Chapter 92 Market Segmentation

Constantine was talking to Tesla and Skaloy about electrolytic aluminum when Nina suddenly walked towards him with two men.

"Your Excellency, these two gentlemen have come to visit you," Nina came forward and whispered beside Constantine.

"What's going on?" Constantine looked at the two of them and asked Nina.

"As for the sales market of artemisinin, one is an employee of Bayer in Germany and the other is a businessman in the Dutch East Indies," Nina said softly.

After hearing this, Constantine understood three things about the purpose of these two people coming to find him.

"This is Mr. Friedrich from Germany, and this is Mr. Iningen from the Netherlands," Nina introduced to Constantine.

After that, the four of them found a quiet corner in the garden, and sat down under an umbrella.

"So, what's the matter with these two gentlemen who came from afar?" Constantine said, looking at the two well-dressed gentlemen.

One of the men with a gold chain pocket watch in his suit pocket said: "Your Highness, I heard that your country has newly developed a special drug that can effectively treat malaria."

"We are here this time just to cooperate with you on malaria treatment drugs. We at Bayer have been cooperating with our friends in the Netherlands to produce quinine for decades."

"In terms of drug sales, we have a complete network. It just so happens that we can cooperate with each other for mutual benefit and win-win results," Friedrich said in a sincere tone.

Since Nina started the artemisinin production plant, the Greek Military Intelligence Agency has been involved in almost the entire process, just to keep the production technology confidential.

In order to keep this secret for Greece, Nina has racked her brains to adopt various confidentiality regulations since she took over. Except for the factory's chief engineer, Dr. Philip, and Nina, almost no one knows the entire production process.

The factory adopts a strict division of labor, not so much to improve efficiency, but to keep it confidential. Every worker only needs to know his own operating steps. As for other processes, it has nothing to do with him.

Since it was put into production, in 1887 alone, sales reached 12 million drachmas when sales were limited to Greece and the Congo.

Although the royal family has invested in many industries, the artemisinin factory can be said to be a profitable industry with a small number of figures in the hands of the royal family.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Friedrich, the shares of the factory that produces the drug are already very clear and have been listed on the Athens Stock Exchange." Constantine declined politely.

10% of the shares of the artemisinin factory have flowed into the securities exchange market and are in the hands of shareholders.

At this question, the two looked at each other.

"Then Your Highness, if you can agree to sell the production technology of this drug, we can buy it at a high price. You can rest assured that the price will definitely satisfy you," Yiningen said.

Originally, the Dutch and the Germans united to control the quinine market. The two companies cooperated and occupied almost 70% of the market share. They occupied a monopoly position, and the money naturally poured in.

But this year, according to rumors from Dutch people who went to Congo, Congo has a new type of specific medicine that is very effective in treating malaria.

The news came as a surprise to the Dutch and Bayer companies.

After confirming the accuracy of the news, the two companies hurriedly sent people to Greece to discuss whether they could cooperate with this new company.

Constantine simply cannot agree to Iningen's request. If artemisinin production technology is leaked, Greece may not even be able to maintain the market in the Congo region.

Moreover, the artemisinin factory was secondary to making money. In fact, what Constantine valued more was its huge role in balancing the trade deficit.

Although after the operation of the industrial zone in Piraeus Port got on track, general industrial products such as cotton cloth and soap can now be produced by themselves.

However, due to the huge cost of purchasing a large number of outsourced machinery, and maintaining the operation of these new factories, it is necessary to import a large amount of raw materials that Greece cannot currently provide, such as caustic soda for soap factories, coal and ore for steel. In a short period of time, Greece's trade deficit not only disappeared Reduced, but expanded.

Purchasing steam turbines from the British Parsons Company and power generation equipment purchased by Siemens are expensive because they are the latest technological products.

The products exported to Asia Minor were cheap daily necessities such as cotton cloth and soap.

As a result, Constantine paid more attention to the gold-absorbing effect of artemisinin.

In addition, the artemisinin factory also provides many jobs for Greece, which makes Constantine cherish his unique technology even more.

Especially in the hot and humid Congo region, this disease spread by mosquitoes and flies is even more common, and people are in urgent need of medicine.

Due to the need to maintain local management, the Congo Committee hired a large number of Greek students to work in the Congo region.

Affected by this, the recruitment of civil servants in Greece, which used to be hot every year, has cooled down.

In order to reduce human losses, the Congolese Committee actively promotes the use of artemisinin to the people in the Congolese region.

Of the total 12 million drachmas of artemisinin sales, the Congo region provided a share of 9 million.

Seeing Constantine's firm attitude, the two looked at each other again and nodded to each other.

"In this case, Your Highness, in order to maximize the interests of both parties, how about we determine each other's markets?" Friedrich suggested.

Seeing the man's eager eyes, Constantine also understood the purpose of the two people's visit this time.

In fact, this is also the best way for both parties to solve the problem.

After dividing the market, you cannot infiltrate the other party's "territory" when selling.

Otherwise, the two sides will fight hand-to-hand and fight a price war, and no one will get the advantage, and both will suffer.

In their respective markets, in fact, both parties can still occupy a monopoly position.

Constantine glanced at Nina, who understood and said to the two: "We want Congo, the local market of Greece, the United States, and the market of Ottoman Turkey"

"No, the American market cannot be given to you," Iningen refused flatly.

The American market is probably the fattest piece of meat, because Americans are really rich.

Before this, the American market was the largest market for quinine under the joint monopoly of the two companies.

The Dutch provided the raw materials, cinchona bark, and the Germans provided chemical technology, which dominated the American quinine market.

The American market is also the largest consumer market for quinine.

Therefore, Iningen decisively refused.

"Your Highness, we can only give you the Turkish market in the Congo River. Apart from that, artemisinin cannot appear in other places for a period of 10 years. In this short period of time, both parties must restrain each other and not sell to each other's market," Friedrich said firmly.

Relying on the wealth and power of the two families, the two were not afraid that Constantine would not agree.

One was an old colonial country, and the other was an emerging European overlord. Constantine really didn't want to fall out with them, otherwise if the other party really let the other party dump quinine at a low price, Greece with a weak foundation would not be able to take advantage, right?

Looking at the figures of the two people leaving, Nina breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, we reached an agreement"

Constantine looked at Nina and said carefully: "Remember when you go back today, Nina, strengthen the confidentiality of the factory."

"Ah? Didn't we reach an agreement? Why do we have to strengthen confidentiality?" Nina was puzzled.

"Don't talk nonsense. This agreement is based on our ability to maintain the artemisinin production technology. Do you think they will abide by this agreement if the technology is leaked?" Constantine said unhappily.