Chapter 52: These aren’t normal
Translated by me, edited by drpetro.
Ye Qing gave this scooter the name ‘Typhoon’, after the catastrophic storm that it’ll cause when it hits the market.
At noon, Ye Jiangning along with 10 a.s.sembled scooters, went to a friend’s scooter specialty store.
The store only sells Emma and Aima’s Star scooters. Normally, if any customer asked, the boss would tell them that Aima’s Star was a subsidiary company of Emma with the same quality and performance excellence.
The word Aima in Aima’s Star sound very close to Emma, especially with an accent, so customers without any understanding or research would generally believe that it to be a genuine Emma.
In reality, it was a knock off by a small time scooter maker.
Of course, scooter tech at the moment had already matured, so a small factory could produce these knock offs cheaply and be able to satisfy the demand.
Due to having already been given a heads up, when Ye Jiangning brought over the scooter the owner, Huang Ranjun, didn’t have a reaction.
Two wheel scooters, although they were currently being limited in the major cities, the laws hadn’t hit Zhongyun yet. However, it was a different case for three wheel scooter. Without a D license, have fun with the ticket if caught.
Originally Huang Ranjun believed that with Ye Jiangning hitting down time and switching to electric scooters, as a friend, he should still help out even if it was a futile attempt.
However, when the 10 Typhoon engraved electric scooter arrived, Huang Ranjun was immediately fascinated by the beautiful, futuristic casing.
Under the same quality, a product’s outer appearance was the customer’s deciding factor.
Who doesn’t like beautiful things. Huang Ranjun’s first impression of these scooters was that, as long as the price was right, these scooters would definitely sell.
After warmly welcoming his old friend, Huang Ranjun invited Ye Jiangning inside, to avoid prying ears, and asked Ye Jiangning for a run down of the scooters and how much it was going to cost.
The full material cost of the scooter was 1300. Adding on the wages of Ye Jiangning’s 10 workers and the electric fees, it had to at least sell for 2000.
Of course, selling these scooters for just 2000 was too cheap, so Ye Jiangning decided the sale price to be 2500.
Ye Jiangning planned so that if these scooters sold well then he could raise the price, otherwise he could just lower it.
Exporting price of 2500 wasn’t expensive at all for Huang Ranjun. It was just that these scooters don’t have any of the normal formalities, so he had to provide the warranties. So what if these scooters were actually of poor quality?
When a.s.sembling the scooters, the workers were all amazed by how good the parts were. Especially the metal parts, it was basically next to perfection.
Ye Jiangning was actually pretty confident on the quality, so he told Huang Ranjun that he would leave these with him, 1500 down payment for each, and the rest could wait for when they’re sold.
“Then you need to hurry up and get a manufacturing licence. Otherwise without a licence, others will definitely come looking for trouble in the long run.” Huang Ranjun secretly hinted.
“You see those Aima’s Star out there? Although it’s an Emma knock off, it’s got ok quality, yet no investigations. Why? Because they’ve got a manufacturing licence.”
“Is it expensive to get one?” Ye Jiangning inquired.
“That has to do with what type of license you’re looking for.” Huang Ranjun recalled the details for other electric scooter companies: “Normal two wheel electric scooter falls under 3C category, and the manufacturing licence isn’t hard to get. It’s just the quality of it needs to be standardized, and there are also agent companies for this.”
“For things like electric bikes, electric cars, then it’ll definitely be hard. They require the approval from state’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, since they’re categorized as motor vehicles, hence needing license plates.
Ye Jiangning nodded. He understood about the 3C safety approval. Before, when the factory was at their peak, they had applied for 3C licensing, and it wasn’t too hard to get.
Bidding farewell to Huang Ranjun, Ye Jiangning first had the manufacturing product on the factory’s business license changed. Then he went looking for connections to get the 3C approval and manufacturing licensing done.
Not long after Ye Jiangning left, several aunties with their kids came over to look for scooters.
Ye Jiangning, having listened to Ye Qing’s suggestion, ceaselessly called back to inform all of those residents when it came time to sell the scooters. During all of this, several residents expressed that they were actually in need of one and would take a look.
With business at the door, Huang Ranjun naturally tried his best to market. Except when the aunties heard the price tag for the scooter to be 3000, and not from an established brand, they immediately lost interest in them and asked about the Aima’s Stars.
