chapter 9
9 episodes
When the skeleton activates the altar machine, the fabric is cut neatly.
As the skeleton hands the cut fabric aside, another skeleton begins sewing with a sewing machine.
come and go!
A pair of shoes was finally completed when the skeletons lined up like that went through a series of processes.
“how about it?”
Kim Deok-bae looked at his shoes with a bewildered expression and said.
“Hey, is this okay?”
The first question arises whether it is good or bad, but whether this is okay.
I shrugged and said.
“Are there any problems? It’s not against the law.”
“Yeah, but that’s it.”
“Look at your shoes. how about it?”
These shoes were made by inserting commands as instructed by Kim Deok-bae and the staff.
Of course, the result was a mess.
The quality is enough to make you think that someone might have made it as a joke.
“It’s better than I thought, but it’s probably a little bit better than what a person did.”
Kim Deok-bae looked at me and tried to pretend to be nice, but that wasn’t what I needed.
“Tell me where the problem is, not that abstract answer.”
“…the stitching here is a little clumsy. There was a gap because the shot was taken at a right angle.”
“OK.”
I immediately tuned the magic command to the skeleton in charge of that part.
“A little more. It’s like going back to a circle.”
After completing the tuning, I instructed the skeleton to make the shoes again, and the next experimental piece that was completed again.
Kim Deok-bae swallowed dry saliva and said.
“… it has been fixed.”
“Yes?”
“Instead, a little more this way……”
Tuning tests continued under the advice of Kim Deok-bae.
After four hours of tuning, Kim Deok-bae finally nodded and said for the first time.
“This is . . . pretty reasonable.”
“Yes?”
In the first place, such light industry itself does not require large enough skills that even unskilled workers can put it into work.
That is why light industry is an industry that is mainly fostered in underdeveloped countries where technology is low but cheap labor is abundant.
As such, for me, who has perfected the combat macro, which is the peak of the variable, this is not a big deal.
“Let’s go on. These guys are surprisingly quick to learn. haha. Besides, once you learn it, you hardly ever make a mistake.”
Anyway, once the stitching method is perfectly macro and applied, it is easy from then on.
Every time you change the design, you just have to slightly modify the movement accordingly.
This is a task optimized for skeletons.
Then, Kim Deok-bae looked at me and said.
“By the way, are you really going to make this design?”
“why?”
“I designed it, but it has nothing to do with the latest sneakers from famous manufacturers. The value of the name is pushed back, and the design is also falling.”
It’s good to be honest.
But it doesn’t matter.
“It’s cheaper. Calculate the cost.”
“cost accounting?”
“It’s simple. These guys here don’t need labor costs, so we only need to calculate the cost of raw materials and electricity.”
Kim Deok-bae said with a blank expression at my words.
“No labor cost…? Is the labor cost almost half?”
Kim Deok-bae, who began to calculate as if possessed by something, said in amazement.
“Four, three thousand won?!”
I said with a relaxed expression.
“Besides, these guys don’t eat or sleep 24 hours a day. No food costs, no labor costs, and even unlimited overtime.”
“Then they are saying that it can be cheaper because it is mass-produced… Even made in China can’t match this unit price!”
Also, I was right.
The core of light industry is the labor cost, and I think that labor cost is free beyond the cheap level.
Of course, it costs a bone to build it the first time, but considering the money the skeleton will make, that’s nothing.
“It is cheap and mass-produced and sold overseas. Of course, maker shoes are nice, but not everyone in the world wears only maker shoes.”
Any place where cheap Chinese shoes are sold is my target.
All that matters to them is the price.
Of course, the margin won’t be high, but that’s enough if you push the amount of skeletons and win with sheep.
Isn’t this patriotism?
It is to build up the dying shoe export industry as a skeleton.
“how about it. Isn’t this enough?”
Kim Deok-bae said with his eyes shining.
“It’s not good enough. At this price, it is comparable to used shoes that are not made in China. Of course, you will overwhelmingly prefer new shoes over used ones. In addition, if the quality of production is matched to this level of production price … it may be possible to obtain consignment production from the manufacturer.”
“yes?”
Taking consignment production from the maker?
“What do you mean?”
*
I said with my eyes shining.
“So, design and sales are all taken care of by the manufacturer, and the factory only manufactures?”
