Cotton Spinning Mill. Garment Production Workshop!
Li Yi, Jiang Longcheng, Li Yeqiao, An Hong, and the others stared in awe at the fashionably dressed female workers before them.
Of course, they weren’t just amazed by the workers’ beauty—they were even more astonished by how the samples looked on them.
Just moments ago, Li Yi had finalized the purchase contract with the cotton mill.
He then came to the garment production workshop with Jiang Longcheng and the others to check on the progress of the sample production.
When Li Yi first saw the samples, he wasn’t particularly impressed.
In his view, the clothes were merely standard—nothing particularly outstanding.
However, to Director Tan, who was standing nearby, Li Yi’s expression conveyed a different message.
Thinking Li Yi was dissatisfied with the samples, he immediately suggested having the factory workers try them on to see how they looked.
And so, the factory’s beauty, Xu Taofang, once again stepped in as a model!
When everyone saw Xu Taofang, the factory’s beauty, in her batwing top and flared pants, they were instantly captivated by the look.
Beauty plus fashion—the result was definitely more than the sum of its parts!
“Brother-in-law, these clothes are absolutely stunning! No wonder you were willing to invest your entire fortune in them!” Jiang Longcheng exclaimed in admiration.
“So do you think if I put clothes like this on the market, people would buy them?” Li Yi asked with a smile.
“Of course people would buy them—who wouldn’t want such beautiful clothes?” Jiang Longcheng said happily.
At that moment, An Hong, standing nearby, frowned and said, “I don’t think so!”
As soon as she said that, almost everyone’s attention turned to her.
An Hong didn’t shy away from the spotlight; she explained directly, “These clothes are certainly fashionable, and they look great when worn, but I’m afraid the average person might not be ready to accept them just yet!”
Li Yi nodded and said, “You’re right, sis. So, in addition to ramping up production as soon as possible, we also need to quickly spread our fashion philosophy to the general public!”
“But… how do we do that?” Jiang Longcheng asked, looking a bit bewildered.
“You don’t need to worry about that. From now on, your job is to step up production and aim to turn half of our inventory into finished garments before the New Year!” Li Yi said.
Jiang Longcheng glanced at Tan Chunqiu beside him and asked, “Director Tan, can you guys handle this?”
“Well… all we can say is we’ll do our best!”
“How can you say you’ll just do your best? Are you facing any difficulties?” Jiang Longcheng frowned immediately.
“Yes. First, we don’t have enough sewing machines, and second, we’re short-handed…”
“That’s no problem. Just tell me what the difficulties are, and I’ll take care of them—but the task must be completed!” Jiang Longcheng said loudly.
“Yes!”
Li Yi also turned to Tan Chunqiu and said, “Director Tan, I’m leaving the production matters in your hands. I’ll have Comrade An Hong stay behind to assist you.”
“Alright!”
Li Yi continued, “Also, put the word out that the first batch of clothes produced in our workshop will be distributed free of charge to the employees here—one set per person!”
“But there’s one condition: everyone must wear our clothes when coming to and leaving work. If you feel these clothes aren’t suitable for production, you can change out of them once you arrive at the workplace!”
“Alright!”
The workers and staff members standing nearby were also quite excited upon hearing this.
Ready-to-wear clothes on the market cost at least ten or twenty yuan a set, and they aren’t even as nice as these.
But the best part was that they were free—who wouldn’t be happy to get clothes for nothing!
Of course, the workers at the cotton mill weren’t fools; they knew Li Yi’s real purpose was to turn every one of them into a living mannequin.
But since this arrangement offered them nothing but benefits, they were naturally more than happy to oblige!
In the days that followed, Li Yi had Director Tan gather all the team leaders together, and they carefully discussed the details of mass production.
First, they established detailed work standards and a finished product inspection system, requiring that the clothes produced must be free of quality defects.
Next, they determined the production ratio of men’s and women’s clothing, as well as the quantities for each size, and so on.
