Chapter 415: Deal with Delta Airlines!
At about 9:00 a.m. on September 17th, U.S. time, the eyes of the world were on Wall Street. However, at this moment, the sky in Japan was still full of stars. In the reception room of Kawasaki Heavy Industries headquarters, Trueger House, vice president of Bombardier C Series Aircraft, was talking to president Ryan Varrett.
"Got it. I'll settle this matter tonight." Trug House assured his boss during the call.
This time, he traveled all the way to Japan, not for any other reason but to choose Kawasaki Heavy Industries to reach a new cooperation to replace AVIC, which was no longer cooperating.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries has been a parts supplier for Boeing for many years and has considerable experience in manufacturing fuselage components, and the price is reasonable . Of course, Kawasaki Heavy Industries' cost is higher than that of AVIC, but there is nothing it can do.
When someone of Trug House's caliber comes here in person, it means that his subordinates have almost completed the coordination, and he is basically here to go through the motions. However, nothing will be finalized until the contract is signed.
This matter is related to the subsequent production of the C series aircraft. The parts left over by AVIC have been used up. If this cooperation is not concluded, the C series aircraft will face the dilemma of having no parts available in the future.
Although there was a high probability that there would be no problem, Trug House still couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
On the phone, Ryan Valette instructed: "Our people have almost reached an agreement, but if Kawasaki Mingzo raises the price temporarily, as long as it is not too outrageous, you can accept it. Now is not the time to make money. The first priority is to survive."
That’s right, now the philosophy of Bombardier C Series Aircraft Company is no longer to make money, but to survive.
"However, when accepting Kawasaki Akizo's price increase, you have to make some gestures so that he doesn't think we are accepting it too easily. Otherwise, he will think we are weak and can be bullied, and he will continue to raise the price."
Ryan Valette's attitude was now quite humble. He had already tacitly agreed to accept a temporary price increase before the final negotiations, but he was afraid that the price increase would be too high and he would not be able to bear it.
Looking back five years ago, Bombardier's aircraft business department was still doing quite well. Why does it have to please others now?
Trug House promised, "I know, I know, I'll find the right balance."
"Well, it's up to you. Have you met Kawasaki Akizo?"
Trug House looked outside and still hadn't seen the secretary come over to pass on the message: "Not yet, but I should be able to go in soon."
"Okay." Ryan Valette groaned for a moment and said, "You should adjust your mood first."
After saying that, Ryan Valette hung up the phone, leaving behind a somewhat nervous Trug House.
The reason why Ryan Valette did not come but Trug House, who was of a slightly lower rank, came was that a few years ago, some parts of Bombardier's Challenger business jet came from Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and it was Trug House who negotiated the relevant parts procurement. He had some kind of private relationship with Kawasaki Akizo.
It's just that, in just a few years, Trughaus was full of energy and vigor. How could he be as cautious as he is now, waiting in the reception room for communication?
He came here today to give advance notice. Logically, under such circumstances, Kawasaki Akizo should have deliberately made time for it, so why did something unexpected happen?
…
In fact, the good news for Trughaus was that Kawasaki Akizo was indeed busy and it was not that he was left alone. The bad news was that Fujido had just come to see Kawasaki Akizo and pointed the finger at Bombardier.
In the office, Kawasaki Akiza was still wearing a gray kimono and wooden clogs. He naturally liked this traditional clothing because it made him feel peaceful and tranquil.
However, at this moment, looking at the newspaper on the tea tray, Kawasaki Mingzo could no longer maintain that peace.
It was a newspaper published in Honshu, Japan. Compared with the five major newspapers, the sales of this newspaper were very average, and it was considered a second-rate tabloid. However, the words "Kawasaki Cold and Heat Industry Fraud" were printed on the front page of this newspaper, which made Kawasaki Mingzang's forehead bulge with veins.
However, the date of the newspaper is not today, but tomorrow. This is a newspaper that should be published tomorrow.
Opposite Kawasaki Meizo, Fujido Tsuyoshi felt a little afraid when he saw Kawasaki Meizo who was secretly angry. After all, this was a famous chaebol throughout Japan.
However, as time went on, the fear began to fade away and eventually turned into calmness and composure.
Kawasaki Mingzang took a deep breath, and the rage on his face gradually disappeared. Finally, he was neither happy nor sad. Then he said indifferently: "How much? Name a price?"
Fujido Tsuyoshi chuckled and said, "President Kawasaki, I didn't ask for money?"
"Then let me bring it up, isn't it the same? You brought a newspaper to be published tomorrow, isn't it for money?" Kawasaki Akizo said calmly: "This is how the world is. You have caught Kawasaki Heavy Industries' handle, so you should get a corresponding reward. Tell me, how much money will it take to prevent this newspaper from appearing in the newsstand tomorrow?"
