Chapter 417: Chapter 250: Sample Dispute and Exhibition_2
Each section of a fishing rod serves a different function, and whether the entire rod can bear the load affects its ultimate performance. The combination of carbon cloth models plays a decisive role in performance as well. The performance differs with fishing rods of different sizes, and there are many factors to consider, requiring a certain level of expertise.
To launch our own fishing rod product, the company found a professional OEM manufacturer last winter, and invested upfront in design requirements, initial sampling and development costs, and even mold costs. We even signed contracts for orders and development.
Getting a sample in a few months is certainly not a problem. But now, the samples are still not ready, which Zhang Yang finds somewhat peculiar.
In the following days, the company entered a state of preparation for the fishing tackle exhibition. The self-media team was relatively free, spending their time either ice fishing at a reservoir or chatting and drinking tea at the fishing tackle store, living leisurely.
Unknowingly, another week passed. After the Lantern Festival, the New Year festivities were completely over. While other work in the company was orderly, the fishing rod samples Zhang Yang pinned high hopes on still hadn’t been sent!
After Zhang Yang asked a few times, even old Zhao sensed something was off and sent Xiao Chen, who is in charge of this area, directly to the factory location in Weihai!
W City is not very far from Weihai, only a few hundred kilometers. Xiao Chen started off with two employees in the company car and arrived at the destination that evening.
The next morning, a call came in, and after listening to it, old Zhao immediately got angry!
Xiao Chen became the supervisor of the Product Development Department at the company due to his sharp mind. To probe into the sample issues, he didn’t contact any company officials before coming but snuck in quietly.
Upon arriving at the OEM Handa Fishing Rod Factory, Xiao Chen didn’t show himself directly. Instead, he had a subordinate communicate briefly under the guise of investigating cooperation with the factory boss, and they took the opportunity to inspect the production workshop.
Upon seeing, they discovered a big problem!
Not a single product of Famous Fishing Tackle Company was seen, but the same type of black pit fishing rods with the Overlord Halberd trademark were being produced tirelessly.
Upon learning this, Supervisor Chen was instantly furious and immediately called old Zhao at the company.
It was clear that the OEM deal for the fishing rods was a scam!
It’s not that the products weren’t made, but the fishing rod boss had other ideas, using Zhang Yang Company’s costs and design concepts to produce rods with different coatings to capture the currently nearly vacant black pit fishing rod market.
After understanding the real situation from the call, the usually calm and composed old Zhao immediately went ballistic and called Zhang Yang. He gathered all the male employees of the company, including fishing streamers, and a dozen burly men chartered a bus directly to Weihai.
The car, with license plates from W City, drove straight into the factory gate, led by employees who had pre-surveyed the premises. A group of fierce-looking guys rushed into the production workshop!
By the time the OEM factory owner got the news and rushed over with people, old Zhao had already had the new rod molds and materials like the carbon cloth purchased upfront promptly loaded onto the vehicle.
The carbon cloth was secondary; the new rod mold was crucial at the current time node. Customizing this thing takes a long period. To get the sample ready before the exhibition, customizing anew was certainly too late. Getting hold of the mold originally belonging to their company was the best solution currently.
Though the situation developed to this point from normal order cooperation into a brazen act of forceful close-range conflict, the fishing rod factory, being at fault, was caught red-handed and didn’t dare to stand up to these sturdy men.
The conflict ultimately alarmed the local police, but Zhang Yang and the others were very restrained and did not commit assaults or damages. With the matter being a contractual economic dispute, the police station could only mediate.
Going back and forth, after dawdling until that evening, a verbal agreement was reached. Zhang Yang and his people were allowed to leave with the mold and part of the carbon cloth materials, and the OEM development cooperation was thus ended inconclusively!
Seeing this, some might criticize: wasn’t there a contract? Sue them! Let the court ruin them!
Theoretically, this can indeed be done, and the chances of winning are indeed very high. However, any adult with a bit of societal experience, unless absolutely cornered, would certainly not choose to sue.
Now that the exhibition is imminent, there isn’t much time to fuss. Bringing back the complete set of molds and related drawings basically achieved Zhang Yang’s demands. Although there’s a bit of a concession, considering market competition, this small loss is still acceptable.
After obtaining the molds and design drawings, old Zhao immediately contacted another OEM manufacturer overnight through a friend. The next day, they finalized the specific sample production cooperation, leaving Xiao Chen in the factory to oversee, fearing any more problems.
Despite some twists and turns, the company still managed to get the complete set of sample rods in hand before setting off for the exhibition, finally able to participate in the show normally.
On the 22nd of the first lunar month, the company dispatched 16 people in total, traveling in several vehicles carrying the entire series of products and custom exhibition shelves and other materials, heading to the Tianjin Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center!
After nine hours of expressway travel, the company team arrived at the pre-booked hotel before dark. The standard rooms were two-person per room, with the fare jacked up due to the exhibition, costing over three hundred a night.
Having traveled all day, everyone was exhausted and went to bed early. As the leaders, old Zhao and Zhang Yang met up with a few friends in the field for a gathering. The details need not be elaborated.
Early the next day, before dawn, everyone was given a wake-up call by old Zhao, who knocked on each door. It was the day for early entry to set up the booths. Fishing tackle manufacturers from all over the country would be heading to the convention center, leaving early to avoid traffic congestion.
Thanks to old Zhao’s wise judgment, over a dozen people driving two vans and a box truck successfully arrived at the exhibition center before eight o’clock. After passing the permit check, they headed to the venue through the professional vendor channel.
Setting up a day early, the exhibition hall wasn’t open to the public. The participating vendors, along with their employees, carried their samples and various materials for use in the exhibition hall to their designated spots to set up booths, waiting for the official start the next day.
Building the booth was mostly physical work: transporting, pasting, arranging, and displaying samples. A group of people worked busily for half a day and completed the setup task by around three in the afternoon.
After the booth setup was finished, Zhang Yang didn’t idle and rest. He gathered with Han Qiang, Wang Yan, and others and wandered around the exhibition hall.
A group of people who take fishing as both work and a career, entering the exhibition hall was like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden. Whether it was a well-known large factory or niche fishing gear, they stopped and looked everywhere, chatting when encountering congenial peers.
Through casual wandering, Zhang Yang was also analyzing the general situation of the current domestic fishing tackle market.
Overall, the products of most fishing tackle companies still mainly focus on conventional wild fishing and natural water areas like lakes and reservoirs. Cutting-edge fishing gear brands with clear positioning, like Famous Fishing Tackle Company, are uncommon.
Although the exhibition hadn’t started yet, Zhang Yang could already foresee that once it did, their orders would definitely experience explosive growth.
While Zhang Yang was in a good mood, chatting with his companions, his face suddenly turned stern, and he frowned.
Not far from Zhang Yang’s company booth, a large promotional poster was hanging.
Weihai Lediao Tianxia Fishing Tackle, nationwide debut of the Overlord Halberd Black Pit Fishing Rod series!