Chapter 171: Rapid Entry into the Industrial Era

Chapter 171: Rapid Entry into the Industrial Era

Joseph first visited Marat to check on his injury, and then headed towards Nancy.

Toul was less than five leagues from Nancy, so shortly after noon, his convoy arrived at the newly established Nancy Industrial Development Zone.

The development zone was situated by the Meurthe River and was surrounded by a seemingly endless gray stone wall, covering an area of five or six hundred acres.

Even from a distance, Joseph could see smoke rising into the sky from the development zone. Coal was abundant here, so it was commonly used as fuel in production. With the introduction of steam engines, coal consumption had significantly increased.

The officials of the development zone, upon learning of the Prince's arrival, quickly set aside their tasks and gathered at the western gate to welcome him.

Leading the group was Alexander Rameau, the head of the development zone. He wasn't a local official from Nancy but was recommended by Mirabeau to manage the area. Rameau also owned a sizable ironworks.

As the initiator and planner of the development zone, Joseph was held in high regard. Hundreds of officials and workshop owners surrounded him, showering him with respectful greetings and praise.

Unable to refuse their enthusiasm, Joseph gave an impromptu speech to boost morale before finally managing to break away.

Rameau and a dozen key managers of the development zone began showing Joseph around. The rest of the group, reluctant to leave, trailed about fifty or sixty meters behind, peeking curiously.

"Your Highness, over there are the ironworks. The workshops of the Grégoire brothers and Viscount Olivier are particularly large," Rameau pointed to a section of the riverbank covered by a cloud of black smoke. He remembered the data clearly: "The two workshops have a total of seven furnaces and nine forging shops. They can produce over 50,000 pounds of iron ingots daily.

"Especially the Grégoire brothers' workshop, which uses the latest model of the reverberatory furnace. The quality of the iron ingots they produce is very high."

Joseph encouraged the two ironworks but was not entirely satisfied.

50,000 pounds might sound like a lot, but it only translates to a daily output of about 25 tons, or 7,000 tons annually.

Considering that this accounted for nearly 90% of Nancy's steel production, it was clear that France's current annual pig iron production of around 120,000 tons was still far from sufficient for an industrial revolution.

Joseph himself wasn't too familiar with steelmaking processes, recalling only a few theories like "using coke" and "blast furnace steelmaking." Short-term improvements in production would likely have to rely on expanding scale.

In fact, a significant increase in steel production would depend on demand.

If France could lay extensive railways, the resulting strong demand would incentivize capital investment in the steel industry, which in turn would drive technological innovation.

And the prerequisite for building railways is the steam engine, which requires efficient and mature technology.

Joseph silently reminded himself that it all depended on Murdock's progress...

Rameau led Joseph through the riverside buildings, introducing several glass workshops, iron goods workshops, and coal processing plants along the way.

When they reached a light gray two-story building in the distance, Rameau, looking pleased, said, "Your Highness, that is the newly established 'Production Management Consulting Company' by Mr. Jonnet.

"They are currently responsible for promoting the 'factory system' and 'production standardization' that you requested."

Joseph nodded. This consulting company was precisely what he had instructed Jonnet to establish. After receiving his training in production standardization, Jonnet had come to Nancy to spread the new management concepts.

The transition from a manual workshop to a factory was a crucial task for the industrial development zone, serving as a model for all of France.

Though "workshop" and "factory" differ by just one word, their significance is worlds apart—an entire industrial revolution apart, to be precise!

A "workshop" simply brings together artisans in one large space, but apart from the scale, it's not much different from small, primitive workshops, with management often relying on the owner's whip.

A "factory," however, is a product of the industrial revolution. It requires a complete set of management systems, from basic timekeeping to team leader responsibilities, to production standardization, all of which drastically improve efficiency.

Moreover, the employment method is different—factories are fully capitalist, where workers and factories establish labor contracts with mutual freedom of choice. Workshops, on the other hand, typically operate on a master-apprentice system. Apprentices are personally dependent on their masters, with guilds overseeing and reinforcing this dependency.

For example, in contemporary France, entering a trade isn't just about mastering the skills; you first need to find a master to sponsor you into a guild, starting a five to seven-year apprenticeship. During this period, the master can exploit you at will. After becoming a journeyman, while you're technically allowed to work independently, you still rely on your master in many ways. It takes another three to five years before you can register with the guild and become a full-fledged artisan—then you can start exploiting your own apprentices...

This system severely hampers industrial development. Tasks that a factory could train workers for in a few months instead take years, even decades, due to guild rules.

Finally, factories have a higher demand for and adaptability to new technology.

Maximizing profits through mechanization is the hallmark of a factory.

The transition from workshop to factory typically requires decades of industrial revolution to gradually complete. But under Joseph's guidance, the industrial development zone would leap directly to the most efficient model, entering the industrial age at a sprint.

Once factory systems matured, the ultimate weapon of industrial production could be unleashed—assembly line production.

At that point, French factories would outcompete all rivals across Europe!

Rameau added, "Your Highness, although the development zone has completely banned guilds, the craftsmen are still accustomed to the master-apprentice model. It will take some time to fully transition.

"As for standardized production... we're still promoting it, and no workshop has fully implemented it yet."

"That's normal. But you shouldn't rush. Ensure that it doesn't disrupt production," Joseph advised, knowing that such a significant leap in management methods couldn't happen overnight.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Rameau then led Joseph through the residential areas, schools, and hospitals within the development zone.

These facilities were highly beneficial for attracting workers to the factories. Just the dormitories alone could reduce a factory's costs significantly, allowing them to hire even vagrants. The hospital greatly improved worker attendance rates.

After some more walking, Rameau pointed to a large complex emitting white smoke in the distance and said, "Your Highness, that's the French United Steam Engine Company."

(End of Chapter)

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