"The cable can't be connected. What do you mean the cable can't be connected?" In the engineer's office of the assembly plant, Ronnie Covein let out an extremely shrill roar that echoed in the room and could be faintly heard by people in the entire assembly workshop.
The engineer trembled in fear when facing the furious COO, but he still explained the current situation to Ronnie: "Mr. Covein, just now when we were assembling the A380, we found that the parts produced in Germany and Spain could not be connected to the fuselage by cables..."
"Merde!" Ronnie cursed in French: "You think I don't understand you? I... I want to know why these parts can't be connected?"
The engineer was speechless for a moment and looked at the person in charge of the assembly plant. However, his direct superior just kept silent, as if nothing had happened and did not say anything.
The engineer's face turned green. Now he had to face the COO's anger alone.
Seeing that the engineer was taking so long to respond to him, Ronnie was already furious. He was even more furious now: "Are you dumb? Are we paying you so much just to let you perform some pantomime for me?"
Ronnie's three consecutive questions directly made the engineer, who was already a little unstable, explode on the spot. The engineer simply threw the jar into the air: "Mr. Covein, I checked several times, but I really can't figure out why the parts don't fit. We have just contacted the parts factories in Germany and Spain to ask them whether they are producing according to the drawings."
Airbus is a huge business group, and it is a union of European countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain. As an extremely complex industrial product, the A380's parts are naturally produced by the parts factories of its branches in various countries, and then transported to the assembly plant in Toulouse, France for final assembly.
This was the first time they had encountered such a situation where parts produced in different countries were incompatible, and the engineers were completely unable to understand it.
Ronnie glanced at the engineer coldly. After noticing the change in the engineer's mentality, he was basically sure that the engineer really didn't understand the situation. To be honest, this kind of question is too low-level. Sometimes it is too low-level and can be very confusing.
Ronnie took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his chest, and turned to the person in charge of the assembly project: "The current situation is... Is it just one, or are all the parts delivered in this batch problematic?"
If only the parts being assembled now have problems, it may be just bad luck that they happened to be defective. During assembly, the factory will have a continuous self-checking system that can alarm for defective products to a certain extent, thus preventing defective products from being assembled into the aircraft.
In fact, the best outcome in the current situation is bad luck, and it is rare to encounter defective products that are not detected.
However, this probability is relatively small, or to be more precise, very small, because parts factories in various places have their own independent quality inspection systems, which can ensure a very high rate of authenticity. Since the establishment of Airbus, there have been only a handful of defective cases that have not been inspected by parts factories.
"We are going to the warehouse to get replacement parts for the problems, and then re-assemble them. If there are no problems, then we are just unlucky and have encountered defective parts that have not been detected. If there is still a problem, then..." At the end, the factory manager dared not say anything.
Ronnie pursed his lips and rubbed his temple with his right hand. He felt like his head was about to explode. If there was still a problem, it would mean that the entire batch of parts had problems, which would be a disaster for the A380 project.
You know, due to land transportation reasons, the parts were delayed in being transported to the assembly plant, which consumed most of the originally reserved time. If there are problems with the entire batch of parts, the planned first machine launch conference may not be able to catch up.
"How long will it take for the results?" Ronnie asked grimly.
"Very soon, probably within ten minutes." The person in charge of the assembly plant said worriedly. To be honest, the probability of a single part being defective is indeed very small. On the contrary, the probability of a whole batch of parts being defective is much greater.
However, if the entire batch of parts has problems and the parts factory fails to detect them, the possibility of a problem with the drawing is actually greater than the possibility of the self-checking system collectively failing.
If the drawing is wrong, then the parts manufactured from it must be wrong. The self-checking system checks according to the drawing. If the drawing is wrong, then the self-checking system will definitely not be able to detect it.
This logical chain is actually not difficult to understand, but neither Ronnie nor the person in charge of the assembly plant dared to mention a word, as this would be a huge problem that would cause the A380 project to explode.
"Ten minutes." Ronnie held the edge of the table with one hand, his face livid: "I'll wait here."
The person in charge of the assembly plant was in so much agony that he dared not even breathe.
Just at this awkward moment, the office door was pushed open, and the chief financial officer Neo came in hurriedly. He felt that the atmosphere in the office was a little unusual, and his face suddenly turned bad: "I heard that there is a problem with the compatibility of parts?"
