Fusion System: Rebirth in a Courtyard - Bird Fighting Chronicles

Chapter 166 Performance Reform: Boosting Morale

The celebratory atmosphere of signing foreign trade orders hadn't completely dissipated when a new challenge arose in the workshop of Chenqing Hardware Factory. At seven o'clock in the morning, Lin Chen had just entered the factory area when he heard a dispute coming from the forging workshop, mixed with the crisp sound of metal clashing and the workers' complaints. He quickened his pace through the neatly stacked raw material area and saw Uncle Wang, the veteran technician, standing with his hands on his hips beside the furnace, his face flushed red, while Xiao Zhang, the young apprentice in charge of recording output, clutched his register, his eyes red with grievance.

"Master Wang, this batch of forgings clearly only produced eighteen qualified pieces, how can you report twenty? Factory Director Lin specifically instructed that every batch of products must be accurately recorded, without the slightest carelessness." Xiao Zhang's voice trembled, but he still insisted on his principles. Uncle Wang spat angrily on the ground, pointed to the red-hot furnace mouth, and said, "I've been doing forging since the early days of the People's Republic of China, my precision is better than a ruler! This batch of material could have yielded twenty pieces, if Xiao Li hadn't been a fraction slow in adding coal, would there have been two fewer? Why are you deducting my output!"

The surrounding workers stopped what they were doing and gathered around to watch the commotion. Some whispered among themselves, "Uncle Wang is a veteran; back in the state-owned factory, no one dared to challenge him like this." Others chimed in, "But Xiao Zhang is right. Now we have to meet export orders, so both quality and output have to be strictly controlled. We can't afford to be careless." Lin Chen frowned and stepped forward, about to speak, when he saw Su Qing carrying account books hurrying in from the office building, clearly having also heard the commotion.

"Master Wang, Xiao Zhang, calm down, let's talk in the office." Su Qing's voice was gentle but carried an undeniable force. She first gave Xiao Zhang a look, signaling him to register the output of the other workstations, then pulled the still angry Uncle Wang along with Lin Chen into a temporary office in the corner of the factory. The office was simply furnished: a peeling wooden table, two rattan chairs, and a newly pasted production schedule on the wall, with red markers indicating the delivery deadlines for export orders—only twenty-eight days left until the deadline.

As soon as he sat down, Uncle Wang started talking, his tone much gentler than before: "Director Lin, Accountant Su, I didn't mean to make things difficult for Xiao Zhang. Look at my hands," he held out his calloused palms, with unhealed burn marks on his knuckles, "I've been dealing with metal for thirty years, when have I ever made a mistake? Yesterday at the celebration banquet, I assured everyone that I would definitely lead the way in completing the task, but today, because of this little thing, I'm being questioned in public. Where do I put my old face?"

Lin Chen poured Uncle Wang a cup of hot tea, his gaze falling on the calluses on his palms. He said sincerely, "Uncle Wang, everyone in the factory admires your craftsmanship and sense of responsibility. During the last counterfeit crisis, without your improved mold technology, we wouldn't have been able to increase our pass rate so quickly. But the situation is different now. Export orders require not only quality but also a traceable production process. Every step must be recorded. This isn't about distrusting you; it's about being responsible for the orders and for our factory's reputation."

Su Qing opened the ledger at the opportune moment, pointing to the records and saying, "Master Wang, look at this production data for the past week. Your average pass rate is 92%, the highest in the entire factory, but the output fluctuates wildly. At most, you produce forty qualified parts a day, and at least twenty-three. It's not just you; several other senior technicians have similar problems. We currently have to meet three thousand export orders, and at the current per capita output, even working two shifts is risky." She paused, then took out another sheet of paper, which contained the attendance records she had compiled overnight. "Moreover, I've noticed that some technicians arrive half an hour late in the morning and leave ten minutes early in the afternoon. It's not that everyone isn't working hard, but there's a lack of clear standards. If you work a lot or a little, it's the same, and over time, it's inevitable that people will become complacent."

