I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 69: The Development of the Motorcycle Factory

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: The Development of the Motorcycle Factory

Shire first went to the motorcycle factory, even though he knew Dejoka wasn’t there.

The motorcycle factory was a significant source of income for Shire at that time, generating roughly 20,000 francs in profit each month.

This was quite a substantial fortune, considering a worker’s monthly salary was only 28 francs.

The motorcycle factory had always been stable, but this didn’t mean Shire could ignore it and let it run its course. Doing so would affect employee morale and enthusiasm.

Therefore, no matter how busy Shire was, no matter how unnecessary it seemed, even knowing that the potential of the motorcycles was almost fully tapped, Shire would still make time to visit the factory, avoiding giving the employees the impression of favoritism.

When Shire appeared at the motorcycle factory, the employees were first surprised by Shire’s military uniform, and then voiced their thoughts in hushed tones:

"Look, Young Master Shire just returned and came here to inspect. This shows how much he values the motorcycle factory!"

"Of course, think about those orders from the military. They can make us secure for years!"

"Keep working hard; this place holds the most hope!"

...

Guillaume quickly greeted him, hesitating as he looked at Shire’s military uniform: "Should I address you as Lieutenant, Young Master Shire?"

"It’s up to you, Uncle Guillaume!" Shire replied, "No matter how you address me, my way of addressing you will not change!"

Guillaume’s eyes instantly showed a moment of emotion and a hint of comfort. In that moment, he suddenly felt a mistaken impression that it would be wonderful if Shire were really his nephew!

"Is everything alright?" Shire asked casually.

"Everything is fine, Young Master Shire!" Guillaume nodded, guiding Shire deeper into the factory while talking:

"These days, I’ve been planning to reorganize the factory’s assembly line."

"The previous plan wasn’t very reasonable, causing some parts to be produced too quickly and others too slowly."

"This leaves some workers with nothing to do, while others have to work overtime and still can’t keep up."

"After reorganizing, this problem will be roughly solved. With the same machines and workers, we might increase production by about 5%!"

Shire highly praised this: "You always surprise me, Uncle Guillaume. With you here, I feel assured!"

He knew he shouldn’t use phrases like "very good" or "you did great," as they were too formal, too mechanical, and lacked creativity.

Sometimes, a slight change in wording can give the other person a great feeling, motivating them to perform at 120% of their ability. Why not?

Before leaving, Shire offered a suggestion: "Besides increasing production, I think we should also innovate, Uncle Guillaume!"

"You’re right!" Guillaume nodded repeatedly, "I’ve been thinking about it too. We can’t stay stagnant; we’ll eventually be overtaken by others!"

But he hesitated and answered somewhat awkwardly, "But I don’t know in which direction to develop!"

Guillaume was an honest person. He wouldn’t avoid admitting his weaknesses. He excelled in parts reform and innovation but wasn’t proficient in overall development direction.

Shire casually provided an answer: "We can consider battlefield needs. For example, can a sidecar be modified into a transport vehicle? It could carry ammunition and food to the battlefield and bring back the wounded..."

Occasionally displaying a bit of talent is necessary; otherwise, employees might perceive you as a useless person who knows nothing besides having money, which would lead to their disdain!

Guillaume’s eyes widened: "Great idea, Young Master Shire! I... I know what to do now! My goodness, we’re going to receive a large number of orders again!"

"Pay attention to the experience of the wounded!" Shire reminded, "This means improving the shock absorption, otherwise, the wounded might die on the way!"

"Of course, Young Master Shire!" Guillaume responded, "I’ll start designing right away!"

Before departing, he turned back and added: "It’s an honor to work for you, Young Master Shire! I feel fortunate!"

In Guillaume’s opinion, as a worker, nothing is better than having dignity, honor, and a generous salary. He felt very satisfied, believing this factory was worth dedicating his whole life to.

After leaving the motorcycle factory, Shire walked into the adjacent tractor factory.

The tractor factory was actually formed by carving out a piece of land from the motorcycle factory; even some buildings and warehouses were borrowed from the motorcycle factory.

The reason was that the motorcycle depot was very large, but now it was not much needed.

Previously, for civilian use, it was necessary to train each customer and provide training grounds for everyone who bought a motorcycle.

At that time, having a large area was essential; if there were two customers learning to ride in the same area, they could possibly run into each other while riding motorcycles.

But it was different when supplying motorcycles to the military; they required practice in a collective site.

When Guillaume asked the soldiers to train separately and form a single team when proficient, officers would glare angrily, shouting: "We don’t have time, old man! We face enemy bullets and shells on the battlefield; what’s this little danger worth?"

In fact, the military hardly needed grounds because once they learned how to start, shift gears, throttle, and brake, they would ride the motorcycles on the road or even head to the battlefield.

Thus, the motorcycle factory’s large ground became redundant. Shire had walls built between them, enclosing the grounds and some houses, forming the tractor factory.

Shire went straight to the research department, the factory’s core. Shire was currently manufacturing the prototype of the specialized tank "Mark I".

Dejoka and Joseph were both there, busy with the massive rhomboid steel beast when Shire entered.

"Hey, Shire!" Dejoka greeted Shire without surprise.

"I heard from Camille on the phone!" Dejoka came up to Shire, scanning him and explaining: "Although we were unwilling for you to join the military, this uniform truly suits you!"

Joseph put down his tool, came over to Shire, and greeted: "Glad to see you, Young Master Shire!"

"Is everything alright?" Shire’s gaze fell on the "Mark I" tank.

Compared to the previous crude method of welding steel plates on tractors, this was a tank specialized for battlefield operations. Once it emerged, it would undoubtedly replace all tanks in Francis’ possession.

No wonder Francis would feel nervous and eager to retaliate!

"Everything is fine, Young Master Shire!" Joseph nodded, "But we think if there is extra load capacity, why not add a small-caliber cannon?"

Shire gently shook his head.

Adding a cannon was very tempting. Historically, "Mark I" tanks had cannons, but Shire wouldn’t do so.