Chapter 298 - 298: The Emergence of Ultra-Precision Machine Tools
Chapter 298 - 298: The Emergence of Ultra-Precision Machine Tools
“Alright, let’s go to the company,” Zhou Chao replied and closed his eyes to rest as soon as he got into the car.
Wang Feng noticed Zhou Chao’s fatigue and immediately turned on some soothing music, slowing down the car slightly.
Throughout the journey, neither of them spoke. Wang Feng focused on driving, and when they entered the industrial park, he asked, “Boss, we’ve arrived at the industrial park. Should we go to the office building first or to the research institute?”
“Let’s go to the office building first and check on Xu Yu’s work efficiency lately.”
Wang Feng internally mourned for Xu Yu for three seconds, hoping that nothing had gone wrong recently.
Soon, Wang Feng parked the car in front of the office building, and they both got out of the car.
Zhou Chao looked around and noticed significant changes since his last visit more flowers and plants had been planted, and additional facilities were added. He didn’t pay much attention to it and walked straight towards the entrance.
As they approached the entrance, a security guard prepared to intercept them. However, upon seeing Wang Feng gesturing behind Zhou Chao, the guard stopped in his tracks and respectfully saluted the two.
Zhou Chao nodded and continued into the building without stopping, heading for the elevator.
On the 3rd floor, they reached Xu Yu’s office. Through the slightly open door, Zhou Chao saw Xu Yu sitting in her chair, playing with his phone and occasionally smiling happily.
Zhou Chao pushed the door open without knocking, which startled Xu Yu. He was just about to express his annoyance when he looked up and saw Zhou Chao entering. He was so shocked that her phone slipped from his hand and landed right in Zhou Chao’s.
Zhou Chao took a quick glance at their chat history, noticing the nickname “Little Rascal” next to his name. He knew Xu Yu had been chatting with his wife.
“Why so surprised? Am I that scary that I make your phone fly?” Zhou Chao teased, handing him the phone back.
“Boss, it’s just that 1 was pleasantly surprised to see you,” Xu Yu quickly replied, his heart still racing.
“Surprised? Maybe my appearance interrupted someone’s romantic conversation?” Zhou Chao retorted, raising an eyebrow, and he noticed Wang Feng behind him, stifling his laughter.
“Not at all! I just didn’t expect you to be here,” Xu Yu stuttered, not knowing how to respond.
Wang Feng, standing nearby, decided to intervene, “Boss, would you like some tea or juice?”
Zhou Chao glanced at Wang Feng and couldn’t help but find the situation amusing. It seemed they were already coordinating their actions.
“Tea, let me taste the good tea that our General Manager Xu Yu has here,” Wang Feng said and glanced at Xu Yu, practically wearing an expression that said ‘I’m counting my blessings.’
“Why are you standing? You want me to invite you to sit down?” Zhou Chao chuckled. “Let’s hear it – how’s the situation with Canghai Tech been recently?”
As soon as Xu Yu heard Zhou Chao inquire about work, he felt energized. He quickly stood up and pulled out a folder from her desk.
“Boss, currently, we’re on the right track. Many domestic smartphone manufacturers have expressed their intention to cooperate with us. Our current orders are booked almost half a year in advance, and our production output has increased from the previous 200,000 units per month to nearly 300,000. Meanwhile, there have been developments in the research institute, and we expect further improvements in machine tool technology in the next two days.”
Zhou Chao knew that Canghai Tech was recently established and didn’t have many cutting-edge technologies in research. They were now waiting for the refinement of ultra-precision machine tools to proceed with their next plans.
“Alright, what about the professors and graduate students I arranged to come here?”
“They have all been arranged appropriately. Based on their specialties, they’ve been assigned to teams led by Xiong Lao, Chai Lao, and Director Zhou. They have all enthusiastically started their research. As for logistics, everything is well-organized, and any requirements they have are promptly met.”
“Good, let’s not dwell on these matters. Let’s go to the research institute.” After all, Canghai Tech was still in its infancy, with not much to inspect at the moment. Plus, there was only one wafer to deal with at the moment, so there wasn’t much to check. Zhou Chao had come to the office mainly to keep Xu Yu’s ego in check and prevent him from becoming complacent over time.
With that, they prepared to leave. However, when they opened the door, they saw Wang Feng approaching with a teapot.
“Uh… Boss, where are you guys going? Aren’t you having tea?” Wang Feng looked bewildered as he held the teapot.
Zhou Chao, amused by Wang Feng’s innocent expression, said, “Not for now. We’re going to the research institute.”
Wang Feng saw Zhou Chao and Xu Yu heading for the elevator and quickly placed the plate he was holding on the table. He briskly followed after them.
The three of them walked along the paths within the research park toward the research institute. Along the way, Zhou Chao noticed many people discussing various issues as they walked. No one paid much attention to the three of them. Upon reaching the research institute, they went straight to Zhou Jilong’s office, only to find it empty.
“Where are Zhou Jilong and the others?” Zhou Chao glanced at Xu Yu, puzzled.
“Boss, they might be in Workshop 5, conducting experiments. Shall we go and check?”
Zhou Chao couldn’t help but give Xu Yu a disapproving look and sarcastically remarked, “If you knew they were conducting experiments, why did you bring me to the research institute?”
“Let’s go!” The group left the research institute and headed towards Workshop 5-
Upon entering Workshop 5, they could see Zhou Jilong, Chai Lao, and others wearing sterile suits and adjusting the machine tools through the glass.
Upon seeing this, Zhou Chao walked into the changing room, followed the routine procedure, and put on a sterile suit before entering.
The arrival of Zhou Chao and the others didn’t draw the attention of Zhou Jilong’s group. They were deeply engrossed in their work.
“Chai Lao, have you finished your inspection on that side?”
“Just a moment, just a moment. Don’t rush. If we hurry and make mistakes, we’ll have to redo the whole inspection if a problem arises. Alright, I’m nearly done with my check.”
“Alright, I’m also inspecting carefully.” There were about seven or eight people around, all wearing sterile suits, making it hard to distinguish who was who. They all relied on their voices for identification.
After about 15 minutes, Chai Lao finally withdrew his gaze from the machine tool in front of him and then looked at Zhou Jilong.
“Lao Zhou, it’s ready. We can start the experiment!”
“Alright. Everyone, step back. 1’11 double-check if the program is set correctly. We’re about to commence the 36th experiment.”
Soon, Zhou Jilong completed the parameter settings for the program. He took a deep breath and pressed the button, causing the machine tool to come to life.
The entire group focused their gaze on the machine tool’s blade and mold, their eyes filled with anticipation.
In less than a minute, the machine stopped. Chai Lao, with trembling hands, removed the mold and meticulously measured it using specialized measuring tools.
“Lao Zhou… Lao Zhou, we did it! We’ve achieved the nanometer level! We’ve succeeded! Hahaha!” Chai Lao, overjoyed like a child, laughed heartily while hugging Zhou Jilong.
The research team members who were present joined in with applause.
At this moment, Zhou Chao, who had been standing among the crowd, cleared his throat and walked out from the group.
“Lao Zhou, Chai Lao, congratulations on your success!”