As he said that, Neo looked at Ronnie: "Ronnie, what's going on?"
"I want to know what's going on, too." Ronnie snorted heavily and then stopped talking.
Neo looked at Ronnie's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot, and moved his lips. In the end, he did not ask any more questions, but turned to the person in charge of the assembly plant: "Tell me, what's going on?"
“This…” The person in charge of the assembly plant actually didn’t know much. He stammered and said with a wry smile, “Mr. Otto, we are now waiting for the results of the second assembly.”
"Secondary assembly?"
The person in charge of the assembly plant immediately explained: "We have found a replacement for the problematic parts in the same batch, and the secondary assembly is now underway there..."
Neo was so smart that he figured out the current situation in no time. He asked tentatively, "If there is still a problem with the secondary assembly, does that mean there is something wrong with the drawings of the parts factory that is most likely to have problems?"
As soon as these words came out, it was like breaking the tacit understanding that had been maintained before. Ronnie and the other man, especially Ronnie, had a face that was so gloomy that it seemed like water was about to drip out of it.
"Mr. Otto, it is also possible that the parts factory did not produce according to the drawings." The person in charge of the assembly factory mentioned another possibility.
Logically speaking, this possibility exists, but so many people in the parts factory cannot understand the drawings. It’s not a mystery, how could they be wrong?
Then, the parts factory produced a batch of defective parts based on its misunderstanding of the drawings?
Neo didn't say anything, just stared at the person in charge of the assembly plant. The person in charge of the assembly plant also felt that his statement was a bit outrageous, his old face turned red, he touched his nose and cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment.
Neo closed his eyes and let out a long breath, hoping to suppress his surging heart. To be honest, this incident really raised Neo's blood pressure.
"If... I mean, if there is a problem with the drawings of the parts factory, is there any possibility of saving it?" Neo said seriously.
As soon as these words came out, there were gasps in the office. The person in charge of the assembly plant swallowed and said, "Mr. Otto, it's better if this doesn't happen again."
Just as the head of the assembly plant finished speaking, a burst of hurried and anxious footsteps sounded outside the office. In an instant, everyone in the office turned around and looked at the office door. Soon, an employee in blue work clothes appeared at the office door .
The head of the assembly plant felt his heart in his throat and asked in a slightly horrified tone, "How is it?"
The employee in blue overalls took a deep breath, and his facial features fell: "It still doesn't match."
Bang!
As soon as the result was revealed, Ronnie could no longer hold back and slammed his fist on the table. The whole office could hear the loud noise. He was already in a rage.
Neo's expression was not good either: "The situation doesn't seem good."
"Mr. Covein, the current situation is still undecided..." The person in charge of the assembly plant still had a glimmer of hope, but it was just a fantasy.
Almost in response to his statement, his cell phone on the table vibrated. The person in charge glanced at the screen and licked his lips: "There's news from Germany."
Neo and Ronnie both looked at their phones. The head of the assembly plant picked up the phone nervously and answered it: "Have you verified it?"
Not to mention him, Neo and Ronnie were holding their breath, this phone call would determine their fate.
However, the expression of the person in charge of the assembly plant seemed to be frozen. Ronnie thought to himself that something was wrong and felt a little uneasy.
As expected, after putting down his phone, the person in charge of the assembly plant said blankly: "The German side said that they have urgently checked the drawings. The factory is producing completely according to the drawings. This is certain."
"Are you sure?" Ronnie's mouth trembled a few times. The German parts factory could make such a guarantee, so they definitely had the confidence.
Since the German parts factory has confirmed that it was manufactured according to the drawings, the only remaining possibility is that there is something wrong with the drawings themselves.
After eliminating many possibilities, the remaining possibility is the most terrifying.
Ronnie had completely given up his fantasy at this time. He looked at Neo blankly: "Neo, it seems that something big has gone wrong."
You know, Ronnie is the main person in charge of the A380 project. If there is a problem, the first person in charge will be Ronnie Covein.
Why was Ronnie so horrified?
Even if the whole batch of parts had problems, Ronnie's reaction would not be so desperate. At most, he could work overtime to quickly make another batch of parts. After all, with the blueprints, it was still feasible to produce some emergency parts, but time was very tight.