Once all these rules and regulations were finalized, Li Yi asked An Hong to stay behind and immediately organize production alongside Director Tan.
To make it easier for An Hong to commute, Li Yi even had Jiang Longcheng arrange a room for her at the cotton mill’s guesthouse.
Only after all this was done did Li Yi and Jiang Longcheng return to the factory director’s office.
……..
As soon as they walked through the office door, Jiang Longcheng said excitedly, “Brother-in-law, you’re a genius! How does your brain work? You actually came up with such a brilliant idea!”
“What do you think? Do you think this clothing business will work?”
“Definitely!”
Jiang Longcheng continued, “Look at the clothes on the market—none of them are as nice as ours. As soon as we launch them, people will definitely buy them!”
Li Yi smiled and said, “I’m not worried about people not buying them—I just don’t want to miss out on this Spring Festival!”
“What do you mean?”
“I plan to sell off half our inventory before the Spring Festival to recoup our funds as quickly as possible!”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Longcheng froze in shock. The fabric in their warehouse totaled over 36,000 bolts, which would make roughly 300,000 sets of clothes.
And now, with only a month left until the Spring Festival, let alone whether they could complete the production of 150,000 sets of clothing in such a short time.
Even if they managed to produce them, it would be nearly impossible to sell them all in such a short time!
“We… we don’t need to rush this. Let’s take it slow!”
“Third Brother, as long as the factory can produce them, I’ll sell them—don’t worry about that!”
Li Yi continued, “But for now, let’s talk about your factory’s future development. That 500,000 yuan will only keep your factory going for two or three months at most. If the money runs out and you still haven’t found a way forward, you’ll be in a fix again!”
“That’s exactly why we’re watching you. If your clothing business succeeds, our factory can just follow suit!” Jiang Longcheng said.
Li Yi shook his head. “If you can do it, why can’t other factories? If everyone starts doing the same thing, where’s the profit in that?”
“Then what should we do?”
“First, build brand awareness. Take advantage of the fact that other textile factories haven’t yet realized the enormous potential of the apparel market. Establish your brand as quickly as possible and gain public recognition.”
Li Yi continued, “Second, you need to establish your own sales channels as soon as possible—including, but not limited to, opening flagship stores in shopping malls or downtown areas—and seek out capable distributors in various provinces and cities!”
“At the same time, strictly control production quality and establish a comprehensive after-sales service department…”
Hearing Li Yi’s lengthy speech, Jiang Longcheng was momentarily dumbfounded, then said with a grim expression, “There’s so much to do!”
“What did you expect? Otherwise, just copying my designs will only keep your factory barely surviving—forget about growing and becoming a powerhouse!” Li Yi said.
“But I’ve never even heard of any of these things you’re talking about. What are we supposed to do?” Jiang Longcheng frowned.
“Easy. I can help you set up everything I mentioned—provided you provide the funding and manpower, of course!”
Changing the subject, Li Yi continued, “But here’s the deal: once everything’s up and running, you have to let me use those sales channels and brand stores for free for three months!”
“You’re trying to get something for nothing, aren’t you?” Jiang Longcheng said with a laugh.
“No, this is called a win-win partnership! I’m certainly getting a good deal, but your factory won’t lose out either!”
Jiang Longcheng thought for a moment and said, “Alright, I’ll discuss this with the deputy plant managers right away. I doubt they’ll dare to object!”
“Why?”
“You still owe the factory 300,000 yuan. The debtor is always the boss—even if it’s just to get that money back, they’ll have to treat you like royalty!” Jiang Longcheng said with a laugh.
“That’s true!”
Li Yi continued, “By the way, Third Brother, do you know anyone who works at a newspaper?”
“Yes, I do. What’s up?”
“Could you introduce me to him? I need to ask him to do me a favor. Is that okay?”
“Sure. I’ll give him a call right now and set up a time to meet,” Jiang Longcheng said.
“Great!”
After that, the two chatted for a while longer about work, and only then did Li Yi leave the cotton mill!