Chapter 74: Production Challenges and Equipment Procurement

Chapter 74: Production Challenges and Equipment Procurement

Registering a patent in Hong Kong was relatively straightforward, especially with Zhang Weida's connections. While not particularly powerful, they were sufficient to avoid any bureaucratic trouble. By that very afternoon, Yang Wendong received the official confirmation of his patent registration.

And once a patent was registered in Hong Kong, member countries of the Paris Convention were covered — as long as he filed in those countries within the next six months. This was the same process he had followed with his earlier glue board patent.

For non-Paris Convention countries, Yang selected over twenty additional nations and authorized Zhang Weida to file patent applications there. Of course, this process would take more time.

After completing the filings, Zhang Weida smiled and said, "Mr. Yang, I calculated it — excluding China and the Warsaw Pact countries, the nations you've registered your patent in today account for about 80% of global GDP."

"Yeah, sounds about right," Yang replied, nodding. "The remaining 20% either have no patent systems, or they're just too poor to care. We'll leave those for later if needed."

In the 1950s, many countries were still embroiled in war or trapped in severe poverty. Patent systems were either nonexistent or meaningless. A product like the sticky note was naturally tailored for developed, office-heavy economies.

Zhang smiled. "Then let me be the first to congratulate you on starting what could be a new commercial legend."

"Thanks. I'm hoping it goes well too." Yang chuckled.

While sticky notes had been a massive success in the modern era, bringing the same result to the 1950s wasn't guaranteed. A good product was one thing — being able to market and distribute it across the globe was another.

3M, the original maker, was a world-class conglomerate with established channels. Yang's glue board, for instance, had already missed out on the U.S. market simply because he lacked the necessary connections and infrastructure.

Perhaps good products would eventually find their markets, but for someone who knew the future, speed and timing were everything. Certain opportunities, once missed, could never be recovered.

Still, before worrying about global sales, Yang needed to tackle the problem of production. Unlike glue boards, sticky notes couldn't be made by hand. No matter how cheap labor was, mass production required machinery.

Five days later, Yang's office was stacked with cardboard boxes filled with neatly cut paper squares.

Su Yiyi, covered in glue and bits of paper, smiled. "Dong-ge, I think I've gotten the hang of it. All the sheets stick with about the same strength now."

"Not bad," Yang said as he picked up a few and examined them. "Practice makes perfect. But this process is way too slow, and there's no way you can stack hundreds perfectly."

Su Yiyi pouted. "I'm doing my best. But these papers are really hard to cut to the exact same size. And sticking them evenly is even harder."

"No human can do it consistently," Yang said gently. "Let's wait for Liming's update."

"Okay." Su Yiyi nodded and returned reluctantly to her glue-sticking tasks.

A few minutes later, Zhao Liming walked in.

"Well?" Yang asked.

Zhao shook his head. "No good, Dong-ge. I've visited several equipment manufacturers in the last few days. They all said they can't do it. Hong Kong doesn't have a paper industry, so no one makes automated paper cutters here."

"So that means…" Yang frowned. "We'll have to rely on someone completely new to develop it?"

That was what he had been trying to avoid. It was always better to find someone with similar experience. A new project meant longer timelines and higher failure risk — a waste of precious time.

Zhao added, "There's one more option. One of the engineers recommended a Japanese equipment firm in Osaka. They specialize in machines for cutting books and newspapers."

"Japan, huh?" Yang's eyes lit up. "Alright, let's ask them."

Having spent months studying the manufacturing landscape in Hong Kong, Yang knew the limitations.

Before the Korean War, Hong Kong's economy was built on trade. But when international sanctions hit, many traders shifted into manufacturing to survive, and the industrial sector began to grow. But even by the 1950s, most factories were still low-end workshops, producing textiles and plastic goods at the most basic level.

By contrast, Japan's industrial sector had rebounded rapidly from the ruins of World War II, thanks to its well-educated population and the stimulus from the Korean War. Japan had already reclaimed its position as Asia's industrial powerhouse.

Many of Hong Kong's wealthiest shipping magnates ordered their cargo ships from Japan, which showed just how powerful Japanese manufacturing had become.

Zhao said, "Dong-ge, Japanese equipment is great, but I'm guessing it'll be expensive."

"Our machine won't be huge. Let's start by customizing one unit, test it, and take it from there," Yang said. "If our product sells and orders come in, I'll even take out loans to keep producing."

Six months ago, Yang's operations were small. All his products could be made by hand, and thanks to the protection of patents, there was no need to expand aggressively or take on debt.

That was rare in business. Most ventures relied heavily on bank loans to grow — even Li Ka-shing did in his early days.

Now, though, building a new product like sticky notes meant a different level of capital investment.

Many entrepreneurs hit this wall and backed down. But those who pushed through it were the ones who eventually stood at the top.

Zhao nodded. "Alright, I'll set up a meeting with them and see what we can work out."

"Good." Yang nodded.

Three days later, Yang met with Qin Zhinan, a Hong Kong Chinese businessman representing Kaga Machinery Company, based in Osaka, Japan.

Qin was just a trading rep, so Yang didn't waste time with pleasantries. He handed over a packet of documents and a sealed envelope. "Mr. Qin, these are the technical specs I'm requesting. And inside this envelope is a sample of the product I want to make."

"Understood." Qin respectfully took the documents and prototype, reviewed them for a moment, then said, "Mr. Yang, this is quite simple. It's essentially cutting paper and applying glue. Many book-binding machines work on a similar principle. We could modify existing models for your needs."

"Perfect. I'll be waiting for your good news," Yang said, shaking his hand.

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