Chapter 120 - Go/No-Go Gauges

To ensure that the native workers could correctly grasp the production essentials, Shi Jiantao had to invest more capital than he had anticipated. After communicating with the Elders in the industrial sector, everyone agreed that simply training the workers was not enough. The key was to provide a simple and easy-to-use inspection device so that the native workshops could accurately and conveniently determine whether their products were up to standard.

This could not be solved by purchasing and distributing standard measuring tools. Moreover, teaching them how to use measuring tools was also a rather difficult process.

After some discussion, everyone agreed that the most suitable solution was to use specialized go/no-go gauges for inspection.

Go/no-go gauges are also a type of industrial measuring tool. In actual production, measuring a large number of products one by one with standard measuring tools such as vernier calipers and dial indicators is very time-consuming and inefficient. Generally, a qualified product has a measurement range, and anything within this range is considered qualified. Therefore, enterprises often use go and no-go gauges to measure according to the product specifications.

In use, different special go/no-go gauges are manufactured according to different workpiece requirements. To inspect the size of a hole, the no-go end is made according to the upper limit of the allowable deviation of the hole diameter, and the go end is made according to the lower limit of the allowable deviation of the hole diameter. During inspection, if the no-go end can pass, it means the hole is too large, it is not qualified, and it cannot be reprocessed, so it can only be scrapped. If the go end cannot pass, it means the hole is too small, it is also not qualified, but it can be made qualified by reprocessing.

During the Sino-Soviet split, there was a story widely circulated among the Chinese people that when China paid its debt to the Soviet Union with agricultural products, the Soviet side would put each apple into a box to check. They would only accept the goods if they fit just right. If they didn’t fit or if the apples rattled inside, they were considered unqualified.

Regardless of whether this legend is true, in practical application, the box serves the function of a go/no-go gauge. This system had been used in the European military industry since the 18th century. Its application began with the aim of standardizing the specifications of bullets and cannonballs to achieve greater range. The European artillerymen of that time had already realized that the smaller the clearance of the cannonball in the bore, the better the range and accuracy of the cannonball. To be able to inspect the specifications of cannonballs on a large scale to see if they met the standards, the arsenals used a large number of special measuring tools similar to go/no-go gauges, such as caliper gauges and ring gauges for external diameters.

Now they were using the same method, but making it even more “foolproof,” ensuring that anyone could fully understand it after listening and watching once. This batch of special go/no-go gauges were all made of iron to ensure that the material itself did not have significant deformation. New adjustments were made to the tolerance regulations: wooden structures themselves have greater deformation with changes in temperature and humidity.

In addition to promoting the use of special go/no-go gauges, Shi Jiantao also placed orders with the General Machinery Factory for several special production tools and equipment, including improved woodworking tools and foot-powered woodworking lathes for the native shipbuilding workshops.

The native workers being trained in Hong Kong tried out the equipment and gauges on the spot—the effect was remarkable. Shi Jiantao was so happy that he kept shaking the hand of the Elder from the General Machinery Factory who had delivered the goods, almost like the Red Army of northern Shaanxi meeting the Central Red Army in Wuqi. The owners and foremen of the native shipbuilding workshops were also overjoyed. Originally, everyone felt that the hope of working for the Australians was slim, but now they suddenly found that they could still make money. The Australian masters were indeed as resourceful as the legends said. One by one, they expressed that they would absolutely produce according to the standards.

The go/no-go gauges, woodworking tools, and woodworking lathes that were delivered were all sold to the shipbuilding workshops at a price—not cheap, but not beyond their means. Shi Jiantao was very merciful and stipulated that they could owe the money first and have it deducted from the processing fees later.

Riding on this momentum, Shi Jiantao implemented a whole set of outsourcing system management. All ship parts suppliers received a material code authorization. This code authorization required a one-tael silver certification fee. Each workshop, as a designated outsourcing producer for the Hong Kong shipyard, had to pass a qualification inspection, and the inspection fee was ten taels of silver.

Of course, if the shipbuilding workshop did not purchase the tools and production equipment provided by the shipyard and did not undergo worker training, this qualification would be difficult to achieve. Therefore, the shipyard also provided two commercial services: “qualification review consulting” and “training agency,” which, of course, also required a fee.

These fees could also be offset against the processing fees, which was still attractive to the native workshop owners with weak financial strength. Shi Jiantao’s vision was to attract as many native shipbuilding workshops in the Pearl River Delta as possible to participate, gradually improving their production technology and management level, so that they could fully support the main industries of the Council of Elders. This would turn the entire native shipbuilding industry in the Pearl River Delta, except for a few workshops specializing in repairing small boats, into supporting outsourcing enterprises for the Hong Kong shipyard. Ultimately, the shipbuilding standards of the Council of Elders would be promoted throughout Guangdong, controlling and transforming all the native shipbuilding industries.

