NABC Chapter 34: The Symposium Ends
Chapter 34: The Symposium Ends
2:25 PM, Shuangyuan Administration Building.
Yu Chen waited for Nie Xiguang at the door for a while. Seeing that she didn't answer her phone or reply to her messages, he guessed that she might have been conscripted into the army.
No need to wait any longer, everyone's here.
In the corridor outside the conference room, Yu Chen ran into Hua Xiangyang.
Seeing him approach, Hua Xiangyang grabbed him and lowered his voice: "Engineer Yu, the situation has changed a bit."
"How so?"
"Two people have come from Shengyuan." Hua Xiangyang leaned closer. "Besides Chief Engineer Zhao, there's also a Vice President named Chen Liming. I've dealt with him before. He has a technical background but later switched to management. He's in charge of the R&D system at Shengyuan, and his words carry a lot of weight."
Yu Chen nodded: "That's a good thing, it shows that Sheng Yuan values it."
"We do value it, but..." Hua Xiangyang hesitated for a moment, "I heard that Chen Liming and President Lin don't get along. He was promoted by Sheng Bokai."
Yu Chen understood.
The internal factions within Shengyuan even put on a show for this kind of technical demonstration meeting.
"Okay." He patted Hua Xiangyang on the shoulder. "Go inside."
The two pushed open the door and entered the conference room.
The long table was already full of people.
The person in the main seat was Zhang Tianhua. To his left were Lin Yusen and Sheng Yuan, whom Chief Engineer Zhao Yuchen had met before. The man next to him, who was in his fifties and had a serious face, should be Chen Liming.
On the right are Hua Xiangyang and several other department directors.
"Engineer Yu is here," Zhang Tianhua greeted with a smile. "Sit down, sit down, we've been waiting for you."
Yu Chen sat down next to Hua Xiangyang and placed the documents he had brought on the table.
"Everyone's here, let's begin." Zhang Tianhua cleared his throat. "Today's meeting is mainly to demonstrate the feasibility of the perovskite tandem solar cell technology proposed by Engineer Yu. Engineer Yu, would you like to start?"
Yu Chen stood up and walked to the whiteboard in front of him. He didn't turn on the projector; he simply picked up a marker.
"Everyone here is an expert, so let's skip the formalities." He turned to face the crowd. "I'll get straight to the point."
He drew a simple structural diagram on the whiteboard: "The theoretical efficiency limit of traditional crystalline silicon solar cells is around 29%, while the theoretical limit of perovskite crystalline silicon stacks can reach over 35%."
"My solution addresses two key issues: the stability of perovskite and its integration with a silicon substrate."
Chen Liming suddenly spoke up: "Engineer Yu, excuse me for interrupting, but the stability of perovskites is a problem that countless laboratories around the world are working on. What makes you think your solution will succeed?"
The question was direct, even a bit pointed.
Yu Chen remained calm: "That's a good question, Mr. Chen. My approach isn't to start with material modification, but rather with device structure design."
He quickly drew a diagram on the whiteboard: "Multi-layered buffer design to distribute stress."
"The self-healing precursor formula allows tiny cracks to repair themselves. Most importantly..." He paused, "...the low-temperature in-situ deposition process avoids high-temperature damage to the silicon substrate."
Chief Engineer Zhao adjusted his glasses: "Low-temperature process... how do you guarantee the deposition quality?"
"That's the technical detail."
Yu Chen pulled a page from the documents and handed it over. "These are preliminary XRD and SEM data. Although they are rough, you can see the trend."
Chief Engineer Zhao took it and examined it carefully. His brows gradually furrowed and then slowly relaxed.
Chen Liming glanced at Chief Engineer Zhao's expression and continued, "Even if we can make it in the lab, what about mass production? What about yield? What about cost?"
"This is the second key point I want to make." Yu Chen walked back to his seat and took out another document. "I have made a preliminary estimate that if we upgrade the existing production line, the equipment investment will increase by about 30%. However, the efficiency will increase by more than 15%, and the cost per kilowatt-hour can be reduced by 10%. If we build a new dedicated line, the cost will be even better."
He looked at Zhang Tianhua: "Mr. Zhang, what is the approximate total investment for one of Shuangyuan's production lines?"
Zhang Tianhua thought for a moment: "1.2 million to 1.5 million."
"The investment for that upgrade will be around 4000 million yuan," Yu Chen said. "Based on current component prices and production capacity, the payback period is less than two years."
The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.
The CFO spoke first: "A two-year payback period... isn't that long, but what about the technical risks? If it fails, all 40 million will be wasted."
"Therefore, we need to invest in stages." Yu Chen was prepared. "In the first stage, we will invest 500 million yuan in laboratory verification. If it is successful, we will then discuss the pilot production line."
"Only after achieving success will we proceed with mass production and modification."
"500 million." Zhang Tianhua pondered, "That number isn't out of the question."
Lin Yusen, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "Yu Chen, your data is based on ideal conditions. In actual production, there are many variables."
"Mr. Lin is right." Yu Chen nodded. "That's why we need to try, which is why I requested that the technology be contributed as equity."
"I want to be involved throughout the entire process to ensure that the technology is implemented accurately."