However, if there is a problem with the drawing, then the foundation itself is crooked.
This is no longer a manufacturing problem, but a problem that requires designing the drawings from scratch.
Manufacturing can be done overtime, but coupled with the redesign of the drawings, the first aircraft launch will definitely not be in time. Moreover, it is not just a one or two day delay, but a large delay. This is a huge blow to the A380 project, which has high hopes.
If the mission fails before it is accomplished, it will easily dampen the A380's enthusiasm.
Since the A380 was launched, it has been considered to be the winner of the Boeing 747. Some things need to be done in one go. If there is a problem at such an important node as the launch of the first aircraft, the negative impact will be unimaginable.
"Ronnie, the situation may be more serious than you expected." Neo's face was very bad. "The original plan for the A380 project's R&D funding was 10.7 billion US dollars, but the actual expenditure was 25 billion. The R&D cost doubled. The higher-ups attach great importance to this project..."
Ronnie almost fainted. Neo was the CFO, so he was well aware of the R&D expenses. The R&D expenses doubled, with an additional expenditure of nearly $15 billion. Even for a company as big as Airbus, it would be very uncomfortable.
Under such circumstances, Airbus executives must be eyeing the A380 project with red eyes, counting on this project to make a comeback.
The much-anticipated launch of the first aircraft has been postponed, which will greatly affect the financial market's impression of Airbus. I am afraid that Airbus's stock price will probably plummet.
Not only did the money not get back, but the stock price also plummeted. Wouldn't the Airbus executives be so angry that they would kill Ronnie Covein?
If that was the case, then Ronnie's situation was indeed more difficult than he had expected.
"Neo, what... should I do?" Ronnie was really panicked. Even the Chief Operating Officer couldn't handle such a big pot.
Neo held his forehead and said, "Let me think about it. Let me think about it."
…
At this moment, at Erhai Airport, after a 737 landed, Xu Cang and Xia Shuyue walked out of the cabin.
Zhou Yanping had contacted Xu Cang in advance, and Xu Cang was going to meet Zhou Yanping after landing in Shanghai. However, because of Xia Shuyue's matter, Xu Cang temporarily changed his return time, causing Zhou Yanping's subsequent plans to be out of sync.
Zhou Yanping had another urgent matter, so the meeting could only be postponed.
However, Xu Cang has already returned to China, and once Zhou Yanping finishes his own business, it won't be difficult for him to fly from Shanghai to Erhai Lake.
After leaving the airport, Xu Cang and Xia Shuyue got out of the car and were greeted by a cool breeze filled with moisture, which was refreshing.
Suddenly, Xu Cang saw a familiar figure standing on the hillside in the distance. He was slightly moved and handed the luggage to Xia Shuyue: "I'll go out for a while."
Xia Shuyue followed Xu Cang's gaze towards the people on the hillside, nodded, and said "oh".
After Xu Cang handed the luggage to Xia Shuyue, he left the base alone and walked up the low hillside. When he approached the man, he called out, "Brother Chen, what are you looking at?"
Chen Huaxin was obviously absent-minded. When Xu Cang called him, he shivered. He turned around and saw that it was Xu Cang, so he smiled and said, "Looking at Erhai Lake."
"Erhai Lake?" Xu Cang walked to Chen Huaxin's side and looked far away. He had to say that this was a good spot to view the sea. There were no buildings in front of him, so he could see most of the Erhai Lake. "You're still interested in viewing the Erhai Lake every day?"
Chen Huaxin shook his head and suddenly pointed to the sky: "Xu Cang, don't you think it's very impressive to look down at Erhai Lake and Cangshan Mountain from the sky?"
"Hmm?" Xu Cang didn't think much about it at first, and asked casually: "What do you mean by watching from the sky?"
"Xu Cang, I have an idea." Chen Huaxin pondered for a moment: "Recently, many people have come to Erhai Lake for tourism. If we set up a helicopter company specifically for tourism, what do you think?"
"Helicopter!?" Xu Cang's face suddenly changed and his heart was pounding.
Here it comes, here it comes!
Huaxin Offshore Helicopter, the king of general aviation is finally here!