Still, I Will Live As The Son-In-Law Of A Conglomerate [EN]: Chapter 159

46th. Scrapyard Dogfight Part 2 (3)

Geum Seok-ho narrowed his eyes as he received the documents I handed over.

“‘Direct-Series Production Method’?”

“Yes. Do you remember when our Standard Capital promoted in the media during last year’s acquisition battle that we had a way to dramatically increase production volume and quality?”

Geum Seok-ho scratched his head with his fingertip as if trying to recall something, then said,

“I remember. It was buried because the improvement of workers’ treatment was unconventional, but I and other executives were curious.”

“This Direct-Series Production Method will solve that curiosity.”

This Direct-Series Production Method was not devised by me, but by Myung Seon-gu, the current president of Taehyun Motors.

‘When Myung Jin-ho dies, Myung Seon-gu takes Taehyun Precision, Taehyun Motors, Taehyun Steel, etc., and becomes independent. And Taehyun Precision assembles modules with parts received from subsidiaries and partner companies, and sends the assembled modules to Taehyun Motors to complete the car.’

Originally, after Taehyun Motors acquired Ado Motors, which became Haedong Motors, it would have put employees and partner companies into this Direct-Series Production Method to create the world’s fifth-largest automobile company in terms of production volume.

In the process, Taehyun Precision, the holding company of the Taehyun Motors Group, sucked up the profits of Taehyun Motors and its partner companies by supplying modules and A/S [After-Sales Service] parts, becoming Myung Seon-gu’s biggest cash cow in the intra-Taehyun Group war.

‘If Taehyun Motors pushes with market share, I can push with advanced strategies and money. Let’s see who wins, Chairman Myung Seon-gu.’

While inwardly vowing a ‘car business chicken game’ with Taehyun Motors and Myung Seon-gu, I asked Geum Seok-ho, who was examining the documents.

“What do you think?”

“It doesn’t seem bad. If each factory only makes individual modules, the workers’ skill will quickly improve and the quality will get better. It will also be easier to produce various options for the same vehicle or produce multiple models on one line. We won’t have to stop the entire line when a defect occurs in one process.”

As soon as Geum Seok-ho’s evaluation ended, the factory manager opened his mouth as if he had been waiting.

“That’s right, Chairman. If we dedicate each module factory to produce individual modules according to Director Lee’s proposal and send the modules according to the step-by-step process of the finished car factory, we can control the parts inventory up to the assembly process unit, which will be advantageous for inventory management.”

Perhaps because he had been in the automotive industry for a long time, both Geum Seok-ho and the factory manager quickly grasped the advantages of the Direct-Series Production Method. However, Geum Seok-ho’s expression was not very bright.

“Is there a problem, Chairman?”

“This will only shift the parts inventory that we have to bear to the partner companies. There will be a lot of complaints about cost transfer… How are you going to handle it?”

I didn’t lose my composure at Geum Seok-ho’s expected question and said,

“That’s the biggest problem. So.”

I paused for a moment, got up from my seat, brought three paper cups, and placed them on the table one by one. Sitting down, I divided the remaining coffee in my teacup into the paper cups by thirds, and put the empty teacup on the table.

“If we assume that what was filled in this teacup until just now is the cost reduction profit, our Haedong Motors must share that profit equally with each partner company and consumers by one-third.”

As I pointed to the empty cup and the three paper cups in order, Geum Seok-ho, who had been hesitant for a moment, looked at me and asked cautiously.

“‘3:3:3 Profit Sharing System’? Like Toyota?”

“That’s right, Chairman. Whether it’s R&D [Research and Development] or production process improvement, if we work with partner companies to create cost reduction effects, all stakeholders related to Haedong Motors will benefit equally.”

Only after I presented a solution did Geum Seok-ho’s expression brighten.

“That’s how it was! That way, the partner companies will be satisfied enough!”

“That’s not all, Chairman! Taehyun Motors may be able to withstand it, but Daeju, Miryong, and Shinseong will never be able to, haha!”

