Episode 35: Product Demonstration
“Ah, then how about a hydraulic machine for opening and closing floodgates? That should more than suffice in terms of output, right?”
“That’s a good idea. Let’s call for it as soon as it’s ready.”
Returning to Seodaemun-gu, Lee Chang-jin gathered his employees.
The employees, having heard about the upcoming tasks, displayed unsure expressions.
“So, you’re saying we are going to make a vacuum dryer ourselves?”
“That’s right. This project is a big deal. It’s a direct request from President Yoo of Anyang Steel. Therefore, we will temporarily suspend additional orders for cranes and gears, and all remaining manpower will be devoted to the production of the vacuum dryer.”
Upon hearing this, Supervisor Lee Yong-sik muttered worriedly.
“Ah, but even the Jannabi and the Westerners couldn’t make it. Can we really do it?”
“Exactly. I’m not sure if we can really make such advanced equipment. Moreover, suddenly suspending additional orders… I’m also a bit worried.”
With Seo Yo-han’s agreement, the people grew uneasy. Even though the company was doing relatively well, the sudden decision to make an unheard-of item like a vacuum dryer caused concern about potential problems.
Seeing the reaction of the people, Manager Koo Chang-dong, who had been quiet, suddenly shouted.
“Hey, who are you to decide what can and can’t be done? Have you ever seen our president talk nonsense? If that’s the case, we should have only ever made gears and never taken on cranes. Both the company and the people need to take on challenges to grow! Isn’t that right, Yo-han?”
“Th-that’s true, but I’m just worried…”
“Stop thinking unnecessary thoughts. I’ve been with this company since it was founded. Our president is a man of his word, so just trust and follow him for once!”
The atmosphere dramatically changed, thanks to Koo Chang-dong’s encouragement, which induced applause.
Feeling grateful, Lee Chang-jin whispered softly.
“Thank you, Manager Koo. You’ve saved me the trouble of persuading them.”
“No need to thank me. I’m your right-hand man, remember? Is there anything else you need? If there’s anything I can help with, just let me know.”
Lee Chang-jin responded with a smile to Koo Chang-dong’s enthusiastic attitude.
“Then can you go to Cheongwoo Motor Company and borrow a few lift jacks?”
“Lift jacks?”
“Yes. We can’t move heavy steel plates, each weighing tens of kilograms, by hand, can we?”
Lift jacks are essential equipment for lifting and lowering heavy steel structures, used to repair the underside of trucks. Koo Chang-dong, with a task at hand, saluted Lee Chang-jin energetically.
“Yes, understood! I’ll get right on it.”
While Koo Chang-dong went to Cheongwoo Motor Company to borrow the lift jacks, steel plates loaded on a Jemushi truck were being delivered in order from Anyang Steel. The delivered steel plates were massive objects, each one inch (25mm) thick and weighing several hundred kilograms.
“This is no joke. Are we making this according to the blueprint?”
“No, not yet. We need to start by making a small prototype first.”
“We’re not starting the production right away? Is there something else to do first?”
With an obvious tone, Old Man Shin muttered.
“Of course. How can we proceed without a test run? Before making the main product, we need to make a small prototype at one-fifth the size. That way, we can ensure there are no issues during assembly on-site.”
“Ah, I see.”
The employees finally showed understanding. Lee Chang-jin converted part of the Yeongcheon factory, initially intended for raw material storage, into a temporary production site of about 100 pyeong (approximately 330 square meters). The floor was covered with rubber mats and steel plates, over 50mm thick, and an improvised hoist and ceiling crane were installed.
The full-scale production began on that day. Lee Chang-jin first cut the delivered steel plates to the appropriate size and meticulously checked the cut shapes.
When the steel plates were placed on the thick steel plate floor, their bent shapes were visibly noticeable. Yong-pal, holding a giant hammer, placed the steel pieces on the steel plate and struck them with the hammer.
Bang! Bang!
The sight of the hefty Yong-pal hammering the steel plates was refreshing.
Watching this, Koo Chang-dong stepped forward boldly.
