Episode 71: Pump Export
Lee Chang-jin’s office at the Yeongcheon Factory in Seodaemun-gu.
Lee Chang-jin, wearing a work jacket, and his employees were huddled together in the office.
It was an unusually quiet afternoon, perhaps because many employees had taken annual leave.
In the middle of presiding over a meeting, Lee Chang-jin suddenly sneezed.
“Achoo…! Is someone talking about me? My throat feels itchy too….”
“Could it be that you’ve caught a cold?”
“I’m not sure. I feel a bit chilly, maybe because I went to a warm place.”
“Oh, it’s not just that, is it? You didn’t take a single day off after returning from your business trip and spent every night in the office. You should go home and rest instead of sleeping here.”
“That’s right. We feel guilty about leaving work when you’re always staying late. If you keep overworking, we’ll report this to your wife.”
“Ah, please refrain from doing that… I admit I’m wrong.”
The employees had started calling Jin Seon-ah “Sa-mo-nim” (a respectful term for the boss’s wife) naturally, perhaps because they saw her often.
Jin Seon-ah didn’t deny it, so there was no awkwardness in calling her that.
After all, who gifts a car unless they’re planning to marry?
Lee Chang-jin, sniffling, asked, “But why is Assistant Manager Ye so late?”
“That’s right, she should be here by now. Did she miss the bus?”
“Shall I go pick her up?”
“Could you? I’m getting worried.”
Just as Goo Chang-dong was about to go out with his coat, Yeo Jin-joo burst in.
With a flushed face, Yeo Jin-joo cheerfully announced, “I’ve got roasted sweet potatoes delivered!”
Exhaling white steam, she held an armful of roasted sweet potatoes.
Given the chilly weather, everyone welcomed her warmly. The employees gathered around eagerly.
“Where did you get these?”
“At the Yeongcheon Market intersection nearby. And this is Ssanghwatang for you, boss. It’s said to be great for colds.”
“Thanks, as expected of Assistant Manager Ye. You have a great sense.”
The paper bag was filled with snacks like roasted chestnuts and fish-shaped buns. Yeo Jin-joo carefully peeled the steaming roasted sweet potatoes on the newspaper and handed one to Lee Chang-jin.
“Boss, you first.”
“Thank you.”
As he blew on the roasted sweet potato and took a bite, he tasted the honey-like sweetness.
It was delicious, perhaps because it was freshly roasted.
Eating the sweet potatoes warmed their chilled bodies. Suddenly, the phone rang. As Yeo Jin-joo was about to get up, Lee Chang-jin stopped her.
“I’ll get it. You stay put, Assistant Manager Ye.”
When Lee Chang-jin answered the phone, a familiar voice greeted him.
“How are you, Mr. Lee?”
“What’s the occasion? Why are you calling here?”
The voice belonged to none other than Kim Yoon-geun from the Malaysia branch.
“Oh, you know, I’m always having a good time. But what’s with your voice? Do you have a cold?”
“Yeah, I think so, but it’s not too bad.”
“Take care of yourself, man. You’re getting older. I’ll send you some herbal medicine.”
“Thanks for the concern.”
“Don’t mention it. By the way, can you get me some water pumps at a good price?”
“Water pumps out of the blue? What’s this about?”
“My wife’s company won a major water supply and sewage project near Kuala Lumpur. They need a lot of pumps. I was wondering if you had any suitable products.”
“Congratulations. But don’t they sell water pumps there? Why the need for Korean products?”
“They mainly use Japanese Torishima products here, but their after-sales service is terrible. The water quality in Malaysia causes severe corrosion of the pump shafts and impellers. Those Japanese guys sell replacement parts at almost the cost of a new pump. Given that public projects require maintenance for over 15 years, cheap stuff is just not worth it.”
“They’re marking up the parts to make a profit. How about Mannheim or Siemens products? They can last over 10 years without any after-sales service, though they are twice as expensive.”
“That’s too pricey for us. Do you have any suitable pumps in Korea?”
