bookrandom Chapter 554 Purchasing Equipment
Chapter 554 Purchasing Equipment
Over the next few days, Li Xiangyang tirelessly shuttled between various departments. Although the county had given the green light, the specific procedures still required going through each step individually.
Business registration, environmental approval, fire inspection, land use certificate... every piece of paperwork is related to whether a project can proceed smoothly.
"Mr. Li, we need to supplement this with an environmental impact assessment report," said Xiao Wang from the county, pointing to the documents on the table.
Li Xiangyang glanced at his watch; it was already four o'clock in the afternoon.
Today marks the fifth day of his paperwork. Although progress has been smooth, the tedious procedures are still quite tiring.
“Okay, I’ll go find the environmental assessment company tomorrow.” Li Xiangyang put away the documents. “Is there anything else that needs to be supplemented?”
"That's all for now. But Mr. Li, I heard that several companies from other places are also inquiring about this project." Xiao Wang lowered his voice.
Li Xiangyang's heart tightened: "What company?"
"I don't know the specifics, I just heard it mentioned by a colleague. Apparently, they're from the provincial capital, and quite powerful."
As Li Xiangyang walked out of the county office building, he felt somewhat heavy-hearted. The competitors had appeared sooner than he had expected.
Back at the factory, Ma Qingfu was discussing the expansion of the workshop with several workers.
"Qingfu, there's something I need to tell you." Li Xiangyang told him what he had heard.
Ma Qingfu frowned: "It seems we need to speed things up. Once someone else gains the upper hand, our advantage will be gone."
“That’s right.” Li Xiangyang nodded. “My plan is this: the necessary paperwork will continue, but the site selection and factory construction can proceed simultaneously.”
"Do you have a clear idea of the location you've chosen?"
Li Xiangyang took out a map and pointed to a plot of land east of the county town: "I've looked at it. The location is good, convenient transportation, and close to the raw material production area. Most importantly, the land price is reasonable."
When should we go take a look?
"Let's go first thing tomorrow morning."
The next day, just as dawn broke, Li Xiangyang, Ma Qingfu, and Ma Laosan drove to the selected plot of land.
This is a somewhat barren hilly area, but as Li Xiangyang said, the location is indeed quite good.
“The terrain is a bit complicated,” Ma Qingfu said, looking at the undulating landscape.
“It’s alright, we can level the ground.” Li Xiangyang already had a plan in mind. “The factory will be built on that relatively flat area, and the office building can be built on the small hillside. This way, the buildings will be clearly defined and will offer a panoramic view of the entire factory area.”
Ma Laosan, however, had a different opinion: "Xiangyang, have you considered the transportation issue? Although this place is close to the county seat, it's still quite a distance to go to the various villages to purchase raw materials."
“I’ve thought about this,” Li Xiangyang said, pointing to a dirt road in the distance. “This road leads to several major raw material production areas. With a little repair, large trucks can pass through. Furthermore, we can set up purchasing points in several key villages to collect raw materials regularly.”
The three of them spent the entire morning walking around the field and basically determined that this was the most suitable place.
Upon returning to the county, Li Xiangyang immediately went to the department responsible for land approval.
“Mr. Li, this piece of land is indeed excellent.” The person in charge glanced at the map, “However, there’s one issue I need to remind you of.”
"what is the problem?"
"Part of this land is farmland. Although it's currently abandoned, changing its use still requires additional approval."
Li Xiangyang sighed inwardly, realizing that nothing was as simple as he had imagined.
"Approximately how long will it take?"
"Under normal procedures, it takes about two months. However, for key projects, a fast track can be used, and approval should be granted within a month."
A month is still a bit tight. After considering it for a moment, Li Xiangyang decided to prioritize other tasks.
For the next week, Li Xiangyang worked non-stop like a spinning top.
During the day, I handled the paperwork; at night, I discussed equipment procurement and personnel recruitment with Ma Qingfu and Ma Laosan.
"This company's equipment is of good quality and the price is reasonable," Ma Qingfu said, placing several price lists on the table. "The only downside is the delivery time; it will take three months."
“Three months is too long,” Li Xiangyang shook his head. “Our total construction period is only four months. If the equipment is delayed, we’ll lose everything.”
"What about this one?" Old Ma pointed to another quote. "It's a bit more expensive, but they can deliver in a month and a half."
After carefully comparing the two proposals, Li Xiangyang ultimately chose the latter. Although the cost was higher, the time cost was more important.
Just when Li Xiangyang was racking his brains over the equipment delivery deadline, a phone call from Ma Laosan gave him hope.
"Xiangyang, I heard about a closed-down cannery in the provincial capital that's selling off its equipment." Ma Laosan's voice was filled with excitement. "Although it's secondhand, it's well-maintained, and the price is only half that of new equipment."
Li Xiangyang immediately perked up: "When can we see the goods?"
"I can go tomorrow, but I need to hurry. I heard I'm already in talks with several companies."
The next morning, the three of them headed to the provincial capital. The closed cannery was located in the suburbs and did look rather dilapidated from the outside, but Li Xiangyang's eyes lit up when he stepped into the workshop.
"These machines are in really good condition," Ma Qingfu said, touching a packaging machine. "They're just a bit outdated."
The factory manager, a man in his fifties, looked deeply troubled: "Alas, it's not that the equipment is bad, it's just that the management is poor and the cash flow has dried up."
Li Xiangyang carefully inspected several key pieces of equipment and had a good idea of what to expect. Although these devices weren't the latest models, they were perfectly adequate for their current needs.
"Factory manager, please name your price."
"A total of 120,000, this is already the lowest price," the factory manager said with a wry smile. "If it goes any lower, we won't even be able to pay the bank interest."
Li Xiangyang exchanged a glance with Ma Qingfu and Ma Laosan. The price was indeed reasonable, and the key was that they could pick up the goods immediately.
“Deal. But I have one condition,” Li Xiangyang said. “I need you to send two skilled technicians to help us debug the equipment; we’ll pay their wages.”
A hint of gratitude flashed in the factory manager's eyes: "No problem, I recommend Lao Zhang and Xiao Li. They've been working as experienced craftsmen for over ten years."
Back in the county, the land approval process had also made progress. In order to support the project, the county expedited the process, shortening the approval time to half a month.
Li Xiangyang struck while the iron was hot and immediately contacted the construction team.
"Mr. Li, as you requested, the main factory building can be completed in one month, but the decoration and supporting facilities will take at least another half month," said Old Chen, the contractor, while looking at the blueprints.
"Time is too tight," Li Xiangyang frowned. "Is there any way to shorten it?"
"Unless you're willing to add more people to work overtime."
"How much will the cost increase?"
"About 30,000 more."
Li Xiangyang replied without hesitation, "Okay, it's settled then."