“I’d like to try it. Can you teach me?”
Old Man Shin, observing the work, shook his head.
“This isn’t something just anyone can do. If you hit it wrong, your bones will ache, and a medicated patch won’t fix it.”
“No, sir. Just let me try. I’m confident in my strength.”
“Why take on unnecessary trouble? Fine, if you want to, give it a try.”
Old Man Shin demonstrated the grip technique, which Koo Chang-dong quickly followed. With his strength, Koo Chang-dong swiftly got the hang of it. As he straightened the steel plates quickly, Lee Chang-jin, watching in amazement, praised him.
“Manager Koo, you’re doing very well for the first time.”
“Really? Maybe I have a knack for this. This guy’s a promising one.”
Encouraged by the compliments, Koo Chang-dong increased his speed, prompting Yong-pal to also speed up out of a sense of competition. As the steel plates straightened with the clangs of hammering, Old Man Shin immediately proceeded to the next task.
The next step was heat-treating the cut steel plates. To make steel plates that are impervious to oxygen welding, the material’s structure and properties need to be changed.
This required the heat-treating process.
After heating for about 3 hours and 30 minutes at 930 degrees, the worker opened the kiln and took out the red-hot contents to place them in the cooling bath.
As the steel plates were placed in the oil-filled cooling bath, flames flared up.
The reason for using oil in the cooling process is that oil has viscosity, allowing for quick and uniform cooling.
The entire process took about 8 to 10 hours.
Through this process, the quality of the steel changed, becoming harder and more robust.
The hardened steel plates’ strength exceeded two to three times that of the original plates.
With the steel plates ready for production, Old Man Shin rolled up his sleeves.
“From here on, it’s expert territory, so don’t interfere.”
The door of the vacuum dryer was entirely the responsibility of Old Man Shin. To ensure perfect airtightness, the door had to be built with a double-sealing structure. Special skills were needed to ensure the heavy door could open and close smoothly by maintaining perfect horizontal alignment.
After a week of repeatedly lifting and lowering the door, the door’s production was finally completed.
Once the door was finished, an inner safe and outer steel box were made with an additional layer of heat-treated steel in between. The overall weight exceeded several tons due to the double layer.
The space between the steel layers was filled with fire-resistant material to prevent the safe from burning even in intense flames. A mixture of cement and chemical agents was used to fill the space between the inner and outer layers of the safe.
As the cement hardened, the safe became tougher and more secure, raising its security level. The outer wall thickness of the completed vacuum dryer was about 20cm.
While working, Old Man Shin murmured in a generous tone.
“I learned this in Japan, getting hit and all. I’m only teaching you this, so be grateful, got it?”
“Thank you, Old Man Shin. I’ll never forget it.”
“Well, as long as you understand. Actually, I learned this to pass it on, so it’s good that someone is learning it.”
Having completed the outer shell, Lee Chang-jin immediately connected various auxiliary equipment, such as the vacuum pump, pressure gauge, valves, timer, control panel, and power supply. He checked that the gaskets and packing were properly installed on the piping flanges. After finishing the work, Lee Chang-jin connected the heating source and valves from Anyang Steel to the vacuum dryer.
Then, he drilled a hole at the bottom, connected it with a valve and flange, and installed the vacuum pump. After grinding the surface and attaching rubber joints to the case’s contact points, a decent prototype was completed.
Seeing the prototype, Koo Chang-dong exclaimed in admiration.
“Wow, this looks pretty good.”
“Yes. Now, apply the vacuum with the pump. We need to check if it reaches a vacuum state.”
Performance testing was essential for delivery. However, contrary to expectations, the gauge did not show proper pressure. Old Man Shin, seeing this, spoke in a disappointed tone.
“Ah, it’s completely leaking. It’s busted.”
Examining the item, Koo Chang-dong tilted his head.
“It doesn’t seem to be leaking that much. Isn’t it okay?”
“No way. Look at this reading. Air is leaking, air.”
“The pressure isn’t being maintained well. What do we do now?”
“First, we need to identify the cause. Apply soapy water and increase the air pressure. We need to find where it’s leaking.”