Uncle Wang paused, his hand holding the hot tea cup still, and lowered his head in silence. He recalled the celebration banquet yesterday, where young technician Xiao Li had privately complained to him that he worked until late every day, producing twice as much as Old Chen, but at the end of the month, their wages were exactly the same, leaving him feeling somewhat resentful. Lin Chen sensed Uncle Wang's thoughts and continued, "Uncle Wang, you're the senior member of the factory, and I'd like to discuss something with you. Could we implement a performance-based reward system, instead of the egalitarian system? Those who work harder and perform better will receive more. What do you think?"

This suggestion made Uncle Wang's eyes light up. He suddenly looked up and said, "Director Lin, you mean wages are calculated based on output? But state-owned factories all have fixed wages. Won't this create chaos?" Su Qing took over and explained in detail, "It's not simply based on output. It's a model of 'basic wage + output commission + quality bonus.' The basic wage is 10% higher than our current average wage, ensuring everyone's basic living standards. There's a commission for each qualified part produced, with different commissions for parts of different difficulty. For example, the commission for wear-resistant plowshares for export orders is 1.5 times that of ordinary parts. At the end of the month, quality pacesetters are selected. If the pass rate is 100%, there's an additional quality bonus. This ensures stability while also motivating everyone to work harder and do their job well."

Uncle Wang stroked his chin and pondered for a long time, then suddenly slapped his thigh: "Great idea! This way, capable people won't suffer, young people like Xiao Li will definitely be motivated, and we old folks can't fall behind. Take me for example, if this system were implemented, I could have earned at least 30% more last month!" Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Uncle Wang's approval. He knew that Uncle Wang had a high reputation among the workers, and as long as he supported it, the implementation of the performance-based system was already halfway to success.

At 10 a.m. that day, Lin Chen and Su Qing convened a meeting of all 20 employees in the factory in the open space next to the workshop. When Su Qing read out the performance reform plan, the crowd erupted in excitement. Young technician Xiao Li excitedly raised his hand: "Accountant Su, if I have the highest output this month and the quality is up to standard, how much can I earn at most?" Su Qing smiled and replied: "Based on our current production capacity, if you work two shifts without a break all month, you can earn a maximum of 80 yuan, and that doesn't even include the quality champion bonus." As soon as she finished speaking, a gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd—it should be noted that at that time, the monthly salary of a technical backbone in the Zhangcheng State-owned Factory was only around 60 yuan.

There was both surprise and doubt. Old Chen, who was in charge of warehousing, frowned and said, "We in the logistics department can't calculate output, so how will our performance-based pay be calculated? We can't afford to fall behind the workshop workers, can we?" Su Qing was prepared and presented another plan: "Logistics positions will be assessed based on service satisfaction and task completion rate. For example, in warehouse management, if the monthly inventory records match the actual inventory and there are zero errors in receiving and issuing materials, you can get the full performance bonus; if you can provide reasonable suggestions, such as optimizing inventory placement to improve material retrieval efficiency, you can also get an additional innovation bonus."

Lin Chen added, "I know everyone is worried about the fairness of the system, so we will establish an assessment team, led by Accountant Su, with Uncle Wang and Xiao Li representing senior technicians and junior employees respectively. Daily production and quality data will be publicly posted on the bulletin board at the workshop entrance for everyone to monitor. In addition, we have established an 'Innovation Award.' Whether you are a workshop technician or a support staff member, as long as your technical improvement or management suggestion is adopted and produces tangible benefits, you will be rewarded with fifty to two hundred yuan, with no upper limit!"

These words completely dispelled everyone's concerns. Uncle Wang stepped forward and declared, "I support this system! I had a little misunderstanding with Xiao Zhang yesterday, but I've figured it out now. Following the rules is fair to everyone. From now on, I'll take the lead in complying with the production registration regulations. If I dare to falsify production figures again, everyone will deduct my bonus!" Uncle Wang's words drew a burst of laughter, and the previously tense atmosphere completely eased. Xiao Zhang also stood up, blushing, "Master Wang, I was too impulsive yesterday. Please don't take it to heart. From now on, when I register production figures, I'll consult you more about technical issues to make the data more accurate."

