Twenty years of cold chain

More than two years have passed since they parted ways, and Li Zhou has changed a lot. He cut his long hair and looks a lot like a working professional, but his unique indifferent and aloof temperament remains, still giving people a sense of distance.

Hu Shutong first accompanied Daye and his group on a tour of the factory area. Li Zhou observed carefully throughout the tour and once again admired Hu Shutong. He had never seen a factory area like Tongxing before. When Hu Shutong, this technically strong man, turned his vision into reality, he exuded a sense of solidity everywhere.

At the same time, it shows his pioneering spirit in the industry. The anxiety of going to the southern suburbs to propose a proposal is gone. He has started to take the independent path, which is the most gratifying thing.

He knew even better what support Hu Shutong needed.

Therefore, this time, Li Zhou brought a complete set of radio frequency identification equipment, from the installation of back-end computer application equipment, the use of electronic readers, and the reading and writing of electronic tags. Li Zhou personally provided guidance and training on the application of a mature RFID system in Tongxing.

The biggest difference between RFID electronic tags and barcodes is that barcodes require staff to use handheld reading devices to scan them one by one, while RFID electronic tags use radio waves to instantly read a large amount of tag information through a reader.

The most obvious benefit this brings to Tongxing is the reduction in labor costs and waste. Before goods enter the warehouse, they are packaged in large boxes or bags and labeled with electronic tags containing information such as category, origin, weight, warehousing time, and shelf life. When it is time to ship, a handheld reader is used to scan the tags. In addition to accurately capturing the placement of goods and enabling rapid warehouse inventory, the system can also determine which goods need to be shipped first based on the date, avoiding backlog and waste.

This can effectively reduce human error and confusion, fully realize paperless operations, and reduce time costs, which is an inevitable trend in the modern logistics industry.

As for the temperature control that Hu Shutong was more concerned about, Li Zhou also gave him a perfect answer, which was the intervention of temperature sensors in the RFID system.

The research and development is complex, but the working method is very simple: place a temperature sensor electronic tag inside the refrigerated compartment, and then write the temperature data collected by the sensor into the tag. When the tag enters the long-distance signal coverage area, the temperature data in the chip is automatically uploaded, and then processed by the back-end application software system to generate temperature change icons, thereby completing real-time temperature monitoring of the supply chain.

The backwardness of monitoring technology in the past was a huge constraint on the development of the cold chain. Manual measurement and paper records, without the support of monitoring systems, made it impossible to provide early warnings, resulting in a high loss rate. Moreover, it was difficult to collect evidence and determine responsibility. This is why, when Hu Shutong was in Tianheng, drivers could turn off the refrigeration units on the road without any "worries".

Radio frequency identification technology is undoubtedly a powerful tool in cold chain warehousing and transportation. So, without realizing it, Li Zhou also agreed with Hu Shutong's words from back then, "We are all on the same path."

Over the past two years, Li Zhou has felt a great sense of accomplishment, not only because of various technology patents, but also because he has found that many companies are developing RFID for parking lots, postal parcels, and tobacco and alcohol anti-counterfeiting, but very few are exploring its application in the cold chain.

When they parted ways that year, Hu Shutong was going to Lianghuzhuang. At first, Li Zhou couldn't understand why Hu Shutong's cold chain business had to be so "down-to-earth." He thought that the mission of academia was to bring about changes in fields and boundaries through innovation and foresight.

The reflections this brought about, and the research and development along this path, gradually changed Li Zhou's initial ideas, but also gradually gave him answers.

Because the cold chain itself is the most practical thing.

What business in this world is more fundamental than vegetables, fruits, pork, and other foods that are essential to everyone's daily diet? And what technological innovation could be more worthwhile for someone to commit to?

And the more they went, the more enthusiastic they became.

It goes without saying how happy Li Zhou was to see Hu Shutong. Everyone in the team had heard a rumor in the group that Dr. Li's hobby was playing the ocarina. Judging from his lively expression and words recently, the rumor might be true!

Hu Shutong was overjoyed. What Li Zhou brought to Tongxing was not just a matter of cost. Tongxing could still operate without this equipment, but without it, many opportunities would have passed him by.

Because of Hu Shutong, her sights are already set on the Olympics.

It wasn't just Hu Shutong; the entire industry, especially large domestic food suppliers, had this awareness. Similarly, it wasn't just the food sector; all industries across the country had entered the Olympic cycle, a crucial stage of preparation.

Beijing has begun implementing the Olympic Food Safety Action Plan, gradually building a food safety supervision network and responsibility system, a food safety monitoring system, and focusing on the construction of food logistics and distribution.

According to current information, more than 20 provinces across the country will participate in the Olympic food supplier program. The action plan strengthens the monitoring of the entire process from farm to table and requires the use of GPS positioning systems and temperature sensing methods for real-time monitoring of the transportation, logistics and distribution of Olympic-related food and raw materials.

Although Tongxing is a newcomer, its starting point is not low, and its standardization has already reached the forefront of the industry. Moreover, there is still considerable room for growth before the Olympics. "Only by daring to dream can we have the opportunity to realize our dreams" has always been Hu Shutong's ambition. With the Olympics as a foundation, even if Tongxing cannot participate in this national event, it can still go beyond Qingyan and reach all corners of the country.

As early as the night he and Luan Pingxin first held hands during the Olympics, Hu Shutong realized the impact of the Olympics on the industry, and that this impact was a long-term trend.

Just like the Olympic venues and various service facilities currently under construction, the preparation of the cold chain is urgent and needs to be done right now!

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.