Fortunately, the processed steel plates had no significant issues, but the problem lay in the pump connection. The graphite gasket packing on the steel pipe seemed insufficient.
After examining the problem, Lee Chang-jin pondered a solution but couldn’t come up with a good idea.
‘Is there no way to eliminate all these small gaps?’
Several days of various attempts yielded no good solution.
Even after all the workers had left, Lee Chang-jin remained behind, engrossed in finding a solution. As he organized his thoughts, his gaze fell on the workers’ overalls.
At that moment, he noticed the evaporated sweat leaving white salt crystals on the clothes. Instantly, a scene of applying silicone around a bathroom tub flashed in his mind like a movie scene. With an idea in mind, Lee Chang-jin immediately woke up Koo Chang-dong, who was on night duty.
“You called for me, President?”
“Go to Guro right now and get 2mm synthetic rubber packing. We’ll overlay it on the contact parts and fill the gaps with sealant.”
Fully awake, Koo Chang-dong quickly procured the equipment. After completing the repair work, they applied air and increased the pressure to about 1.2 kilos. Upon checking the pressure gauge, the needle pointed to 1.2. This confirmed that the seal was sufficiently tight.
“Just a little longer… Let’s wait a bit more.”
Carefully watching the pressure gauge, Koo Chang-dong nodded after a while.
“The seal is maintained for at least 30 minutes. It doesn’t seem to be leaking. Should we check for more leaks?”
Lee Chang-jin shook his head after examining the gauge.
“That should be enough. The pump installed at Anyang Steel is several times more expensive than the one we used for testing, so the vacuum pump’s performance should cover it.”
The pump used at Anyang Steel for drying wires had an output two to three times higher than necessary. Initially, Yoo Joon-tae considered business as a continuation of battle, preparing for the worst-case scenarios.
After completing the prototype test, the employees of Daese Industries loaded the materials and headed to Anyang Steel.
Manager Eom Ki-joon was surprised to see Lee Chang-jin.
“What? How can you be here already?”
“We’ll start the production right away. The item is bulky, so we need some help.”
The workers, unloading the assembly materials, hurriedly began the assembly. Following Lee Chang-jin’s lead, they meticulously tack-welded the protruding parts, hammered them for correction, and carefully polished them with a grinder.
All these steps were carried out under Lee Chang-jin’s supervision.
It took another two weeks to complete the installation of the heat supply and power distribution network within the steel mill. When the demonstration day finally arrived, Yoo Joon-tae and other executives came to watch.
Yong-pal showed signs of concern.
“This is nerve-wracking. Will it really work?”
“Well, the probability is 50%. It will either work or not. Why make it complicated?”
“Aren’t you nervous, sir? If this succeeds, it’ll be a world-first!”
“Nonsense. I’m an engineer, not an inventor. I don’t care about that.”
Watching the two bickering, Koo Chang-dong muttered.
“Why so much chatter? Alright, the cart is going in.”
Everyone except Lee Chang-jin showed clear signs of tension. Although the prototype worked successfully, there was no certainty that the large-scale item would function properly.
As the wires were rolled onto the roller, the heavy steel door closed.
After 30 minutes, the gauge rose, indicating operation.
People held their breath, watching the scene closely. Though they didn’t show it outwardly, it was a tense moment. The alert sound rang out, indicating the completion of the drying process.
“Now remove the wires.”
Lee Chang-jin, lowering the shutter, immediately commanded.
But what was this? The door wouldn’t budge. The tightly shut steel door remained silent. As a minute passed without any reaction, a flustered Koo Chang-dong looked back.
However, there was no sign of movement on Lee Chang-jin’s face. Yoo Joon-tae, unable to hold back, cleared his throat.
“Ahem, what’s going on here?”
The visibly agitated executives murmured. It was then. Lee Chang-jin, observing the situation, approached the door. Standing in front of the door, he slightly loosened a closed valve, which caused a clunking sound as the door opened, and the sound of air escaping was heard.
- Continued in Episode 36 -
