vrcanaries Chapter 247 Workshop
Chapter 247 Workshop
At 9:30 a.m., Ling Yun, accompanied by Ma Baoguo and Sun Changgui, entered Factory No. 1.
The factory was blasting heat, and the machines hummed. Four production lines ran in parallel, each with over fifty workers. The conveyor belts moved at a steady pace, and on the workbenches in front of the workers were keyboard plastic casings, circuit boards, and keycaps.
The workers, dressed in uniform light blue anti-static suits, gloves, and finger cots, moved with practiced ease: picking up the casing, attaching the circuit board, plugging in the ribbon cable, installing the keycaps, tightening the screws, affixing a label, and moving on to the next workstation.
No one looked up at them; everyone was focused on the work at hand.
Ma Baoguo raised his voice and introduced, "This is the keyboard assembly line. Each line can assemble 5,000 keyboards a day. Over there are mouse cables, 8,000 a day. Quality inspection is in the back; it's a full inspection, and anything that doesn't meet the standards is immediately reworked."
They walked to the quality inspection area, where a dozen female workers sat at workstations, each connected to a computer. They plugged the assembled keyboards into the computers, opened the testing software, and rapidly typed each key to check the response and feel. The mice were tested for movement trajectory and key lifespan.
"Mr. Ling, this is our self-developed testing software," Sun Changgui said. "It can automatically record the location and cause of defective products, and the data is uploaded to the server in real time. Production efficiency and quality issues are immediately apparent."
"What is the defect rate?" Lingyun asked.
"Keyboards account for 0.3%, and mice for 0.5%. That's half the industry average," Sun Changgui said with some pride.
Ling Yun picked up a keyboard that had just been tested, weighed it in his hand, and pressed a few keys. It felt solid and had a crisp rebound.
"How are the workers' wages calculated?" he asked.
"Basic salary plus piecework," Ma Baoguo said. "For assembling a keyboard, the piecework wage is 30 cents. A skilled worker can assemble 300 keyboards a day, earning 90 yuan just from the piecework wage. Add the basic salary and the full attendance bonus, and you can make more than 3,000 yuan a month. So everyone is very motivated and wants to do more."
"Working overtime?"
"Overtime is voluntary, and overtime pay is provided according to national regulations. There's less overtime during the off-season, but during peak seasons like now, with more orders, many people are willing to work overtime." Ma Baoguo pointed to an electronic screen on the wall, which displayed the real-time output and efficiency rankings of each production line. "Lines with high output receive extra bonuses every week. There's also competition among workers."
On the electronic screen, Line 3 ranked first, with its output 15 percent higher than the average.
"Who is the line manager of Line 3?" Lingyun asked.
"Wang Ping," Ma Baoguo said, "the outstanding employee you met last year. She's now a line leader, managing fifty people, and her salary has increased."
"Go check out her line."
Line 3 was located at the very back of the factory. Line leader Wang Ping was instructing a new employee on how to install keycaps. She was wearing the same anti-static clothing as the other workers, but with a red "Line Leader" badge pinned to her chest. When she saw Ma Baoguo and Ling Yun approaching, she paused for a moment, then stood up straight.
"Hello, General Manager Ling. Hello, Factory Director Ma."
"Go about your business," Ling Yun waved his hand. "We'll just take a look."
Wang Ping nodded, but she was clearly a little nervous. She returned to her workstation and moved even faster.
Lingyun watched her operate: pick up the circuit board, align it with the clip, press it down, the action was done in one go, three seconds to complete one, and then immediately started the next one.
"What's her fastest record?" Ling Yun asked.
"Four hundred and twenty keyboards a day, all of them qualified," Sun Changgui said. "Number one in the entire factory."
"How much is the prize money?"
"The monthly production champion gets an extra 500 yuan. The quarterly champion gets 1,000 yuan. The annual champion gets 5,000 yuan," Ma Baoguo said. "Last year, Wang Ping won the annual championship, and with other bonuses, her annual income exceeded 40,000 yuan."
Ling Yun nodded, walked to Wang Ping's side, and watched her work for a minute without saying a word.
Wang Ping felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, and her movements slowed down a beat.
"Don't be nervous," Ling Yun said. "You did a great job, keep going."
He turned and left Line 3.
Stepping out of the factory, the cold air was invigorating.
"What about the staff dormitory and canteen?" Lingyun asked.
"Two new dormitory buildings were built behind the factory last year. They are six-person rooms with heating and private bathrooms," Ma Baoguo said. "The canteen has been expanded and can now accommodate two thousand people at the same time. Today is the eve of the Lunar New Year, and we're making dumplings for lunch, which are free for all employees."
"Let's go check out the cafeteria."
At 11 a.m., the cafeteria had already begun preparing lunch.
