Chapter 1336
The autonomous region's efficiency is also very high; they've already started
Although speed is a priority, Li Long had very strict requirements when installing these drip irrigation systems in production equipment.
He had seen how these things were installed before, so when the equipment was unloaded from the truck and fixed in the factory, Li Long personally guided him.
This thing is big and very heavy, so it definitely won't be moved easily once it's installed.
To prevent moisture and rust, bricks are placed under the equipment.
Li Yuhe watched from the side, and at this point, he had nothing to say.
He saw Li Long making a lot of noise and giving orders to this person and that person, and at first he thought Li Long was just bluffing.
As they watched, they realized that Li Long was truly knowledgeable. The person in charge of transporting the equipment remained silent, and he and his driver helped Li Long do exactly what he was told.
Li Yuhe wondered if Li Long had prepared in advance and was very familiar with this.
Otherwise, how could they be here guiding the assembly of equipment?
It was already afternoon when the equipment was installed. There was a short break in between, during which the workers and Li Long ate lunch at Lao Ma's restaurant.
During the meal, Li Yuhe raised his question.
Li Long smiled and said, "Would you believe me if I said I helped design this equipment?"
Li Yuhe shook his head, thinking to himself, "Are you kidding me?"
You say you can make money and know how to farm, I believe that. But you even designed drip irrigation tape production equipment? Many of these things are imported into our country. You, a mere farmer, can design this?
Li Long saw through his thoughts and said with a smile, "Look, you've underestimated us farmers, haven't you? Don't believe me? Ask them." Li Long pointed with his chopsticks at the people who had brought the equipment over.
Li Yuhe actually went over and asked, but the answer surprised him.
He walked back to Li Long's side, his astonishment still etched on his face, and asked again, "They said you designed this equipment, and then you got another set of equipment from the Soviet Union and combined them to produce it?"
While eating his noodles, Li Long said, "Yeah. I think drip irrigation will be a big trend in the future, so I've been thinking about researching it in my spare time, and that's how I came up with it."
Li Yuhe sat down with his plate, stirring the noodles in it as he said, "If you had just said you designed this equipment, I wouldn't have argued with you about it. This whole thing has been so rushed, and I'm really in a passive position."
Li Long picked up a large mouthful of noodles and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing as he said, "Do you believe me or me? If I had really said back then that I designed this thing, you definitely wouldn't have believed me."
Li Yuhe picked up a piece of noodles but didn't put it in his mouth. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and said, "That makes sense. If you had told me that back then, I definitely wouldn't have believed you. Not only would I not have believed you, I might have even made some sarcastic remarks."
Li Long smiled, ate his noodles heartily, and said nothing more.
After the equipment was installed in the afternoon, the machinery factory's trucks went straight back to Kuitun.
Li Yuhe then asked Li Long curiously, "Don't we need to pay? Even if you designed this, they wouldn't just give you a set, would they?"
While inspecting the equipment, Li Long said, "I designed it, and there's a prototype machine. I get dividends from the factory. Based on current sales, my dividends far exceed the cost of this equipment. So, this equipment is essentially bought with my own dividends, and the machinery factory will keep track of it."
As soon as he said that, Li Yuhe understood.
By this time, the electricians had already set up the three-phase power supply and the utility poles.
Because it's a temporary setup, the electricity from the main line is being supplied via wooden poles. The power company said they'll replace these wooden poles with concrete ones in a while, so they'll use them for now.
Li Long naturally had no objections, and he didn't hesitate to pay the money that was due.
With most of the equipment checked, it was getting dark. Li Long didn't eat dinner at Lao Ma's place; instead, he drove to his older brother's place, found Li Junfeng, and told him to go to the drip irrigation tape processing plant the next morning.
Li Long told Li Junfeng, "For now, the drip irrigation tape that the cooperative needs will be produced by ourselves. I'll start trial production tomorrow, and you can come and watch."
This factory will be temporarily handed over to you. You can produce a batch if needed. I'll usually be here and handle everything. If I'm not available, you can operate it.
Li Junfeng naturally had no objections. He knew that both of his uncles were paid according to their work; the more they did, the more they earned.
Besides, this is about managing a factory; he couldn't be happier.
After having dinner at his elder brother's place, Li Long returned to the county.