“Hmm, what type do you need?”
“Mostly horizontal centrifugal pumps and some large double-suction volute pumps. I’m not an expert, so I’ll send you the specifications and purchase order. Can you check?”
“Okay. Send the purchase order and water quality data along with the general technical specifications by international mail. I’ll verify if we can supply them domestically.”
Soon after, mail from Kim Yoon-geun arrived at Seodaemun-gu.
As Lee Chang-jin reviewed the technical specifications and purchase order, he had an unexpected thought.
“Wait, instead of just mediating, why not manufacture them ourselves?”
If he merely acted as an intermediary, he would only earn a 5% profit after giving Kim Yoon-geun his commission. However, if they manufactured the pumps, it would be a different story.
They already had the know-how for making car gears and shafts.
By combining crane technology with vacuum dryer manufacturing technology, it wasn’t impossible.
Having designed the cooling water system for Anyang Steel at Mannheim, Lee Chang-jin had confidence in this field.
With numerous foundries and mold-making factories around Seoul and Incheon, most steel products could be manufactured. Materials like copper, brass, and stainless steel used for pumps were produced directly at Anyang Steel, maintaining lower prices than international rates, giving them a competitive edge.
But how?
After pondering, Lee Chang-jin called for Yoon Jung-pil.
“You called for me?”
“Manager Yoon, do you know much about pumps? I heard you prepared a thesis on fluid dynamics during your graduate studies.”
“Yes, I participated in related projects as a research assistant. I’m quite confident about pump specifications and structures. I’ve even disassembled and reassembled several.”
“Really? Then can you manufacture general centrifugal pumps?”
“I’ve drawn blueprints and done disassembly and assembly, so it’s not impossible. But the main issue is the mold. To meet the specifications, we need to get the molds, which might be difficult due to trade secrets.”
“So it’s impossible through normal channels. Got it, you may go.”
However, Lee Chang-jin didn’t give up.
“If there are no molds, we can reverse-engineer them, right?”
Lee Chang-jin meticulously analyzed the specifications of the most popular used pumps from Japan and Germany by disassembling them one by one. Reviewing the pump specifications, Yoon Jung-pil reported further.
“If the internal pressure of the pump drops below the saturation vapor pressure due to high suction head or flow rate changes, there is a high risk of cavitation. Such cavitation not only reduces performance but also increases vibration and noise. We need to consider this during manufacturing to enhance pump efficiency.”
“Good point. Let’s get engineering advice from Mannheim to implement cavitation prevention measures and check the NPSH (Net Positive Suction Head) values.”
After compiling the final data, Yoon Jung-pil provided detailed component and assembly drawings within a few days. Reviewing the blueprints, Lee Chang-jin nodded.
“The structure looks great, but the output is a bit off. To ensure smooth pump operation, the NPSH value on the performance chart should be at least 1.3 times the design value, right?”
“Yes, I’ll adjust the NPSH value to 1.3 times the design value as you suggested.”
“Good. What materials did you select for the pump?”
“The pump shaft should be connected to the drive motor, so for general use, it’s best to use mechanical structural carbon steel (SM45C) or stainless steel. The casing should be cast iron, the ball bearings should be high-carbon chromium, and the impeller should be made of GC20.”
It was a material selection that considered cost-effectiveness. Lee Chang-jin nodded approvingly.
“And what about the pump motor? Malaysia’s hot and humid weather will cause frequent breakdowns if it’s not a totally enclosed fan-cooled (TEFC) type.”
“I compared domestic products with UL certification. It seems that Cheongwoo or Mirae products are reasonable in terms of quality and cost-effectiveness. We can choose between the two.”
“Considering our relationship, Cheongwoo would be better. I’ll contact Vice President Kim Joong-oh.”
“Understood. I’ll complete the blueprints by the next meeting.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Within a few days, Yoon Jung-pil brought back the pump manufacturing specifications.
Lee Chang-jin reviewed them thoroughly and found them impeccable.
“Excellent work, Manager Yoon. Well done.”
