However, there were still many problems to overcome to achieve this goal.
The current scale of the farm was also insufficient.
Although the farm had been expanding as the factory grew, it could now output five thousand pigs annually.
However, this number was clearly not enough once the ham sausages were launched.
Finding another reliable farm to cooperate with was a very important issue at hand.
Su Xiaotian felt that Su Xiaosi could handle this problem.
Given Su Xiaosi's current development, Su Xiaotian had every reason to believe he could definitely manage it.
Even more significant than the farm issue was that current production capacity was starting to lag behind.
Although the factory had eight production lines, it was still far from enough to truly expand its scale.
To truly develop, the factory would need at least ten more production lines, and these would have to be imported from abroad.
In the near future, she would need to communicate with Miss Christina to ask if she could import production lines from Germany through the Fesenger company.
Su Xiaotian sat in her office, thinking and listing these problems one by one, then planning solutions.
Once the factory's production capacity increased, the cold storage issue would need to be addressed.
The cold storage built by the factory itself only had a storage capacity of thirty tons. While it was barely sufficient before, with the current development, it was far from meeting the factory's requirements.
The only solution was to build a new large cold storage facility.
Most of the meat processing plants in Beijing had large cold storage facilities, with some even having more than one.
In this regard, it had to be admitted that state-owned meat processing plants had a greater advantage than their private food factories.
She was not short of money now, but she lacked space.
The land purchased initially was only this large, and further expansion was unlikely.
Under the current economic conditions, purchasing another plot of land was almost impossible.
To overcome the current predicament, a different approach was needed.
When Lei Gaochao entered, he saw Su Xiaotian frowning and scribbling on paper.
"Little boss, why do you look so worried?"
Lei Gaochao thought that the boss should be happy with the new product about to launch, but why was she like this?
It shouldn't be!
Su Xiaotian asked Lei Gaochao to sit down.
"Factory Director Lei, with the ham sausages about to launch, I believe our factory's development will be even faster. But have you noticed, Factory Director Lei, that our factory's development has reached a plateau, or rather, a bottleneck?"
Su Xiaotian suddenly posed this question, and Lei Gaochao momentarily wondered if he had misheard.
The current situation was excellent; why would the boss say this?
But soon, Lei Gaochao understood what the boss meant.
The factory's development was indeed at a plateau, just as the boss had said.
Although the factory now had many products with good sales, and some products were even exported overseas, the problems were actually quite serious.
Their insufficient production capacity was already becoming apparent. Su Dan Novel Network
Before, they needed to find people to specifically handle sales, but now, they were hesitant to accept some orders.
"Little boss, there are indeed some issues. I've also thought about how to solve them, but so far, I haven't found a suitable method."
Factory Director Lei was a very forthright person.
Since he recognized the shortcomings, he naturally had to state them openly.
"Have you inquired about the news of other meat processing plants in Beijing recently?"
Su Xiaotian asked after drawing a circle on the paper.
As far as she knew, there were five meat processing plants in Beijing.
These five meat processing plants were under different jurisdictions; some were under the district level, and some were under the municipal level.
However, regardless of their jurisdiction, they all faced a common problem: under the economic opening, they were not well-adapted to the current market economy.
Therefore, these meat processing plants did not have many orders, and some were even facing production suspension.
The direct result of production suspension was a severe impact on workers' incomes.
Factory Director Lei understood; his boss already had a plan and was likely intending to acquire one of the meat processing plants to expand production scale.
However, hadn't the boss heard the saying, "a starved camel is bigger than a horse"?
Even if state-owned factories were not performing well, they were still not comparable to their small private enterprise.
Was the boss's idea too arrogant?
"Little boss, I'm afraid it's not feasible!"
Su Xiaotian chuckled, "Are you thinking I intend to acquire a state-owned meat processing plant?"
Seeing Su Xiaotian say this with a smile, Factory Director Lei inexplicably felt relieved.
It was good that she didn't have such unrealistic ideas.
