How a Disaster-Class Necromancer Retires – Chapter 9
As the skeletons operated the cutting machine, the fabric was neatly sliced.
Once the fabric was cut, one skeleton passed it aside, and another began sewing it with a sewing machine.
Ta-da-da-da!
As the skeletons lined up and went through a series of processes, the completed shoe was finally made.
“How’s it look?”
Kim Deokbae looked at the shoe with a puzzled expression and asked,
“Is this… really okay?”
Instead of commenting on whether it was good or bad, his first question was whether this was actually acceptable.
I shrugged and replied,
“Is there a problem? It’s not like I’m breaking any laws.”
“Well, I guess that’s true, but…”
“Just look at the shoe. How does it look?”
The shoe was made with the commands that Kim Deokbae and his staff had provided.
Of course, the result was a mess.
The quality was so poor that it seemed like it had been made as a joke.
“It’s not bad, but compared to something made by hand, it’s a little…”
Kim Deokbae tried to make it sound better, but what I needed wasn’t vague praise.
“Stop with the abstract answers. Tell me where the problem is.”
“…This stitching is a little off. It’s too perpendicular, and there’s a gap.”
“Okay.”
I immediately adjusted the magical command for the skeleton responsible for that part.
“Bring it in a bit more. Rotate it like a circle.”
After adjusting it, I instructed the skeleton to make another shoe. The next experimental pair was completed.
Kim Deokbae swallowed hard and said,
“…It’s fixed.”
“Right?”
“Well, this part could be… a little more…”
Following Kim Deokbae’s advice, the tuning test continued.
After four hours of tuning, Kim Deokbae finally nodded and said,
“This… looks pretty good.”
“Right?”
Originally, this kind of light industry didn’t require much skill, so even unskilled workers could quickly be put to work.
That’s why the industry, although it requires lower skills, thrives in developing countries with abundant cheap labor.
Given that, this was nothing for me, someone who had already perfected a combat macro.
“Let’s keep going. These guys are surprisingly fast learners. Haha. Plus, once they’ve learned it, they rarely make mistakes.”
Once we perfectly macro-ized the stitching method, the rest was easy.
Every time we changed the design, I just needed to adjust the movements slightly to match.
This was the perfect task for skeletons.
At that moment, Kim Deokbae looked at me and asked,
“But are you really going to stick with this design?”
“Why?”
“It’s my design, but it can’t compete with the latest sneakers from famous makers. The brand value is lacking, and the design is inferior.”
I appreciate his honesty.
But it doesn’t matter.
“Instead, it’s cheap. Do the cost calculation.”
“Cost calculation?”
“It’s simple. These guys don’t need wages, so you only need to account for material costs and electricity.”
Kim Deokbae looked at me with a blank expression and said,
“No labor costs…? Labor costs are almost half of it!”
As if hypnotized, Kim Deokbae started calculating and exclaimed in shock,
“3,000 won?!”
I replied with a relaxed expression,
“And these guys don’t eat, don’t sleep. No food costs, no labor costs, and they can even work overtime indefinitely.”
“That means mass production would make it even cheaper… Even Chinese-made shoes can’t match this price!”
I knew my idea was right.
The core of light industry is labor costs, and here, the labor is essentially free.
Of course, there’s the cost of bones when creating the skeletons initially, but considering how much money they’ll make, that’s negligible.
“We’ll make them cheaply in bulk and export them. Sure, brand-name shoes will always be better, but not everyone in the world wears branded shoes.”
Anywhere cheap Chinese shoes are sold is my target.
For them, price is the only thing that matters.
Sure, the margin won’t be high, but with the skeletons, I can push them out in bulk and win by volume.
Isn’t this patriotism?
I’ll revive the dying shoe export industry with skeletons.
“How does it sound? Doesn’t it seem doable?”
Kim Deokbae’s eyes sparkled as he replied,
“It’s more than doable. With this price, it can even compete with used shoes, let alone Chinese-made ones. People would obviously prefer new shoes over used ones. And with this production cost, if the quality can keep up… we might even get subcontracted by a brand.”
“Hmm?”
Subcontracted by a brand?
“What do you mean by that?”