“You’re too kind.”
With the blueprints approved, Lee Chang-jin convened a pump manufacturing review meeting.
Distributing the pump specifications and blueprints, Lee Chang-jin issued instructions.
“First, we’ll start with the production of the pump shaft and key according to the blueprints. Mr. Shin, could you handle the casting of the pump casing and impeller? Do you think it’s possible?”
“Sure, leave it to me.”
Mr. Shin, who had become an integral part of Daese Industries, displayed confidence.
“Thank you. We’ll source the journal bearings from Oseong and the thrust bearings from Yangho. Assistant Manager Ye, please handle that. Manager Goo, please oversee and collect the motors.”
“Understood, boss.”
“Yes, boss!”
“Then let’s adjourn the meeting. Please focus on your assigned tasks as per the instructions.”
“Yes!”
The employees returned to their respective departments. Assistant Manager Seo Jo-han, who was in charge of the shaft and key production, was the first to bring a prototype.
Examining the product, Lee Chang-jin carefully ran his hand over the surface.
“The surface treatment is a bit rough. It seems it might be stiff during actual use. What grit did you polish it with?”
“Around 200 grit.”
“That’s not good enough. To ensure smooth connection with the impeller, it needs to be polished well. Increase the grit to at least 2,000.”
“That will take three to four times longer just for the polishing.”
“You don’t need to polish the entire thing. Just focus on the connection points with the motor and impeller. Only the joint areas need extra polishing, right?”
“Ah! Got it. I’ll correct it right away.”
Following the instructions, Seo Jo-han started additional work and brought back the shaft within half a day.
This time, the surface texture was smooth and glossy like glass.
“Okay. The appearance passes. Let’s proceed with the assembly and conduct vibration tests with the connected components.”
“Understood.”
Lee Chang-jin meticulously inspected every detail. Since the product was assembled from parts from various companies, it was uncertain if it would work well.
As feared, during the trial run of the completed pump, the pressure gauge needle fluctuated wildly, and the discharge rate varied. The surging phenomenon occurred, causing pressure and flow to oscillate in the pipes connected to the water tank.
The employees who had installed the product looked dejected.
“This is a setback. Do we have to start from scratch?”
“Don’t be too disappointed. We can’t expect perfection on the first try. Adjust the operating point using a bypass pipe, refine the internal machining of the impeller to balance it, and replace the ball bearings with roller bearings. Ensure there are no gas formation points inside the tank’s piping and try the trial run again.”
Fortunately, after several trials and errors, the vibration measurement results showed that the product was functioning normally.
Goo Chang-dong, who was inspecting the pump with greasy hands, excitedly reported.
“Both the flow rate and pressure are stable!”
Seeing the cheering employees, Lee Chang-jin’s face also brightened.
The effort of eating greasy meals and working hard for weeks had paid off.
The performance of the pump surpassed that of the Japanese Torishima product.
“Great job, everyone. This seems marketable.”
Lee Chang-jin sent the prototype to the address provided by Kim Yoon-geun through the buyer.
A few weeks later, Kim Yoon-geun contacted them again after receiving the prototype.
His voice was quite excited, indicating the trial run results were good.
“The pump you sent performs excellently. Where’s it from?”
“Actually, we made it ourselves. Are you satisfied?”
“Wow, that’s impressive! Alright, we’ll buy it. What’s the price?”
“You mentioned the market price there is $500 each, right? We’ll set ours at $350.”
“Deal. I’ll confirm the quantity and contact you soon.”
The order quantity reached 1,000 units. With the production volume exceeding expectations, Lee Chang-jin decided to outsource the production of semi-finished products to partner companies while handling the final processing and quality inspection in-house.
Fortunately, with President Kim Cheol-ho’s connections, finding partner companies was easy.
With the flood of orders, Lee Chang-jin was extremely busy.
Working overtime and even giving up holidays, time flew by, and the year-end had already passed.
Thus, the year 1975 ended, and the new year began.
- Continued in Episode 72 -
