Volume One, Chapter 19: Enough to Buy Only One

“See, Hannah, just as I expected, not every Chinese client is that well-capitalized. I’m beginning to doubt how much of our backlog of outdated wind turbines they can actually absorb,” Lars boasted with a smug expression as he left Meeting Room 301, flaunting his insight to Hannah.

However, Hannah frowned, concern creasing her brow as she cautioned, “Lars, don’t forget, we’re not the only ones in the market offering the wind turbine models they need. Companies like Wincon and Nordex, which built their reputations developing small and medium-sized turbines, possess technology comparable to ours.”

“That’s precisely why I proposed offering paid technical support as bait to satisfy their desire for technology transfer,” Lars sneered. “As for those two companies you mentioned, they’ve cemented their global footing through small and medium turbines—they wouldn’t sell their core technology so easily.”

Hannah nodded thoughtfully, then pressed on, “What about pricing? Our current offer is still 22% above market rates. While that’s acceptable under international trade norms, I worry the Chinese won’t readily accept such terms.”

She recalled the young Chinese sales engineer’s subtle, complex expression when Lars mentioned a discount—a look that seemed to dismiss Lars’s so-called “sincere” offer. Such a reaction often reveals when the other party has already gauged one’s bottom line.

Thus, right after Lars finished speaking, Hannah quickly added, “Regarding pricing, this is only a preliminary indication. Vestas has always upheld a principle of friendly cooperation with Chinese partners, committed to assisting their modernization. If they’re unsatisfied with this price, we’re more than willing to continue discussions…”

Yet her words appeared to fall on deaf ears. After a brief exchange with the sales engineer beside him, the Chinese lead announced a temporary halt to negotiations.

Hannah sensed that the true decision-maker in this negotiation might not be the official named Xie, but rather the uniquely named sales engineer. However, when she shared this insight with Lars after leaving the room, he ignored her.

As a seasoned market analyst, Hannah’s expertise extended far beyond merely blending corporate strategy with market trends superficially. She excelled at discerning latent market demands, accurately capturing the unique needs and preferences of specific clients, and designing highly customized marketing strategies accordingly.

This capability set her apart starkly from Lars, who was solely fixated on sales targets and performance.

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After five months of in-depth observation and analysis of the Chinese market, and having prepared extensive materials for this negotiation, Hannah had reason to believe that the wind turbine market in Xinjiang might be far larger than their existing data suggested.

The Dabancheng site mentioned by the Chinese sales engineer today could very well become the next California-style wind energy hotspot.

Otherwise, why else would the Chinese have gone out of their way to invite them here and unprecedentedly raised the subject of technology transfer?

Hannah speculated this might be a probing move by the Chinese to test reactions and explore cooperation possibilities.

Realizing this, Hannah was instantly excited and decided to bypass Lars, reporting the negotiation’s progress and her views directly to headquarters.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the Xinjiang negotiation team’s lounge, Wang Xiquan, Xie Shiqi, Maimaiti, Huang Jianghui, and Yang Qifan sat in a circle, exchanging observations and information gleaned from the morning’s talks.

“Teacher Wang, Director Huang, Director Yang, this is our current situation. Of the three turbine companies, Wincon has clearly expressed very strong willingness to cooperate. I expect they’ll soon relay their headquarters’ decision, allowing us to negotiate further,” Maimaiti reported calmly, unaware of the lingering shadows on Wang Xiquan’s and Huang Jianghui’s faces.

Their frustration stemmed not from Maimaiti’s update, but from the disheartening negotiations earlier.

Recalling the talks with Nordex, both Wang and Huang felt a wave of helplessness.

They had assumed the company, focused on small and medium turbines, would be open to technology transfer discussions. Instead, the response was vehement, as if a taboo had been struck, with the Nordex team angrily denouncing their hopes as delusional and unrealistic.

Despite Wang’s repeated assurances that they were willing to pay, and that Nordex could enjoy purchasing priority in subsequent turbine orders, the Nordex sales team doubted their capacity. The talks ended on an unpleasant note.

The subsequent negotiation with Wind World was somewhat gentler but remained immovable on three critical issues: price, maintenance, and transfer.

So when Wang heard Maimaiti say another negotiation had gone relatively well, he found it hard to believe. Only after Xie Shiqi added more details did he manage a faint smile and say, “Thankfully, there’s still a company willing to cooperate…”

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After a moment, Wang fully composed himself and asked, “By the way, what about Vestas? How did they respond?”

From the start, Wang had paid special attention to this company.

After all, the mainland’s turbine testing station had already procured their turbines, with installation and grid-connection tests proceeding smoothly.

This company, with consistently leading technology and a strong reputation both at home and abroad, would be a tremendous boost to the Dabancheng wind project if they lent their support.

“Vestas…” Maimaiti hesitated. “They didn’t explicitly say they’d transfer technology, but they proposed that during turbine installation, our technicians could receive their guidance and training. However—” he shifted tone, “this depends on how many turbines we purchase.”

Hearing this, Wang’s spirits, initially hopeful, plummeted. They had barely scraped together half a million US dollars—enough to buy just three turbines at best.

Still, Wang was not ready to give up and cautiously asked about the price.

“They said a 100 kW turbine could be discounted by fifty thousand dollars, meaning around 330,000 yuan, but the 150 kW model would require 400,000.”

Upon hearing this, Wang completely lost heart.

With their current funds, they could only afford to buy a single turbine!