sbdcsierra Chapter 524 It's settled then.
Chapter 524 It's settled then.
The next day, Li Xiangyang and his group went to the notary office. The notary collected a notary fee of fifty yuan and issued them a formal notarized certificate.
After leaving the notary office, the group headed straight for the factory.
"These are the technicians I told you about," Ma Laosan introduced. "Old Zhang, Old Wang, Little Liu, and Little Zhao are all veterans in this field."
Li Xiangyang stepped forward and shook hands with each of them. These people all looked quite energetic, especially Old Zhang, who looked like a key technical expert.
"Masters, our project mainly involves the initial processing of local specialties such as ginseng and forest frogs," Li Xiangyang briefly explained.
Old Zhang nodded: "We have experience with this. The key is to control the temperature and humidity to ensure product quality."
"How exactly does it work?" Fatty Ma asked curiously.
"The ginseng is sliced and dried, the frogs are gutted and sun-dried, and then vacuum-packed," Old Zhang explained in detail. "If you want to make it into a health product, you also need to add some auxiliary ingredients."
Xiao Liu chimed in, "I used to work in a health supplement factory, so I'm familiar with this process."
Hearing this, Li Xiangyang felt more confident. It seemed these technicians were indeed quite skilled.
"What are the equipment requirements?"
"The drying equipment needs precise temperature control, and the packaging equipment needs good sealing," Lao Wang added. "We also need some basic testing instruments."
Old Ma patted his chest and said, "I'll take care of the equipment; I guarantee the quality."
Just as they were talking, footsteps sounded outside. Two men in uniform entered.
"Who is in charge?" one of them asked.
Li Xiangyang went to greet him: "Yes, it is. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"We're from the fire department. We heard a food processing plant is going to be set up here, so we're here to inspect it."
Li Xiangyang quickly called over Factory Director Liu to accompany them. The firefighters walked around the workshop, mainly checking the fire-fighting equipment and safety exits.
"The fire-fighting facilities here are fairly complete, but we need to install a few more fire extinguishers," the firefighter said, pointing to several corners.
"No problem, we'll arrange it right away," Factory Director Liu readily agreed.
The firefighters checked the wiring and switches again, and finally signed the inspection checklist: "Basically meets the requirements, but one more inspection is needed before official production."
After the firefighters left, the health department personnel arrived. This inspection was much more thorough, checking every detail from the floor to the walls, from ventilation to drainage.
"Food processing has very strict hygiene requirements," the inspector said as he inspected the facilities. "The floor needs to be repaved with non-slip tiles, the walls need to be tiled, and ultraviolet disinfection lamps need to be installed."
Fatty Ma frowned upon hearing this: "How much will this cost?"
"It won't be too much," Factory Director Liu reassured him. "These are all necessary investments."
The inspector then provided a rectification checklist, requiring completion within a week.
"It seems there's still a lot to do before we start," Li Xiangyang remarked.
Old Ma was quite optimistic: "Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood. If you lay a good foundation, everything will go smoothly afterward."
In the afternoon, the four technicians began to develop the specific production process. Old Zhang took out paper and pen and started drawing process diagrams.
"The processing of ginseng involves three steps: washing, slicing, and drying," Old Zhang explained while drawing. "The key is temperature control; too high and nutrients are lost, too low and it won't dry completely."
"What about the forest frog?"
"The process is a bit more complicated with forest frogs," Xiao Liu continued. "First, you have to remove the internal organs, then soak them in salt water, and finally dry them at a low temperature. The entire process must be kept away from sunlight."
Old Wang added, "Packaging is also very important. Local specialties are most susceptible to moisture, so they must be vacuum-packed."
The technicians were having a lively discussion, occasionally exchanging a few words of debate. Li Xiangyang listened from the side, growing increasingly confident in the project.
Just then, Ma Laosan received a phone call.
"What? The equipment arrived ahead of schedule?" Old Ma was somewhat surprised. "Great, great, I'll go check it out right away."
After hanging up the phone, Ma Laosan said excitedly, "My friend's factory has prepared the equipment in advance; let's go take a look now."
The group arrived at the machinery factory and saw a row of equipment in the yard. Dryers, slicers, packaging machines, everything was there.
"How is the condition of these devices?" Li Xiangyang asked, examining them carefully.
"They're all about 80% new," the machine factory owner explained. "They used to be supplied to a food factory, but they changed industries later."
Old Zhang stepped forward and tested the slicer: "It runs quite smoothly, and the precision is sufficient."
The other technicians also inspected the various pieces of equipment and expressed their satisfaction.
"Is the price still the same as before?" Ma Laosan confirmed.
"Four thousand eight hundred yuan, not a penny less," the shopkeeper said with a smile. "However, you'll have to pay for the shipping."
Li Xiangyang did the math in his head and realized that the price was indeed cheap. If he were to buy a new one, it would cost at least ten thousand yuan.
"Alright, that's all." Old Ma decided on the spot, "Arrange the transportation tomorrow."
Back at the factory, it was already dark. Factory Manager Liu suggested, "Why don't we stay in town tonight and continue working tomorrow?"
The group found a guesthouse in town to stay in. That evening, while having dinner, Li Xiangyang suddenly remembered a question.
"How should we price our products?"
Old Ma thought for a moment: "That depends on the market. But I estimate that ginseng slices can sell for ten yuan a pound, and forest frogs for twenty yuan a pound."
"So expensive?" Fatty Ma was somewhat surprised.
“Processed products are naturally more expensive,” Ma Laosan explained. “Besides, we’re in the health supplement market, so our prices are already high.”
Li Xiangyang did the math in his head. At this price, the profit was indeed quite good.
"The key is that the quality must be excellent," Old Zhang reminded him. "In the health supplement industry, reputation is paramount."
"Don't worry about that," Li Xiangyang said, patting his chest. "We control the quality of the raw materials ourselves; they're absolutely the best."
The delivery truck arrived early the next morning. Several workers worked for most of the day to move all the equipment into the workshop.
Looking at the neatly arranged equipment in the workshop, Li Xiangyang felt a surge of excitement. This marked another big step forward for their business.
"Next comes installation and testing," Old Zhang said, rolling up his sleeves. "It should take about three or four days."
“That’s perfect. Let’s finish the sanitation renovations in the next few days,” Fatty Ma said.
And so, a flurry of activity began in the workshop. On one side, technicians were installing equipment, and on the other, workers were laying tiles.
Li Xiangyang and Fatty Ma were busy running around handling various procedures. They had to visit the Industry and Commerce Bureau, the Tax Bureau, and the Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau, one by one.
By the afternoon of the third day, all the procedures were finally completed.
"We've got the business license!" Li Xiangyang excitedly showed it to Ma Laosan and Fatty Ma. "Sanheshan Zhenbao Agricultural Products Co., Ltd. is officially established!"
Fatty Ma took the license and examined it carefully: "Now we're officially business owners."
Old Ma laughed heartily, "Then we should celebrate properly. Tonight it's my treat, let's go to the best restaurant for a meal."
Just as the group was celebrating, Old Zhang approached and said, "Boss Li, the equipment is basically installed. We can start a trial run tomorrow."
"Great!" Li Xiangyang couldn't wait to see the results.
"However, there's still a problem," Old Zhang said hesitantly, "We need to find some raw materials first to test the waters and see how the product quality is."
This is indeed a problem. Li Xiangyang thought for a moment: "My family's purchasing station still has some ginseng and forest frogs; I'll bring some over tomorrow and try."
"Then it's settled," Ma Laosan declared. "Trial production will officially begin tomorrow!"