Tech giants start by disassembling systems

Chapter 54 Signature Sky Eagle's New Products

In mid-July 2017, Ding De'an arrived at Hongyuan with his lawyer.

The exclusive distribution agreement was drafted over a month ago. The final version is concise—Toyota will be the exclusive sales channel for agricultural drones equipped with Hongyuan flight controllers in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, and Jiangxi provinces. Toyota will charge a channel service fee of 300 yuan per machine. The minimum sales volume for the first year is 300 units. Toyota will pay an annual down payment of 800,000 yuan upon signing the agreement.

Su Chen and Fang Xu reviewed every clause. There were no problems.

The two signed the papers in the conference room.

Ding De'an didn't leave immediately after signing. He sat on the sofa, looking at Su Chen.

"Mr. Su, let me tell you the truth."

"explain."

"I've been in the agricultural supplies business for over 30 years. I've seen many products come and go. But your flight control system—this is the first agricultural drone solution I've truly seen that satisfies farmers. That farmer from Guangxi said—'It only takes three minutes to cover an acre of land, and it's evenly covered'—I've heard it countless times. My store managers have heard it countless times too. This kind of reputation can't be bought with money."

Su Chen remained silent.

"So this agreement is more than just a channel partnership. For me, it represents Toyota's most important strategic transformation over the next three years. It's about transforming from a traditional agricultural input supplier selling pesticides and fertilizers into a provider of intelligent plant protection services. Your flight control system is at the heart of this transformation."

Su Chen looked at this 57-year-old agricultural input tycoon and was slightly moved.

Ding De'an wasn't being polite. He was betting the future of his company.

This trust is more important than any contractual clause.

"Mr. Ding, I won't let you down."

Ding De'an stood up and shook hands with Su Chen. His grip was firm—the old jasmine in the palm of a man who had been in business for thirty years was as hard as stone.

After signing, Su Chen returned to his office.

The 800,000 prepayment will arrive within a week.

The funding gap for F3 mass production will be filled.

He crossed out "Unsolved" next to "Second Question" on the paper and wrote "Solved".

All three questions have been solved.

In early August, Skyhawk officially released its new product – the "Falcon Industrial Edition".

Priced at 1699 yuan. Its main selling point is "super durable". Google's marketing copy is "a flying tool born for work".

Su Chen narrowed his eyes slightly when he saw this guy.

"A flying machine born for work"—this phrase is almost identical to the internal positioning of the F3.

Lu Weimin's learning ability was stronger than Su Chen had imagined.

He didn't learn flight control—but he learned positioning.

Su Chen asked Zhang Lei to buy a Falcon Industrial Edition for testing.

The result was as expected.

The hardware has indeed been reinforced—the casing is thicker, the motor mount has added shock-absorbing pads, and the battery monitoring module has been sealed against moisture. From a hardware perspective, it is indeed much more durable than the ordinary Flying Eagle II.

However, the flight control system is still a general solution with Tianying's own parameter adjustments.

Hovering accuracy, wind resistance, and flight stability under extreme temperatures—each of these is far inferior to the F3's test data.

"The shell has gotten thicker, but the brain hasn't changed," Zhang Lei concluded.

Su Chen nodded.

Tianying's marketing blitz will quickly spread the concept of "super durable" in county-level markets. However, once customers actually get their hands on the flight control system and fly it a few times, the differences in flight control quality will immediately become apparent.

Therefore, time is crucial.

F3 must enter the market before Skyhawk's marketing efforts reach their peak.

"Zhang Lei, how is the mass production preparation for the F3 progressing?"

"All testing is complete. Mass production firmware has been recorded. Hardware molds have arrived. Three of the five production lines have begun switching to F3 production configuration. The remaining two lines continue producing F2 to fulfill existing order backlogs."

When will the first batch of F3s be delivered?

"Two weeks later."

Su Chen did some mental calculations.

The Tianying Falcon Industrial Edition has just been released. It will take time for GG to be rolled out. It will likely take one to two months from release to widespread recognition in county-level markets.

The F3 can be delivered in two weeks.

The first player to enter the game defines the rules. Later players can only follow.

Su Chen's lips curled up slightly.