Although Lu Xiangxiang's development was rapid, it would take at least three to four more years to acquire a state-owned meat processing plant.
"We don't need to acquire state-owned meat processing plants, but we can cooperate."
"Cooperate?" Lei Gaochao had not expected Su Xiaotian to say the word "cooperate."
Private factories and state-owned factories were not on equal footing; how could they choose to cooperate?
"Little boss, state-owned factories look down on us!"
This was not a lack of confidence, but a fact.
For state-owned factories, even with the market economy, their superior position could not be changed.
It wasn't just the factories that were superior; even the workers in the factories had a sense of superiority that others did not.
After all, they had stable income and would have pensions upon retirement, which others could not compare to.
"We have to try. I believe some meat processing plants might agree. Our orders are also orders."
Su Xiaotian firmly believed that using orders to attract people would definitely work.
"But, little boss, if our production lines' orders are produced in other factories, won't there be a risk of formula leakage?"
The formula was the factory's core secret. If other factories learned the formula, they could completely replace them.
"The formulas from a few years ago do not have a high market share now. Let's use these formulas to test the waters!"
Su Xiaotian had only suddenly come up with this idea and did not have a perfect response.
However, the factory was not lacking in formulas now.
In recent years, due to the incentive mechanism, the research and development department had developed many new products, and these products now had a market share exceeding the initial formulas provided by Su Xiaotian.
As old products of the factory, they still had a certain sales volume and generated some orders annually.
Using such small orders to test the waters was within Su Xiaotian's controllable risk range.
"I understand, little boss. I will immediately find a way to contact the heads of several meat processing plants in Beijing."
Su Xiaotian nodded, "If the other party absolutely refuses, we can use a leasing method. We can lease their idle production lines, their cold storage, or even their workers!"
Lei Gaochao found it both amusing and exasperating.
Leasing production lines, cold storage, and even workers – in essence, what was the difference from cooperation?
But upon closer thought, there seemed to be some differences.
Never mind, in any case, any method would be beneficial to them, and that was enough.
"Let's prepare separately. We will try to negotiate cooperation with other factories, and at the same time, we will find another location to build a branch factory."
Lei Gaochao agreed to everything.
"In addition, as our order volume gradually increases, the supply of live pigs and chicken is likely to be insufficient."
"I came to see you today precisely to discuss this matter."
"Factory Director Lei, what are your thoughts?"
"In recent times, the supply of live pigs and chicken has clearly been insufficient. I went to the farm a couple of days ago, and there is no possibility of expansion there."
Su Xiaotian was also aware of this, so she nodded.
"I asked Uncle Su, and he also has no good solution. He said that if we increase the breeding volume further, it would be excessive and detrimental to the growth of the pigs and chickens."
Su Xiaotian fully trusted the judgment of the Su老大 couple.
Although they were not highly educated, they had been doing the same thing for years. In this matter, they were both professionals.
If they said there was no way to increase the breeding volume, then there truly was no way.
"We will have to procure live pigs and chickens from outside!"
Su Xiaotian nodded, "That's what I was thinking too. I'll have someone inquire about this matter first. If there are suitable farms, Factory Director Lei can arrange for someone to negotiate."
"Okay, little boss."
"We can directly choose to cooperate with farms, where the farms provide excellent live pigs and live chickens, or we can directly acquire them and hire our own people to raise them."
Su Xiaotian's straightforward answer made Lei Gaochao once again feel how fortunate it was to follow a decisive boss.
He had actually been worried that Su Xiaotian might be indecisive on this matter.
After all, the initial decision to build their own farm was to firmly control the raw materials in their own hands.
One reason was to ensure food safety and the safety of ingredients; the other was to avoid being controlled by others.
After resolving the issues with the processing plant, Su Xiaotian then went to the farm.
The farm had been managed by the couple Su老大 and Wang Xianghua for years.
After a few years, the couple now looked even better spirited than when they were in Nanling Village.
