Chapter 23

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Chapter 23: Dream Factory

In mid-November 1834, the Bittenfeld Factory was ready, and the Blue Star, the first semi-automatic clock factory in history to use a steam engine, was completed.

The improvement of the Watt steam engine was a thing of the last century. It was only in the early 19th century that the steam engines, further improved by many engineers, were used in the production of medium and small factories.

England was the pioneer of the Industrial Revolution. There were already at least ten semi-automatic factories using flying shuttle looms in England, while the German region was still a blank slate.

The Industrial Revolution in Prussia had just begun. The progress was slow, because the patent fees for steam engines were too expensive. Factory owners in Prussia preferred to use windmills or water wheels, staying at the level of the end of the last century.

Leader One was the first to try something new. He not only bought a complete set of steam engine production equipment from England but also had the Prussian Engineering Institute improve it so that this set of equipment originally used for flying shuttle weaving could produce clocks.

Chief Academician Louis Schuler of the Academy of Engineering was a big shot. He designed a set of steam-powered spinning, punching, and wire drawing production lines.

Thin copper sheet metal was thrown into the production line. Soon, it would automatically turn into a round clock case with simple patterns on the surface. The conveyor belt sent the clock semi-finished products to individual workstations. Workers only needed to place seven clock components in order, then cover them, and a nice-looking copper alarm clock was finished.

It looked wonderful, but the efficiency was very poor. The steam engine in the boiler room, probably only twenty horsepower? With low power to begin with, and with further loss due to the roughly designed transmission structure, the speed at which the copper sheet turned into semi-finished shells was very slow, as was the conveyor belt.

The workers chatted and waited at their seats, very relaxed and not busy at all. They only received a part to assemble every 7 minutes on average, which took half a minute to finish. Then, they continued to wait.

Outside the Bittenfeld Factory, there were over two thousand onlookers crowding the street. They heard that Prince Redel’s new factory was like a paradise, so they all came to have a look.

Catherine and eleven Magic Energy Knights put up caution tape to keep the crowd at a safe distance. The factory’s large windows were very fragile, a little force could break them, so they should not lean over to look.

The large glass windows were also a masterpiece of the Academy of Engineering. Unfortunately, without strong glass material, they had to make do with ordinary glass.

The spectators marveled at the scene. Sunlight shone through the windows into the factory, making it bright and completely changing its dark and gloomy image.

"It’s alright now in winter, they can wear thin sweaters and be comfortable. But in summer, won’t the workers inside feel very hot?" A curious bystander raised a question.

Catherine didn’t know how to answer, she looked around for the prince’s figure, and finally managed to welcome Redel.

"Oh, no need to worry, because we have blinds and fans, the factory’s interior environment will always be kept at its most comfortable." Leader One explained to the citizens in a gentle tone.

The citizens gazed at the factory, with some trying to push to the front while others hesitated to leave. They kept asking questions, and Leader One continued to answer with a friendly smile.

"The factory floor is made of bright clear walnut wood, which is the warmest and most comfortable flooring material for people, the wood used in the factory is the same as the Bavarian Opera House."

"Whenever the indoor air feels stale, the ventilation fan is turned on to keep the air fresh. The noise from the fan is loud but it’s okay, we provide all workers with specially designed noise-canceling earmuffs."

"Workers work five days a week, with Saturdays and Sundays off. The workdays are from nine in the morning until five in the evening, with an hour for lunch and rest. The factory provides comfortable dormitories for each worker, relieving them from the worry of renting a place, and the wages and benefits are really good."

Whenever a citizen asks Leader One if such a factory can make money.

Leader One would say the profits are quite substantial.

He wasn’t lying, the profits are indeed quite good, referring to the gross profit, as this factory uses more advanced semi-automatic production lines and the copper alarm clocks can be sold at a good price, generating a considerable cash flow.

However, the net profit is as ugly as dog poop, to keep this factory running, it incurs losses of ten to twelve pounds per month on average.

Moreover, the construction cost of this factory is as high as nine hundred and fifty pounds, draining the last bit of money from the Bittenfeld family, Catherine’s parents can only rely on the noble allowance granted by the king to make ends meet. As for recovering the cost, even if the factory operates until the 21st century, the cost will not be recouped.

The Bittenfeld Clock Factory is a showcase created by Leader One with a lot of money, just like a show flat in a real estate sales office, it looks dreamy indeed, but it’s not real.

Leader One gave everyone a dream, a material for imagination, where workers would receive good treatment, have a fair balance between work and rewards, work in a safe and clean environment without getting too tired, and have weekends off…

This could be everyone’s future, but it is definitely not the present.

He loudly told the people, "The first batch of clocks produced by the factory will be given to the king, Prince Wilhelm, and the members of parliament. Perhaps this will make them agree to the reform policies I proposed."

"Oh, by the way, health insurance! I have started a health insurance company and equipped everyone in the factory with it. It only costs four small silver coins per month, and after paying continuously for more than half a year, you will be reimbursed when you get sick, reducing personal medical expenses."

At this moment, someone in the crowd shouted, "Your Highness! We also want to work at Bittenfeld Factory."

Leader One replied, "I’m sorry, all worker positions are full. I will try to persuade the king to agree to the policy so that more factories like this can be built."

Another person asked, "Your Highness! Can we also buy the health insurance?"

Leader One answered, "Of course, anyone can purchase it. Factory owners can buy it for their workers, or you can buy it for your parents or for yourself."

Another person inquired, "Your Highness! Where can we get such good health insurance?"

Leader One, "On the east side of the Imperial Square, there is the Prussian People Insurance Company, 100 meters away."

"Buy! I will go buy now! Buy ten copies, I trust Prince Benevolence, of course."

Those who are shouting in the crowd are all accomplices, one of Leader One’s goals in running a factory is also to promote insurance.

He has run out of money, Catherine’s family’s money has been completely squandered, without earning some money, there is no way to survive, this insurance business… in a way, is indeed a good thing, earning money with a clear conscience.

But in the early 19th century, the money earned from selling insurance will not be much, firstly because there are not many buyers, even if they have money, they would rather eat more food – what the people need in this era is not insurance at all.

Secondly, there are too many insurance frauds, many people are living in misery, they would rather intentionally hurt themselves to make some money, the investigators cannot verify at all, even if they know the other party is cheating with insurance, there is no evidence.

Leader One does not expect the insurance company to make big money, as long as the income and expenditure are balanced, it’s fine, it’s better if he can make some profit, if he can’t… consider it as giving welfare to the people.