The kids, having been attracted by the eye-catchy outer appearance of the scooters, wanted to buy it no matter what.
“1200!” Huang Ranjun, with encouraging looks, looked at the kids hoping for them to try their best to change their parent’s’ mind.
Several hours later, not a single one of these new scooters were sold, but in actual fact, multiples of the store’s Aima’s Stars were sold.
Coincidently, a nearby bistro owner came over looking to borrow a scooter for deliveries, and Huang Ranjun simply lent him one of the new Typhoons.
The nearby bistro was a flying success, they alone had 7 delivery drivers employed. Annually, they needed on average 10 new scooters and hundreds of batteries. Undoubtedly, they were one of his main clients.
Hence Huang Ranjun very generously and had him test out these newly imported Typhoon scooters.
The delivery drivers could easily tell how good these scooters were within a single trip.
This eye-catchy scooters were immediately s.n.a.t.c.hed over by the owner’s nephew, and bonded with the take out thermos case. When he came back from a nearby delivery, the guy immediately began to cry out about how comfortable it was, how it had an indescribable drive feel to it.
People in the store who were familiar with him all called him Big Mao, because that’s what all his family members called him.
Big Mao’s expression changed after returning from another long delivery. He began to boast to his buddies about how superb the scooter was. Just a moment ago, when I was crossing an intersection, some sedan ran the light. At that moment I thought I was dead, I didn’t think that the scooter would immediately stop, almost like it had been nailed to the ground.
“What’s more this scooter is super comfortable to ride, and it’s as stable as a car. With no need to slow down when crossing speed b.u.mps, and there’s literally no noise at all.”
“And look, it’s even got a mobile charger built in, now we don’t have to carry extra battery packs around.”
“It’s mileage is also insane. The trip I just made is for a regular, normally even with a new battery, I would still need a new battery after a round trip. Now after a round trip, which was more than 40 kilometers, there is still a half charge left.”
“It can’t be that the odometer broke right?”
“Not likely, I still feel enough power coming through. If it’s any other scooter, it would’ve run out of power a long long time ago.”
“Let me try another order.” Big Mao again received several orders in the thermos, and headed off to the given addresses.
This trip, basically solidified this ‘Typhoon’ scooter’s place in all of these delivery drivers’ hearts.
Having delivered everything, when Big Mao got back, the scooter was still as healthy as a horse.
This kind of mileage was beyond shocking!
The bistro owner excitingly rushed over, and asked Huang Ranjun how much these scooters cost.
“3500, since you’re my regular costumer only 3300.” Huang Ranjun seeing the urgent wanting look on his face, very slyly raised the price by 300.
“How many do you have on hand?”
“10.”
“I’m take them all, but only at 3200.”
Huang Ranjun, with a hesitant look, as if wanting to say something but choosing to swallow it, answered clenching his teeth: “Fine ~ less profits it is, who made us neighbors.” [ED: d.a.m.n this guy is sly]
The owner cheerfully paid for all of them on the spot and left with all the scooters.
Huang Ranjun called Ye Jiangning, and immediately, at once ordered another 50 of these Typhoon scooters. At that moment, Ye Jiangning was at an agency filling out the paperwork for getting a 3C approval and manufacturing license.
The agent told Ye Jiangning that 3C approval was easy, but the manufacturing license was a bit more complicated, as it required an on-site inspection, and area and machinery compliance before it could be issued.
Although the agency say that it was complicated, it still means that it was possible. Otherwise, if every factory met the compliance, then where was the need for them?
The old factory definitely met the area requirement, so it was just missing the necessary machines. The agency agreed to provide the machinery to pa.s.s the inspection for 100,000.
Ye Jiangning was debating at the moment when Huang Ranjun’s call came in, and rushingly placed an express order for 50 more scooters.
“What ~ 50? No problem, no problem.” Ye Jiangning excitingly coughed, with chest pains: “but the price is going to change a bit. You understand, this is all business.”
“Sure, no problem, but you definitely need to get a manufacturing license issued.”
“I’m doing that right now.” Ye Jiangning was extremely happy.
After hanging up the call, the beautiful agent asked Ye Jiangning, whether or not he was going to get the full set of licenses.
“Yes of course, also can it be rushed?”
“Definitely, but it’s going to cost extra!”