SWDnovel Chapter 3 Winning Hearts and Minds
Chapter 3 Winning Hearts and Minds
That's it!
Shen Fei seemed to be deep in thought, but this African market seemed somewhat similar to the Asian monster room.
This system seems a bit dim-witted, but that's actually a good thing, as it allows for better utilization of the system to develop technology!
However, the African market was not as simple as he had imagined; the infrastructure was underdeveloped, and market expansion was quite difficult.
It is precisely because of the difficulties that a few giants are willing to cultivate this field deeply.
Moreover, their strategy was to dump outdated models there without making any adaptations for African users.
If Transsion can establish a foothold in Africa and accumulate its first pot of gold... then it can return to China and become a new hegemon during the smartphone era.
A clear strategy took shape in Shenyang Aircraft Corporation's mind.
"Mr. Shen, Engineer Chen from the R&D department is here." The secretary's voice came from outside the door. According to his memory, this was his father's confidant, and had even cleaned up his messes a few times, so he was completely trustworthy.
"Please let him in!"
The door was pushed open and a man in his forties, wearing a wrinkled shirt and with messy hair, walked in.
He is Chen Hai, head of the R&D department at Transsion, a typical engineering man, and one of the few people in the company who truly understand technology.
He graduated from Harbin Institute of Technology with a major in radio engineering and joined the company at its inception; he is an absolute confidant.
"Mr. Shen, you wanted to see me?"
Chen Hai adjusted his glasses, his tone somewhat reserved, having heard of the young master's illustrious deeds. He'd heard things had changed slightly today, but he still chose to believe the past.
"Engineer Chen, please sit down." Shen Fei gestured to the chair opposite him.
"You know my dad is still in the hospital. Before, I..." Shen Fei started to say, but then stopped abruptly.
"Now that I've taken on this important role, please trust me. I'd like to learn about our most mature product."
Chen Hai was taken aback, not expecting Shen Fei to say that, but still answered honestly: "The main product we're currently offering is the T100 series, equipped with the MTK6225 platform, a 1.8-inch CSTN screen, and a 30-pixel camera. It supports MP3 and MP4, and dual SIM dual standby."
The cost is approximately 220 yuan, the wholesale price is 280 yuan, and the retail price is 399-499 yuan.
It has the specs of a knock-off phone, but it's a phone that everyone can afford, and its monthly sales are decent, generally between 10 and 15 units.
"What about power consumption? Standby time?" Shen Fei asked subconsciously.
"It uses a 900mAh battery, which can last for one and a half to two days under normal use." Chen Hai said with a wry smile, "Mr. Shen, we're using the cheapest batteries, so this is already pretty good."
Shenfei nodded to indicate that he understood, but this price was still too expensive for the African market, and they had to find a way to reduce costs.
The MTK6225 platform is still too advanced; we must use cheaper mining chips. Features like MP3 playback can be completely removed...
We must seize the market as soon as possible, and we must master high-density battery technology.
"If... I mean if, we could acquire a new battery technology that increases energy density by 80% and reduces costs by 30%, what kind of product do you think we could make?"
Chen Hai's eyes lit up instantly: "An 80% increase, so for the same size, the battery capacity can reach over 1600mAh?"
Standby time can be extended to four or even five days, if costs can be controlled...
He stood up excitedly, completely forgetting about his image: "Mr. Shen, do you have connections? Which battery factory has the new technology... is it BYD or a foreign company?"
They also monopolize advanced battery technologies. The cost is estimated to be very high.
Chen Hai's face immediately showed disappointment; China was still far behind in this regard...
"It's just a hypothetical situation." Shen Fei waved his hand, lying without batting an eye: "Engineer Chen, what would you think if I asked you to lead a team to develop a special edition machine for the African market?"
"Africa." Chen Hai paused, then said, "The signal is bad there, there are frequent power outages, and users have low incomes..."
"That's right." Shen Fei stood up and walked to his side: "That's right, so we need a device with super long standby time, super strong signal, and super low price."
It would be even better if there were phones that optimized for taking photos of African skin tones.
He turned around: "Can you do it?"
Chen Hai remained silent for a few minutes, then pushed up his glasses. "Young Master Shen, this has really presented me with a big problem."
"Longer standby time definitely requires a larger battery and lower power consumption."
Signal issues are actually the easiest to solve among these problems; all that's needed is to optimize the antenna and RF module. Lower prices mean using cheaper materials.
Photo optimization... that requires algorithmic support, and we don't have that kind of technical expertise.
"I'll handle the technical issues, and don't worry about the funding." Shen Fei walked back to his desk, staring intently at him. "You just need to tell me, if these problems are solved, can you lead the team to develop the product?"
Chen Hai took a deep breath and instantly understood his boss's idea: if they couldn't make it in the domestic market, they would go to a less competitive market and rebuild it from scratch.
"Yes! As long as the technology is in place, we can produce an engineering prototype within a month and start mass production within three months!"
"Okay." Shen Fei called his secretary: "Uncle Li, notify all department heads that there will be a meeting in the main conference room at 9 a.m. tomorrow."
Let's discuss the next strategic development steps.
After Uncle Li nodded, he continued to look at Chen Hai: "Engineer Chen, whether Chuanyin can survive depends on this. Just tell me what resources the R&D department needs."
Chen Hai nodded heavily, and his eyes shone with a new light compared to before he came.
…………
The next morning at 9 a.m., in the main conference room.
As expected, Zhang Mingyuan, Li Xiuyun, and several other elders did not come. Shen Fei glanced around and felt much more comfortable without these disgusting people.
Those present included Chen Hai, Li Qing, the newly appointed head of the marketing department, Wang Zhikai, the head of the production department, Liu Fang, the head of the purchasing department, and Huang Tianya, the head of the investment department who had somehow been brought in from somewhere in the system!
"Everyone's here, let's begin," Shen Fei said directly.
The others remained silent, clearly aware that Transsion had changed hands.
"Starting today, Transsion's strategy will undergo a major adjustment."
He turned on the projection screen and a world map appeared, with the African continent highlighted in red.
"We will abandon direct competition in the domestic market and shift our focus to Africa."
The meeting room erupted in uproar.
"Mr. Shen, you're not joking, are you? Although Zhao Kai is targeting me, don't worry, I will do my best to lobby for offline channels and I will definitely win them back!"
Li Qing was the first to stand up and express her gratitude, after all, she felt she had to repay the kindness shown to her.
"Yes, with such high transportation costs, we lose money on every unit sold?" Wang Zhikai shook his head.
"Leaving aside transportation costs, in places like Africa, there's not even electricity. Who would buy the phones?"
"Everyone, let me finish speaking." Shen Fei slapped the table.
"I'll ask a few questions, and if you still don't think it's good enough, we'll discuss it further!"
The meeting room immediately fell silent.
"First, the African market has a population of over 10 billion, but mobile phone penetration is less than 10%. What does this mean?"