A consignment production method in which a maker designs shoes and produces the shoes designed in that way through a local factory with low labor costs.
Whereas custom-made production is about selecting and modifying one of the lineups made by the factory, consignment production means that if the manufacturer determines everything related to shoes, from design to quantity, the factory literally entrusts the product and produces it on behalf of the manufacturer. .
“I thought the makers were running their own factories?”
So, from the beginning, we aimed for low-cost shoes.
“You can think of a manufacturer that runs a factory directly. It’s all commissioned, so it’s run on an OEM basis.”
“Why don’t you run it yourself?”
“Of course because of production cost savings and efficiency. You don’t need to hire staff, you don’t need production equipment, you just place an order and you’re done. This isn’t just a shoe thing, it’s a global trend. Right now, even the famous Apple phones make all their products in an OEM way.”
“Ohh?”
The maker is responsible for the most troublesome design and sales?
Then, if you empty your head and make as ordered by the maker, you will get money.
Would it be perfect?
“The reason Korean shoes were famous in the past is because they were made with low labor costs by receiving consignment production from such a famous maker. It has now moved to China and Southeast Asia. However······.”
Kim Deok-bae said with a bright smile.
“If the unit price is like this, we may be able to take away the quantity from it. We are much cheaper, and Korea’s infrastructure network is world-class. Of course, the process will not be easy.”
Anyway, you mean there’s a chance?
Originally, I was thinking of making and selling cheap shoes or a hodgepodge, but there is such a honey-like trading method.
“OEM is a consignment production method. Do you really like this?”
Of course, this is the situation itself.
Because it is a de facto subcontractor who has to match the design and the order quantity as desired from the other side.
But there is a thing called Super Eul in the world.
Just like the people of the Seron Continent, who were the only ones holding the key to summoning me and sending me back, but who looked at me and gave me all kinds of gold and silver treasures up to the point in time when I was sent back.
Are you okay?
Let’s try it.
Once you try it, if you see a possibility, go straight ahead.
I said with a smile.
“Anyway, in order to receive the consignment production or something, you have to grow in size and prove your skills, right? Let’s make it at once. Let’s make a lot of peeling and spread it out.”
*
“Hmm.”
Lim Yong-gi was a trader who traded between Korea and China.
In China, consumer goods are mainly bought and sold to Korea, and in Korea, various electronic products and parts are bought and sold.
However, a few days ago, a wholesaler who was dealing with him arranged a meeting saying that the president of a shoe factory was looking for an export buyer.
Of course, the recruiter was sullen.
“Nowhere else, is the unit price of Korean shoes right for China?”
There were many Korean companies looking for buyers to find export routes.
Naturally, China, with its huge domestic market, was particularly attractive.
However, except for a small number of well-known brand products, general products were hardly available in China.
The reason, of course, is the price.
Even if it wasn’t, it was made in Korea, where labor costs are expensive, and it had to go through customs clearance across the water, so there was no way it could compete with cheap Chinese products.
Nevertheless, the reason for coming out like this was to save the face of a wholesaler, a long-time customer.
“Let’s just listen to the story in moderation.”
So we arrived at a shoe factory in Gyeonggi-do.
Just looking at the small thing, the anticipation fades even more.
As for light industrial products such as shoes, economies of scale were applied more strongly, and the unit price fell as they mass-produced.
But what if I’ve already made an appointment?
Lim Yong-gi patted his face and took care of his expression before calling.
-Yes, Mr. Im!
“I have arrived!”
-ah! That’s right! I’m leaving right away!
Then, after a while, Kim Deok-bae, who had promised to see me today, came out from the small office next door.
“welcome. Did it take you long?”
Lim Yong-gi said with a bright smile.
“no. It wasn’t too far away, huh?”
“Would you like a cup of coffee in the office?”
At that, Lim Yong-gi thought with a smile on his face.
‘What a waste of time coffee.’
However, Lim Yong-gi said with an apologetic expression unlike his intentions.
“That’s… I want to do it too, but I have an appointment next time.”
“ah. That’s right.”
“Can I see things first?”
At Lim Yong-gi’s words, Kim Deok-bae said with a confident expression.
“All right. This is it.”
Lim Yong-gi entered the factory under the guidance of Kim Deok-bae.
At that moment, the sound of a sewing machine running around was heard through the screen next to it.
come and go!
