HPDBC Chapter 103 Grazing
Chapter 103 Grazing
May 30, 2020, Nanshan District, Shenzhen.
Tianying Technology Headquarters, 17th Floor Conference Room.
Say it again.
Xia Kanghao's voice was so low that Huang Mingzhe, the marketing director sitting opposite him, had to lean forward slightly to hear him.
But the more somber the tone, the more uneasy everyone present felt.
Because they all knew that Xia Kanghao never yelled when he was truly angry; he would just lower his voice and say each word carefully.
"Mr. Xia, since the launch of the Feiniao platform on April 17th, as of yesterday, we have signed contracts with over 320 clients and pre-ordered over 40,000 modules."
Huang Mingzhe forced himself to repeat it.
The meeting room was so quiet that you could hear the hum of the air conditioner vents.
"Three hundred and twenty."
Xia Kanghao slowly read the number aloud, then picked up the mug in front of him and took a sip of water.
The cup made a crisp sound when it was placed back on the table.
How many of our Skyhawk flight control modules have been shipped in the same period?
Sitting in the corner, Zhao Guoliang, the supply chain manager, flipped through the reports in his hand, his voice trembling:
"In April...as of now...1,700 units have been shipped."
"Seventeen hundred sets."
Xia Kanghao repeated it again, a slight smile playing on his lips, but no smile in his eyes.
What about last month?
"Three thousand nine hundred sets last month."
"In other words, within a month, shipments were halved."
Zhao Guoliang didn't speak and lowered his head.
He didn't need to answer; everyone present knew the reason—the collapse of the S2 Pro's reputation had affected Tianying's entire product line.
Those small and medium-sized manufacturers already had doubts about the flight control of the Skyhawk, and now that the Flying Bird platform has emerged, they will naturally switch to Hongyuan without hesitation.
"Can anyone tell me," Xia Kanghao glanced around the conference room, "how did Hongyuan, a company that's only been established for four years, manage to sign over three hundred clients in just two weeks?"
silence.
Xia Kanghao's gaze finally fell on Huang Mingzhe, the marketing director.
"Huang Mingzhe, you speak."
Huang Mingzhe cleared his throat and opened the PowerPoint presentation on his laptop.
"Mr. Xia, we have conducted a preliminary analysis of the Feiniao platform."
He clicked on the first page, which showed a disassembled photo of the bird module.
"First, let's talk about the hardware. The Feiniao module uses a standardized 5x5 cm interface, compatible with the vast majority of racks on the market. This means customers don't need to create new molds or modify the structure; they can simply replace the module and use it."
"Secondly, there's the software aspect. Feiniao SDK offers a four-level licensing system, ranging from basic interface calls to advanced architecture-level customization, covering the needs of customers of different sizes. Small workshops only need interface-level access, while large integrators can obtain source code-level or even architecture-level deep customization permissions."
"Thirdly, there's the price. The basic version is priced at 499, the advanced version at 699, and the professional version at 999. Taking the advanced version as an example, its performance parameters exceed those of our flagship Tianying flight control module, while the flagship version's shipping price is 1280."
Huang Mingzhe paused for a moment, then stated the most crucial point:
"Fourth, and most critically, is that the Flybird platform has already submitted an airworthiness pre-certification application to the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Based on our understanding, Hongyuan is likely to be among the first companies to receive airworthiness certification for its flight control system."
"And our airworthiness certification..."
Zhao Guoliang picked up the conversation, gave a wry smile, and said, "It hasn't started yet."
The meeting room fell silent once again.
Xia Kanghao leaned back in his chair, his fingers rhythmically tapping the armrest.
He recalled the media briefing last July, when he stood on the stage and said with great enthusiasm, "Flight controllers are something you can just buy."
Then Su Chen wrote the article "Why Can't We Buy Flight Controllers?", which got 500,000 views, making Su Chen look foolish.
He didn't take it seriously at the time, thinking that Su Chen was just trying to ride the wave of popularity.
Looking back now, that article was practically a declaration of war.
Su Chen knew what he wanted to do from the very beginning—he wanted to turn flight control into a platform and bind the entire small and medium-sized drone industry to Hongyuan's ecosystem.
And I, only now, have I truly grasped the nature of this game.
"President Xia."
Sitting at the end of the table, strategic analyst Lin Wei spoke softly, "There's one more piece of news."
"explain."
"Zhongyi Aviation Technology, the Chengdu-based company that integrates drones, has annual revenue of over 100 million yuan and is considered a leading integrator in the industry."
"I know the central wing. What's wrong?"
"Our informant reports that people from Hongyuan went to Chengdu last month and met with the founder of Zhongyi. We don't know the specifics of their discussion, but..."
Lin Wei hesitated for a moment.
"But what?"
"However, Zhongyi cancelled its plan to renew the framework agreement for the purchase of flight control systems from us this month."
Snapped.
The pen in Xia Kanghao's hand was broken in two.
Zhongyi Aviation Technology, with 460 employees and seven years of industry experience, ships over 2,000 drones of various types annually. Such a client is unmatched by small workshops.
If even the central wing has sided with Hongyuan...
"And another thing," Lin Wei's voice lowered, "I heard that Hongyuan doesn't just want Zhongyi to use the Flying Bird module, but is in talks about... an acquisition."
Acquisition.
These two words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Xia Kanghao's head.
If Hongyuan acquires Zhongyi, it means that Hongyuan will simultaneously possess flight control platforms and complete aircraft integration capabilities. This will create a complete supply chain, from core components to end products.
At that time, Tianying's position in the industry chain will become even more awkward.
Upstream, the Flying Bird platform is eroding Skyhawk's flight control customers.
Downstream, if Hongyuan acquires Zhongyi, it can directly enter the industrial drone market and compete head-on with Tianying in end products.
In the middle... the disastrous failure of the S2 Pro has proven that Tianying cannot even hold its ground in the consumer market.
Besieged on three sides.
Xia Kanghao stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the rows of office buildings in Nanshan District.
"Huang Mingzhe."
"exist."
"I'll give you forty-eight hours. I need physical samples of the Flying Bird module, all three versions. I need a complete teardown report, including the model number, supplier, and cost estimate for each chip—nothing can be missing. I also need a complete list of their contracted clients."
"Mr. Xia, the list of contracts is probably..."
"I don't want to hear anything scary!"
Xia Kanghao turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife.
"Also, notify Zhou Licheng from the flight control R&D department to come to my office at 9:00 AM tomorrow. I need to start the Tianying self-developed flight control platform project six months ahead of schedule. The original end-of-year deadline has been changed to September 30th. If he can't do it, replace him."
"Yes."
Huang Mingzhe closed his laptop and quickly walked out of the conference room.
Xia Kanghao sat back down in his chair, took out his phone, and found a number.
That was the private number of Shen Pingchuan, vice president of DJI Innovations.
He stared at the number for more than ten seconds before finally pressing the call button.
"Mr. Shen, it's been a long time. There's something I'd like to discuss with you in person. Would that be convenient?"
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.
"Mr. Xia, you're looking for me about Feiniao, right?"
Xia Kanghao's lips twitched slightly.
"President Shen is indeed well-informed."
"There's a teahouse in Futian next Tuesday. I'll send you the address."
"Okay, see you there."
After hanging up the phone, Xia Kanghao leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
Su Chen, do you think you can dominate the entire industry with just one Feibiao platform?
Let's see if your ecosystem can be built faster, or if my encirclement and suppression can be launched faster.