Volume 1: Laying the Foundation Chapter 69: Federal Express

  PS: Third update, speed up! Has everyone collected it?

  However, the two of them also understood that Chen Xiaoqi had been talking non-stop for half a day, and what he said was just some general descriptions. They were already dizzy from listening to him, as it was too complicated and involved too many aspects and links. It's definitely not something that can be done by just a few people, at least a large team needs to be formed!

  "Thomas rubbed his temples, looking a bit dazed and said: "Klein, I no longer think you're a genius, you're possessed by the devil! How did you come up with such a complex and grand plan? This is simply an absurd idea! But it's actually feasible! I think we should set up a special bank for this, establish a management team, divide it into several departments to execute the plan, and invest hundreds of people or even more! Good heavens! How did you do it?"

  "Thomas, you're absolutely right! This is definitely something that requires careful planning and division of labor. In fact, I'm currently conducting a top-secret research project within the company, with some preliminary results being tested. This will be a groundbreaking achievement in the history of enterprise management, and its name is 'Project Management'. It's about how to effectively utilize existing human, material, and financial resources to achieve a goal, based on accepted management principles. It's a set of technical methods used for planning, evaluation, and control of work activities, aiming to deliver results on time, within budget, and according to specifications. This involves a series of complex methods and theories, and our current capabilities are still limited. I hope you two companies can dispatch elite management personnel to participate in this project, and then summarize the details of this management system through practice. What do you think?"

  Project management is a common and indispensable knowledge in modern business and industrial systems. Any complex project cannot be separated from the support of this theory, which originated from the famous "Manhattan Project", developed to its peak in the "Apollo Moon Landing Project", and was fully developed only at the end of the 20th century. The shadow of this discipline can be seen everywhere in large-scale projects such as the "Three Gorges Dam" and the "South-to-North Water Transfer Project". This has become a necessary knowledge for companies to learn internally.

  Chen Xiaoqi, a university student of the younger generation, before entering the workforce, had to go through these knowledge one by one to enrich himself, although he couldn't reach the level of professional training, but basically, he could still grasp the theoretical foundation, characteristics, attributes and processes. Through years of continuous updating of projects, he has become more and more proficient in this field in practice, and has formed written teachings for key management personnel in the company, becoming a master of management studies. Recently, a plan is being implemented - the domestic industrial base construction plan.

  That plan was his largest-scale attempt, involving the most links, calling for the most complex materials, and involving the largest number of people, all unprecedented. It would be a test, and also a concentrated examination for those middle-level cadres who took on projects for the first time. Now this project is a great attempt, it's a multi-faceted plan that's complicated to the extreme, without the aid of computers, relying on slide rules and abacuses to help is already troublesome enough, just drawing one flow chart can take someone's life!

  Thomas and Hurd had been dealing with Chen Xiaoqi for more than a day or two. The "MeiHua Laboratory" under their jurisdiction included these research rooms and factories, so they also knew some of the information. As an old-fashioned financial group, their ability to investigate news in private was not inferior to that of the government. Therefore, many things that others did not know did not mean that they were unaware of them. In fact, when Chen Xiaoqi implemented the "project management" plan internally, they had already vaguely known about it, but because it was too superficial, they did not put it in a very important position. However, some effective means among them had been learned.

  This time, Chen Xiaoqi took the initiative to propose cooperation with them on this unprecedented content, which naturally made them overjoyed and unhesitatingly agreed! They have always believed that relying solely on Chen Xiaoqi's intelligence is not enough to support the rapid development of this commercial empire. The newly recruited managers were able to quickly enter their roles and perform well, thanks to their effective internal management methods, which are inseparable from Chen Xiaoqi's contribution. This also indirectly proves the extent of his genius, which is unfathomable!

  According to the plan, Thomas and Hurd asked Chen Xiaoqi some questions and got answers, then they left Chicago in a hurry to discuss this matter with their think tank. This is not a small thing, several projects add up, the investment scale is absolutely over tens of millions of dollars, even if it's just the initial investment to set up the framework, it can't be done in one or two days.

