Creating an Industrial Empire in 19th Century Parallel World-Chapter 79: Emergence of a Competitor

The drawing room was silent save for the sound of Poul Nielsen's agitated footsteps as he paced back and forth, his face twisted in anger. The assembled engineers exchanged uneasy glances, each wondering what had caused their boss's furious state.

"Our first three clients said to me earlier that they won't pursue a partnership with us, and Wandebilt's secretary informed me that they are pulling out of the agreement," Poul roared, his voice rumbling like a volcano about to erupt. "I have a simple question for each and every one of you: How did they get the air brakes!"

The engineers remained silent, processing the unexpected turn of events. The tension in the room was palpable as Poul's anger continued to rise.

"What a roaring silence from the brightest minds of Avalonia," Poul sneered. "The New York Air Brake Company came out of nowhere and started stealing our clients with their cheap air brakes. Do you realize the hard work we poured into this company? Years of effort and labor have been filched right under our noses. I have done my best to keep our technology a secret so that no competitors may ever arise, but one did. So I'm asking you, who leaked it? It's possible that one of you revealed the detailed schematics and the manufacturing process of the air brakes. After all, you have been working with it for almost two years."

The engineers looked at each other with accusatory gazes, shrugging their shoulders and muttering indistinctly. Poul's rage grew even more intense.

Amelia, sensing that Poul was about to take action that could potentially harm his relationship with his employees, stepped in. "Mr. Nielsen, a word please," she said firmly.

Poul paused and turned to face her, his face contorted with anger. "What do you want, Ms. Weiss?" he spat.

"Mr. Nielsen, you and Mr. Axelsen have treated your employees very well, providing for them and keeping them fed. There's no way that they would turn their backs on you. It's possible that no one in this company leaked the design," Amelia pointed out.

Jonathan, one of the engineers, was curious. "What are you suggesting?"

"Look, Mr. Nielsen. You filed for a patent, correct?" Amelia asked.

"Yes, the air brake, the locomotive draft gear, every product under my name and my partner's is in order," Poul replied.

"Then are you aware that once you file for a patent and it's processed, the details and schematics will be publicly available? That means they could have copied the air brake and made their own," Amelia explained.

Jonathan mused on this. "If you put it that way, it makes sense."

"Then, that is simply infringing. Do they not know the consequences of stealing someone's invention? I could sue them," Poul declared.

"You can, Mr. Nielsen. But before that, we need to know everything about the New York Air Brake Company: their operations and the product itself. If the air brake is the same as yours, then we can file a lawsuit. I'm not a lawyer, but we can seek legal counsel about this," Amelia suggested.

Poul's anger dissipated, and his fists unclenched. "Return to work, everyone. As you can see, we are in deep trouble. Amelia, come with me to my office. Let's discuss this together," he said, leading the way to his office with Jonathan close behind.

***

The air in the office was heavy with tension as the three of them exchanged worried glances. They had worked hard to develop their technology, putting in long hours and sacrificing time with their families to bring their invention to life. It was disheartening to think that all their effort might have been for nothing.

"We were on a constant lookout for competitors, and one of them managed to sneak in," Jonathan said, his voice laced with fear and frustration.

Poul's eyes narrowed, his mind racing as he tried to understand how this had happened. "I haven't heard of the New York Air Brake Company until today. How come they have an operation in New York? We just started two and a half years ago, and there is already a company that can compete with us in production?"

Amelia had an idea and shared it with them. "We can try and call Ms. Dupont about this, to see if she is aware of its existence. She's in New York, she can check it out for you."

Poul was skeptical. "What makes you so sure about that?"

"Because Ms. Dupont invested fifteen million dollars in your company. There's no way she's accepting this. She will confront that company for you, I'm sure of that. After all, she had done so when I was working for her. Filing lawsuits at companies who tried to copy her products," Amelia explained.

Jonathan also had a suggestion. "We can also put Mr. Morgan up to speed. Inform him that there is a new company, and have him investigate it. Another thing, he's a close friend of Wanderbilt, perhaps we can get him to reconsider their decision of pulling out of the contract."

Poul nodded, the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind. "Yeah, let's do that. In the meantime, let's see if we can gather information about this New York Air Brake Company. I want to know who the founder is and meet them personally."

Amelia had another idea. "We can go to the patent office in New York and see if the New York Air Brake Company filed for a patent for their air brakes. There we can see if our air brakes and their air brakes are different or the same."

"Of course, it'll be the same," Poul said, his frustration evident in his voice. "It is using the same principle of utilizing compressed air to stop the locomotive. That principle alone is strong evidence that they are infringing."

Jonathan raised a valid point. "And if we file a lawsuit, we are going to need a lawyer. We need the best, and the best are expensive."

Poul was undeterred. "I don't care, as long as he gets the job done."

"So, what should we do to our main clients? They are considering teaming up with that company. We can't afford to lose them, because if we do, we will lose a lot."

"We can schedule a meeting with them, Mr. Nielsen," Amelia proposed. "See what enticing offer the New York Air Brake Company proposed to them. Then, once we find it out, we can do an adjustment, like giving them incentives or discounts."

"That's a good idea, Amelia. I'll put that into consideration," Poul said.

As the meeting drew to a close, they each left the room with a renewed sense of purpose. They would not let this setback defeat them. They would fight back, with all the resources at their disposal.