Traveling back to 1966, starting by living in a cowshed.

Chapter 38 Li Huiting's Help

The corridor was carpeted thickly, absorbing all footsteps. Most of the office doors on both sides were ajar, occasionally revealing glimpses of employees focused on their work. Reaching the office door marked "Li Huiting," Lin Zhou gently knocked. A crisp, efficient female voice replied, "Come in."

The moment the door opened, a faint scent of ink mingled with the fragrance of gardenias wafted out. Li Huiting was sitting behind a large mahogany desk, holding a fountain pen and writing something. Sunlight shone on her dark hair, casting a soft glow. She wore a well-tailored beige business suit with a light pink silk scarf tied at the collar, making her appear both professional and gentle.

Hearing the door open, Li Huiting didn't look up immediately. Her pen continued gliding across the paper for a few more lines before she slowly raised her head. When her gaze fell on Lin Zhou, she paused for a moment, then a look of realization flashed in her eyes, and a polite smile appeared on her lips: "Hello, Mr. Lin."

Her memory has always been excellent, especially for clients she's had close contact with. The young man before her was Lin Zhou, who had recently acquired a newspaper with a huge sum of money. Despite his young age, he was calm and decisive, leaving a deep impression on her.

"Manager Li, sorry to bother you." Lin Zhou walked over with a smile, sat down in the chair opposite the desk, and placed his briefcase at his feet. "I came here today because I have something I'd like to ask you, and I'd also like to see if HSBC can be of any help."

Li Huiting put down her pen, leaned forward slightly, crossed her hands on the table, and said attentively, "Mr. Lin, you're too kind. Please feel free to ask me anything. As long as it's within the scope of my bank's business, I will do my best to assist you." After saying that, she got up and poured Lin Zhou a glass of warm water. She was a little curious about what new moves this young man who had just acquired the newspaper would make.

Lin Zhou picked up the glass on the table, took a sip of warm water, and slowly said, "To be honest, Manager Li, I'm currently setting up a small home appliance factory. The location is a piece of wasteland in Yuen Long. The factory building, employee dormitory, and office building have all broken ground. According to the schedule, the factory building will be topped out this month, and the dormitory and office building should be completed in another two months, and then it will be ready for use."

"A small appliance factory?" A hint of surprise flashed in Li Huiting's eyes, then she nodded. "Mr. Lin is indeed very ambitious. He just took over the newspaper and is now venturing into the manufacturing industry. He's really young and promising."

"I just want to try out more fields." Lin Zhou smiled, his tone humble but unable to hide his confidence. "However, although the factory construction is going smoothly, I have encountered two rather tricky problems. After thinking about it, I feel that HSBC might be able to give me some advice, or even help me solve them."

"Oh? What's the problem?" Li Huiting took out her notebook and pen, ready to take notes. "Mr. Lin, please tell me, and I'll help you analyze it."

"The first issue is talent," Lin Zhou said. "Small appliance production involves multiple stages such as assembly, debugging, and quality inspection, requiring a group of experienced technical workers and managers. My previous team at the newspaper was mostly composed of editors and operations personnel who knew nothing about manufacturing. I also asked people to look for suitable candidates, but they either already had stable jobs or their salary demands were too high, making it difficult to find satisfactory people in a short time."

He paused, then continued, "The second issue is equipment. I need a complete assembly line, as well as core production equipment such as stamping machines and injection molding machines. In addition, I also need some small testing equipment and tools. These devices are either expensive or difficult to source in a short time. If the factory is built but there are no equipment or workers, that would be a real problem."

At this point, Lin Zhou looked at Li Huiting and said sincerely, "I know that HSBC not only does financial business, but also connects resources from various industries. Manager Li has extensive connections and is very knowledgeable in the business world, so I wanted to ask if you have any channels or information you could introduce to me in this regard? Whether it's talent recommendations or equipment procurement, I would be very grateful for any help you can provide."

Li Huiting listened attentively, taking quick notes, her brows slightly furrowed as if deep in thought. After Lin Zhou finished speaking, she paused for a moment before saying, "Mr. Lin's two questions are indeed the most common and critical challenges faced by startups. Regarding talent, although our bank has many corporate clients, directly recommending employees isn't appropriate. However, I can keep an eye out for any recent personnel changes at our partner companies, or if we know of any skilled workers looking for jobs."

"As for the equipment..." Li Huiting changed the subject, her gaze falling on a pile of documents on the table. "The assembly line, stamping machine, and injection molding machine you mentioned are all commonly used equipment in the electronics manufacturing industry. Just last week, when I was organizing customer information, I saw a radio factory that had filed for bankruptcy liquidation due to poor management and a broken cash flow. They are currently disposing of the factory's equipment and assets."

"A radio factory?" Lin Zhou's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "Manager Li, are you familiar with this factory? What's their equipment like? Can it meet the needs of small appliance production?"

"I need to check the specific information to confirm," Li Huiting said, opening her desk drawer, taking out a thick folder, and starting to search through it. Her movements were quick and organized, and she soon found the document marked "Radio Factory."

"It's this radio factory, in the New Territories. It's been open for eight years," Li Huiting said while looking at the documents. "They mainly produce radios. The factory has two assembly lines, three stamping machines, two injection molding machines, and some welding and testing equipment, which basically matches the type of equipment you need. However, these machines have been used for more than five years, so they're not brand new, but they're well maintained. One of our account managers visited the factory before, and the equipment was operating normally."

She looked up at Lin Zhou: "As for the talent issue you're concerned about, this factory has over 150 employees, including more than 50 skilled workers, 15 managers, and 3 engineers, all of whom have extensive experience in electronic equipment manufacturing. Now that the factory has closed down, these workers and technicians are facing unemployment. If you're willing to take them in, you can not only solve your talent shortage but also provide them with employment opportunities, which is a win-win situation."

Lin Zhou was thrilled to hear this. He had only come to ask for advice on a whim, but he hadn't expected to receive such great news. A one-stop solution for both equipment and personnel—this was truly a godsend!