Chapter 766: People are divided?
In fact, in winter, the grassland is also covered with ice and snow, but after all, the latitude is lower than that of Lao Maozi, and the freezing period is not as long as that of Lao Maozi. The difficulty of mining is definitely lower than that of Lao Maozi.
However, if you want to develop the resources of a certain place, you must take into account the local customs. Otherwise, if outsiders go to develop on other people's land, they will be bullied by the locals but they will be helpless.
After all, Da Mao’s side is about martial ethics, but that’s not necessarily the case on the grassland side.
"Mr. Qin, are you worried about going to the grassland for development?" Efendiev said: "If we jointly develop, what problems can happen? If someone dares to cause trouble, we will use our fists to let them know who is the boss. "
Qin Tao nodded: "Okay, Mr. Efendiev, we trust your judgment. Since you said you want to mine, then we will mine!"
There is an old man, what is there to be afraid of?
"However, our company has no extra funds. If we want to develop the grassland, Mr. Qin, can you advance us some funds?"
Lao Maozi is not a good guy either. It is obvious that he wants nothing but nothing.
"Our group has encountered a lot of difficulties recently, and we are also a little nervous about funds." Of course Qin Tao would not agree. He wanted to find a way out for Lao Maozi: "However, we have heard that you not only export finished steel products, but also To export crude steel, how about you provide us with the crude steel to offset the investment?”
Most of the iron ore mined in Damao is for self-use. Some of these self-use iron ores are smelted into high-performance steel, and some are smelted into crude steel. They are directly exported to Europe, and European steel companies complete the refining. Sell for big money.
Da Mao also takes the low-end route, and there are not many high-end steel products.
Now, Qin Tao can completely stop Hu and bring over the crude steel provided to Europe. In this way, he can better complete the industrial upgrading of Mingzhou Steel Plant. In the future, they will smelt less and less crude steel and mainly produce high value-added products. of steel.
In this way, even if it fails in the end because some people are holding back, Mingzhou Group does not need to be afraid. At worst, it will not import the iron ore from the Poker Country. Other steel plants can import it if they want. It can buy crude steel from domestic steel plants. Just refine it directly.
Now, with one more supplier, the crude steel from Damao can also be transported.
"Okay." Efendiev nodded: "Then let's settle it. Later we can jointly issue a statement to the outside world. We will form a joint enterprise to jointly develop the iron ore in the steppe country. This should be beneficial to you. ."
So anxious?
Qin Tao also became curious. I am afraid that the other party not only wants to help him, but also plans to use this matter to build momentum, right? What are you doing to create momentum? It must be driving up their stock price.
"Well, let's work together to develop the resources of the grassland country. In addition to iron ore, there are also coal mines. We can even build a coking plant locally in the grassland country and directly smelt it into coke for steelmaking." Qin Tao said.
Iron ore mining on the grassland is not easy, because it is also a deep mine, but coal mines on the grassland are different. Whether it is the grassland country or the prairie in the East, they are all open-pit coal mines.
Open the soil above, the bottom is coal. The truck transported by the coal mine directly drives to the bottom, loaded the car, and then climbed up. The entire mining and transportation process is one -stop. Of course, this efficiency is very high and the mining cost is very low.
Then what?
The Steppe Country has no choice but to sell to the East, because this open-pit coal mine is very close to the East.
It is actually very difficult to open a coking plant or something like that, but if it only involves mining and transportation, it should be no problem. In this way, it will not only reduce the dependence on Kangaroo Country for iron ore, but also reduce dependence on Kangaroo Country for coal mines. rely!
You know, among the various resources exported by Kangaroo Country, there are not only iron ores, but also coal. With the environmental governance in the East, after various small coal mines were closed down, the mining volume of large coal mines was insufficient, and the coal purchased domestically became more and more. Come more and more.
Especially in winter, coal will become increasingly tight.
Coal is not only needed for heating and iron-making, but more importantly, thermal coal is needed for power stations. When coal is in short supply, many thermal power stations will be in emergency.
Now, let’s just take precautions and solve the coal problem.
Although Mingzhou Group is building nuclear power plants, and the use of nuclear power in the future will reduce dependence on coal, the proportion of nuclear power is still not high, and the main domestic power stations still burn coal.
At this time, Efendiev was a little confused when he heard Qin Tao talking about coal mines: "We are not short of coal mines."
The iron ore in Damao is not mined enough and the export volume is not large, but the coal is different. The mining volume is very large, and Damao's coal exports are also large. Therefore, now that he heard Qin Tao talk about developing coal in the grassland country, he was a little curious.