Although Kawasaki Meizo was very angry, he did not lose his composure. He had seen many reporters like Fujido Tsuyoshi. It was not uncommon for them to accidentally or deliberately discover loopholes in some large companies and then use them as a threat to obtain hush money.
Moreover, perhaps it was because Fujido Tsuyoshi was too famous that even a big shot like Kawasaki Meizo knew of Fujido Tsuyoshi's "name".
In this way, Kawasaki Mingzo was even more certain that Fujido Tsuyoshi came here to ask for a bribe.
Kawasaki Mingzo always felt that any problem that could be solved with money was not a problem, especially for someone with an appetite like Fujido Tsuyoshi. Even if he piled up the bills as high as his, it wouldn't cost much.
Of course, if Fujido Tsuyoshi is ungrateful and asks for too much, then Kawasaki Akizo wouldn't mind making him disappear physically, which would save some money.
"President Kawasaki, maybe you really misunderstood. I didn't come here with any demands for the price." Fujido Tsuyoshi said seriously: "I just came to ask the president for a favor."
Kawasaki Mingzang stroked his chin, looking a little surprised, but also a little curious: "What's the matter?"
"President Kawasaki, has Bombardier come to see you?" Fujido Tsuyoshi suddenly asked.
Kawasaki Mingzang was somewhat interested at first, but he didn't expect Fujido to mention Bombardier all of a sudden. His eyes immediately flashed with coldness: "Who sent you here?"
Facing Kawasaki Mingzang's aggressive questioning, Fujido Tsuyoshi's expression did not change at all, and he even smiled calmly: "President Kawasaki, you should have guessed it."
Kawasaki Mingzang stared at Fujido Tsuyoshi and slowly uttered two words: "Xu Cang!"
Fujido Tsuyoshi neither admitted nor denied it, but repeated: "President Kawasaki, perhaps you should pay more attention to my conditions rather than who is instructing me. After all, this does not affect the problems of Kawasaki Refrigeration and Heat Industry itself."
However, Kawasaki Akizo did not continue to follow Fujido Tsuyoshi 's words, but instead continued on his own: "Not long ago, the former president of Boeing Asia Pacific came to me and mentioned the Bombardier matter. Unexpectedly, after some time, another pawn came to act as a lobbyist, and he also brought a bargaining chip, a good bargaining chip."
"President Kawasaki, does this make any difference to you?"
"Of course there is a difference. I don't like being chased away." Kawasaki Mingzang said coldly: "But didn't Xu Cang get shot on the plane? It seems that he is not seriously injured and he is still thinking about making plans."
Fujitang Gang smiled and said: "Mr. Xu Cang has his own destiny, and he should turn misfortune into fortune."
"Turning danger into fortune?" Kawasaki Akizo smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes, then slowly stood up: "Then how about he go through Bombardier himself? Why does he have to come to me?"
Kawasaki Mingzang turned his back to Fujido Tsuyoshi and walked away slowly, leaving only one sentence: "Go back and tell Xu Cang that Kawasaki Heavy Industries is not his puppet and will not act according to his wishes."
Fujido Tsuyoshi also stood up and said with a smile: "So, President Kawasaki has made up his mind to cooperate with Bombardier?"
"Toudou Tsuyoshi, just do your job as a reporter. You can't represent anything, so I won't answer you."
"Yes, yes, President Kawasaki can ignore me, but you can't ignore public opinion."
"Public opinion?" Kawasaki Akizo turned sideways, his face joking, "Kawasaki Heavy Industries has gone through so many ups and downs over the years. Do you think that the problem of a subsidiary alone can bring us down? Fujido Tsuyoshi, you are a reporter, you should understand that this bargaining chip is not as strong as you think."
"Yes, if it was in the past, this would just be a minor inconvenience, but it's different now." Fujitang Gang lowered his head and said very respectfully: "Mr. Xu Cang asked me to show you his hand, which means that he has no intention of using this card, or in other words, he has more cards to play. President Kawasaki, Mr. Xu Cang is not threatening you, he is trying to be friendly to you."
Kawasaki Mingzo couldn't help but frown, but then he thought that what Fujitang Gang said made some sense.
Xu Cang has exposed the matter of Kawasaki Cold and Heat Industry, which means that he is ready to discard this card. If Kawasaki Mingzang moves quickly enough, he will be able to fill the loopholes of Cold and Heat Industry before the matter fully ferments.
But Xu Cang still revealed his cards so easily.
If Xu Cang was not too stupid, then he simply did not care about this card. Kawasaki Cold and Heat Industries' chips were given to Kawasaki Mingzang for free, indicating that he could cause great trouble to Kawasaki Heavy Industries, nothing more.
Fujido Tsuyoshi said that Xu Cang was trying to make peace with Kawasaki Aizawa, and there was actually some truth to that.
