Twenty years of cold chain

Garlic doesn't wait for anyone, and Li Shenglong didn't have much time to carefully weigh the options. On the third day after their meeting, a decision was made, and only then did Hu Shutong bring up the issue of rent. Li Shenglong would rent two warehouses, using the rent from the previous warehouse, but the garlic would still be purchased from the three townships at this year's initial price.

Li Shenglong was an ambitious man. Hu Shutong's conditions seemed unacceptable at first glance, but the three townships could only collect less than 2,000 tons of garlic, which freed up more than 10,000 tons of space for him. He then bought up the garlic from other garlic merchants like himself at rock-bottom prices.

The decision to free up two warehouses was made after careful planning by Hu Shutong. He was not worried that Li Shenglong's garlic would be stored here, as he was not concerned that Li Shenglong would not handle things properly.

In reality, this collaboration between the two parties is essentially about distribution channels. Tongxing itself is a distribution channel, possessing not only strong warehousing capabilities but also excellent reach. This is crucial for Li Shenglong's future solutions. Furthermore, Li Shenglong's extraordinary influence among vegetable merchants in the five counties is also a factor contributing to Tongxing's success. Both individuals are focused on the present, but neither is looking towards the future.

These past few days, the loan from Logistics Finance was finally approved. After on-site inspection, Hu Shutong obtained a mortgage loan of two million yuan. These two million yuan will be spent on the bulk of his finances. First, he will purchase thirty more refrigerated trucks, and then invest the majority of the remaining funds in the distribution of vegetables.

From then on, Tongxing's vegetable basket business began to grow.

Hu Shutong has overcome the barriers and embarked on a smooth path in addressing these issues at the source of the cold chain.

……

In the autumn, Luan Pingxin called Hu Shutong more than a week in advance.

Next, a group of potential clients from Southeast Asia will be visiting Tongxing. The entire group attaches great importance to this trip, and sure enough, the person in charge from Bai Lengfang briefed Tongxing on the relevant matters the very next day.

Tongxing is the most important demonstration plant of Baileng. Hu Shutong made a prior commitment, and even from the perspective of promoting domestic brands, Hu Shutong would not refuse. I still remember the phone call with Luan Pingxin four years ago. Back then, Baileng and its team went abroad to promote equipment but were met with a lot of indifference and their technical level was not recognized. Now, finally, some overseas customers are willing to come back to us. This is a great progress in the development of cold chain equipment.

This is a crucial event. It's no exaggeration to say that Tongxing's field usage report will largely determine whether Bayer's products can enter Southeast Asia. The Dawn compressor, along with the condenser, evaporator, and other components, represents Bayer's core technology. Successful promotion of this technology would elevate Bayer's prospects to a new level.

There's no such thing as a free breakfast. Now is the time for Tongxing to step up its efforts!

The moment he hung up the phone, Hu Shutong began working on the matter. In fact, as early as when the agreement was signed at the beginning of the year, Hu Shutong felt the importance of these future observation groups, so he made detailed requirements for the management and operation departments regarding the use of equipment from the very beginning.

The level of rigor was even greater than when he was in charge of equipment management at Tianheng. Equipment operation logs, energy consumption data, and noise data were not only recorded on paper but also entered into the computer for easy comparison with imported equipment. After compiling the data, Hu Shutong created a presentation, and also provided specialized training on reception etiquette.

Before the Southeast Asian clients visited, Baileng sent a team to scout the location. Luan Pingxin, the engineer with the most authority on the Dawn series, led the team, and Hu Shutong gave a preview of the prepared content.

What happened next was quite surprising. The working group had actually come to find fault and make corrections, but after listening to Hu Shutong's explanation, they all put away the questions they had prepared. Hu Shutong's preparation far exceeded people's expectations; in addition to a meticulous data report, he also presented a highly convincing user experience.

Not only was there nothing to criticize, but Hu Shutong's demonstration also gave the team extra confidence. Technicians and users often have differing perspectives. But for buyers, product performance is broad; what they really want to know is "how well it works."

Faced with this demonstration plan that closely integrates technology and application, only Luan Pingxin was not surprised. In the evening, walking in the park, both of them were in a good mood.

"Just perform like you did today, and there will be plenty of ways to handle things the day after tomorrow."

"With your words of reassurance, I feel much more at ease."

Luan Pingxin suddenly took Hu Shutong's arm, her eyes filled with a hint of joyful mystery, "Shutong, I've come here this time to share two things with you."

Hu Shutong had long noticed that Luan Pingxin had been observing the whole thing from the sidelines, not concerned about the preparations at hand, but rather about something else that filled her with joy.

"Tell me about it."

"Zhengyang is the second generation of Dawn, and its main focus after the project was approved was to develop a dual-machine bipolar screw compressor."

Luan Pingxin smiled, then suddenly went to the edge of the flower bed. First, she laid down a "base" with pebbles, then placed two larger pebbles on top. "Change the independent form of the single unit, and connect them in series using a common base. One is low-pressure, and the other is high-pressure. The exhaust from the low-pressure compressor goes directly into the high-pressure compressor. The compressor itself forms a cycle, using the pressure difference to drive the evaporator's output in parallel through the compressor's suction port!"

Evaporators absorb heat from fruits and vegetables, making them an important step in achieving refrigeration.

Hu Shutong roughly understood that the strength of this dual-unit, dual-polar system lay in utilizing the pressure difference within the unit to achieve a more powerful cooling effect. In other words, it generated a cooling pressure from the output end of the equipment through a "squeezing" method. Moreover, this type of unit was more suitable for large-scale cold storage refrigeration. However, technical things are easier said than done; real research and development requires countless adjustments.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!

But these machine sets flashed through Hu Shutong's mind, because at this moment, Luan Pingxin was captivating him, and he couldn't look away. As she fiddled with them and explained, she exuded an indescribable charm, constantly mentioning compressors and evaporators, rather than the moonlight reflecting on glass or the tender, wistful beauty of the branches.

Perhaps because they were both in the same science and engineering field, Hu Shutong saw something incredibly captivating. Her focus, her storytelling—just like the assembly warehouse back then, just like the equipment warehouse in the southern suburbs, just like their conversations about dawn and Huichi—these things that sounded so dry to outsiders seemed like the romantic tales of this science and engineering student.

"You need to keep me informed of your future plans. I have a rough timeframe for Zhengyang, but of course, it's not just for the sake of acquiring its equipment. At this rate, in a few years, Baileng will be eager for you to serve as a demonstration. The compressor is the heart of the business, and I think Tongxing's expansion needs new energy. We should move forward side by side. Zhengyang should catch up with Tongxing. If all else fails, Tongxing should wait for Zhengyang."

"Oh right, I haven't mentioned the second thing yet. Next, we're going to work on ultra-low temperature technology, specifically below -50 degrees Celsius. This technology will not only be used in storage boxes but also in cold storage facilities. We call this project the Ice Mirror. Don't tell me you haven't been looking forward to this ultra-low temperature technology."

Ultra-low temperature technology is a powerful tool for quick freezing and a very important field. Many high-end seafoods, such as tuna, simply cannot be stored in low-temperature warehouses at around 30 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, it has significant applications in vacuum freeze-drying and quick-freezing of ice cream. Theoretically, ultra-low temperatures can achieve indefinite freezing and storage.

"When we get to Tongxing Phase II, you'll definitely need an ultra-low temperature storage facility. I even suspect you thought about it back in Phase I. Putting everything else aside, ultra-low temperature storage is absolutely a super profitable place! You should start thinking about making money too. Lately, all I know you've learned is how to spend money."

"Hey! Hu Shutong, are you listening?"

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.