dtnovels Chapter 304 Not a Single One Will Be Cut
Chapter 304 Not a Single One Will Be Cut
(Thanks to "Shopkeeper Lu Who Loves Salted Fruits" for the author certification! Thanks to "Light of Comics" for the author certification! Two chapters today.)
Mid-September 1990, Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture.
Autumn arrives earlier in the northern part of the Kanto Plain than in Tokyo. The rice paddies have been harvested, and the exposed yellow earth appears dry and somber under the overcast sky.
The black convoy that departed from Shengu Station turned onto a narrow road along the county road, flanked by low concrete walls and rusty barbed wire.
Fukaya Electric Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
This 12,000-square-meter factory was once Toshiba's most crucial secondary subcontractor for white goods. Refrigerator compressor housings, washing machine motor stators, and sheet metal parts for air conditioner outdoor units—one in every three home appliances in the Kanto region had its core components hammered out of the stamping workshop in this factory.
Now, the factory is quiet, as if no one has ever been there.
The black Toyota Century drove over the cracks in the concrete pavement of the factory area and came to a stop in front of the administration building.
Fujita got out of the car first, his right hand opening the door while his left hand held an umbrella over the roof. Satsuki, in her black leather shoes, stepped onto the wet cement ground and glanced up at the stopped exhaust fan on the exterior wall of the administration building.
Endo got out of the passenger seat, a bulging dark brown leather briefcase tucked under his arm.
Factory manager Kono was already waiting at the entrance of the administration building. He was fifty-seven years old, with gray hair, wearing a faded light blue work jacket, and two cheap ballpoint pens were clipped to his chest pocket.
He stood still, and when he saw Satsuki and his group, he bowed deeply.
"Ms. Saionji, Executive Director Endo. Welcome to visit."
Satsuki nodded slightly. Instead of rushing into the administration building, she turned to look at the row of workshops and factories on her right.
"Manager Kono, take me to see the production line."
Kono's steps faltered for a moment. He subconsciously rubbed his palms together, then stepped aside to let the group pass through the connecting corridor and head towards the No. 1 stamping workshop.
The metal sliding door made a screeching metallic scraping sound when it was pulled open.
Inside the workshop, only a third of the fluorescent tubes were lit. The tubes that were not powered hung below the trusses, their surfaces even covered with a layer of gray, fluffy dust.
Three 400-ton double-point stamping machines were lined up in a row. The huge cast iron flywheels were stationary, and the guide pillars in the mold closing area had dried lubricating oil film remaining on them, which gleamed with a dull reflection under the dim light.
The yellow safety warning line on the ground has been worn and blurred by the rubber-soled shoes worn down by the workers.
Satsuki walked up to the nearest stamping machine and glanced down at the machine tool's nameplate—"Komatsu Manufacturing H2F-400, made in 1959 (Showa 59)."
"Komatsu's H2F series." Satsuki raised her gaze to Kono, "Manufactured in 1959, only six years ago. Is the mold-closing precision still within tolerance?"
Kono was taken aback. He hadn't expected that the girl in the navy blue sailor uniform in front of him could recognize the model and year of manufacture of the equipment at a glance.
"Yes, yes." Kono reacted, quickly stepped forward, and patted the dusty cast iron shell on the side of the stamping machine. "This batch of Komatsu machine tools uses ductile iron beds, which have extremely slow rigidity decay. We did a laser calibration before the machine was shut down last month, and the mold clearance was 0.02 mm, which is completely within the tolerance."
As Kono spoke, a hint of undisguised heartache crept into his voice.
"These three stamping machines were inspected by me personally at Komatsu headquarters with the former president. Each one cost 120 million yen. Now they're just sitting there, and the monthly rust prevention and maintenance costs are 200,000 yen."
Satsuki didn't reply. She walked around the stamping machine and headed towards the injection molding area deep inside the workshop.
Six Sumitomo Heavy Industries fully electric injection molding machines were neatly arranged, with their nozzles pointing in the same direction. The hopper covers of each machine were locked, and a handwritten "Stop and Store" label was affixed to the control panel.
"Endo." Satsuki stopped in her tracks.
Endo immediately pulled a bound report from his briefcase, turned to the third page, and handed it to Satsuki with both hands.
Satsuki took the report and quickly scanned the densely packed numbers.
"The Fukaya plant currently has 320 full-time employees," Endo reported in a low voice, standing half a step behind Satsuki. "Among them, there are 110 in the stamping department, 85 in the injection molding department, 60 in the assembly department, and 65 in quality control and administrative support."
Endo turned a page.
"Since the Ministry of Finance issued its loan cut-off order in March of this year, Toshiba has cut its subcontracting orders by 70%. The monthly capacity utilization rate of the Fukaya plant has fallen from 93% in the same period last year to the current 11%."
"At the current rate of fixed cost depletion," Endo Kazuyoshi reported, "the plant's cash flow will reach zero in forty-two days. At that time, we will be unable to pay employee salaries for October."
Kono stood to the side, his hands hanging at his sides, his fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of his work clothes pocket.
"Ms. Saionji," Kono's voice was slightly hoarse, "the brothers at the Fukaya factory are all veteran craftsmen who have been with me for over ten or twenty years. The youngest assembler has been doing this for eight years. I..."
He caught his words in his throat and swallowed.
