Chapter 154 Boeing 747
Before coming here, Liu Zhicheng learned about Boeing's Gigafactory.

It covers an area of ​​365 hectares, which is equivalent to a piece of land of 2*2km.

The factory has its own test runway, a huge hangar, and countless workshops that are larger than football fields.

Soon, the car drove to the factory gate. After a series of inspections, Liu Zhicheng and his team entered the world's largest factory.

When Boeing receives potential customers, the first step is to take the guests on a tour of the factory.

Liu Zhicheng was more than happy to do so, as this was a true tour inside the workshop.

Instead of spending a few dollars to watch from a distance on the ceiling of the workshop.

The interior of the Boeing factory is very large, and the factory provides every employee with a means of transportation: bicycles.

Because many times, it is too far from one side of the workshop to the other side of the factory. If you walk, you can only make several trips a day.

Liu Zhicheng and his entourage naturally did not ride bicycles, but instead took an electric golf cart to visit the factory.

Vice President Tom was introducing the history and development of Boeing, and his words were full of pride wherever he went.

Liu Zhicheng mainly looked at the assembly process of the Boeing 737 production line, because this model was his preferred model.

About two hours later, the electric car drove to the airport outside the factory, where a brand new plane was parked on the apron.

Liu Zhicheng turned around, nodded with satisfaction, and then walked to the boarding gate.

"Mr. Liu, this is the final testing phase before the aircraft is delivered to the customer. Once the test is complete, the aircraft can be delivered," Tom introduced.

"There's no need to look at these, let's take a look at the interior." Liu Zhicheng said.

"Okay, please follow me." Tom said and took Liu Zhicheng up the ladder.

As soon as I walked to the cabin door, a blond and blue-eyed internal stewardess bowed her head and said, "Hello, sir!"

"Lisa, please introduce our distinguished client, Mr. Liu." Tom said to the blonde girl.

"Okay, Mr. Liu, please come this way." Lisa nodded and agreed, leading the group into the interior of the Boeing 737 business jet.

With Lisa's introduction, Liu Zhicheng learned that this was a business jet purchased by a wealthy man in the Middle East, specifically for his own travel.

The interior decoration of the aircraft is in French style. There is a separate bedroom at the tail of the aircraft, which has a large bed, a toilet and a bathroom.

The exterior is composed of 32 aviation seats, which is very spacious and is specially equipped with child seats. Eight of the seats can be laid flat to form a small bed.

There is also a kitchenette, bar, two toilets and showers inside the aircraft.

Tom had been following Liu Zhicheng, observing the changes in Liu Zhicheng's expressions. He had always behaved very calmly, which made him a little unpredictable.

After Lisa finished her introduction, Tom asked with a smile, "What do you think, Mr. Liu?"

"Yes, if I place an order now, when can I get the plane?" Liu Zhicheng nodded and said.

"Mr. Liu, Boeing has too many orders now. As usual, we will arrange production only after we receive the orders.
The order of delivery will be based on when the orders are received, and it will take about two years for delivery.”

Liu Zhicheng frowned and asked, "Is it necessary to customize the decoration? It will take time?"

"If Mr. Liu can design the renovation in advance and start immediately after delivery, it will take about three months for the interior decoration."

"Can't the delivery date be advanced a little?" Liu Zhicheng felt that the waiting time was too long.

"Mr. Liu, this is how aircraft production works. No company will produce them in advance and wait for customers to come.

The same is true even if you buy a small Gulfstream aircraft," Tom explained.

"Are there any customer orders for the custom-made aircraft that need to be transferred?" Liu Zhicheng asked.

"Yes, but it's a Boeing 747," said Tom.

"Boeing 747?" Liu Zhicheng's eyes lit up and he said calmly, "Can you take me to see it?"

Although it has been more than six years since the outbreak of the first oil crisis.

Most of the Middle Eastern tycoons who suddenly became rich have started to play with luxury cars, luxury houses, luxury cruise ships, private zoos, lions, cheetahs and other pets.

But it has only just spread to the field of aircraft. It will take a few more years before the wealthy people in the Middle East will focus completely on super-large aircraft.

In the past, the wealthy people in the Middle East liked to modify the A380 into a palace in the sky, making everyone on the Internet jealous.