Li Yuhe was writing a report in the cooperative's dormitory. After dinner, he planned to wait for Li Long to come and see if he could catch more crabs that night, but Li Long never came.
Knowing he wouldn't be catching crabs again tonight, Li Yuhe was a little annoyed, but there was nothing he could do. After all, Li Long was genuinely busy and highly efficient. Of course, there was one thing: he had forced Li Long to set up the factory, and he felt a little embarrassed about it.
Fortunately, the report was basically completed. Although the equipment had not yet been put into production, Li Yuhe felt that this was no longer a problem.
On the second day, after breakfast, Li Junfeng went to the processing plant. The gate to the processing plant wasn't finished yet. Since the equipment had been brought in the day before, several construction workers stayed there that day to check on the equipment.
Today they're going to fix all the doors and windows in the factory so that when no one's around, they can lock the doors and at least keep out a thief.
Li Junfeng drove over, and when he saw that there were people inside, he introduced himself.
Li Long wasn't there, so Li Junfeng waited at the door. When Li Yuhe came over, he chatted with Li Junfeng for a few minutes. They had met in the fields; Li Long had introduced him, but they hadn't greeted each other.
Li Yuhe learned from Li Junfeng that Li Long said production would begin today, so he decided to take another look.
Since things have already come to this point, let's go all the way and inspect everything from beginning to end.
A dozen minutes later, Li Long drove up to the factory gate. Seeing that everyone was there, he said to Li Yuhe, "Boss, we'll start production today. Let's test the machine first, produce a batch, check the quality, and then we'll do some adjustments."
Li Yuhe said with a smile, "You're an expert in this area, so just tell me how to do it, and I'll do it."
Li Long then led his men into the factory, explaining the function of each piece of equipment while unpacking the raw material packages, preparing for trial production.
Li Junfeng assisted him from the side. He knew that a large part of the theoretical explanation was specifically for him, so he listened very carefully.
One advantage of this equipment is its high level of automation. You just pour the raw materials in here, turn on the machine there, and the equipment will run largely automatically, requiring very few human intervention steps.
This is why this equipment has reached an internationally advanced level. After all, at this time, most equipment still required a lot of manual labor in each step. Although some equipment was touted as automated, it was far from meeting the standards of automation.
This equipment was manufactured according to later standards and has a high level of automation. A few people can operate it in a factory. With sufficient raw materials, it can produce several tons of drip irrigation tape a day to meet the needs of hundreds of acres of land.
According to current production standards, roughly one kilogram of drip irrigation tape yields about 100 meters, and 10 kilograms is enough for about one acre of land. As Li Long started the machine and heard the rumbling sound, Li Yuhe went to the discharge port, eager to see how the drip irrigation tape would be produced.
After the raw materials were poured in, the production process unfolded step by step. Li Long explained and demonstrated at the same time. Li Junfeng learned very carefully, and after watching it a few times, he got it.
Li Long then went on to explain the precautions, including the distance for drilling, the timing of feeding materials, and the mixing ratio.
Since recycled plastics are not used now, some things were only briefly mentioned.
The drip irrigation tape was quickly produced and automatically rolled up. Li Yuhe pointed to the drip irrigation tape being rolled and asked, "Can this drip irrigation tape be used directly?"
Li Long came over and took a look, saying, "Hmm, we can press it in directly when we sow cotton next spring. Look, there are small holes on it; that's for dripping water."
Our seeder plants one seed every 10 centimeters, and the hole spacing of this drip irrigation tape is also 10 centimeters.
Once you adjust the settings correctly, ensuring the seed-dispensing points of the seed drill align with the holes in the drip irrigation tape, the water will drip precisely onto the roots of the seedlings as they emerge after the tape is laid.
Li Yuhe nodded thoughtfully; he hadn't really thought of that.
It's clear that Li Long is indeed an expert; he knows everything.
Li Yuhe then asked, "Is it okay after the drip irrigation tape is laid down?"
Li Long smiled and said, "Of course not. There's another part that requires a lot of labor, which is connecting the drip irrigation tape to the branch pipe that follows the main pipe. We call that connecting the branch pipe. Only when the drip irrigation tape is connected to the main pipe can the water flow in."
Li Yuhe smiled a little embarrassedly. Yes, he hadn't thought of such an important step; his brain had simply stopped thinking.
The machines roared as they produced a 30-kilogram roll of drip irrigation tape, which was then automatically cut, making it a finished product.