"You have no shortage of coal mines, but your coal mining is complicated and costly. Coal mines in the grassland are simple to mine and low in cost. You can make money by selling them even if you don't use them. Let's go to the grassland country for development. It will definitely cost a lot of money. After dealing with those officials, wouldn’t it be too much of a loss to only mine iron ore?”
The grassland country is very corrupt. If you want to develop the resources there, even if you have the name of Lao Maozi, you still need to manage it from top to bottom, and expect the big shots to nod. Anyway, you will need public relations fees, so you might as well ask for more projects at once.
Efendiev nodded: "Okay!"
“Report, we have tested it. The samples provided by Mingzhou Steel Plant are of the same high quality as the samples provided by Rheinmetall, and are far higher than the quality of the steel in the island country.”
Zhang Jinxi followed the laboratory technician with a proud smile on his face. Our Mingzhou Steel Plant is already as famous as Rheinmetall, the world's number one!
The quality is the same, but the price is half of it. It is definitely a good deal for Da Mao Metal Investment Company!
Soon, that evening, Damao’s TV station announced the news.
"The Dalian Metal Investment Company located in the Ural region and Dongfang Mingzhou Group have reached an agreement to provide 10 million tons of iron ore and 20 million tons of crude steel to Dongfang every year. This marks the beginning of the development of both our parties in the metal field. At the same time, the two parties have also decided to jointly establish a Prairie Country Mineral Development Company to jointly develop the iron ore, coal and other resources of the Prairie Country. Now, the two parties have gone to the Prairie Country for consultations. This will be a great opportunity for Dongfang, Damao and Prairie. It’s a win-win situation and we look forward to good news for them.”
This news spread to the whole world along with the radio waves, and also reached BHP Company.
Everyone opened their eyes wide and looked at the TV screen. In the past few days, they have not received any good news!
Originally, they thought they could control the Mingzhou Group to death, but now, they realize that they were too naive!
After being suppressed, Mingzhou Group will immediately look for solutions to the problem. They will never be threatened by others. They are like springs. When they encounter pressure, they will rebound even more!
First, they stored a large amount of iron ore to meet their needs for several years. Then they went to find a new iron ore supplier, Damao, and jointly developed iron ore and coal in the grassland. After all, the momentum was amazing.
"There is not much iron ore that Da Mao can export, and mining on the grassland is not easy. It will take them at least three to five years." One person said, trying to comfort himself.
“Yes, it will take them several years, but their existing iron ore is enough to last for such a long time.”
“The iron ore from Damao and the iron ore from the grassland are not of high quality. If they use that iron ore, they will not be able to smelt advanced steel at all, and the cost will increase.” Another person said.
“Yes, the iron ore over there is not of the highest grade, but don’t forget, they also have the iron ore resources of football countries!”
Up to now, Ander has remained calm. He can see the situation clearly. Otherwise, he would not be qualified to be the person in charge of BHP Company.
The country with the highest grade of iron ore in the world is from Soccer Country, and Mingzhou Group has mines in Soccer Country. They can completely mix the iron ore purchased from Soccer Country with the iron ore mined from Damao and later grasslands. Used in this way, it is almost the same as the iron ore in their Kangaroo Country.
In other words, the Orientals have been looking for alternatives to the Kangaroo Country's iron ore. The Kangaroo Country's plan to use the iron ore to suppress the Orientals may fail, and they will still have to face their own problems. .
"The global demand for steel is certain. The East is the largest steel smelting and consumer country. If we lose this market, our iron ore exports will plummet." Ander said: "We are now entering December. , we have to sign the Changxie Mine Import Agreement for next year, if we can’t do something, then our iron ore will definitely be unsaleable!”
In the past few years, the Orientals imported a large amount of iron ore, and their mining scale was getting larger and larger. They would never have imagined that the Orientals actually bought the iron ore and stored it. 100 million tons of iron ore began to be used. Their iron ore exports will definitely decrease.
If the East completely gives up importing iron ore from them, then they are afraid that they will lay off employees.
Ander's eyes looked at Wayne: "We are doing this to cooperate with you and suppress the rise of Mingzhou Group. Now, do you have any plan to reduce our losses?"
Venn shook his head: "It's impossible for us to give you subsidies. After all, this is against WTO rules."
Everyone present looked ugly. We had fought such a big battle, and yet we were treated like this in the end? This nonchalant attitude of the other party makes people very unhappy!
