ALJ Chpt 86

frameless|right|300px|link=A Long Journey
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==Chapter 86 - A Long Journey==
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3 September 2787
Mackolla (Federated Suns)
With the first non-Terran Hegemony purchase finalized, this started Gerald Mitchell to seek out more opportunities. He consulted with Helen Froy closely as they looked over the "landscape" for further investments. Mackolla Enterprises was running low on primary funds, down to 650 million after the TechniCorp purchase. But it was Helen Froy that homed in on the next possible purchase like a bird dog on a scent after a few days research.
"Marley Munitions Works, that could be the ticket for us. Minor supplier to the AFFS for autocannon ammunition, but it would be a good candidate for expansion. Another would be Yeffters Weapons Factory, it sits right next door, and both suffer from enough bandit attacks that that shipments cannot be guaranteed and that makes their buyers leery about long term contracts. But I have a nice little security force that I can assign to escort shipments and make sure they get thru on time. Could also be your first freight service for that shipping company you keep yammering about. Last year, Marley Munitions manufactured 73,000 tons of autocannon ammunition for a revenue of just under 600 million but only profited barely three percent, just over seventeen million. I went back thirty years trying to find the last time they upgraded their manufacturing equipment and couldn't find anything. They employee 4,000 people in their workforce, which is way too high. We do some upgrading on their equipment, and we can double or maybe triple their production per year and if we add in other ammunition types, they have the workforce for it, like LRM and SRM ammo, I am sure we can triple revenue and possibly get them into the ten percent profitability range. 
I don't even have to see their operation to see their problem, it is outdated equipment. They are paying out the nose for high wages for skilled labor that updated equipment could do so much cheaper and faster. I bet we could buy them out for a song and a dance, pump a hundred million into new equipment and probably double production in the first year after the upgrades. Maybe even transfer a few hundred to our operation here to help get it off the ground and running and train the workforce in the process. I see it as a win win and am willing to kick in a few hundred million to make it happen.
The same thing goes for Yeffters Weapons Factory, autocannon manufacturer that even has a license for the Mydron series of autocannon, even the LBX/10, one of the best brands out there. My digging with some help of your research team found that they are almost surviving hand to mouth. It is almost the same situation, now they had a strong revenue stream of two point seven billion, but profitability was lower than even Marley's at barely one point 5 percent, forty-seven million on almost three billion revenues. I only found one year that actually gave out production numbers and it was 12,000 standard autocannons and 6,000 LBX/10. With a workforce of just over 5,000 that means they are damned near hand building the things, again, some equipment upgrades, some automation and their profitability will soar. 
I bet the CEOs are tired of the slog every year and would sell out for three, maybe four times their profit number. So, maybe one hundred million for Marley and two hundred fifty for Yeffters to make sure the deal goes thru. Pump a few hundred million into new equipment and instant four to six billion in revenue with possibly a five hundred million profit in the first year after upgrading the equipment. More production and that will mean more revenue and more profit. I know weapons production and I know I can turn Yeffters into a literal powerhouse inside of four years." Helen Froy said
"Okay, I can pull a few hundred million from the other side of the house for the expansions if they sell to us. I have been eyeing Exostar Laser Technologies, financially, they are a wreck. The Amaris War did them no favors, from what I can tell or find out, most of their money was stolen or lost during the downfall of the Amaris reign. How, who knows, but they are on their last legs. I would love to snap them up. I have been so focused on Terran Hegemony outfits that I never looked around at any others until the last few weeks. There are a ton of companies ripe for the picking, I could have saved myself quite a bit of money buying them out rather than purchasing license rights because those were expensive as hell to get, roughly a hundred million per license. You know weapons, think you turn that one around?" Gerald Mitchell asked
"Hell yes, I bet if I dug deep into them, they also have not had a good equipment upgrade in a long while. Based on Delavan, right next door to New Avalon, you don't get much safer than that to boot. Of course, I used to think New Earth was the safest place outside of Terra and look what happened there. Still, if you are not making a hundred per day on standard lasers, you're doing something horribly wrong. They have just been around too long to screw that up. ER Large Lasers, a little different, but still fifty a day is a good number to work off of. I say buy them up too, I have an excellent Vice President that knows lasers inside and out, he can turn that place around too." Helen Froy said
"Then we put in offers on all of them and see what happens. Sammy will understand if I pull more than I planned from his half." Gerald Mitchell replied
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