After producing two rolls, Li Long turned off the machine so he could inspect the finished product.
Li Yuhe followed along, mainly to see what items were being inspected.
At this point, it wouldn't make much difference whether he looked at it or not. Everything that Li Long wrote in the report had already been implemented, and his work was basically finished.
Li Long checked it and found that there was nothing wrong with the drip irrigation tape. The thickness was just right, and the spacing of the holes was also fine. It was considered a successful trial run on the first try.
Li Yuhe said half-jokingly, "You said seven days, but look, it's already finished in just two days. To be honest, I really admire your efficiency. It would take other people at least two or three months to build a factory like this."
"But you've got it all figured out. You built a factory in less than half a month, and then spent a day testing the machines, and that was it."
Li Long waved his hand and said, "No, no, it's far from being settled. We can produce for our own use, but to sell to the cooperative, we need permits. My factory doesn't have any permits right now. I'll cooperate with your work here, and after it's finished, I'll have to hurry up and apply for the permits."
Li Yuhe was joking, but Li Long was giving a serious answer, leaving him with no room to say anything more.
Now that Li Long has successfully produced the drip irrigation tape, this hurdle is over. Seeing that it's still early, Li Yuhe returned to the cooperative's dormitory to begin finalizing the report.
Li Long then told Li Junfeng to wait there until the workers had installed the doors and windows, and then he told Li Junfeng to lock the gate before returning to the county.
He wasn't lying about applying for the permits; drip irrigation tape factories need permits to produce. Even if he sold it to the cooperative at cost price, it still involved a commodity transaction.
Fortunately, Li Long was well-connected with the business administration department, and the staff all knew him. Knowing that he wanted to apply for a drip irrigation tape manufacturing plant, they approved it smoothly after reviewing his qualifications and reports.
After all, the reputation is there, the equipment manuals are all there, and the factory is built. All that's missing is this one permit, which isn't a big deal.
After Li Long left, the staff of the Industry and Commerce Bureau discussed among themselves, their tone gossipy and envious: "Look at them, opening factories one after another, they're making money like crazy."
"Exactly, how did people even think of these industries? There aren't many people in our county who can set up factories like this."
Some people started to have ideas, since their own nephews and nieces were still unemployed, and they wanted to keep an eye on things here. Li Long's cannery's purchasing station had recently hired people, and although it was a private enterprise, the benefits were very good.
If you can't get into a government factory, it's better to work in a private company and earn more money than to stay at home with nothing to do or run a small business.
Although this factory is in the countryside, working there still means you're a worker, and it's good enough if you can earn a wage.
There are still many young laborers in this era, and many of them can't find jobs, so they're not very picky.
Two days later, Li Yuhe finished his trip and returned to Wucheng. Until the day before he left, Li Long didn't have time to take him crabbing one more time, which was one of Li Yuhe's biggest regrets.
After seeing Li Yuhe off, Li Long obtained the business license for the drip irrigation tape factory.
This time it's officially legal.
Originally, it was thought that after Li Yuhe returned, the projects in the autonomous region wouldn't start until at least the end of the year. After all, projects like the irrigation canal renovation and land leveling could only be carried out after the cotton harvest.
To Li Long's surprise, less than a week after Li Yuhe returned, he called the purchasing station and said that before the end of May, a full-time supervisor for the autonomous region's supported project would come to Li Long's place to coordinate the construction of the project.
Li Long was genuinely a little surprised, but thinking about it, it was a good thing. The sooner this kind of thing was implemented, the better, as it showed that the higher-ups valued it and that the funds were being used for their intended purpose.
As for the specifics of how to proceed, we'll have to wait until they arrive to discuss that.
Since they're coming here for dedicated supervision, I figured they'd stay for a while.
So Li Long cleaned up the dormitory of the cooperative again and told Lao Ma Hao that he would eat with Lao Ma Hao's Uncle Luo and the others.
The reminder meant that the meals should be prepared well during this period, since leaders from the autonomous region were coming, and it was necessary to show them hospitality.
Li Long guessed that the only thing he could do this time was to build the pump house and filter tank first, since there was nothing else that could be done right now.
As for the specific plans, we'll discuss them once the others arrive.
It has to be said that the efficiency of the autonomous region this time was really high, exceeding Li Long's expectations.
Good news. (End of Chapter)