After the meeting, the workers' enthusiasm visibly increased. What used to be a slow and drawn-out start-up now took less than ten minutes to complete; work that used to stop immediately at the end of the workday now saw many voluntarily applying to work overtime, keeping the furnaces burning brightly from morning till night. Lin Chen observed for two days and discovered that Uncle Wang not only strictly adhered to the production registration system but also proactively taught his forging techniques to young technicians like Xiao Li. Working together to adjust the molds, the two managed to increase the pass rate of each batch of forgings to over 95%.

But new problems soon arose. On Friday night, Lin Chen was checking the production progress in his office when Liu Guangfu rushed in, panting, and said, "Brother Lin, something bad has happened! Old Chen and Xiao Zhang are arguing and he even tore up the ledgers!" Lin Chen and Su Qing quickly followed Liu Guangfu to the storage area, where they saw Old Chen squatting on the ground picking up the scattered pieces of ledger paper, while Xiao Zhang stood to the side, clutching a material requisition form, trembling with anger.

"What happened?" Su Qing squatted down to help Old Chen pick up the scraps of paper, asking seriously. Xiao Zhang interjected, "Accountant Su, when Old Chen was issuing materials today, he overcharged the forging workshop by five jin of steel. I told him to issue according to the quantity on the requisition form, but he insisted that the forging workshop needed to meet export orders and that giving them extra material was better than nothing. When I argued with him, he said I was young and ignorant, and even tore up my ledger!" Old Chen looked up, his eyes reddening, "I was doing this for the factory's good, wasn't I? Last time, because of a shortage of steel, the forging workshop had to stop the furnace for half an hour, delaying so much production! Now that export orders are pressing, what's wrong with having extra material?"

Looking at the scattered ledgers and scraps of paper, Lin Chen suddenly realized there were loopholes in the performance evaluation system. He asked Liu Guangfu to take Old Chen and Xiao Zhang to the office to rest first, and then said to Su Qing, "We only considered the output and quality of the production positions, but we didn't clarify the cooperation standards between the positions. Old Chen used more materials to avoid delaying production, and Xiao Zhang was following the rules. Neither of them was wrong, but the lack of communication and unified standards easily leads to conflicts."

That evening, Lin Chen and Su Qing stayed up all night revising the performance evaluation plan, adding a "collaboration assessment" module. The plan stipulated that all material handovers between positions must be documented in writing, and materials exceeding standard usage required an application form with dual approval from the workshop director and the finance department before being released. A "collaboration bonus" was also established, with a monthly award recognizing outstanding collaborators who proactively cooperated with other positions to complete tasks. On Saturday morning, the two called Old Chen and Xiao Zhang to their office. Instead of criticizing them, they listened attentively to their opinions and read the newly added collaboration assessment clauses to them.

"Uncle Chen, we understand your concern about delaying production, but steel is a crucial raw material for export orders, and every pound must be used wisely." Su Qing took out a calculator and did some calculations for Old Chen. "With our current process, the steel loss for each set of components is 5%. We've already factored in the loss for the 3,000 sets of orders. If each workshop takes on extra materials, we'll definitely run into a shortage." Old Chen nodded: "Accountant Su, I understand. From now on, I'll strictly follow the material requisition forms. If a workshop really needs extra materials, I'll have them go through the approval process." Xiao Zhang also said apologetically: "Uncle Chen, I was too harsh yesterday. Please don't take it to heart. From now on, I'll communicate the workshop's production plan with you in advance, and we'll cooperate."

After resolving the collaboration issues, the factory's production efficiency increased significantly. On Monday morning of the second week, Uncle Wang arrived at work with a drawing in hand and excitedly approached Lin Chen, saying, "Factory Manager Lin, what do you think of my idea? The plowshare parts we're currently forging have their edges hand-polished, which is time-consuming and results in uneven edges. I'm thinking of adding a shaping groove to the mold so the forging comes out perfectly formed, saving a lot of work." Lin Chen took the drawing; it showed an improved mold design sketched in pencil, with the dimensions of the shaping groove clearly marked, and a simple stress analysis diagram drawn next to it.