"How many do you want?" Chen Liming asked directly.
"In the first phase, if the laboratory verification is successful, I want 5%," Yu Chen said calmly. "If the pilot production line runs smoothly, I'll add another 3%. Once mass production meets the standards, we'll discuss the follow-up."
"8%?" The CFO gasped. "Mr. Yu, that's no small amount."
"What if my technology could make Shuangyuan's products lead the industry and double its market value?" Yu Chen looked around at everyone. "Is 8% too much?"
No one dared to respond to that.
Chen Liming and Chief Engineer Zhao exchanged a glance.
"Mr. Yu," Chen Liming said slowly, "your technical approach is indeed unique, but a few sheets of paper and some data are not enough to be convincing."
"So we need to invest and verify." Yu Chen met his gaze. "President Chen, technological breakthroughs are never seen, they are made."
The meeting room fell silent again.
Zhang Tianhua glanced at his watch: "Alright, let's take a fifteen-minute break, let everyone digest the information, and let's discuss this."
The group stood up and left the meeting room in twos and threes.
Yu Chen didn't move, sitting in his seat organizing the documents.
Hua Xiangyang leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Engineer Yu, I think there's a chance. If Chen Liming really thought it wouldn't work, he would have nitpicked to the end. His attitude just now actually meant he agreed."
"Approval is one thing, paying for it is another," Yu Chen said with a smile and a shake of his head.
Just then, Lin Yusen walked over.
"Yu Chen, come out for a moment," he said.
The two walked to the window at the end of the corridor.
"Are you serious about what you just said about phased approaches?" Lin Yusen asked, staring intently at him.
"I'm serious," Yu Chen said. "You can't get fat in one bite. Technological research and development has to be done step by step."
Lin Yusen was silent for a moment: "As for Sheng Yuan, Chen Liming is Sheng Bokai's man. He came today not just to check out the technology."
"I know," Yu Chen said. "He wants to see if I'm worth winning over."
"And what's your attitude?"
"My attitude is very simple." Yu Chen looked out the window, "I will cooperate with whoever gives me a platform to do things, but the premise is that I can make the decisions."
Lin Yusen turned to look at him: "If I support you, can you guarantee the technology will succeed?"
"No," Yu Chen said honestly, "but I will do my best, and..." He paused, "I think it can work."
If the system can malfunction, he might as well just kill himself.
Lin Yusen looked at him for a long time, and finally nodded: "Go back to the meeting."
The meeting resumed fifteen minutes later.
Zhang Tianhua spoke first: "We just had a brief discussion. Engineer Yu's technical solution does have potential, but the risks are also considerable. Therefore, our initial thought is..."
He looked at Lin Yusen, then at Chen Liming: "Let's first establish a joint project team. Shuangyuan and Shengyuan will jointly invest five million to conduct laboratory verification over a period of three months. If it succeeds, we can discuss the next step."
"What about the equity?" Yu Chen asked.
"The verification was successful, 5%," Zhang Tianhua said. "But there's a condition: for the next three months, you have to work full-time at Shuangyuan, leading the research and development team."
Yu Chen thought for a moment and said, "Okay, but I need autonomy. I have the final say on personnel, equipment, and schedule."
"You have the final say on the technical aspects," Lin Yusen said. "The other aspects require coordination."
"OK."
Chen Liming then said, "I will send two people to Shengyuan to participate in the project team, partly to learn and partly... to supervise the progress."
That's very straightforward.
Yu Chen smiled: "Welcome. Technical skills are not afraid of being seen, they are afraid of not being seen."
The meeting discussed the details for another half hour, and finally a consensus was barely reached:
The project team will be assembled within three days and will be launched next week.
After the meeting ended, Yu Chen had just stepped out of the conference room when his phone vibrated.
Nie Xiguang sent a message: "Waaah, I was wrong. I was just dragged to the production line by Boss Wang to register. Don't be angry."
Yu Chen couldn't help but laugh and replied, "It's nothing."
Nie Xiguang: "Then I'll treat you to a celebratory meal later!"
Yu Chen: "You weren't even here, how did you know it was a success?"
Nie Xiguang: "I believe in you, you will definitely succeed!"
At the other end of the corridor, Lin Yusen stood by the window, while Yu Chen looked down at his phone, a faint smile playing on his lips.
He could guess that Yu Chen was chatting with Nie Xiguang at that moment.
He has already investigated the car accident thoroughly.
Nie Xiguang didn't know him at all.
It's laughable, and at the same time, it's pathetic.
I can't believe I've held a grudge against her for two years!
"President Lin," Chen Liming approached him unnoticed, "what do you think of Yu Chen...?"
"You're capable." Lin Yusen turned his gaze back to the window. "But you also have ambition."
"It's good to have ambition." Chen Liming smiled. "A person without ambition can't accomplish anything."
He paused for a moment, then said, "But Yusen, you have to keep a close eye on him. If this person really succeeds, his influence in Shuangyuan will be considerable."
Seeing that Lin Yusen did not reply, Chen Liming had no choice but to quietly leave.
He was Sheng Xianmin's man, and also Lin Yusen's man.
As the sun sets, the lights in the factory area come on one by one.
A new game has begun.