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I smiled and said,
“So, the design and sales are all handled by the brand, and the factory just does the manufacturing?”
OEM production, where the brand designs the shoes, and everything from quantity to design is decided by them, and the factory simply makes the shoes for them.
If custom orders are just about modifying a selection from the factory’s lineup, OEM production involves the brand deciding everything, and the factory just produces it on their behalf.
“I thought brands ran their own factories?”
Since I had originally targeted cheap shoes, I was surprised to learn there was such a convenient method.
“No, no. Brands don’t run their own factories. They all operate through subcontracting, or OEM production.”
“Why don’t they run their own factories?”
“Obviously for cost-cutting and efficiency. They don’t need to hire staff, and they don’t need production facilities. They just place the order and that’s it. This is the global trend, not just for shoes. Even that famous Apple phone, all their products are made through OEM production.”
“Wow?”
So, the brands handle the design and sales, while I just need to make the shoes?
That means I just make them to the brand’s orders, and the money flows in?
That sounds incredibly easy!
“The reason Korean shoes were once famous was that brands outsourced the manufacturing to us, benefiting from cheap labor. But now, it’s all gone to China and Southeast Asia. However…”
Kim Deokbae smiled brightly and said,
“With this price, we might be able to take that business back. We’re much cheaper, and Korea’s infrastructure is top-notch. Of course, it won’t be easy, but it’s possible.”
So, it’s possible?
I had originally planned to just make and sell cheap shoes, but this outsourcing deal sounds like a goldmine.
“OEM, outsourcing production, huh… I really like this idea.”
Of course, the situation is still that we’re the underdogs. We’re the subcontractors, which means we have to follow the brand’s orders on design and production quantities.
But there is such a thing as a super underdog.
Just like the people of the Seron continent, who hold the only key to summon me and send me back, yet still gave me wealth and treasures in the process.
This could work!
Let’s try it and see where it goes.
I smiled and said,
“Anyway, to get that subcontracting deal, we need to grow the company and prove our skills, right? Let’s get started. Let’s make them in bulk and push them out quickly.”
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“Hmm.”
Im Yonggi was a trader who conducted business between Korea and China.
He primarily bought consumer goods in China and sold them in Korea, and in Korea, he bought various electronic products and parts to sell in China.
However, a few days ago, a wholesaler he was dealing with introduced him to the owner of a shoe factory who was looking for export buyers.
Naturally, Im Yonggi was indifferent.
“Of all places, do you think Korean shoe prices can compete with China?”
There were many Korean companies looking for buyers to open export channels.
Naturally, China, with its enormous domestic market, was an especially attractive target.
However, except for a few well-known brand products, ordinary goods did not sell in China.
The reason, of course, was price.
Korean-made products, made in a country with high labor costs, would have to pass through customs, making it impossible to compete with cheap Chinese-made products.
Even so, the reason he agreed to meet was to maintain the face of his longtime business partner, the wholesaler.
“I’ll just listen and leave.”
So, he arrived at a small shoe factory in Gyeonggi Province.
It was immediately clear that it was a small-scale operation, and his expectations dwindled further.
In light industries like shoes, economies of scale were more strongly applied, so prices would drop as production increased.
But since the appointment had already been made, what else could he do?
Im Yonggi patted his face, adjusted his expression, and made a call.
-Yes, Mr. Im!
“I’ve arrived!”
-Oh! Great! I’ll be right out!
A few moments later, Kim Deokbae, the shoe factory owner, appeared from a small office attached to the factory and greeted him.
“Welcome. It must have taken a while.”
Im Yonggi smiled brightly and replied.
“Not at all. It wasn’t that far.”
“Would you like to have a cup of coffee in the office?”
Im Yonggi thought to himself, ‘What a waste of time for coffee,’ but outwardly apologized and said,
“I’d love to, but I have another appointment coming up.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Can I see the goods first?”
At Im Yonggi’s request, Kim Deokbae, with a confident look, replied,
“Of course. This way, please.”
Led by Kim Deokbae, Im Yonggi entered the factory.
From behind a partition, the sound of sewing machines was heard.
Ta-da-da-da!
“This must be the production line?”
Im Yonggi asked.
“Yes,”
Kim Deokbae responded.
