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During this period, Guangdong's factories that produce small household appliances were very busy. Orders for European electric blankets came like a tide, and the order volume soared 10 times. The factory with a large number of workers has started the three shifts and mode, and all electric blankets are produced in 24 hours.
According to the manager of a small appliance factory in Zhongshan City, : Starting from July this year, we have received demand for electric blankets one after another, and then the monthly order volume has increased at a rate of 50%.
"We have long since stopped making electric blankets. The unit price is low, the profit is thin, and the sales are poor. Who knows that the demand is so great this year." In the summer, the factory only has one production line, and now it has expanded to three, with workers running 12 hours a day.
Recently, Sister Xia from Zhejiang often runs to Hangzhou, and she is looking for a big boss who can borrow money.
She and the investors calculated the calculations: the price of an electric blanket in Europe has tripled now. In the past, it was 20 euros, but now it is 60 euros, and the supply is in short supply, and the cost of producing an electric blanket is less than 10 yuan.
If you can seize this opportunity to expand production, you can earn at least 100 million by the end of the year.
After hearing this, the investor nodded in agreement and asked her how much she wanted to borrow? Sister Xia stretched out her three fingers: "30 million." She used 30 million to make a profit of 100 million. Investors felt that some of them were profitable, so they decided to invest on the spot.
Chinese people are busy producing and making money. Europeans are busy buying and complaining. After the mysterious explosion of Beixi No. 1, which transports natural gas , European gas shortage is a foregone conclusion.
Originally, a small number of Europeans still had a slight fantasy, believing that winter is approaching, it is the best time to negotiate with Russia. All signs indicate that Germany is secretly approaching Russia. By chance, the Nord River suddenly exploded, completely ruining the Europeans' thoughts.
Face reality, winter is coming.
A European netizen launched a survey: Who do you think is the biggest beneficiary of the Nord Stream pipeline explosion? A. United States; B. Russia; C. Ukraine; D.Poland ; E. China.
Europeans fully demonstrated their entertainment spirit, and China received the highest votes. They complained in the comment section: "The Chinese are making a lot of money. They import cheap Russian natural gas while exporting high-priced electric blankets to us. The Chinese are winning again."
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In fact, the price has soared more than just electric blankets? As long as it is equipment related to heating, such as hot water bags, thermal underwear, and electric heaters, the order volume is soaring. Exports in August alone reached US$70 billion.
European buyers come to Yiwu and call for "the most cost-effective product". Affected by inflation, they are worried that they will have difficulty selling some flashy goods. "The electricity bill has risen by 60%," said a British buyer of
. "People's purchasing power has shrunk. New and creative products are not popular, and everyone emphasizes practicality."
The war is like a bride who goes home to visit her relatives. While hurting both Russia and Ukraine, it is also testing the patience of the European people. While shouting "Defend Ukraine", they chattered and complained that the government was unable to control prices.
To be fair, in recent years, Germany's livelihood has been able to maintain low inflation, thanks to Russia's cheap natural gas supply. The energy expenditure cost of a German company only accounts for 3%-4% of the total cost, which is astonishingly low, greatly improving the competitiveness of Germany's manufacturing industry. The day after the explosion of the North Stream, Merkel , who had been silent, rarely spoke out: "We must keep room for maneuvering with Russia."
Perhaps, Merkel has smelled the risks brought about by the expansion of the war. She once worked hard to establish a good relationship with Putin , and Beixi No. 1 was successfully built under her decision. Even though she was criticized by the United States, Poland, , Finland and other countries during the construction, she withstood the pressure for the sake of Germany. Unfortunately, the war has left all her efforts in vain, and some people even jumped out to accuse Merkel of being a traitor and being a tiger.
The explosion of the Nord Stream completely pushed Europe to the opposite of Russia, with some mysterious force, wanting to completely separate Europe from Russia and cut off all possibilities of peace talks.
This is obviously not in line with the interests of Germany and EU . Europe and Russia bear the cost of war, and other countries reap profits. Starting from September, Germany has entered the "energy-saving mode". Only 6 hours of electric lights are used in public places every day, and heating must not be higher than 19 degrees Celsius (except hospitals), and all advertising screens on the street are turned off.
The government is discussing whether to open some public heating areas so that poor people who cannot afford the electricity bill can live in it. And the rich are thinking about whether to spend the winter in the warm southern Europe.
People living in the German countryside have a lot of chopped firewood piled up in their yard. Don’t underestimate the firewood. A kilogram of firewood can maintain the warmth of a 100-square-meter house for 8 hours, which is much more efficient than air conditioning.
An old German man complained: "Fortunately there is a fireplace at home, and I forgot when I used it last time."
For Germans who are rich in life, the biggest difficulty facing this winter is not the increase in electricity bills, but the shortage of supply, and there may be power outages at any time.
Although the government repeatedly stated that it would not let the worst happen, Berlin citizens disagreed with it. They complained: "The government has not promised that there will be no power outage."
The last time Germany faced such a severe winter was still the period of hyperinflation more than 90 years ago. The German Central Bank gave up "treatment" and printed money wildly. Prices across the country were out of control. In the words of a small beard, it was: "Do you know how much bread is going to cost outside now? 500,000 Mark ! Even the carriage can't put so much money!" That winter, German workers who could not afford coal and firewood simply started to burn the mark to keep warm.
Germans, who are quite sensitive to history, are trying to control inflation and keep the scope in the energy field. But energy not only affects the electricity bills of the people, but also involves production.
From January to August this year, the cost of German factories in payment for purchasing energy has increased 4 times. Small businesses that are extremely sensitive to costs have encountered operational difficulties. On the one hand, the government does not allow them to raise prices at will, and on the other hand, the energy costs eat up all profits.
In September, Hakle, a 103-year-old toilet paper brand, filed a bankruptcy filing.
Well-known German companies have a tendency to transfer production capacity to China. According to incomplete statistics, two months after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Mercedes-Benz , Audi , BMW , Bayer , BASF both increased investment in China. Except for Bayer's 400 million euros, the remaining investment scale is more than 10 billion yuan.
They are looking for cheap energy supply in China. From January to July, Germany's investment in China grew by as high as 23%. A vivid lesson was given to German politicians who claimed to reduce their dependence on China.
Author: Jiang Zuo Youan