But now, although Airbus has not yet been born, isn’t the Boeing 747 the king of the skies?

With such an aircraft, you can not only enjoy its luxury, but also reflect the strength of the aircraft owner.

You know, in the past life, when doing business, the first thing people looked at was the car you drove. Driving a luxury car out to discuss business became a symbol of strength.

In the 80s, there were countless golden opportunities in the mainland, and the same was true in Europe, the United States and Southeast Asia.

If you fly out to discuss business in an airplane like this, you'll be halfway to success.

After all, talking business while flying a plane can better demonstrate one's strength.

"Of course." Tom was delighted.

A Boeing 747 is nothing to Boeing, but it is a big surprise to Tom personally.

It is extremely rare for wealthy private individuals to purchase airplanes these days, and you may not come across one even once in many years.

If we could recommend a Boeing 747 to Liu Zhicheng as a private jet, that would be a huge advertisement.

"We have a Boeing 747 that is almost completed. It is currently undergoing internal wiring and will soon enter the painting stage. Mr. Liu can go and take a look," Tom introduced.

"Okay, let's go." Liu Zhicheng nodded and said.

After a while, the group arrived at a paint shop warehouse and saw a big guy.

The plane was still in its unfinished state, with steel structures and cables still being laid inside, so Liu Zhicheng and others did not go in to take a look.

This was ordered by a European airline, but due to the outbreak of the oil crisis, the airline encountered a financial crisis and gave up the purchase after losing money.

"How far is the range of this plane?" Liu Zhicheng asked.

"I don't know what range Mr. Liu requires. Our aircraft can be designed in different ways.
For example, if we can add fuel tanks, the range will be longer." Tom asked.

"As long as the battery life is long enough, it would be best if it can reach anywhere in the world at once." Liu Zhicheng said after thinking for a while.

Since you are buying the most expensive 747, you naturally have to consider the range.

If you can fly directly from any city to another, it will save a lot of time.

After all, we don’t have the regular takeoffs and landings like an airline, so any landing at an intermediate airport needs to be reported in advance.

If you can take a direct flight in one go, it would be the best option. Otherwise, there will be an extra takeoff and landing in the middle. The waste of money is a small matter, but the waste of time is not cost-effective.

"This plane can fly about 6000 miles at present, but if it is used as a private plane, with additional fuel tanks, miles is not a problem," Tom said. "How far is Hong Kong from New York?" Liu Zhicheng asked, not knowing exactly how far he was talking about.

"About 8000 miles," Tom replied.

"Then let's add auxiliary fuel tanks, otherwise we won't be able to fly directly from Hong Kong to New York." Liu Zhicheng said after thinking for a while.

The distance between Hong Kong and New York is about 1.3 kilometers, or about 8100 miles.

Considering the fuel consumption, you must add a little more to ensure safety.

"Okay, after adding the auxiliary fuel tank, the internal space will be slightly reduced, but the impact is not significant," Tom explained.

"How much does this plane cost?" Liu Zhicheng asked calmly.

"Okay, please come to our VIP room for negotiation, Mr. Liu."

Tom took Liu Zhicheng onto the tram and headed toward the reception room in the office building.

After all, the workshop is not the place to do business.

"Mr. Liu, with your connections, you should be able to find out the real transaction price of the plane.

I will quote a purchase price from a large airline company, which is $8500 million. Of course, this does not include the modification price.”

"You are telling the truth, but the price is still too high at this time. But you should have collected payment for this plane once before.
If we still follow the original selling price, do you think it is appropriate?" Liu Zhicheng said with a smile.

Liu Zhicheng was not afraid that they would transfer the companies to other airlines at a low price. The oil crisis would break out again and paralyze the global economy.

At the same time, high oil prices have also caused the price of air tickets to increase exponentially.

In this case, if the airline can ensure that it survives and does not go bankrupt, it will be considered a great success.

There is no spare money to purchase aircraft. Even if orders for purchasing aircraft have been placed, they have begun to be cancelled in large numbers.

With such a good opportunity, Liu Zhicheng must seize the chance to bargain. There is no way he can give a foreigner a bargain on the price.

"Mr. Liu, although what you said is true, the manufacturing cost of an airplane is increasing instead of decreasing. Our current offer is already very sincere," said Tom.

