Chapter 342: The Glass Industry
South Salzburg Province, Mbeya City.
"Open the kiln!" came a shout.
Workers waiting beside the kiln used iron tongs to pull away the kiln's opening. A surge of hot air burst out from inside.
"Hurry, let's see how it turned out!"
Urged by the factory chief, fully geared workers entered the kiln mouth to carry out the newly fired ceramics. Currently, Mbeya's temperature is around 17 degrees Celsius, so wearing cotton-padded clothes outdoors isn't too hot. But the moment they step into the kiln's interior, they feel a rush of scorching heat.
They fumbled around for a bit. Carefully, they removed the saggars holding the fired products. Under everyone's watchful eyes, the master craftsman gently tapped open a saggar.
"Ah! What a shame—the bottom is fused to the saggar. Next one!"
An unlucky start—on to the next.
"This glaze is no good. Next!"
In the end, they opened all the saggars, and the outcome was less than ideal. Their yield was only about 15%. The finished products were of mediocre quality, rough in workmanship, and had an unglazed ring on the inside—visually unappealing. Still, everyone found the results acceptable.
"It's our first time, after all. Getting this outcome isn't bad at all. Don't lose heart—keep refining our process. I believe our Mbeya Ceramic Factory will lead the kingdom's ceramics industry in the future," the mayor of Mbeya consoled the crowd.
The ceramics made at Mbeya Ceramic Factory are rough ware—tableware for common people. Ceramics used in Constantinoo's royal palace all come from the Far East.
Around Mbeya is a rich high-quality kaolin deposit. Initial East African government surveys suggest about three million tons—discovered incidentally when prospecting for coal. That's why the first ceramic factory in East Africa was set up in Mbeya.
Currently, East Africans mainly use wooden or earthen vessels. Porcelain is extremely scarce. Apart from the porcelain in the royal household, you'll mostly find Far Eastern products along East Africa's coast, from Mogadishu to Mtwara, and even some in Zimbabwe's interior. But nearly all of it was imported via trade routes. Mbeya's ceramic factory, then, has produced the kingdom's first African-fired ceramics.
East Africa's porcelain technique primarily comes from Yixian County in Far Eastern Yanzhou. Every wave of immigrants has basic files recorded, so they pay special attention to skilled professionals. Actually, firing porcelain in Europe is no mystery either; many factories exist. But in East Africa, the earliest settlers were rural folks from Germany or the Far East.
European porcelain was never for ordinary people, not as widespread as in the Far East. So Mbeya's ceramic workers come mostly from the Far East. Many come from Qicun in Yixian, a place with a long history of ceramics, flourishing in Tang times and peaking in the Yuan dynasty. The tradition continues, so local families have made it their livelihood. Through East African immigration, quite a few from Qicun arrived. Around 30% of the Mbeya Ceramic Factory staff are Qicun natives.
Though Qicun has a longstanding pottery tradition, it's not famous—its output mainly serves everyday folk. If East Africa really needed advanced techniques, they could send people to learn in Jingdezhen or glean knowledge from Europe, but that's unnecessary. Just founding Mbeya Ceramic Factory is already something Ernst allowed. After all, East African residents can get by with wooden or earthenware utensils. Producing some coarse porcelain simply diversifies items in East Africa's specialty shops, and higher-quality porcelain can just be imported. There's no need right now for big porcelain ventures in East Africa.
The main reason: once fired, who would buy it? Competing with the Far East aside, they can't match Europe either. They'd earn no profit, so nobody's motivated to push it.
In contrast, East Africa is spotlighting the glass manufacturing industry. Because a large number of Venetians came to East Africa, the kingdom now has a big advantage developing glass. Venetian glassmaking is world-famous. If East Africa had many Jingdezhen immigrants, they'd go big on porcelain. But they have Venetians, so they push glass.
Besides, East Africa truly needs glass. It can replace pottery for utensils, but more importantly, East African buildings need glass windows. When the Qiweite Palace was constructed, they imported large amounts of European glass for decoration. Relying on imports for something as basic as the royal palace's windows felt a bit shameful—especially since many new government buildings need glass, not to mention civilian houses.
Though East African housing follows German architectural style, they often have no real windows—just a wooden shutter that stays open by day for light and is closed at night against mosquitoes. Giving everyone real glass windows might be extravagant, but small pieces of glazed tile are feasible.
Moreover, East Africa anticipates future R&D needs—though they can't do much science yet, they'll have to eventually. Lab glassware like test tubes and lenses need glass.
They plan three major glass production bases: Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, and Songea. Beyond the Venetian craftworkers, Hechingen Daily Goods Company—part of the Hechingen Consortium—has formed a technical team focused on large-scale glass manufacturing. Their priority is cracking the art of making flat glass. For that, Hechingen Daily Goods is partnering with multiple universities in Germany.
This also prepares for a future car industry. Earliest automobiles had no windshield. In bad weather or facing insects and flying leaves or dust, drivers and passengers typically wore goggles. Even if they manage to create flat glass, it won't necessarily appear on cars right away, since it's breakable and risky. But eventually, there will be a need for it.
Whenever folks get tired of open-air driving, the Hechingen Consortium can introduce automotive glass. And about the technology? They'll drip it out bit by bit, milking every penny from prospective buyers.
Naturally, for now it's a dream. Hechingen doesn't have flat glass or cars. They'll keep working. At the moment, Benz is still modifying his engine, trying to shrink it while boosting output. The chassis plan, guided by Ernst's input, remains at a rough stage. No one knows how to put it all together yet. Realistically, it'll take years before they release a practical car.
Why so long? Because Hechingen wants that first car to be fairly complete, with advanced engineering and low production cost, so imitators can't cheaply copy it. If it's too simple, any random blacksmith might replicate it.
Another reason is to let East Africa mature for a few more years. The car business must be launched in East Africa. This signature product, if introduced there first, will raise the kingdom's international status and give it a head start in the automotive field.
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