I became interested as I watched the factory manager laughing heartily.

‘This guy is quite something?’

As the factory manager said, Taehyun Motors, which accounts for nearly half of the domestic automobile market, can squeeze partner companies by using the supply volume as bait. But….

‘Daeju, Miryong, and Shinseong will never be able to withstand it. Their production volume is smaller than Haedong Motors, so their price negotiation power is lower, hehe.’

If we start this ‘3:3:3 Profit Sharing System’, Taehyun Motors may be able to withstand it, but Daeju Motors, Miryong Motors, and Shinseong Motors will have to suffer a double whammy. Price competition with Haedong Motors and difficulties in negotiating supply prices with partner companies.

While imagining a car industry chicken game, I put on the most wicked smile in the world for a moment, then composed myself and said to Geum Seok-ho,

“To implement the 3:3:3 Profit Sharing System, the module factory must be separated into a wholly-owned subsidiary and be responsible for parts R&D cooperation with partner companies. We must sell the parts that we and our partner companies have developed in cooperation to other companies.”

Although it was a somewhat questionable question, Geum Seok-ho looked at me and laughed heartily.

“Hahahaha! If we sell the parts we developed, we’ll make money too!”

“That’s right, Chairman! Since it’s a part we jointly developed, we’ll benefit from either cost reduction due to increased production volume or distribution of sales revenue, haha!”

He accurately grasped my intention… I liked the factory manager who was laughing heartily more and more.

***

After talking about the ‘Direct-Series Production Method’ and the ‘3:3:3 Profit Sharing System’, it was already 1 p.m. Only after looking at the clock did we feel hungry, so we ordered jajangmyeon [black bean noodles], fried rice, sweet and sour pork, and spicy seafood noodle soup from a nearby Chinese restaurant.

“Unexpected, Director Lee. To think that the eldest grandson of the Haedong Group eats jajangmyeon so well?”

While eating jajangmyeon, I stopped the noodles I was putting in my mouth and chewed a few times after hearing Geum Seok-ho’s words while he was eating fried rice. I quickly swallowed the noodles, wiped my mouth with a tissue, and smiled.

“It’s not like chaebols [family-owned conglomerates] only eat delicacies, Chairman. The table has been set simply since my parents were alive, haha.”

My house was set every day by my late mother herself. Hired workers were only called to the Samcheong-dong main residence on days when they did a major cleaning every two or three days.

“Is that true, Director Lee?”

At the factory manager’s incredulous gaze, I smiled and said,

“Of course, Factory Manager. After my parents passed away, Executive Director Park Tae-jin and I set the table ourselves. The side dishes were sent by Madam Jeonju, who was at the main residence, but….”

When I told him that Park Tae-jin and I made our own stews and soups, the factory manager looked at me with a surprised expression.

“You’re amazing, Director Lee. It’s not easy to cook yourself….”

“That’s because I have a picky palate. Let’s finish eating, haha.”

After joking and laughing, I finished my meal with Geum Seok-ho and the factory manager, then sat comfortably and rinsed my mouth with cola.

“Okay. I’ve heard about the future business and the constitution improvement plan, but is there anything else you want to say?”

“Yes. It’s identity. To put it simply, it’s about making people’s wannabe cars.”

Geum Seok-ho and the factory manager’s expressions hardened at my answer.

“We also tried. We acquired everything from the design drawings to the production line from Lotus two years ago and made and sold sports cars, but it was my arrogance and a misjudgment. It was a complete failure.”

“We tried to lower the unit price by entrusting the assembly to partner companies, but the limitations of hand-made small-volume production were inevitable. The assembly quality was also poor, and we closed the line during the restructuring last summer because we were losing money as we sold them.”

The sense of loss on Geum Seok-ho and the factory manager’s faces was closer to being rejected by a lover than failing in management. It was heartbreaking to see my appearance when I broke up with Jang Ha-yeon in my previous life.

“Failure is the mother of success. If hand-made small-volume production doesn’t work, you can switch to mechanical mass production, and if you’re losing money as you sell them, you can make cars that make even a little profit as you sell them, right?”