If Xu Cang was more ruthless and revealed some shocking information first, putting Kawasaki Heavy Industries in a disadvantageous position, that would be what should have happened. This is called taking the initiative.
However, Xu Cang did not do so, which is actually an alternative way of using courtesy before force.
"Haha, then why can't it be that he is just bluffing?"
"President Kawasaki, please don't doubt Mr. Xu Cang. This will only cause trouble for you."
Kawasaki Mingzang was a little annoyed: "Okay, stop talking. I know about this matter and have responded to it . Just tell Xu Cang what I said. Get out!"
While Kawasaki Meizo was speaking angrily, his secretary came into the office and wanted to take Fujido Tsuyoshi out.
However, before leaving, Fujido Tsuyoshi left a final message: "Tomorrow, President Kawasaki, wait until tomorrow to make a decision. Twelve hours should not be so unacceptable to you, right?"
Kawasaki Mingzo waved his hands irritably, signaling his secretary to drive Fujido Tsuyoshi away.
However, Fujido Tsuyoshi was self-aware. After saying that, he straightened his clothes and left the office in a very decent manner.
As soon as Fujido left, Kawasaki Mingzo stopped and stood still, the muscles on his face trembling constantly, obviously he was struggling between inner and outer thoughts.
Not long after, the secretary returned and said respectfully, "President, the person has left."
After saying this, the secretary prepared to leave.
However, just as he reached the door, he heard Kawasaki Akizo's voice: "Go and tell Trug House of Bombardier that I... am not feeling well, and the meeting will be rescheduled to tomorrow."
…
At the same time, on the other side of the ocean, the president's office at Delta Air Lines' headquarters building in Atlanta, Georgia, was filled with cheerful laughter.
The president of Delta Airlines had been unhappy since the CS300 transaction was halted. However, an old friend came to visit him today, which made him very happy. This old friend was Li Rongcheng, who came to the United States with Qin Xin.
"Li, I heard not long ago that you resigned from the position of President of Boeing Asia Pacific. I wanted to contact you, but your phone was always busy. I thought something happened to you." The president of Delta Airlines is very young, probably in his early forties, with an above-average appearance, except for his hair volume.
Li Rongcheng smiled and said, "I went to China after I resigned. My old number is no longer useful. It's normal that you can't get through. Now that I'm in the United States, I came to find you first."
"Hahaha, it's just right that you're here. How's your job search going in China? If you can't find anything suitable, come to my place and I can convince the board to give you a satisfactory position." The president of Delta Airlines patted Li Rongcheng on the shoulder and said, "I told you a long time ago that Boeing is no longer the same Boeing after its merger with McDonnell Douglas. You said I was worrying too much at the time."
When talking about his experience at Boeing, Li Rongcheng's face flashed with embarrassment: "Forget it, I'll talk about my business later. I found a good job in China, and this time I came to the United States on a business trip with my boss. In addition to meeting you, I also want to ask you some questions."
"Oh?" The president of Delta Airlines crossed his arms. "What's the matter? Tell me about it."
"I heard that your order for 75 CS300s was stopped by the Trade Commission not long ago?"
Speaking of this, the president of Delta Airlines was full of resentment and complained to Li Rongcheng.
"I was the one who facilitated this order, which should have been a good description on my resume. I have carefully examined the CS300 aircraft and it is quite good. Most importantly, Bombardier was eager to open up the US market and offered us a very low price, and also offered many discounts on subsequent maintenance support. At that time, I asked the finance department to calculate that the normal cost of this order in ten years would be more than one-third less than that of replacing it with a 737. This is based on the premise that we have established a training system for the first time. As long as the time dimension is long enough, the cost can be reduced."
The training system for a new aircraft type requires a large investment, but as time goes by, this initial investment cost will be spread out. However, even without considering this, the cost of the CS300 is much lower than that of the 737.
This is actually not because the CS300 has a generational advantage over the 737, but because of Bombardier's concessions.
As Bombardier's first major airline partner in the U.S. market, Delta has great bargaining power, and this advantage can last for a long time.
Unexpectedly, this bonus was cut off before it could be enjoyed due to a letter of complaint from Boeing, causing Delta Air Lines' initial investment to go down the drain.
The president of Delta Air Lines is almost going crazy. He has been held accountable by the company's cost committee recently and is in a state of panic.
"Louis!" Li Rongcheng suddenly said, "What if I can revive this deal?"
The president of Delta Airlines was stunned: "Li, what do you mean? "
"What I mean is that I can convince Boeing to withdraw its lawsuit against Bombardier," Li Rongcheng said seriously.
"This..." The president of Delta Airlines opened his mouth, then his eyes lit up: "Is it really possible? Boeing can agree to this. The CS300 itself will impact the US market, which is not in Boeing's interest."
"This is my business. I can get Boeing to withdraw its lawsuit against Bombardier." Li Rongcheng changed the subject: "But... I have a condition."
