styles combined with extreme cost-effectiveness to catch market competitors off guard.
"Boss, isn't it a bit unsightly that we made the front footrest area so big? It just feels a bit uncoordinated."
When Tan Jincheng suggested enlarging the front footrest area, Wang Chao, an engineer poached from Xinri and currently the team leader of Shanchi's technical development group, had some doubts.
Previously, they had primarily focused on the luxury electric vehicle market.
In their eyes, this design approach appeared somewhat 'low' and seemed out of place.
Facing these doubts, Tan Jincheng did not choose to use his authority as a boss to force them to develop according to his wishes, but simply smiled and gave an example:
"Brother Wang, imagine you are a clothing store owner, and you need to transport a batch of clothes to your store, a distance of about 5 kilometers."
"At this point, wouldn't calling a truck be a bit wasteful?"
Wang Chao was stunned for a moment, not understanding the connection, but still thought carefully:
"Indeed, calling a truck, even for just 5 kilometers, would cost around ten or twenty yuan, right?"
"We don't care about the cost, but you'd definitely have to spend money, right? And for the amount of goods a small store has, calling a truck is a bit wasteful, it definitely wouldn't be full.
At this point, our small electric scooter with an enlarged front footrest area, with a pile of clothes placed in front and another bundle tied behind, couldn't it be transported in one trip? Even if not, I could definitely finish it in two trips, right?"
"If it's a shop owner with some capital, it would be fine if they bought a small truck themselves, but if it's someone like us who's just starting a business, wouldn't it be better to save wherever possible? Saving ten-odd yuan could buy one more piece of clothing, couldn't it?"
"That's true, but there's no need to enlarge it so much, is there? Surely, one wouldn't buy an electric vehicle just to transport two batches of clothes?"
Wang Chao was in technical development; he didn't have much market research experience and usually just completed tasks according to the chief engineer's instructions.
There was no way around this; a chief engineer for Tan Jincheng's current scale was still unobtainable.
Being able to recruit some technical middle management from leading enterprises was already impressive enough.
"The example I'm giving is not about buying a small electric scooter just to carry two batches of clothes, but rather that we are targeting third-tier cities, and even rural markets, targeting migrant workers, small business owners, and similar groups.
Our small electric scooter cannot simply be viewed as a means of transport, but should be able to serve as a partial means of production."
"You understand 'means of production', right? For example, a farmer goes to deliver lunch to family members working in the fields, and on the way, they place a bundle of straw or other produce on the front footrest. If our vehicle can carry more at that time, isn't that an advantage?"
Other technical staff also fell into thought with Wang Chao.
This group of designers was still a bit lacking in ability, only thinking about aesthetics and good looks.
If this were for the Fengchi series, it would be understandable, but Shanchi's current positioning is not like that.
Let's take it slowly for now.
After a few days of adapting to their own rhythm, it should be fine.
"A small electric scooter is not just a means of transport, but also a means of production. I think I understand a bit."
Wang Chao was the first to react.
"Hmm, if you still don't understand, you can take a day to go to the front of some small shops, or to a more distant rural area and observe what people do with their small electric scooters besides carrying passengers.
After all, a small electric scooter now costs about one to one and a half months' salary for an ordinary worker, so it's not exactly cheap."
"Okay, we'll think about it more, and if we have time, we'll go and see."
Wang Chao nodded.
"Okay, follow this line of thought. Go out more and observe. And also, observe employees in the factory who own small electric scooters, listen to their opinions on buying small electric scooters. It's better to broaden your perspective than to work in isolation."
"Understood, I have some ideas now, I'll go ahead and revise it."
"Alright, keep up the good work. I'm not as skilled as you in specific design; I'm just providing a product idea and also ensuring you have good logistical support. Whatever you need, just ask. I hope to see your results as soon as possible."
"We will work hard, Boss, please rest assured on this point."
Wang Chao stated.
Other concepts could be discussed, but this point, for him as the team leader, left no room for negotiation.
Poached with a high salary to be the head, if the task wasn't completed, he wouldn't need the boss to tell him, he himself would be too embarrassed to stay.
As for the boss having demands, are those even demands?
Aren't designers accustomed to revising drafts?
Isn't overtime quite normal?
Afterward, Tan Jincheng once again 'drew a big picture' and encouraged everyone.
Before the end of June, if the trial molding of the exterior plastic parts was completed and the samples passed inspection, the bonuses for all members of the design team would be doubled, including the mold designer seconded from Zhang Mingcan's factory.
One month's time, from product design to mold design, then to mold manufacturing, and also completing sample trials—to be honest, this timeframe was quite tight and somewhat unreasonable.
There was no other way but endless overtime.
But there was no choice; to capture the market, this was necessary.
Completing it one day earlier could lead to a different outcome.