"I only ask for one thing. No matter what happens to this factory, can we please not lay off any people? Keep these people here. Even if it means pay cuts and reduced working hours, as long as they still have a job."
Satsuki put the reports together and handed them back to Endo.
She looked at Kono and remained silent for two seconds.
"Director Kono," Satsuki's voice was calm, "I'm not here today to talk about layoffs."
Kono raised his head.
Satsuki turned her head and glanced at Endo.
Endo pulled a stack of blue-covered documents from a hidden compartment in his leather briefcase. He walked up to Kono and laid the documents flat on the stainless steel workbench of the injection molding machine next to him.
"SA Group Internal Personnel Transfer Intent Letter." Endo opened the cover and pointed to the terms summary on the first page. "Manager Kono, please take a look."
Kono bent down and squinted at the densely packed lead characters.
"All 320 full-time employees in the plant will retain their existing salary levels and seniority calculation bases. They will all be transferred to the Kanto Heavy Duty Hub Business Division of SA Logistics Co., Ltd. through a 'parallel transfer across business units within the group'."
Kono's finger stopped on the words "Retain existing salary and job level," his fingertips trembling slightly.
Endo continued.
"SA Logistics' Kanto hub is currently undergoing a large-scale expansion of its automated sorting centers in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, and Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture. There is a shortage of over 1,200 blue-collar workers. Experienced workers from the stamping and injection molding departments will be reassigned to maintain the heavy equipment and hydraulic systems on the sorting lines—these skills are directly relevant and there is no downgrading involved."
Endo's finger moved to the fourth page of the document.
"The assembly workers have been transferred to the finished product packaging and loading scheduling positions. Quality control personnel have been reassigned to the outbound re-inspection stage at the sorting terminal. Administrative and logistics staff have been reassigned to their original functions."
Endo closed the file and placed his hands in front of him.
"The relocation and reporting date is October 1st. At that time, the group's commuter shuttle bus will pick up and drop off employees at Shengu Station. Near Funabashi Hub, the group has rented two employee dormitories, equipped with a canteen and bathhouse, and the cost will be borne by SA Logistics."
Kono straightened up. His lips moved a few times, and a heavy breath escaped from his nose.
"Accept all, accept all? Not a single person will be laid off?"
"Not a single one will be laid off." Endo's tone remained unchanged. "For the first six months after the transfer, salaries will be exactly the same as for the original positions. After six months, performance will be reassessed according to the logistics hub's performance evaluation system, with higher pay for higher performance."
Kono's Adam's apple bobbed violently. He turned around, facing the silent stamping machines, and forcefully wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
"I'll go... I'll go notify the workshop right now."
Kono's voice was muffled in his chest, so hoarse it was almost inaudible. He grabbed the documents from the workbench and strode quickly out of the workshop.
After taking two steps, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and bowed deeply to Satsuki. His waist was bent at an angle almost parallel to the ground, his forehead facing the oil-stained cement floor.
"thank you."
Satsuki watched Kono stumble and run out of the workshop, then turned her gaze back to the row of silent stamping machines.
Endo.
"exist."
"After the personnel handover is completed, the factory area will be cleared." Satsuki walked to the nearest Komatsu stamping press and gently placed her fingers on the cold cast iron bed.
"The land use designation for this industrial site remains unchanged. Notify Saionji Construction to begin work in mid-October, demolish the existing factory structure, and recast the load-bearing foundation." Satsuki's fingers left the machine tool. "It will be converted into a freight transfer station for SA Logistics' northern Kanto hub. Fukaya is close to the intersection of the Joetsu Shinkansen and the Kantosu Expressway; keeping the location is more valuable than selling it."
Endo nodded and quickly jotted down the instruction in his notebook.
Satsuki turned and walked towards the injection molding area.
"Disassemble all the stamping machines, injection molding machines, and precision fixtures on the assembly line in situ." Her gaze swept over the six Sumitomo injection molding machines one by one. "Disconnect the hydraulic lines, cut the base bolts, and disassemble the electrical control cabinets and seal them separately. Use people from Dojima for the disassembly team; don't outsource."
Satsuki stopped in front of the last injection molding machine.
"All equipment is packed into rust-proof wooden crates lined with VCI vapor phase rust-proof film, and the outer shell of the crates is marked with SA." She raised her wrist and glanced at the dial. "The first batch of stamping equipment will arrive at the Daikoku Pier Heavy Cargo Terminal in Yokohama Port before the end of October and enter the bonded yard to await orders. The injection molding equipment and fixtures will follow closely behind, and all of them will arrive at the port before mid-November."
Endo's pen moved swiftly across the paper.
"Young Miss, the execution schedule will be very tight." Endo looked up. "The Fukaya plant is just the fastest progressing one at the moment. The other four bankrupt plants we acquired in the Kanto region earlier—Kawaguchi's precision casting, Tokorozawa's small motor winding, Ota's stamping die, and the front axle's electroplating line—are at different stages of equipment packaging. Some plants are even in the final stages of asset liquidation."
"Compact everything to the same timeframe." Satsuki's tone left no room for negotiation. "By the end of November, all complete sets of equipment from the five factories must be assembled at Yokohama Port. If you're even one day late, the person in charge of the dismantling will have to submit their resignation."
Is there some other plan in store?
Endo nodded silently to himself, closed the notebook, and stuffed it back into his briefcase.
"clear."