It was my words to comfort the two, but Geum Seok-ho stared at me with a stern expression.

“It’s easy to say, but the reality is different, Director Lee. Porsche is the only car company like that in the world.”

Porsche is an ideal company for all car companies.

With its unique design identity and Toyota-style mechanical mass production, it sells sports cars that are on par with Ferrari and Lamborghini at a low price, making it the world’s most profitable car company, right?

In comparison, Haedong Motors is a mediocre company on the fringes of the global automobile industry with a long way to go. I smiled bitterly and said to Geum Seok-ho.

“I’m not saying we should make a company like Porsche, Chairman. Please wait a moment.”

I took out a notebook and pen on the spot and started drawing. It was a design that even I, who was bad at drawing, could draw relatively easily, so I quickly drew the front, side, and rear, and handed the notebook to Geum Seok-ho.

“What do you think, Chairman?”

Geum Seok-ho’s lips twitched as he looked at the picture, and the factory manager, who was looking at the picture next to him, also began to droop his eyes. In less than a few seconds, the two burst into laughter.

“Pfft! Hahahaha!”

“Hahahaha!”

Damn it.

‘As expected, a bad hand is a bad hand. I’m so confident in playing musical instruments, but this drawing….’

“Ahem!”

I frowned slightly, cleared my throat to change the atmosphere, and said to Geum Seok-ho and the factory manager.

“Even though my drawing is crude, this car started a long time ago from the imagination of ‘What if a wild boar carried a backpack?’ Chair. Man. Nim [Chairman].”

Geum Seok-ho, who had erased his laughter at my words, which I said one word at a time, made a groaning sound and looked at the picture again.

“Hmm… It seems like that kind of feeling at first glance.”

“I think so, Chairman. But….”

The factory manager, who was looking at the picture, tilted his head.

“It seems ambiguous to classify this car by type. It looks like a hatchback, but it has a high vehicle height like an MPV [Multi-Purpose Vehicle], and the vehicle floor is also high, so it looks like an SUV [Sport Utility Vehicle]….”

“That kind of uniqueness will attract more people’s attention. And.”

While answering the factory manager, I told him the most important part.

“The price range should be set at the level of a small SUV, but the interior and design should not feel cheap. Raise the headlamp’s eye corners a little more, and refine the front grill in a cool way….”

While ordering the interior design in detail, I was a little uneasy. It’s a model that will come out in eight years, but I don’t know if it will be produced with the performance I want and the design I want.

Geum Seok-ho, who was looking at me, smiled.

“Don’t worry, Director Lee. It would be stranger if they couldn’t make it after receiving such detailed orders. Isn’t that right, Factory Manager?”

“That’s right, Chairman. If the guys at the design center can’t solve it even after receiving such detailed orders, shouldn’t we accept all their resignations? Haha.”

“Those friends will be upset if they hear that? Hehe.”

Geum Seok-ho, who was laughing heartily with the factory manager, looked at me and said,

“I’ll have the sketch and mock-up shown to you first. After hearing about your eating habits, I think you’ll only be satisfied if you check it yourself.”

To think that he recognized my personality just by my eating habits… It wasn’t a bad thing, so I smiled and replied to Geum Seok-ho.

“Thank you, Chairman. I’ll give you until March 2002 for the development period, so please prepare leisurely, haha.”

Until March 2002, there are 4 years and 3 months left. The development period is more than enough, so I hope it comes out as I want it to.

***

After that, Lee Seong-min and Geum Seok-ho returned to the company after discussing additional land purchases and expansion of the computer network in Gwangmyeong, Hwaseong, and Gwangju, where the Haedong Motors factory is located.

Geum Seok-ho, who had seen Lee Seong-min off at the front gate of the office building and returned to his office, sat on the sofa and loosened his tie.

“It seems that what I heard from the chairman was true.”

Geum Seok-ho recalled the time when he was called by Lee Dae-soo to Samcheong-dong not long after Ado Motors changed its name to Haedong Motors.