"Everyone, we don't have to mess around at all." Wein continued: "The news we just received is that 38 small and medium-sized steel mills in the East have united. They are negotiating with Vale and plan to sign a five-year plan. Ten million tons of Changxie ore import agreement. Orientals are not of one mind. As long as this hole is opened, other steel mills will definitely have to find a way out for themselves. They will come to sign purchases with BHP as before. The agreement, the China Steel Association, only benefits Mingzhou Group, not other steel mills. This time we are only targeting Mingzhou Group, and it has nothing to do with other steel mills. We only need to send representatives to express our goodwill. , they will come up with their tails wagging like pugs.”
“Our goodwill?”
"Yes, as long as we express that they are willing to continue to sign the Changxie Mine Import Agreement with us, we can give them a two percent discount on the price. Why don't they rush to sign the agreement?" Wen said.
If these steel plants all signed the agreement privately, the China Steel Association would become a joke.
Mingzhou Group cannot thrive alone, and it will still be isolated when the time comes. Of course, it will be difficult for Mingzhou Group to collapse. After all, they have stored a large amount of iron ore, enough for several years.
The only thing we can do is wait for the opportunity and make a fuss from football countries.
“Why should we lower the price to them?” Some people were dissatisfied.
"The current price reduction is for better price increases in the future. As long as we defeat each of them and sign an agreement with us, they will have to accept the price increase next year. After all, they have become a piece of sand, and they have nothing to do with each other. I no longer trust them. Orientals are used to this. They compete with their peers in the international market. Isn't this the case often?" Wayne looked convinced of the Orientals.
"Yes, you are right, we will give them some benefits." Ender nodded: "Let them know that they can't unite at all."
At this moment, Wayne's cell phone rang. He opened it and saw a short message appeared on it. When he saw the content clearly, his expression changed slightly.
"What happened?"
"The Orientals arrested the purchasing personnel of their steelmaking plant, and our informant is gone." Wen said: "However, it doesn't matter. When the long-term mining agreement is signed next month, we can win over some more people. , as long as we give them some benefits and promise them to immigrate to us in the future, we can let them serve us."
There have been too many things happening in the steel industry recently, which are hard to accept at the moment. Each incident comes too fast.
This is definitely a major change in the steel industry!
Originally it was just an activity in the commercial field, but when someone was taken away, some people started to panic.
“Old Zhao, do you think we will be in danger?” Luo Jinquan asked Zhao Mangui.
"What's the danger? We didn't leak secrets to foreigners." Zhao Mangui said: "Those two people were arrested because they were bribed to leak the content of our last meeting. They were too stupid to use their brains. Think about it, all eyes are now on BHP. They are actually leaking secrets. If not arrest them, who can we arrest? We are not looking for BHP, we are looking for Vale. This company is very low-key. Doing business is nothing to others."
“However, if we do this, after all, we are dismantling the China Steel Association. Will we be settled by the future?”
"How to settle accounts after the fall? Are we not allowed to import iron ore? As long as we sign the agreement, we must implement it. Otherwise, won't we be dishonest in the international market? If we don't sign, we will be in trouble. Big pile, let’s go!”
Luo Jinquan and Zhao Mangui walked into Vale's office in the capital, where they signed relevant agreements.
These 50 million tons of iron ore are really nothing to Vale. After all, they export millions of tons every day. This long-term agreement is for a five-year period and exports 10 million tons per year. , which is only a dozen days of production, is enough for 38 domestic small and medium-sized steel mills, and there is still a lot of surplus. They are considering increasing production in the future and even reselling this batch of iron ore to make money. .
This kind of small business can be handled by Vale's office in the capital. As for the fees, you can pay them in advance for the first year.
Seventy U.S. dollars per ton, which is 700 million U.S. dollars. These 38 small and medium-sized steel mills have worked hard to get it together. Almost all their factories have been mortgaged. Otherwise, how could they have collected so much money? .
Seeing that the money was given directly to Vale, Luo Jinquan felt empty in his heart for some reason.
After signing the agreement and completing the transfer procedures, Luo Jinquan's uneasiness became more and more intense.
Out of the door of the office, Luo Jinquan looked at the snowflakes floating in the sky outside and said, "Old Zhao, this time we are fighting against the odds. If something goes wrong, we will be dead."