The canteen is a two-story hall. The first floor is the dining area for ordinary employees, and the second floor is the area for management and staff. At this moment, the kitchen on the first floor is bustling with activity, with more than twenty chefs and helpers working hard.
Dozens of large workbenches were laid out, piled high with kneaded dough and dumpling fillings. There were three kinds of fillings: pork and cabbage, chives and eggs, and three kinds of seafood. Dozens of female workers sat on small stools, quickly rolling out the dough and filling the dumplings. The finished dumplings were stacked on a bamboo mat, row upon row, like soldiers in formation.
The cafeteria manager was a plump middle-aged woman surnamed Zhang, wearing a white apron and a chef's hat. Upon seeing Ma Baoguo, she quickly came to greet him.
"Director Ma, General Manager Ling, what brings you here? The kitchen is so smoky..."
"It's nothing, just looking around." Ling Yun walked in, looking at the female workers making dumplings. "Are they all factory employees?"
"Some of them are full-time staff from the canteen, and some are volunteers from various workshops who came to help out; it's considered overtime," Director Zhang said. "Today is the Little New Year, and it's a factory tradition to eat dumplings together. We've prepared dumplings, and we'll make sure everyone has enough."
"Is there enough dough? Is there enough filling?" Lingyun asked.
"That's enough! We used 2,000 jin of flour, 800 jin of meat, 1,500 jin of cabbage, and 500 jin of eggs..." Director Zhang listed them off as if they were his own treasures. "Don't worry, President Ling, we won't skimp on anything."
A young female worker accidentally tore a dumpling wrapper while rolling it out, and stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.
"Take your time, no rush." Director Zhang went over and taught her step by step, "The skin should be thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges, so it won't tear easily when you wrap it."
Ling Yun looked around for a while, then turned around and said, "Director Ma, I'll be having lunch with everyone on the first floor. All of you cadres will be the same; don't try to be special."
"Okay, okay." Ma Baoguo nodded repeatedly.
At noon, the get off work bell rang. Workers poured out of the various factory buildings and headed for the canteen. Laughter and footsteps blended into a cacophony of sounds.
A long queue formed at the cafeteria entrance. Everyone carried their own lunchbox or tray. Today was special; no card swiping was required, and everyone could go straight in.
Ling Yun, Ma Baoguo, Sun Changgui, and others also lined up, without cutting in line. Some workers recognized Ling Yun and whispered among themselves:
"Is that President Ling?"
"It really is President Ling. You came to last year's annual meeting."
"He's in line too?"
"Nonsense, isn't the boss human too?"
The line moved forward slowly. At the food serving window, the cook used a large strainer to scoop up dumplings, fifteen at a time, and placed them on a plate. Vinegar, minced garlic, and chili oil were also available for self-service.
Ling Yun ordered a serving of dumplings, twenty-five in total, with three different fillings mixed together. He also added some vinegar and minced garlic. He carried his tray and found an empty seat to sit down.
The workers around him were initially a little reserved and kept their distance. But soon, more and more people arrived, and there weren't enough empty seats, so someone sat down next to him.
He was a young man, looking to be under twenty, with acne on his face.
"Mr. Ling... Mr. Ling," the young man greeted nervously.
"Sit down." Ling Yun nodded. "Which workshop are you from?"
"Mouse assembly line, three lines."
"How long have you been doing this?"
"Six months. I just graduated from technical school."
"How are you feeling?"
"It's good." The young man picked at his dumplings. "The pay is good, and the food in the cafeteria is nice. It's just... a bit tiring."
"It's good to be tired," Ling Yun said. "Being tired when you're young means learning skills and saving money, so that life will be better later on."
"Yes." The young man nodded vigorously. "My mentor also said that if I work hard, I can become a line leader in the future, just like Sister Wang Ping."
"Who is your master?"
"Zhao Jianguo is a veteran employee from a third-tier city."
"How's his technique?"
"That's amazing, he can even pretend to be a mouse with his eyes closed."
The two ate and chatted, and the other workers around them, seeing that Ling Yun was approachable, gradually relaxed and started chatting among themselves.
"These dumplings are really good, lots of meat."
"It's better than last year; the filling was a bit salty last year."
"I heard they're giving out benefits this afternoon, I wonder what they'll be giving out this year."
"Last year it was rice, flour, and oil; this year it'll probably be similar."
Ling Yun listened without interrupting.
After finishing his dumplings, he went to return his tray. Several large buckets filled with dumpling soup were placed at the entrance of the canteen, free for the workers to use. Many workers drank the dumpling soup after filling their buckets.
"The original soup helps digest the food." Ma Baoguo also brought over a bowl of soup. "President Ling, would you like a bowl?"
"it is good."
The two stood at the entrance of the cafeteria, holding bowls and drinking hot soup.