Series: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend
Chapter: 23
Title: There's Someone I Want You to Meet
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Taeshin Motors, the predecessor of El Sung Motors, was acquired by El Sung Group through a merger and acquisition in 1992.
Later, in 1994, after receiving investment from El Sung Group, it was transformed into a fully independent, state-of-the-art automobile factory. The new employees were astounded by its incredible scale.
“Wow~ It’s huge.”
“Seriously… it’s insanely big.”
From the main building, the commercial vehicle development center, and Truck Factories 1 and 2, to the newly constructed Factory 3.
It was an immense site.
The first place they visited was the engine factory.
“This is the factory that produces diesel engines for medium and large commercial vehicles. Our El Sung Motors Wonju plant has been supplying products through OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) since its Taeshin Motors days in 1980. In 1996, we developed our own diesel engine for the first time, and as of this April, we have produced a cumulative total of 1.9 million diesel engines.”
No human hands were needed to create the diesel engines.
Every process, from molding, welding, and joining to transport, was automated.
So what did the people do?
“The people here check for defects. Issues that can be fixed on-site are corrected immediately. Parts that can't be fixed are rejected right away.”
At that moment, a new employee asked a question.
“What is the yield rate during the process?”
“The yield rate, ah, we don’t call it a yield rate like in semiconductors or LCDs, we call it the defect rate, which is about 0.18%. You can think of it as about 18 defects for every 10,000 units produced.”
“Ah…”
“Shall we take a look inside?”
The group began to tour the interior.
They couldn't all go in at once, so they were split into groups of 20 for the tour….
“Here are the safety helmets. It’s a site rule, so everyone please put one on. If you look at the floor, you’ll see a white line. You can only walk along that path. The areas painted yellow are the danger zones for automated machinery, so you must not cross over there. We can’t be held responsible if you do. Understood?”
『Yes!』
The factory was truly enormous.
The ceiling was nearly 20 meters high, and the width was about 400 meters from side to side.
A factory of that magnitude.
And there wasn't just one, but three of them.
Three factories, each the size of eight soccer fields. It was beyond words.
Watching the production process, Taeseok thought.
Why El Sung Group became a first-rate company…
‘There’s almost nothing for people to do. The machines do everything.’
Korea fosters its industries based on low electricity costs.
It was an optimized benefit for automated processes.
This led Taeseok to a question.
Where did all those parts come from? Were they all made by machines?
“Excuse me, where are the parts made?”
The guide answered with a grin.
“Most of the parts are made by the 131 partner companies we have contracts with.”
The parts that could be automated were managed directly.
The parts that required expensive labor costs were outsourced.
In the end, it was an imbalanced structure developed to avoid the risks of high fixed costs and to be as efficient and profitable as possible.
‘I see. So that’s how it was.’
However, he had no intention of blaming this structure.
To win in the global competition, this was likely the only way.
Balanced development?
Unfortunately, the past and the present are different.
The winner always has to be number one in the world, not just number one in the country.
The current system maintained low costs and high efficiency.
It was a moment that starkly confirmed why El Sung Group was a global conglomerate.
The next place they went was the commercial vehicle development center.
It was only then that Taeseok realized this place only produced diesel vehicles.
“This is where we develop diesel engine-based vehicles.”
Safety tests using mannequins, something he had only seen on TV.
Airbag performance tests.
And the development of new machine tools.
From the press facility equipped with an automatic loading system, the body assembly process that put together the car's frame, to the painting and the final driving test track.
After touring all the facilities, the group gathered in front of the factory.
The two-hour tour was over in a flash.
A commemorative photo in front of the factory. And a 10-minute break before boarding the bus.
Just then, someone came up next to Taeseok.
“You’re the Team Leader for B Team, right?”
“Ah, yes. We met before. You’re Seo Yoonji, right?”
“Yes. I’m the Team Leader for Team C. You’re amazing. Taking first place.”
“Ah, you also got first place in Team C, didn’t you?”
“But you’re first place overall.”
Seo Yoonji extended her hand.
“Pardon?”
“A handshake.”
“Ah… yes.”
As he shook her hand, she waved it and said.
“I hope we can exchange information and get along from now on. We’re both aiming for the Strategic Planning Office anyway.”
“The Strategic Planning Office?”
Just then, a status window popped up.
[Confirming information about the Strategic Planning Office.]
《El Sung Group Direct Strategic Planning Office》
[A department one can only enter after a training period of at least one year. Known as the brains of El Sung Group, one must complete a training period of at least two months in six or more different job fields to be eligible.]
‘Was it a place like this? No, I’ve heard of it. The Guiding Senior mentioned it on the bus when we first arrived.’
“Yes. If you’re in the top 5 of the training center rankings, you can apply. Surely you’re not going to choose a different job with those scores, are you?”
At Seo Yoonji’s words, Taeseok opened his mouth with a calm tone.
“I’m not sure yet. To be honest, I don’t really know what’s what, or what I should do….”
That wasn't true. Taeseok had clearly decided on his goal.
But revealing it now was risky, as he knew too little about the person in front of him.
Was she a predator trying to devour him, an ally who would help him, or just a simple bystander who was neither?
She was smart.
And confident.
“Is that so? We still don’t know each other very well. How about dinner after we get back and finish for the day?”
“Just the two of us?”
“Yes. Actually, it would be fine to eat with anyone in the Top 5. If you know any of them, bring them along.”
“Understood. But I’m not sure how much help I can be to you.”
“Well, we’ll find that out once we talk. I should go round up my people now. See you back there! Oh! Save my number.”
She left him her phone number.
The numbers were written in a memo pad.
It seemed she had planned to meet Taeseok from the start.
Taeseok looked at Seo Yoonji and nodded.
“I’ll contact you later.”
“Yes. For now, we can consider this an alliance, right?”
Taeseok simply nodded in response to Seo Yoonji’s words.
『This is the B Team Leader. It’s time to return to the training center. Please board the bus. I will do a head count in 5 minutes.』
After sending the return time to the B Team chat, Taeseok watched her retreating back.
A woman who captivated attention with her confident speech and actions.
If Taeseok hadn't used his ability, she would have undoubtedly taken first place overall in the new employee training.
‘Should I meet her?’
He thought silently.
Then, the system spoke again.
[System Message: There’s no harm in meeting her. Group life isn’t something you do alone.]
Taeseok smirked.
‘I know that much.’
He headed for the bus.
After confirming the number of passengers, Taeseok reported to the Guiding Senior.
“Everyone is on board.”
And from the other side, a woman’s high-pitched voice rang out.
“Team C is also all on board, Senior!”
“B Team boarded, C Team boarded, why is A Team so late?”
Just then, a muscular man came running in a hurry.
“A Team is all on board too.”
“Good. Let’s head back.”
『Yes!』
The bus departed.
The Wonju factory tour.
And a new encounter.
Followed by Taeseok’s contemplation.
‘The Strategic Planning Office… is it really the right place for me to go?’
Expected return: from 0 won to ∞ (infinity).
In any case, the person in second place was aiming for that spot.
‘Two is better than meeting her alone.’
Taeseok spoke to a colleague he felt he could trust.
He was Choi Jinyoung, second in B Team and third overall.
“Jinyoung! Choi Jinyoung!”
“Huh?”
“Let’s have dinner together.”
“What’s with the sudden invitation? We always eat together.”
“Yeah. Separately. Without Hyeonsu.”
"What?"
"There's someone I want you to meet.”
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