"Mr. Tom, believe it or not, as long as I spread the news, there will definitely be a large number of airlines willing to sell their aircraft to me.
But I hope to purchase directly from Boeing. Since there is still a price gap, let's both consider it. "Liu Zhicheng said lightly.

"Okay, I will convey Mr. Liu's intention to the company's board of directors and try to get a big discount."

Tom didn't want this big order to disappear from his hands, so he could only say it in a tactful way.

"Okay, then I'll wait for your good news, but don't wait too long. I can't wait forever.
If I reach an agreement with other airlines, this cooperation will be over," said Liu Zhicheng.

"OK, I understand." Tom nodded.

After leaving Boeing, that evening Liu Zhicheng instructed his legal adviser Ron in the United States to form a team and start negotiations with Boeing.

...............

Afterwards, Liu Zhicheng rushed to his next stop, Texas Instruments, headquartered in Texas.

There are many companies in the United States that specialize in materials research, and Texas Instruments is the most famous.

Sitting in the car, Liu Zhicheng looked at the information about Texas Instruments in his hand.

Texas Instruments is headquartered in Texas, the southernmost state in the United States, known as the Cowboy State.

In the field of industrial semiconductors, Texas Instruments' chips and memory are dominant in this era.

Today Liu Zhicheng went to San Francisco, California, where the headquarters of Texas Instruments' subsidiary is located.

In the suburbs south of downtown San Francisco, Texas Instruments invested more than 100 million US dollars to build a motherboard manufacturing plant and chip production base.

However, we are now in the period of RB semiconductor explosion.

RB's cheap labor and high yield rate have triggered a price war in the semiconductor industry.

Texas Instruments' two factories in San Francisco soon ran into trouble.

With more than a thousand employees, the monthly salary costs more than two million US dollars.

Due to the laws of the United States, they dare not stop work at will, resulting in cutting losses from the Texas headquarters every month.

Liu Zhicheng came to San Francisco this time through the introduction of Goldman Sachs and Citibank.

Moreover, his own fame has already spread throughout the North American new technology circle.

Texas Instruments in San Francisco attached great importance to Liu Zhicheng's visit.

In any case, the other party is here to discuss a big deal that can help the electronics branch overcome its current difficulties.

When Liu Zhicheng arrived at the door of Texas Instruments Electronics Company, the manager of the marketing department of the Texas Instruments branch came to greet him personally and took Liu Zhicheng to the conference room in the factory building.

The manager of the branch is named Matthew, a genuine Texas cowboy. At this time, he was wearing a white shirt on the upper body and jeans and sneakers on the lower body.

"Mr. Liu, I hope you don't mind my attire. I think we will meet as more than just business partners. We can be friends," Matthew said with a smile and a handshake.

"I hope it's as you wish!" Liu Zhicheng nodded and smiled.

"Actually, I would prefer to meet you at my home farm, but since I know you are interested in visiting the factory, I have to meet you at the company now," Matthew said with a smile.

"Mr. Matthew, you are so polite." Liu Zhicheng could only respond politely.

"After I got the introduction from Citi and Goldman Sachs, I arranged for someone to investigate Mr. Liu's information.
I am very impressed to find out that Mr. Liu invested in Apple many years ago. ”

"Mr. Matthew, Texas Instruments is also admirable," said Liu Zhicheng.

Matthew was a little too polite today, which made Liu Zhicheng a little uncomfortable. It seemed that Texas Instruments was having a hard time.

The two of them praised each other's business for a while before officially getting down to business.

"I wonder if Mr. Liu is coming to our company, is there anything we can do to help him?" Matthew asked with a smile.

A businessman is a businessman. He knows the reason for his visit but he just doesn't bring it up, just so he can "slaughter the pig" later.

"I heard that Texas Instruments has a 3-inch chip production line that has only been in production for half a year and is ready to sell.

So I came here this time just to buy this production line." Liu Zhicheng didn't have that much time to chat with him.

"Yes, we have a chip production line to sell, but what price can Mr. Liu offer?"

Seeing that Liu Zhicheng was direct, Matthew also became direct.

"Can I take a look at the production line first?" Liu Zhicheng asked.

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(End of this chapter)