“Is this a production line?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you install this screen? I think it would be difficult to just go back and forth.”
Then Kim Deok-bae said with an awkward expression.
“ah. Because that is our principle.”
“That’s right.”
Lim Yong-gi went to the warehouse with Kim Deok-bae without making any fuss at all, though he thought that it was only the worst price while making shoes.
By the way.
“uh?”
Shoes piled up in a warehouse.
“What is all this?”
“This is what I’m going to show you today.”
“Is this?”
Having done business with numerous factories, the appointment could be noticed at once.
This is definitely a 100% bulk order, but it’s a canceled product.
‘It’s because you’re stupid and just take any order. What did you make so many of?’
Of course, there was nothing wrong with being an order-cancelled item.
As long as it is not a defective product, it can be purchased at a low price by targeting the disadvantages of the factory.
But how cheap would it be to buy Korean-made shoes?
“Let’s see······.”
Yonggi Lim checked the condition of the shoes without much expectation.
‘Not bad.’
Shoes of just the same quality that Yonggi had envisioned.
The design was good and the materials used were cheap, so it was literally an optimized shoe for just using it.
The problem is still the price.
‘It’s a canceled item, so even if you hit me… 8,000? Seven thousand?’
Considering the logistics cost, such as shipping by ship, the chances of these shoes being sold successfully in China were zero.
‘If it’s 6,000 won, I might think about it a bit.’
In fact, this is the level at which a Korean factory has to sell at a loss.
But other than this, there was no merit for the appointment period.
Fortunately, this was considered because of the Made in Korea mark.
‘a. Just don’t buy it. I just bought it for nothing and I think only bad stock will accumulate.’
At that time, Kim Deok-bae looked at the appointment and said,
“How are you?”
After making the decision not to buy, Yonggi Lim nodded and said.
“Honestly, I can’t say it’s excellent, but… well, it’s not bad, there’s nothing really wrong with it.”
“Yes? haha. I think so too.”
“How many models are there?”
“All models are the same, only three colors are slightly different.”
Lim Yong-gi thought with a colder look on his face.
‘Single model? This is the worst.’
It takes more time to digest such a quantity with a single model.
Lim Yong-gi, who had lowered all expectations like that, said.
“Looks good.”
Kim Deok-bae said cautiously.
“How much will it be?”
“I’ll give you five thousand won.”
Appointment Yonggi raised the price so hard from the beginning that he raised 5,000 won to make it a no-brainer.
Then Kim Deok-bae said with a surprised expression.
“5,000 won!?”
“It’s because there are so many things to consider, starting with logistics costs. haha.”
Now it’s time to get rejected and go back.
“So many?”
At that moment, he thought he had heard the wrong thing.
‘many? what? Did I look at the shoes wrong?’
Embarrassed Lim Yong-gi thought as he checked the material of the shoes.
‘Is that right? With this material, it wouldn’t be a complete loss if it was 5,000 for this size. Even if we only calculate the labor costs and raw materials, it would be at least 6,000 won, right?’
Kim Deok-bae said with a satisfied expression.
“We thought about 3,700 won, but that’s really generous.”
“3,700!? These shoes?”
“Yes.”
“no······.”
At an unbelievable unit price, Yonggi Lim looked at the shoes again and said.
“Is it a defect?”
“Is it possible?”
“Then it was made in China, took only Made in Korea, and then went back to this place… No, but the unit price isn’t right?”
At 3,700, it is almost cheaper than the unit price produced by a local factory in China.
It’s a single model, but at this price, even Made in Korea.
It was clear that even if the whole was sold to a local wholesaler in China, a profit would be left unconditionally.
“We are looking for a way to dramatically reduce labor costs . . . haha. By the way, if you buy all of them, we will give you 3,500.”
“Yes!?”
It’s so cheap I can’t believe it.
“Isn’t this really a defect?”
“You write a contract, and if there is a defect, I will refund you.”
“No… this doesn’t make sense, is it?”
“There is a way to make it all make sense. Oh, by the way.”
Kim Deok-bae said with a soft smile.
“We also make to order, and at the same unit price.”
The appointment felt intuitively.
If all of those words are true, you may have a good chance.
Lim Yong-gi said, wriggling the corners of his mouth.
“The next appointment seems to have been cancelled, so why don’t we have a cup of coffee together and talk for a while?”