  Chen Xiaoqi walked back to his office with a huge order signed by the two men, feeling pleased. Thomas had just ordered ten oil tankers from the oil company controlled by the Rockefeller consortium, all of which were over 20,000 tons. Heid, on the other hand, had temporarily ordered two chemical transport ships and 500 transport trucks. The three parties had initially signed a cooperation agreement, and the heavy truck production plant and container production had undoubtedly confirmed their intention to cooperate and sign an agreement. Neither of them wanted to control the shares, with the two major consortiums each holding 35% of the shares, Chen Xiaoqi holding 20%, and the remaining 10% reserved for attracting merchants. Who knows which powerful group will intervene next? It's worth noting that the US Steel Corporation, which has been deeply cooperating with Chen Xiaoqi, is backed by the Morgan Consortium!

  With these two orders, Chen Xiaoqi's new factory started to work overtime! First, the engine factory began to produce 120 horsepower diesel engines in batches. The heavy machinery factory started producing bodies and bridges. Nylon tires were ordered from Pirelli, and various steel materials were ordered from US Steel for processing, including cars and containers. The chemical laboratory supplied various coatings and paints, etc. Each department and supporting factory quickly got into operation. Chen Xiaoqi could foresee that in the next few years or even longer, this huge production system would not stop. After DuPont and Rockefeller signed a formal contract and the funds were in place, a massive heavy-duty truck factory would rapidly emerge and quickly occupy the market, which was certain!

  The two acquired shipyards now have something to do, and the three container ships that have just been renovated will be assigned to "Meihua Trading Company" to engage in ocean transportation business. One 3,000-ton cargo ship is for the Far East market, specializing in transporting industrial products and raw materials produced in the United States. Another 3,000-ton cargo ship is ready to shuttle between Chile, Australia, and India, specializing in transporting minerals and mineral raw materials. The 5,000-ton cargo ship will engage in ocean transportation business between Europe and the Americas. Of course, the first priority is to renovate the ports, warehouses, and other facilities on the other side of the shore. He said that this is not enough, and it is necessary to wait for the cooperation intention of the two major financial groups before expanding globally.

  However, Chen Xiaoqi has already started manufacturing equipment for his heavy machinery company, including large cranes, forklifts, dockside hoists and other equipment. The rented dock in Chicago is also being renovated. This is something that doesn't need to be managed by others. With the contributions of "MeiHua Group" today to the entire state of Illinois and the city of Chicago, the government and local unions, even the mafia, are eager for them to make bigger moves!

  Shortly afterwards, Chen Xiaoqi obtained the decision-making intention of two major financial groups. The three parties jointly invested $50 million to establish a heavy-duty vehicle assembly plant, a container production base, an auxiliary facility production plant and a logistics company - "Federal Express".

  For this purpose, they had to set up a bank, establish a three-party input management team and class, operate in full accordance with the plan book, and study and improve the "project management" discipline.

  Chen Xiaoqi made the most profit from this because he invested all core capital, but didn't take out much cash. His dry shares alone accounted for a considerable proportion, plus his initial investment in equipment and research results. The two major financial groups couldn't afford to bully him too much, after all, it was something he had already accomplished. They were just here to reap the benefits, and one can't be too excessive.

  Because this matter was planned by Chen Xiaoqi from start to finish, he had no choice but to take charge of the entire project as the team leader, responsible for its operation and command. Fortunately, he was already familiar with it, and in a team of over 100 elite members from three parties, he first established several departments according to the importance and sequence of tasks, then assigned responsibilities to each department, and issued internally printed "Project Management" primary textbooks for training. After that, each department began to formulate its own plans and processes according to requirements, and implemented them step by step in accordance with the requirements. The problems were solved and coordinated in an orderly manner, which was very convenient. Chen Xiaoqi, a renowned inventor at a young age, naturally became the mentor of a group of elites and was recorded in history as the founder and master of "Project Management"!

  This busy period lasted for several months. The preparation center was set up in Chicago, and the "Mei Hua Building" had to be allocated two floors for their use. Chen Xiaoqi was so busy that he didn't have time to take care of his own subordinates' development in various departments of the group, let alone his own inventions and creations, which had to be put on hold. Fortunately, his team had already been trained and honed to a certain extent, and everything was proceeding in an orderly manner. The entire group was still expanding rapidly.