Free Web NovelChapter 56: Another Problem
Three days since the accident happened, Ernest was overseeing the repairmen working on the damaged waterwheel.
The talk between the Helmarte Soap Company and the Shipping Company that caused the accident was smooth and amicable.
They were willing to pay for the damages that they had caused.
Actually, they didn’t have much choice.
Too many witnesses had seen the collision.
The Shipping Guild’s own investigators had inspected the scene.
The broken steering oar had been confirmed.
The responsibility was clear.
As a result, compensation negotiations finished far faster than Ernest expected.
The repair costs would be covered.
The lost production would be compensated.
Even the temporary labor expenses associated with the repairs would be reimbursed.
For once, a commercial dispute had resolved itself without becoming a nightmare.
Still, Ernest wasn’t particularly happy.
Because the accident exposed a weakness.
A serious weakness.
He stood near the riverbank while watching several carpenters replace damaged paddles on the wheel.
The repair work was progressing quickly.
Much faster than expected.
The surviving axle had saved them enormous amounts of time.
The stone foundation remained intact.
Most of the transmission system remained usable.
If everything continued at the current pace, the wheel would likely be operational within four or five days.
But that wasn’t the point.
The point was dependence.
And Ernest hated dependence.
Now seriously, at this point, he had to consider making a steam engine to prevent this from happening.
Waterwheels had their advantages.
The power source was essentially free.
No coal.
No fuel.
No boiler operators.
No pressure vessels.
No explosions.
Just flowing water.
Build beside a river and nature handled the rest.
The problem was that nature also dictated the limits.
The power output was weak and could only support a limited amount of machinery.
The current Helmarte Soap Works used approximately six horsepower.
Maybe slightly more during peak operation.
That sounded respectable until compared against steam engines.
Ernest folded his arms.
Six horsepower.
A healthy horse could produce roughly one horsepower continuously.
That meant the entire factory relied on the equivalent of six horses.
Not exactly impressive.
A modest Watt-style steam engine could easily produce twenty horsepower.
Some could produce fifty.
Larger ones could exceed one hundred.
And unlike a waterwheel, power wasn’t tied to river conditions.
A drought wouldn’t matter.
A damaged paddle wouldn’t matter.
A drifting barge wouldn’t matter.
As long as coal entered one end and water entered the boiler, power continued.
His eyes drifted toward the damaged wheel.
Actually, this accident was a perfect example.
Three days.
Three entire days of reduced production.
Three days of disruption.
Three days of worrying whether repairs would finish on time.
A steam engine would have kept running.
Beside him, one of the repair foremen climbed down from the structure.
"Master Ernest."
"How’s the progress?"
The man wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Better than expected."
That was good news.
"We’ve replaced seven paddles already."
"Another six should be installed before evening."
"What about the support arms?"
"Two are finished."
"The last cracked arm should be replaced tomorrow."
Ernest nodded.
"Keep it going, and thank you for your prompt response on this matter," he said and the foremen returned to work.
Hollen, who had just arrived, took the opportunity and approached Ernest.
"Ernest."
Ernest glanced at Hollen and asked. "What is it?"
"We are facing another problem," Hollen said subtly.
"What do you mean another problem?" Ernest looked up to him, wanting clarification.
"The thing is, the suppliers of our tallow, they won’t be able to meet our monthly demand starting next month."
Ernest’s eyes widened slightly.
"What?"
Hollen grimaced.
"I just got a letter from one of our largest suppliers."
He handed over the folded parchment.
"Saying that our orders next month will be cut."
Ernest immediately grabbed the document and began reading.
The explanation became clear almost instantly.
A livestock disease had spread through several farming regions north of Helmarte.
Not enough to cause panic.
Not enough to threaten food supplies.
But enough to reduce slaughter volumes.
Which meant fewer hides.
Less tallow.
Less animal fat.
And unfortunately for Helmarte Soap Works, animal fat was one of the primary ingredients in soap production.
Ernest lowered the letter.
"How much are they reducing?"
Hollen exhaled.
"Thirty percent."
The answer wasn’t good.
Not good at all.
Actually, the timing couldn’t be worse.
Three new factories were about to be built.
Production targets were increasing.
Distribution networks were expanding.
And now their raw material supply was being constrained.
"Only one supplier?"
Hollen shook his head.
"No."
That immediately got Ernest’s attention.
"The others?"
"I sent inquiries after receiving the first letter."
Hollen folded his arms.
"Most of them are reporting similar problems."
The realization settled in.
This wasn’t a supplier problem.
It was a supply chain problem.
A completely different beast.
Ernest looked toward the river.
Actually, this was exactly why expansion became difficult.
Building factories was easy.
Relatively speaking.
Money solved that.
Raw materials were different.
Factories consumed things.
Large quantities of things.
And if the supply chain couldn’t support expansion, the entire plan stalled.
"How much tallow are we consuming right now?"
Hollen answered immediately.
"Approximately forty tons every month."
Ernest nodded.
That sounded about right.
Then he performed the arithmetic in his head.
Northport.
Ravenford.
Eastgate.
Once operational, the combined network would probably consume over one hundred fifty tons monthly. Though they’ll have their own supply chains but still, it can happen to those cities.
His expression became serious.
"Then this problem isn’t temporary."
"What do you mean?"
"It means we’re already outgrowing our suppliers."
Hollen fell silent.
Actually, Ernest wasn’t blaming anyone.
The company had simply expanded faster than expected.
A year ago they were making soap in a kitchen.
Now they were discussing regional factory networks.
Naturally, supplier capacity would eventually become a bottleneck.
"We need alternatives."
Hollen nodded.
"That’s what I was thinking."
Ernest looked down at the reports. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Animal fat remained the cheapest option.
But it wasn’t the only option.
His engineering mind immediately began evaluating possibilities. They are vegetable oil, fish oil, whale oil...Different oils produce different soaps and scents.
Customers could tolerate many things.
A bad-smelling soap was not one of them.
He immediately crossed out fish oil.
Then came whale oil.
The problem wasn’t quality.
The problem was supply.
Whale oil remained expensive and inconsistent.
Most of it came through maritime trade.
Using it for mass-market soap would be absurd.
That left vegetable oils.
Olive oil.
Rapeseed oil.
Flaxseed oil.
Various nut oils.
Actually, olive oil immediately stood out.
Castile soap back on Earth had been famous for centuries.
Olive oil cost significantly more than tallow.
Using it exclusively would make the soap too expensive for ordinary workers.
Which defeated the entire purpose.
Then another idea entered his mind.
A blend.
His eyes brightened slightly. That might be the answer.
Continue using tallow as the primary ingredient.
Supplement shortages with vegetable oils.
Not enough to dramatically increase costs.
Just enough to stabilize production.
The result would likely improve quality as well.
A harder bar and a better lather. It will have less unpleasant order.
Hollen noticed the look on his face.
"You have an idea."
"I do. Let’s import."