Despite the new improvement measures, it was still a very difficult task for the handicraft industry of an agricultural society to keep up with the pace of industrialized production. Although there were qualified outsourced parts, the qualification rate always hovered around 40%, and the delivery cycle was also very slow, with widespread delays.

Shi Jiantao had to focus his main energy on inspecting and rectifying the outsourcing enterprises. He sometimes took a steam launch and sometimes a schooner patrol boat, under the protection of marine soldiers, to move around the Pearl River Estuary, inspecting various shipbuilding workshops and providing improvement requirements and suggestions on the spot. Within two months, the Hong Kong shipyard had issued 13 yellow cards for rectification and had sent more than 100 technical workers to various factories for guidance. They also held several training classes. Before summer arrived, the qualification rate of outsourced parts finally rose to 60%. This number finally made him breathe a sigh of relief. Although it was still difficult to complete the Planning Department’s orders on time at this level, at least there was hope.

While Shi Jiantao was concentrating on shipbuilding, a new wave of construction was rising on Hong Kong Island. This time, it was a comprehensive expansion of logistics and shipping facilities.

Due to its geographical location, Hong Kong Island was the main logistics supply base for the Engine Operation. All kinds of materials expected to be supplied to Zhejiang, Taiwan, Jeju Island, and Shandong were prepared to be shipped from Hong Kong Island. The original warehouses and freight facilities, which were only for the garrison’s agricultural reclamation team and a small number of troops, were now very insufficient. New warehouses, cargo yards, and dock piers were constantly being built.

Hong Huangnan had been busy in Guangzhou for more than ten days, trying to set up his carriage 4S shop. However, Guo Yi, the head of the Guangzhou station, was not very interested in the 4S shop itself—or rather, he thought Hong Huangnan was being fanciful. So, he only superficially and enthusiastically stated that the 4S shop would be a “key project” in the newly built “Great World.” But the Great World project was still in the stage of digging and filling foundations. It seemed that this project would not be completed until 1632, so the 4S shop became a castle in the air. Hong Huangnan sighed at his project proposal every day.

The news of the establishment of the Joint Logistics Headquarters and his appointment as its head did not make him happy either—although the rank of this position was equivalent to Dongmen Chuiyu’s. In the past, he was just a chief of staff, mainly giving advice and making plans, belonging to the group that worked hard but did not bear responsibility. Now that he had become the official head of a department, his responsibility was extraordinary—and he was appointed just before the Engine Operation.

“This is ill-intentioned,” Hong Huangnan muttered to himself, looking out from the window of the fortress on Hong Kong Island.

Because he was in Guangzhou, which was very close to Hong Kong Island, according to the order of the General Military Affairs Department, Hong Huangnan became the direct person in charge of the logistics support for the Engine Operation.

Watching the Holy Maiden Bay from a set of Elder-exclusive residences on the upper floor of the five-story fortress was a very pleasant thing, but Hong Huangnan’s head grew several sizes bigger when he thought about having to bear the logistics work of the entire Engine Operation.

The so-called “logistics advantage” of Hong Kong Island was only in its geographical conditions. Compared to the remote Hainan Island, Hong Kong Island was at a moderate distance, had a natural deep-water port, a certain amount of water on the island, and was located in the resource-rich Pearl River Delta region. Apart from that, there were no material conditions for logistics supply.

Whether it was extra warehouses, docks, or other corresponding supporting facilities, there were none here. They all had to be built before the Engine Operation officially kicked off. Of course, building houses was not his business. The General Construction Company already had an engineering team on Hong Kong Island, led by Shi Dafu. Now, a new engineering team and Elders had been sent to reinforce them. According to Hong Huangnan’s estimation, it should not be a problem to complete the work on time.

The problem was that the material reserve, allocation, and transportation plan was still a blank slate. The Planning Department had informed him a few days ago that it could prepare 9,000 tons of brown rice and miscellaneous grains for the Engine Operation. But how much other materials were needed in total, how much each point needed, and how the varieties should be arranged all depended on the arrangement of him, the head of the Joint Logistics Headquarters, to formulate a specific supply plan.

“Damn it, I only have one orderly and one female secretary. How can I do such a big job?” Hong Huangnan complained again in the Elder’s bedroom. A few days ago, he had already sent a telegram, asking Thorpe to transfer a logistics staff team to Hong Kong Island to form a forward command.

Thorpe had replied with a “will do immediately” message, and then there was no follow-up. Hong Huangnan couldn’t help but be suspicious. Was this guy up to some conspiracy? When the Joint Logistics Headquarters was established, he was in Guangzhou, and Thorpe attended the ceremony. Could there be some hidden meaning to his “deputy head” position? And thinking about how he used to have the attitude of “you are the leader, you can do whatever you want, anyway, my opinion is here” towards the heads of the Fubo Army and the leaders of the Planning Department when he was in the logistics command, he felt more and more that his guess was reasonable.