African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 593: Chapter 271 Dar es Salaam City Cable State-owned Factory 1

Dar es Salaam City.

”Factory Director Mori, how has your factory performed this year?”

”Director Waltz, I report that this year our production capacity has increased by nearly seven percent compared to last year, and foreign trade orders have increased by about three percent, especially with rapid growth in regions like the Far East.”

”Can you elaborate on why the factory’s performance is so good this year?”

”It mainly comes down to two aspects: firstly, we’ve recruited quite a few high school graduates this year. They have higher education, strong learning abilities, and adapt easily to work, which greatly alleviated our staffing pressure, solving the previous embarrassment of having no one to employ. Secondly, our workers’ technical skills have also become increasingly proficient over time.”

”Hmm, that’s right. With the personnel issue resolved, it’s understandable that productivity would increase. But have you resolved the machinery issues? Do you have enough machines?”

”Most of our machines are directly shipped from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, mainly provided by Heixinggen Power Company or Siemens. The construction of the factory was mostly directed by personnel from Heixinggen Power Company, so in terms of equipment, we haven’t encountered any obstacles. And as for the machines, there’s no worry there — we still have a production line we haven’t utilized yet. We plan to continue recruiting this year!”

Waltz nodded and said, ”So you’re saying that your factory actually has an excess of production machines and equipment, then why not complete the corresponding worker staffing now? Can’t ordinary workers do, must they be high school students?”

”Director Waltz, it’s not that our factory has high requirements, but rather it’s the industrial department’s requirement. Because this involves foreign trade, the industrial department also has high demands on our factory, so we can’t be careless when selecting workers. We don’t need many workers with a high school diploma, but being understaffed would definitely be problematic because we need to ensure product quality.”

”Is there some technique involved here?”

”To put it simply, operating the production equipment requires a lot of specialized knowledge; otherwise, they can’t even understand the manuals, let alone operate the machines. They also need a certain understanding of physics and chemistry; otherwise, if there’s an issue and the technicians explain it to the workers who don’t understand, it would be like playing the flute to a cow—completely pointless!”

This made Waltz understand, and he said to Mori, ”So, without a certain level of education, they can’t operate these machines?”

Mori shook his head and said, ”It’s not that simple. It’s not only about having a certain level of knowledge; they also need some understanding of electricity and physics. Of course, they don’t need to understand deeply because problems encountered in production are very different from those in learning. For example, in our factory, they’re mainly dealing with these large and clumsy mechanical devices, which students don’t encounter in textbooks.”

Waltz agreed with this point: ”I also went to elementary school in Germany, and I’m somewhat familiar with studying. It’s really not easy, but it broadens the mind. The main thing is learning to read and write, which greatly helps in life. However, since coming to East Africa, I’ve practically returned all my earlier knowledge.”

Mori: ”Haha, Director Waltz, high school studies differ greatly from elementary ones. Also, many East African high school students have practical courses. Schools like City High School No.1 and No.2 have internship spots at our factory every year, so their ability to adapt to new things is much stronger than us older folks.”

”Yes, indeed! Times are changing too fast now—trains, ships, large factories. Our generation is fortunate to witness the rapid development of Germany and East Africa. I was a Hanoverian, where is Factory Director Mori’s family from?”

Mori answered, ”I’m from Baden, in Southern Germany.”

”Then I suppose Factory Director Mori and I have both witnessed the rapid development of Germany and East Africa?”

Mori denied it, ”Not really; before migrating to East Africa, my family were farmers for generations, and I had never been to a city. Later, due to a drought and poor harvest, my family joined the wave of migrating to East Africa, so I truly haven’t seen the industrial development in the German region.”

Waltz was surprised by this and said to Mori, ”Then how did you later become a factory director in East Africa?”

Mori explained, ”I used to be in the military, but I had one advantage, which was a thirst for learning. Later, the army recommended me for school. Director Waltz, are you familiar with studying abroad?”

Waltz: ”Of course, I know, so you were sent to study in Germany at public expense and became a factory director in a turnaround?”

Mori said, ”It’s not that simple. The main reason is that I had gained several merits on the battlefield and was later injured, which prevented me from strenuous activity, so I had to retire. However, because of my strong learning ability, the army helped me apply for a study-abroad spot.”

Waltz: ”Were you assigned directly as a factory director after graduation?”

Mori: ”There were definitely some twists and turns. I interned at Heixinggen Power Company for a while, and when I returned to East Africa, with my military background and internship experience at Heixinggen Power Company, they appointed me as the factory director.”

Mori made it sound easy, but these matters indicated that his record was quite impressive. Being recommended for overseas study by the military generally means having significant achievements, and the fact that Mori became a factory director shows he must have served in East Africa quite early.

Waltz speculated that possibly during the colonial era, Mori was a military officer, otherwise, he couldn’t have become the factory director of the state-owned cable factory in Dar es Salaam City.

So Waltz asked Mori, ”Factory Director Mori, what was your rank in the military before you retired?”

Mori: ”I retired as a major.”

Waltz: ”That makes sense, then your comrades must have been extraordinary as well.”

Mori didn’t speak, just smiled. Indeed, East African officers are usually extraordinary, even after retirement. Being able to become the factory director of the state-owned cable factory in Dar es Salaam City involved a lot of luck, but it did indeed make him much more fortunate compared to many East Africans.

After learning some of Mori’s personal background, Waltz’s attitude towards Mori changed significantly. He said to Mori, ”Factory Director Mori, as you know, the state-owned cable factory in Dar es Salaam City is a nationally important enterprise under the jurisdiction of the industrial department and the province, though most of our capacity is prioritized for domestic use, we’re somewhat weaker when it comes to exports—recently, our foreign trade department has a large order in the Far East requiring a batch of submarine cables. There’s a directive to use our self-produced products, and my visit this time is for this matter.”

Mori said, ”How much do you need?”

Waltz: ”It’s quite a large amount, mainly to lay a submarine cable in the Far East. The distance is certainly not short, and the material quality is required, so your production tasks next year will be very heavy.”