Perhaps it was because their two sons were already married, leaving only Su Xiaoliu, or perhaps it was because life here was simpler. In any case, Su Xiaotian was happy to see them both in good spirits.
"Xiaotian, I heard earlier that you went to the food factory, and I guessed you would come. The meat is already cooking; braised pork ribs, your favorite."
Wang Xianghua was so affectionate towards Su Xiaotian that she wished she could examine her from head to toe.
Su Xiaotian smiled and hugged Wang Xianghua's arm, saying, "Auntie, I knew you doted on me."
"My child, I didn't see you last time I went home. Your grandmother said you were on a business trip. You look thinner again; are you too busy with work to eat?"
Su Xiaotian subconsciously pinched her cheeks.
Did she look thinner?
She didn't feel it at all and had even gained a pound when she weighed herself. Why did everyone say she looked thinner?
Well, there was a kind of thinness called "my family thinks I'm thin."
"Auntie, I'm fine. Besides, isn't being slender fashionable now? I'm not considered thin."
"Don't listen to those people talking nonsense. Being a little plump brings good fortune; what's so good about being skinny? Eat more later to nourish yourself. Don't ruin your health for the sake of being slender!"
When Wang Xianghua heard this, she became concerned. Did the young girl not eat for the sake of appearance?
In the past two years, she didn't know why, but everyone said that being skinny was beautiful.
With such a stick-like figure, it would have been difficult to find a husband a few years ago.
Who would want a weakling who couldn't lift anything or carry anything as a daughter-in-law?
"I say, you shouldn't live in the dormitory anymore. How can a dormitory be as comfortable as home? And the food and drinks are definitely not as good as at home."
Wang Xianghua rambled on, but Su老大 interrupted her.
"Look at you, the child just arrived, and you're not offering her water, but talking about all this? Aren't you afraid she'll get annoyed?"
As soon as Su老大 finished speaking, Wang Xianghua glared at him.
"What kind of talk is that? Don't you know to pour some water for Tianbao yourself? The drinks that the eldest son and his wife brought last time, pour some for Xiaotian."
With Wang Xianghua's words, Su老大 could only rub his nose and comply.
If he had known, he shouldn't have said anything and just poured the drinks.
Su Xiaotian was curious when she heard the word "drinks."
"Auntie, what good things did my eldest brother and sister-in-law bring you when they came?"
"A green bottle, it looked quite nice, but the name was strange, and I couldn't remember it. Your Uncle and I drank a bottle; it was sweet and tasted quite good. I was thinking of sending some to your home in a couple of days so you could try it too."
Although Su Xiaotian hadn't figured out what kind of drink it was, she was deeply touched by Wang Xianghua's care.
Her family was like this; they always thought of her first when they had something good.
Before Su Xiaotian could say anything, Su老大 came over with a small green bottle. It turned out to be "Bing Bing Liang, Tou Xin Liang," which would later become popular nationwide.
So, it already existed in China at this time?
Su Xiaotian was quite surprised.
Perhaps it was because she was not used to shopping, so she hadn't paid attention to these things.
Su老大 poured a cup for Su Xiaotian.
"I don't know what this is made of; it fizzes when poured into a cup, and you can't pour much at once. Xiaotian, you drink first. After you finish, Uncle will pour more for you."
As Su老大 poured the drink, the cup was filled with bubbles, and he said with some dissatisfaction.
Su Xiaotian smiled and said, "Uncle, this is a carbonated drink, like beer; it fizzes."
Carbonated drinks were a rarity at this time, but it had to be said that carbonated drinks tasted good and had always been popular, remaining popular for decades.
Especially this small green bottle had earned an immeasurable amount of money from China.
Even decades later, it was still very popular among young people.
In fact, decades later, many people had realized the drawbacks of carbonated drinks.
However, due to long-standing habits, the sales volume of such beverages had not decreased significantly.
Su Xiaotian began to consider whether she should research her own brand of carbonated drinks.