Incentivizing with bonuses was also a relatively advanced method.
Current product designers and mold designers mostly received fixed salaries, a fixed amount per month.
Factories with better benefits might offer some overtime pay, but it was unheard of for design departments to receive bonuses if a product sold well.
The design department, introduced by Tan Jincheng, also had bonus regulations, which would more or less stimulate the enthusiasm of some employees' salaries.
Completing it one day earlier meant more money, and traveling a thousand li was all for wealth, after all.
The remaining time was left to these designers, whose hair was still thick.
Tan Jincheng truly didn't know how to use these design software programs, like UG, PROE, CAD, and so on, some of which were entirely in English.
Although his English foundation wasn't weak, staring at an all-English interface all day was still awkward.
If he knew how, Boss Tan would have been eager to do it himself.
After leaving the design department, Tan Jincheng checked the time.
It was almost five o'clock, and it was time to check on the shooting progress.
Since bringing them over in the morning, they had been 'thrown' into the photo studio with no one supervising them, and he wondered how things were going.
"Damn it, I forgot to tell Brother Sun at noon to arrange lunch for them. I wonder if Brother Sun paid attention to it."
Arriving downstairs, Tan Jincheng didn't go directly to the photo studio, but first found Gu Qingqing and asked her about the shooting progress inside.
He learned that today's women's clothing had been shot, and they were currently shooting men's clothing.
"Because the photographer is a woman, Zhao Xianbo is a bit shy, otherwise it would have been faster,"
Qin Siyu said with a smile from the side.
Only then did Tan Jincheng realize.
Part of today's men's clothing was men's boxer briefs, and it was understandable to be shy during the first shoot.
"Xiao Zhao probably doesn't have a girlfriend, does he? Why be shy? This is a bargain for him."
Tan Jincheng teased.
Then he asked again:
"How did you manage lunch?"
"Someone named Sun helped us order bento boxes, and when they were delivered, he said we could eat at the cafeteria next time."
Tan Jincheng nodded.
Brother Sun indeed did a good job in this regard; he was very thoughtful.
Shanchi Vehicle's cafeteria was among the first facilities to be built, but currently, the cafeteria is not large, only accommodating 30 people at a time, but for now, it's sufficient.
When workers go out to work, although they pay more attention to wages and benefits, sometimes certain small details can be very beneficial.
Without much investment, just showing a little bit of human care, workers will develop a favorable impression of a factory.
"Um, Boss Tan, can I speak with you privately for a moment?"
Qin Siyu glanced hesitantly at Gu Qingqing, who was beside her.
"Hmm? Is it about the photoshoot?"
Tan Jincheng also unconsciously looked at Gu Qingqing.
Gu Qingqing smiled faintly and walked away.
She knew what Qin Siyu wanted to say.
Her usually outspoken classmate had just mentioned it to her.
Seeing the usually bold Qin Siyu looking a bit shy was quite rare.
"What do you want to say?"
Seeing Gu Qingqing walk away, Tan Jincheng smiled.
"Are we really not showing our faces in these photos?"
"Of course, it's true. You must have seen the interface of the Jinshang Yidu Taobao store, right? The other women's clothing store is also like this. Gu Qingqing should have told you this, right?"
"She did, but tomorrow we're shooting deep V (necklines), which are a bit revealing, so that…"
Tan Jincheng blinked and smiled:
"Extra pay?"
"Ah, how did Boss Tan know?"
Qin Siyu said in surprise.
How else would I know?
If you didn't want to shoot, you wouldn't have needed to get Gu Qingqing to leave.
It's because you don't want to give up this opportunity, but also feel that deep V is a bit much.
However, it's normal.
After all, this was 2005, and fashion styles were far less open than in later years.
"Go ahead, how much do you want to add? I can accept it within a reasonable range, but not too much."
It was also out of respect for Gu Qingqing.
Besides, finding someone temporarily would be too much trouble.
However, if even deep V necklines were unacceptable, then what about QQ underwear?
Surely, he couldn't actually hire people from 'special professions' to shoot them, right?
"How about 300? If not, 280 or 250 is also fine."
Qin Siyu said, holding up three fingers.
It was clear that this girl must be quite short on money.
Lishui in Zhejiang Province was still considered an economically underdeveloped area at the time.
Perhaps her family was indeed struggling.
The T-shirt she was wearing today had a slightly faded collar.
"I'll give you 300. Later, after Zhao Xianbo finishes shooting, you can take the clothing samples with you as per previous practice. Whether you wear them or sell them is up to you."
(End of this chapter)
---------------------
Support me on P@treon
[email protected]/charaz
$3 -> 15 chapters in advance
$5 -> 30 chapters in advance
$10 -> 60 chapters in advance
Check my pinned post on P@treon