“But why the partition? It seems like it’d be a hassle to go back and forth.”
Kim Deokbae replied with a slightly awkward expression.
“Ah, it’s our principle to keep things this way.”
“I see.”
Im Yonggi thought, ‘Making shoes and acting like it’s such a big deal,’ but he didn’t let his thoughts show as he followed Kim Deokbae to the warehouse.
But then…
“Eh?”
Shoes stacked up in the warehouse.
“What’s all this?”
“These are the products I’m showing you today.”
“These?”
Having dealt with many factories, Im Yonggi immediately realized what this was.
These were most certainly shoes made for a large order that had been canceled.
‘What an idiot, just accepting any order and making them. Why make so many?’
Of course, canceled goods weren’t necessarily a bad thing.
If the products weren’t defective, he could buy them at a low price by exploiting the factory’s disadvantage.
But Korean-made shoes weren’t going to be cheap.
“Let’s see…”
Im Yonggi checked the condition of the shoes with no real expectation.
‘Not bad.’
The shoes were exactly the quality he had expected.
The design was simple, and the materials used were cheap, making them ideal for everyday use.
The problem, of course, was the price.
‘Even with a discount on these canceled items… 8,000? 7,000?’
Considering the logistics cost of shipping them in bulk, the chances of these shoes being successfully sold in China were zero.
‘If it were 6,000 won, I might consider it.’
In reality, at this price, the shoes would be sold at a loss for the Korean factory.
But it wasn’t enough to offer Im Yonggi any merit.
At best, it was considered because of the ‘Made in Korea’ label.
‘Well, I’m just not going to buy them. I’d end up with defective stock.’
At that moment, Kim Deokbae looked at Im Yonggi and asked.
“So, what do you think?”
Having already decided not to buy, Im Yonggi nodded and said.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t say it’s outstanding, but… it’s not bad. No major flaws.”
“Right? Haha. I think so too.”
“How many models are there?”
“All models are the same, just three color variations.”
Im Yonggi’s face grew even more disappointed.
‘One model? That’s the worst.’
To handle this volume with a single model, it would take longer.
With all expectations now dashed, Im Yonggi said.
“I’ve seen enough.”
Kim Deokbae hesitantly asked.
“So, how much do you think?”
“I’ll give you 5,000 won.”
Im Yonggi quoted a high price right from the start to end it quickly.
Kim Deokbae looked surprised and asked,
“5,000 won?!”
“Well, considering logistics and other costs, it’s the best I can offer, haha.”
Just as he was about to leave after being rejected…
“That much?”
For a moment, Im Yonggi thought he had misheard.
‘What? What’s going on? Did I misjudge the shoes?’
Flustered, Im Yonggi checked the material of the shoes and thought.
‘It’s right. For this material and size, 5,000 won is a complete loss. The labor and raw material alone should cost at least 6,000 won.’
Kim Deokbae said, smiling contentedly.
“We were thinking around 3,700 won. That’s really generous of you.”
“3,700!? For these shoes?”
“Yes.”
“No… what?!”
Im Yonggi was in disbelief at the price and looked at the shoes again.
“Is this some kind of defective product?”
“Of course not.”
“Then did you make them in China and just stamp ‘Made in Korea’ on them to bring them back here? No, that doesn’t add up.”
3,700 won is even cheaper than the local production cost in China.
Even though it’s a single model, at this price, with ‘Made in Korea’ stamped on it, it was clear that this would yield a profit even if sold wholesale to Chinese distributors.
“We’ve found a revolutionary way to cut labor costs… Haha. By the way, if you buy everything, we’ll give it to you for 3,500 won.”
“WHAT!?”
It was so cheap that it was almost unbelievable.
“Are you really telling me these aren’t defective?”
“Let’s sign the contract, and if there’s a defect, we’ll refund you.”
“No… this doesn’t make sense.”
“There’s a way to make it all work. Oh, by the way…”
Kim Deokbae said with a subtle smile.
“We also do custom orders, at the same price.”
Im Yonggi instinctively felt that if all these claims were true, he might have just stumbled upon a good opportunity.
Im Yonggi smirked and said.
“Well… it seems like my next appointment is canceled. How about we have some coffee and discuss this further?”
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