African Entrepreneurship Record-Chapter 563 - 241 Old Comrades Catching Up

The city of Mbeya took action first, as its industrial system is the most developed in all of East Africa due to its early development.

"Factory director Kevin Di, this is the German technical expert Krimmer and his team. They are responsible for developing the new bearing design this time. Look, this is the sample."

A small bearing part was placed on the table. It’s a bearing used in bicycles, fully handcrafted.

"This is hard to process, isn’t it?" Kevin Di toyed with the bicycle bearing in his hand and said.

"Haha, the shafts used for carts are produced by your factory; this one’s just a bit smaller, so your factory definitely can produce it."

"Ah, Director Lidun, you must be kidding. Don’t you know about the situation in our factory? We only learned how these were made with experts guiding us hand-in-hand. As soon as the factory was built, they left. We staggered along for half a year before getting on track; now those boys are finally skilled. But their cultural level is limited; they completely can’t adapt to new technologies. Our factory struggled and barely kept up with Dar es Salaam City Bearing Factory One."

Speaking of Dar es Salaam City Bearing Factory One, Kevin Di suddenly had an epiphany: "Ah, wait a minute? Why don’t you just go directly to Dar es Salaam City Bearing Factory One? Why come to us? We have to go to Dar es Salaam City Bearing Factory One every year to learn."

"I knew you would try to shirk your responsibility. I know you’re not very educated and afraid of taking on responsibility. But after so many years, Bearing Factory Three in Mbeya under your management has developed the best, even surpassing Factory One and Factory Two. I absolutely trust your capabilities. Besides, you’re a factory director, handling management, not taking on technician roles. What are you afraid of?"

"You also know I’m just an administrator. Those with a bit of knowledge under me are treated like treasures, but cherishing them is of no use. The highest educational level in our factory is elementary school, not even a middle school, so they can only do rough work. Last year, when we went to Dar es Salaam City Factory One, they held a technology exhibition saying our technology lagged behind German technology by a whole decade. Ten years ago, the machines in our factory were the most advanced."

Don’t look at how East Africa has now basically universalized compulsory education, but East Africa couldn’t possibly achieve comprehensive compulsory education in one go. The Project Hope involved such massive investments and took decades. East Africa builds a fixed number of schools each year.

Moreover, many middle schools have incredibly poor educational quality, especially rural middle schools. Many teachers can only robotically follow the textbooks when teaching; some don’t even understand the questions themselves. Students who can learn in such an environment are mostly those who can grasp the material by themselves through textbooks.

Mbeya City, being an important industrial city, doesn’t have poor education quality, but Bearing Factory Three can’t get middle school graduates, as Factory One basically monopolizes them.

But in recent years, Factory One and Factory Two’s performance has not surpassed that of Kevin Di’s Factory Three, so the city government will surely provide more support to Factory Three next time.

So Director Lidun said: "I understand the difficulties your factory faces. Factory One and Factory Two have changed factory directors several times over the years and have received policy support, but the city is very dissatisfied with them. Next year, middle school graduates will certainly be prioritized for your allocation."

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Kevin Di instantly broke into a grin: "Why didn’t you say so earlier? I just need capable people under me."

"I knew you wouldn’t act without seeing tangible benefits. Last year, the city wanted to transfer you to Factory One as the factory director. Why didn’t you go? The conditions at Factory One are far better than those at Factory Three."

"Ah, class leader, you don’t understand me yet, do you? I’m a person who cherishes old times. I was reluctant to part with our group of old comrades when I retired back then!"

Kevin Di and Lidun both once served in the East African Army, so they were once comrades in arms, sharing life-and-death experiences. Although East Africa’s main adversaries at the time were the tribes on the plains, the battlegrounds weren’t extremely dangerous. However, East Africa’s conditions were also the most challenging back then, with no decent roads. The East African army often had to make do with rough conditions and endure numerous diseases. They supported each other through adversity, naturally strengthening their bond.

"Haha, nowadays, the military is different from our time. Not only is the barracks beautifully constructed, but the facilities are also top-notch, even better than those of the city government. The living conditions are comfortable, though the training intensity has increased significantly, making it hard to say whether it’s good or bad. Seeing the new recruits’ training now makes me feel overwhelmed, but now the East African army has the best meals, with plenty of nutrients, enabling them to keep up physically."

Back then, although the East African army had the Heixinggen Military Academy and German veterans as its backbone, it couldn’t change the old-style army characteristics of the East African army.

After all, East Africa’s conditions were indeed poor at the time, so Ernst couldn’t rigidly transform the East African army into a well-ordered "iron army" overnight.

Now that conditions have improved, particularly for the East African army, Ernst can assure it offers the highest treatment among global armies, although this doesn’t consider wages.

With excellent conditions, the army naturally can’t be as accommodating as before; large reforms are carried out in the East African army, with substantial improvements in training and discipline. Military beliefs are strengthened, loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, adherence to orders and commands.

"You can’t really experience the military now; the situation inside the military is difficult to describe, especially for someone like us, who are quite rough around the edges. It’s absolutely unbearable."

"What’s happening?"

"The army hygiene issues are being addressed too strictly now."

"Hmm! What’s strange about that? Weren’t we also quite particular about hygiene back then?"

Kevin Di felt his old comrade was a bit astonished. When he immigrated to East Africa initially, he experienced East Africa’s emphasis on hygiene firsthand. Right when they came ashore, haircuts and baths were required, and new clothes were distributed. Later, when assigned to the army, hygiene became even more crucial, with constant supervision ensuring daily activities like brushing teeth and washing faces and uniform clothes folding in the morning, along with communal laundry in the evening.

"Hahaha, compared to now, our time was trivial. Nowadays in the military, blankets must be folded meticulously into tofu blocks without a single wrinkle. I went to visit a barracks, and the instructor was measuring with a ruler. If it’s even slightly off, the blanket is tossed into the toilet."

"Isn’t it supposed to be hygienic? Toilets are filthy."

"Toilets have changed now, with cement-paved floors, completely smooth, cleaned daily till spotless. You can’t imagine it; the floors are polished till they reflect light, used almost like mirrors, without any odor."

"There are requirements for items placement; not a single mistake allowed. Daily inspections are conducted, and towels must be folded into neat square blocks and placed on the basin rim. Now the military even provides toothpaste, specifically for oral cleaning. Toothbrushes and cups must be placed fixedly in the basin without the slightest error, and storage cabinets have been equipped; clothes must be neatly arranged..."

Kevin Di listened with great interest as his old comrade described the army’s new changes. Certainly, it was Mbeya City’s industrial development that provided such superior conditions for the local garrison, while some backward regions still lived in dire conditions.

The ones enduring the harshest conditions were likely the troops in the west, especially those within the tropical rainforest climate areas, where the environment is inherently poor, facilities are inadequate, far from East Africa’s developed regions, and transport is inconvenient.