Chapter 443 The Expansion of Green Island Cement
"Boss, please rest assured. Regarding the cooperation with Motorola, Mr. Ma has already discussed the matter with me in detail. I am fully aware of my responsibilities.
Once the handover with Jardines Matheson is complete, I will contact Motorola to coordinate with them and properly arrange their upcoming visit.
As a member of the telecommunications industry, I, too, eagerly hope that Hong Kong can become the world's first city to commercialize mobile communications. It would be a great honor for all of Hong Kong," David said respectfully.
Although David was a top expert in the fixed-line telecommunications sector, with relatively little experience in mobile communications, he understood very well that mobile communication represented the future.
If this collaboration succeeded, it would bring a monumental change to Hong Kong.
"And as a direct participant in this project, Hong Kong Telephone Company will undoubtedly be one of the first beneficiaries," David added.
"Boss, I'll also keep a close eye on this matter. As someone who frequently travels for business, I personally look forward to the day mobile calls become a reality—it'll make life much more convenient," Ma Shimin said with a smile.
"By the way, Mr. David," Lin Haoran shifted the topic, "you should be familiar with the major shareholders of Hong Kong Telephone Company. Please discreetly sound them out—see if any are willing to sell their shares to Jardines Matheson.
We're willing to offer a high price: HK$30 per share."
Relying solely on Global Investment Company to continue buying shares would be possible but troublesome, and could easily drive up the share price.
If shares could be bought directly from major shareholders, it would be simpler and faster.
Ma Shimin nodded. "Exactly. What the Boss mentioned is what Jardines Matheson is currently considering.
Since the Securities Commission has approved us holding up to 75% of shares, we plan to continue increasing our stake.
We'll leave this matter to you!"
"Understood, Boss, Mr. Ma. I'll do my best.
But I cannot guarantee success; it ultimately depends on the shareholders' willingness," David responded.
"I believe in you. I'm sure you won't let me down.
Let's leave it here for now.
I won't interfere with your handover work any further," Lin Haoran said after checking the time—approaching 11 AM.
"Safe travels, Boss!" Ma Shimin and David both stood up respectfully to see him off.
Lin Haoran waved casually and left the Hong Kong Telephone Company headquarters, accompanied by his bodyguards.
Back in Hong Kong, aside from visiting Jardines Matheson and Hong Kong Telephone Company, Lin Haoran had yet to go elsewhere.
Thus, after leaving, he headed to Man Cheung Building.
There, he met with Burton to discuss the current status of Man Cheung Group.
It had been nearly a month since his last visit, and Burton updated him on recent developments.
For example, Green Island Cement had already completed its December production targets by December 20—ten days ahead of schedule.
This meant their monthly revenue and profits had surged dramatically.
Moreover, Green Island Cement had successfully expanded beyond Asia, acquiring the South Pacific Cement Company—the second-largest cement brand in Australia.
This company had operations in both Australia and New Zealand.
The sale was not due to financial losses, but because its owner wanted to emigrate to the United States.
Seizing this opportunity, Green Island Cement merged with the company and officially entered the Australian market.
Although Australia's market wasn't huge due to its population size, it was still a significant expansion.
Clearly, Burton had put tremendous effort into internationalizing the group.
He had not only successfully pushed Green Island Cement onto the international stage but had also made shrewd acquisitions to expand market share and influence.
Lin Haoran did not intend to interfere—so long as there was no reckless expansion.
Judging by Green Island Cement's consistent growth in profits and revenue, they were expanding sensibly.
In just two years, Green Island Cement had grown from a company operating solely in Hong Kong and Macau to covering almost all of Southeast Asia—and now branching into Australia.
This was entirely due to Burton's capable management.
Thus, Lin Haoran was very satisfied with him.
Meanwhile, Kowloon Motor Bus had entered Penang and Singapore markets but had yet to show major performance gains—it was still early days for those expansions.
In Hong Kong, where they maintained a monopoly, revenue growth remained steady without intervention.
Wan On Properties, meanwhile, had shifted its focus to collaborating with Lin Haoran's public utility companies like Hongkong Electric, Kowloon Motor Bus, and China Gas Company, developing land projects together.
After selling most of its previous real estate holdings, Wan On had strategically realigned its business.
In Singapore, they also had projects in cooperation with the Guo family.
Although Hong Kong's real estate market was expected to face a crisis within a year, Wan On Properties' projects were long-term, and the crisis would likely pass by the time they were completed.
From a purely commercial standpoint, merging Wan On into Jardines Matheson would have been more efficient.
But out of respect for family tradition and his father's legacy, Lin Haoran chose to keep Wan On independent.
After chatting with Burton, they had a simple lunch in the company canteen.
After lunch, Lin Haoran bid farewell and went up to the 31st floor to visit Global Investment Company's office.
The office was quiet.
Since Su Zhixue had left Hong Kong, the atmosphere had noticeably dulled.
Upon seeing Lin Haoran, the remaining employees greeted him warmly.
After acknowledging them with a nod, Lin Haoran entered the General Manager's office with Dai Shi.
This office had originally belonged to Su Zhixue.
But now that he was no longer based in Hong Kong, Dai Shi had taken over as the local head.
"How's Hong Kong Telephone Company's stock doing today?" Lin Haoran asked with a smile.
Today was December 29.
The stock market was active, though it was lunchtime and trading had paused.
"Boss, the market reaction has been calm since we announced the acquisition.
Everyone knows Jardines Matheson is behind it, so no other major players are trying to stir up the stock price.
Big funds realize that no matter what they do, they can't shake our control, so there's no profit for them.
Thus, Hong Kong Telephone Company's share price has been very stable today, hovering around HK$30 per share.
Our team has been actively buying—anytime the price dips below HK$30, we buy.
This morning alone, we acquired over one million shares.
Not a massive haul, but a respectable gain," Dai Shi reported.
Everyone knew Jardines Matheson had locked down control—without competition, there was no drama.
Retail investors might still be trading among themselves, but Global Investment wasn't driving up the price unnecessarily.
"Good. No need to rush—just absorb steadily," Lin Haoran said with a smile.
Acquiring another million shares already represented more than 1% additional stake.
Considering there were no rivals, this was a solid pace.
Still, he worried that once cooperation with Motorola was finalized, the share price might spike.
Thus, he wanted David to sound out the major shareholders and see if they were willing to sell at HK$30 per share.
"Also, Boss," Dai Shi continued, "last month we picked up a major external project.
Eagle Group has asked us to assist in acquiring China Motor Bus."
This project intrigued Lin Haoran.
"Eagle Group sees China Motor Bus's stable returns and growth potential in public transportation.
They plan to expand into infrastructure and utilities.
However, they face stiff competition from Sun Hung Kai Properties," Dai Shi explained.
Lin Haoran nodded and chuckled:
"Our job is just to fulfill our mandate.
Whether or not they succeed is up to them—as long as they pay our commission, it's all good."
These external projects didn't concern him much personally.
For Global Investment Company, it was a good sign.
Even without relying on Lin Haoran's internal business, they were starting to operate and grow independently.
After all, how could they hope to surpass Jardine Fleming one day without forging their own path?
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