Lin Chen immediately convened a meeting of key technical personnel. They discussed the blueprints all morning and unanimously agreed that the improvement plan was feasible. Lin Chen immediately approved the plan, assigning Uncle Wang to lead the mold improvement project, giving him three days to debug it, and promising him the highest innovation award if the plan succeeded. Uncle Wang was full of energy, spending all his time in the workshop with Xiao Li and Liu Guangtian, dismantling molds, measuring dimensions, and pouring new molding troughs. They barely slept for three days and three nights. Su Qing was worried they were exhausted, so every night she had the canteen prepare chicken soup and personally delivered it to the workshop to help them recover.

On the evening of the third day, the improved mold was finally debugged. When the first batch of forgings was taken out of the mold, everyone gathered around. The edges of the plowshare component were smooth and neat, requiring no further manual polishing, and the hardness test data showed a 10% improvement over the previous one. Lin Chen, holding the component, excitedly patted Uncle Wang on the shoulder: "Master Wang, you're amazing! This improvement plan can increase our production efficiency by at least 20%, and the delivery time for export orders will definitely be shortened!"

At the end of the month, Chenqing Hardware Factory held its first performance commendation meeting. The bulletin board at the workshop entrance was covered with red certificates of merit, the most prominent one reading "Innovation Model Worker – Uncle Wang," next to which sat a two-hundred-yuan bonus and a brand-new enamel mug bearing the inscription "Chenqing Precision Craftsmanship, Technology is King." Uncle Wang held the certificate, his hands trembling. He choked back tears, saying, "I've worked in a state-owned factory for twenty years, and I've never received such a great reward. Director Lin, Accountant Su, it's your system that has given us veteran technicians a place to use our skills. I will definitely work hard from now on and contribute even more to the factory!"

Xiao Li received the title of "Production Model Worker" and a bonus of eighty yuan. He took the money to the supply and marketing cooperative, bought a bag of flour and two jin of pork for his family, and returned with a beaming smile. Old Chen and Xiao Zhang, for their excellent teamwork, jointly received the title of "Cooperation Model Worker." The two went on stage hand in hand to receive their award, their previous conflicts long since forgotten. Standing on the stage, Su Qing looked at the cheerful workers below and said with emotion, "This month, we not only completed our export order production ahead of schedule, but also achieved a 98% pass rate. This is all thanks to everyone's joint efforts. The performance system isn't about evaluating anyone, but about ensuring that everyone's efforts are rewarded, so that our Chenqing Hardware Factory can get better and better!"

After the commendation ceremony, Lin Chen walked alone to the furnace in the workshop. The furnace fire illuminated his face, and the cheerful laughter of the workers drifted from afar. He recalled the early days of their business, when it was just him and Su Qing, tending to a dilapidated furnace, without even decent tools. Now, the factory was bustling with activity, the workers were full of energy, and the successful production of export orders had allowed them to establish a firm foothold in the industry.

Su Qing quietly walked to his side and handed him a cup of hot tea. "What are you thinking about?" Lin Chen took the teacup, looked at the busy figures in the workshop, and said softly, "I'm thinking that we've chosen the right path. Technology is important, but people's hearts are even more important. This performance system not only improves efficiency but also gives everyone a sense of belonging, making them feel that this factory is their own." Su Qing nodded, looking at the production progress chart on the wall, and said firmly, "In the future, we will continue to improve the system, introduce more advanced equipment, and expand the scale of production. Once this batch of export orders is delivered, we will apply for a loan to build a larger factory, so that the name Chenqing Hardware will spread throughout the country, and even the world!"

The flickering firelight illuminated the hope in their eyes. In the workshop, Uncle Wang was explaining mold maintenance techniques to a young technician, while Xiao Li diligently took notes. In the storage area, Old Chen and Xiao Zhang were checking raw material inventory, occasionally exchanging hushed conversations. In the office, Liu Guangtian was compiling production reports, preparing to send a progress report to the foreign trade company. The entire Chenqing Hardware Factory was like a precisely operating machine, each part playing its maximum role in its position, steadily moving towards a broader future.