"How could something happen? No matter how much iron ore the Mingzhou Group has, it will be used up one day. At that time, they will have to beg us to sell the excess iron ore to them. What about the China Iron and Steel Association? Can the price be lowered by negotiating the price? If the price is lowered, can we have a share? Humph, our peers are enemies, and they don’t even understand this truth? "
Zhao Mangui is very confident. If there are only two of them, they may be the first to win. Now, they have united 38 small and medium-sized steel mills. How can Qin Tao attack them?
"I hope everything is okay." Luo Jinquan was still very worried. When he spoke, the cold wind blew into his mouth, making him feel that his lungs were getting colder.
At this moment, the cell phone rang.
Luo Jinquan picked up the phone and pressed the answer button. A panicked voice came from inside: "Director Luo, it's bad! Several big guys came and said that our environmental protection was unqualified and asked us to suspend operations for rectification."
"What?" Luo Jinquan's face changed greatly: "Who is leading the team? Send the money quickly, don't we still have more than one million in our account? Give it all to them!"
"They won't accept it. If I force it, they will arrest me. Come back quickly."
“Okay, hold on, I’ll go back right away!”
"What's the matter, Lao Luo?" Zhao Mangui was a little curious: "Do you want me to help? Now we are in the same boat. We must pull together and help each other."
“I’ll go back and take a look first.”
Looking at Luo Jinquan's hurried departure, Zhao Mangui had a bad premonition for the first time. At this moment, his cell phone rang.
“Director Zhao, something happened!”
"What's up?"
“The Electric Power Bureau cut off our power.”
“The power has been cut off? How is this possible? The director of the Electricity Bureau has a good relationship with us.”
“Bureau Zhang has been transferred, and a new bureau Wang has arrived. He said it was winter and the power supply was tight, so he turned off our power supply.”
newcomer?
Zhao Mangui was not in a hurry: "It doesn't matter, we must do something about it. I'll tell you when I get back. It won't take two days to provide electricity to us."
Ironmaking requires electricity. The blast furnace needs to be loaded with materials and a blower. If steelmaking is made after ironmaking, it consumes even more electricity. Generally, small and medium-sized steel plants use electric furnaces to make steel. The temperatures required for steelmaking are all Rely on electricity to burn.
Without electricity, their factory would have to shut down completely.
So, it is not easy to open a factory. All aspects of the relationship need to be managed, otherwise, even a small and big blockage can cause trouble.
Zhao Mangui returned to the factory with this emotion, but when he returned, his face changed.
“Is the electric stove broken?”
“Yes, when the power went out, our electric furnace had just half-melted the steel inside. Then suddenly the power went out, and now the furnace is completely scrap steel, and it’s still solidified inside.”
Zhao Mangui's face turned completely dark.
He came from a large steel plant, and of course he knew all the operating rules clearly. However, since he contracted Cao Steel, there has never been such a power outage problem. Over time, the content of the past training has become slow. Slowly forgot.
Steel plants must not have unexpected power outages, otherwise they will suffer heavy losses!
Historically, in February 2001, an unexpected power outage occurred at the HD Steel Plant with an annual output of 10 million tons. All blast furnaces in the plant were cut off from water, power, and gas, **** filling occurred, and the cooling equipment was burned down.
How serious is this power outage? Part of the molten iron and molten steel fell to the ground, the ladle and iron ladle were damaged, and some steel rolling equipment was also damaged. The accident caused economic losses of tens of millions of yuan.
In addition to steel plants, there are also glass plants that cannot suffer power outages. Once the power goes out, the molten glass liquid cools and solidifies in various places, and the equipment is immediately scrapped. Repairs and replacements can easily take half a year.
Although Cao Steel is a small steelmaking plant, it is also a major local profit and tax owner. There has always been no problem with the power supply. He usually manages it well enough. But now, due to a sudden power outage, he has suffered heavy losses.
“Where’s the blast furnace?”
"The blast furnace was fine. When there was a power outage, the blast furnace had just come out of the furnace. We released the molten iron from the blast furnace while it was hot."
Zhao Mangui breathed a sigh of relief. They could still produce. Even if they only made iron in the blast furnace, they could slow down. When the imported iron ore arrived, they could resume production. Then they could make a lot of money in the future, and it would not be too late to repair the steel-making furnace. .
With this expectation, he came to the front of the blast furnace. When he looked in through the molten ladle, his expression changed: "Why hasn't the **** been cleaned out?"
“After the power outage, the water stopped and the **** could not be cleaned.”
It was not cleaned, and the **** was already stuck inside. How could this be done? The blast furnace was also scrapped!
(End of this chapter)