###

Geum Seok-ho, who entered Samcheong-dong, played Go [a strategic board game] with Lee Dae-soo. Lee Dae-soo laughed heartily at Geum Seok-ho’s different momentum than before.

“Hehe, now our Chairman Geum’s Go skills are finally coming out properly?”

“Since the chairman saved me, I have to squeeze out even the non-existent Go skills to repay him even a little. Let’s compete with life and death today, haha.”

Lee Dae-soo’s eyes sparkled at Geum Seok-ho’s hearty laughter, and the corners of his mouth rose high.

“Life and death is good. Let’s do our best to the end, hehe.”

As soon as the words were spoken, the two repeatedly fought a push-and-pull battle on the Go board. The two, who were waging fierce battles in various parts of the Go board, gave the stones in their Go bowls to each other and repeatedly took each other’s stones.

When they had almost exchanged all of their Go stones, Lee Dae-soo threw the Go stone in his hand into the bowl.

“Let’s stop here today, Chairman Geum. It was a good game, euhehe.”

At Lee Dae-soo’s pleasant declaration of surrender, Geum Seok-ho also took a breath and wiped his forehead.

“It was an exciting game for me too, Chairman.”

The two, who had cleared the stones that filled the Go board, called the hired workers to clean up the Go board and Go bowls, and then drank green tea to cool down the heat that had risen from the game.

“Are you very disappointed that I joined hands with the Westerners and acquired Ado Motors?”

Geum Seok-ho hurriedly looked at Lee Dae-soo and waved his hand.

“No, Chairman. If Taehyun or Shinseong had acquired it, wouldn’t I and my people all be dead? I am just grateful for the excessive and generous treatment.”

If the ruthless Taehyun Group or the cunning Shinseong Group had swallowed Ado Motors, it was obvious that not only the executives of Ado Group, including himself, but also innocent employees would have been fired.

It was a terrible end for Geum Seok-ho just to think about it, but Lee Dae-soo’s Haedong Group, Lee Dae-soo and Standard Capital, who saved Ado Group from the two, were God and Buddha.

It was not a lie, so Geum Seok-ho answered Lee Dae-soo with sincerity. Lee Dae-soo stared at Geum Seok-ho’s eyes for a long time and nodded.

“Thank you for thinking that way. Forget the days when we were estranged for a while and do your best.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

Lee Dae-soo, who was drinking a sip of tea, asked Geum Seok-ho, who was putting down his teacup.

“You know that you are now a member of our family, right?”

“Of course, Chairman. Since I have become a member of the Haedong Group, whose person would I be if not the chairman’s?”

“Then, I’m going to tell you something important from now on, so will you take it to the grave? I’m going to tell you because I trust you.”

Geum Seok-ho swallowed hard at Lee Dae-soo’s glaring eyes. What important story is he going to tell me that he’s pressing people down with his eyes?

“Please tell me, Chairman.”

“Standard Capital, which acquired Ado Motors with us this time….”

###

Geum Seok-ho could not hide his shock after hearing that it was a company that Lee Seong-min had built himself and that it would be a company that would manage the funds of the Lee family and the Haedong Group. And Lee Seong-min, whom he met in person today and exchanged mutual verification, only surprised him.

“I don’t know if he’s arrogant or looking to the future.”

Annual production of 10 million units and commercialization of electric and hydrogen cars.

These are words that no car company in the world can easily say. Nevertheless, the young Lee Seong-min said that Haedong Motors would not survive if it did not have those three things.

However, it could not be dismissed as childish words of a 20-year-old.

Lee Seong-min of the Lee family of the Haedong Group, who is overflowing with money, including his family, group, and personal assets, and Lee Dae-soo behind him, promised full support, didn’t he?

Geum Seok-ho, who had gathered his thoughts, took a light breath and recited.

“Keep a close eye on me, President Lee. I’ll raise your son and Haedong Motors wonderfully and then go see you.”

Geum Seok-ho had fewer days to live than he had lived, but for some reason, the vitality of youth began to circulate on his face.