The rise of great powers: starting from military industry

Panshan Machinery Factory has invested more than 500 million yuan so far!

In just over a year, Panshan Machinery Factory has invested more than one billion yuan in total, which is the only one in the country!

Up to now, Panshan Machinery Factory has more than 40,000 employees in name, and more than 200,000 employees’ family members!

This is the largest military factory in the entire southwest!

In terms of investment scale, number of employees, floor space, and production scale, Panshan Machinery Factory is undoubtedly the largest military factory in Southwest China.

It can even be said to be a very large military factory!

If Panshan Machinery Factory hadn't just been upgraded to a large military factory, Liu Tao's administrative level might have been raised two or three levels.

"Boss, how are you doing about rare earths?" Liu Tao finished settling the settlement and asked what he was concerned about.

Rare earths are a good thing. They are known as the "vitamins of industry". They have irreplaceable excellent magnetic, optical and electrical properties and play a huge role in improving product performance, increasing product varieties and increasing production efficiency.

It is no exaggeration to say that rare earths will become an important element in improving product structure, increasing scientific and technological content, and promoting technological progress in the industry. They will be widely used in fields such as metallurgy, military, petrochemical industry, glass ceramics, agriculture, and new materials.

When developing anti-aircraft guns, self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, and tanks, rare earth elements need to be added to many materials.

The last time Wang Baoguo brought an expert team to Panshan Machinery Factory, he formally reported to Wang Baoguo and suggested that rare earths be included in the control of strategic materials.

"This matter has been decided. Several departments jointly issued a document to bring rare earths into the scope of strategic control and set up a company specifically for the mining of rare earths." Wang Baoguo said: "The technology you provided last time attracted the attention of all parties. But there is one thing, your purchase quantity cannot be small.”

Liu Tao smiled immediately after hearing this.

In the military field, because rare earths have excellent optical and electromagnetic physical properties, they can be combined with other materials to form a wide variety of new materials with different properties, and can greatly improve the quality and performance of other products, so they are known as "industrial gold."

First of all, the addition of rare earths can greatly improve the tactical performance of steel, aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys, and titanium alloys used to manufacture tanks, aircraft, and missiles.

In addition, rare earths can also be used as lubricants in many high-tech industries such as electronics, lasers, nuclear industries, and superconductors.

Not to mention other things, this time's self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and tanks require a lot of rare earth materials, such as engine materials, armor materials, and smoothbore gun casting materials.

Although rare earth elements account for a small proportion of materials, they are crucial.

Otherwise, with China's current industrial level, it would be impossible to build a 1,500-horsepower diesel engine, let alone armor and gun barrels with excellent performance.

Not to mention, some special bullets also need to add rare earth elements.

And to build computers in the future, rare earth elements will also be needed.

There is no doubt that rare earths will be essential materials for the IT industry.

In his last life, Liu Tao was bleeding in his heart when he saw rare earths being sold at bargain prices.

It is said that the Middle East has oil and China has rare earths.

People in the Middle East make a lot of money from oil, and white robes and big beards have become synonymous with wealthy people.

As a result, China sold its rare earths at cabbage prices, which made those who heard it sad and those who saw it shed tears.

If there was a chance to change this trend in this life, he would naturally seize the opportunity.

As for the current output of rare earths, Liu Tao also deliberately learned about it. From 1956 to 1966, it was in the experimental research stage. This stage mainly studied the process technology for preparing rare earth metals; from 1966 to 1980, it was the industrialization stage of rare earth pyrometallurgical technology. The main stage is to establish a pilot plant using the process technology of experimental research.

For this reason, the current annual rare earth production in the country is actually very low, and it is not even enough to meet the manufacturing and use of self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and tanks.

Not to mention computer manufacturing.

"Boss, Panshan Machinery Factory takes full responsibility for rare earth production!" Liu Tao said with a smile: "In five years, Panshan Machinery Factory will take all five years' output, and the price will be ten times higher than now!"

The current price of rare earths is almost 10 yuan per kilogram, and only 10,000 yuan per ton.

This year's rare earth output is expected to be 20 tons, which would cost 200,000 yuan at the current price!

Even if he increases the price ten times, it will only cost 2 million yuan!

The money earned from selling a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun is more than 2 million yuan!

"Even if you have to pay in US dollars, there is no problem!" Liu Tao emphasized.

Wang Baoguo was quite surprised, "Do you value rare earths so much?"

"Yes!" Liu Tao nodded: "No matter how much we attach importance to it, leader, even if the price of rare earths increases a hundred times or a thousand times, it will be worth it!"

Wang Baoguo couldn't help but feel moved.

To be honest, even when Liu Tao told him at Panshan Machinery Factory that he hoped to include rare earths in the national strategic control materials, he actually didn't care too much.

Rare earths Rare earths sound like earth. If earth can be sold for money, it is good, and how precious can it be.

But now Liu Tao actually said that even if the price of rare earths increases a thousand times, it will be worth it. This shows that rare earths are indeed very valuable in Liu Tao's eyes.

"Comrade Liu Tao, are these rare earths really of such high value?" Wang Baoguo couldn't help but become serious.

Liu Tao nodded: "The value will only be higher, and you will know it later, the leader!"

He will use practical actions to prove the value of rare earths.

Rare earth elements need to be added to the manufacturing materials of self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, tanks, missiles and even aircraft. He does not believe that the country will not pay attention to them.

As for whether his push up the price of rare earths will lead overseas countries to mine rare earths and develop rare earth industries, Liu Tao is not worried at all, because China is far ahead in proven reserves of rare earths. Under the same circumstances, China can definitely benefit. maximize.

Moreover, the mining and production process of rare earths is very polluting and very expensive. It also requires high technical requirements. Not all countries can mine and produce rare earths.

"I want to take a look. This rare earth is just a kind of soil. Is soil so valuable?" Wang Baoguo took a sip of water from an enamel tea cup. He couldn't understand that things like soil are inexhaustible and inexhaustible. What's valuable.

Liu Zhenbang also looked at his son strangely, "That's right, there are soils all over the world. How can there be something so mysterious that it is treated like a treasure?"

Liu Tao was startled, then shook his head with a wry smile.

Thinking about it, he felt relieved. He could only say that the name "rare earth" was too misleading. Anyone who didn't understand it would have the first impression of it being just soil. No matter how valuable soil was, it wouldn't be much higher.

It is estimated that the country did not pay much attention to rare earths at the beginning of the last generation, so that the disordered mining and vicious competition of rare earths caused the price of rare earths to fall all the way. It was obviously gold but was sold at a cabbage price. It is very likely that the leaders also believed that rare earths were just A kind of soil, it is good if someone buys it, but also wants to sell it at a high price! ?

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