Twenty years of cold chain

After Bingneng went bankrupt, Weihui became the main target of the semi-trailer truck business. For them, what they had more experience with over the years than manufacturing cars was how to bring down a legitimate car company. The repeated waves of bankruptcies were inseparable from their efforts.

The saying "compare goods and you'll have to throw them away" doesn't just mean discarding inferior items; the key is the comparison. Buying one Huichi truck can buy 2.5 semi-trailer trucks, and container manufacturers constantly emphasize this gap in their marketing.

Some people have bought two Huichi trucks but are not making enough money for their cargo transport, while others have already formed their own fleets. Some are busy with the paperwork for picking up their trucks, some have already earned their first pot of gold, some are still looking for customers, and some have already snatched customers away from you with lower prices and larger fleets.

Not only are their sales tactics aggressive, but they also have a well-established referral system. To earn commissions, these existing owners are willing to persuade others to return their vehicles, even at a reduced price, rather than wait and see. They constantly tout the unbeatable value of container trucks, attracting envy from many.

Weihui is facing a massive wave of vehicle cancellations. More than 80% of orders that have not yet been officially delivered in the last month or two have been cancelled. Because of the huge amount of work to be done, people think that Weihui is trying to play tricks. They put up banners outside the factory to denounce Weihui for delaying, and the impact is getting bigger and bigger.

Some car owners who had already purchased vehicles, unable to resist the previous indoctrination and the scene before them, wanted to return their cars to Weihui at 70% or 80% of the original price after only driving them for a little over a month. Some even preferred to keep only half and declared that they would accept their loss this time.

These incidents, ironically, put Weihui on the opposite side, as if Huichi was the defective product.

Weihui was in dire straits; this fledgling company was almost certain to disappear along with Bingneng. Qian Guowei, in his office, hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time, but he didn't blame anyone, nor did he think anyone was at fault. The only problem was that container truck companies had not only seized market share from trucks but also taken away a large number of customers. More important than the high price of the trucks themselves was that truck owners had no cargo to transport.

Given the current situation, if there is any solution, he can only trust the "second-in-command" who has never been involved in Weihui's specific business operations.

Hu Shutong had made several appointments with Qi Zhendong, and finally, before the end of the workday this Friday, Qi Zhendong had time.

This back-and-forth was because Qi Zhendong didn't want to see Hu Shutong at this time. He knew all too well what Hu Shutong wanted to say, and he would be in a difficult position at this juncture. Not everyone can stand up and advocate for something.

However, the two had a good relationship to begin with, and the atmosphere when they met was quite pleasant. Qi Zhendong praised Tongxing a lot, and he also admired Hu Shutong. It had only been a little over two years since their last meeting, and Tongxing had become a refined version of the southern suburbs. If it weren't for the aggressive expansion of container truck companies, he would have already hosted a drinking party with Hu Shutong.

After all the pleasantries, no one expected that Hu Shutong would stump Qi Zhendong with just one question.

"Mr. Qi, has the southern suburbs ever considered becoming a supplier for the Olympics?"

However, some things are hard to avoid, because after applying to supply food for the Olympics, an Olympic food safety assurance team composed of multiple departments, including agriculture, quality supervision, industry and commerce, and health, will be stationed to supervise the food. This is another topic that cannot be avoided.

"What does Mr. Hu want to say?"

"I'm not here to ask Mr. Qi to support refrigerated trucks, but to ask him to replace the trucks in the southern suburbs with refrigerated trucks."

Upon hearing this, Qi Zhendong nearly lost his composure, thinking to himself that Hu Shutong didn't know the difference between what was important and what wasn't. No wonder he offered Austria right away; it turned out he was using it as a trump card. But don't forget, it's good if it can be supplied, but it doesn't matter if it can't. Switching to refrigerated trucks just to supply Austria? That's utterly ridiculous!

"Mr. Hu, I remember we discussed similar topics back when the South Suburbs were being built. Companies have no obligation to set an example. It's already quite an achievement that the South Suburbs has come this far. It's not that we don't want to take care of this industry, but Minghe Real Estate is our true parent company, and the South Suburbs has always been very cautious."

"The southern suburbs have no obligation to set an example, but they do have an obligation to produce safe food."

Upon hearing this, Qi Zhendong immediately narrowed his eyes. "Mr. Hu, you have quite the nerve. What's wrong with my southern suburbs?"

"The trucks didn't have hooks, so the fresh meat was transported spread out and was returned by customers. There was no way to refrigerate it separately, so frozen dumplings and fruit were transported together, causing the fruit to freeze. The journey to the dock was too long, and the refrigeration units were insufficient, resulting in the loss of hundreds of orders. The fans were underpowered; after transporting a truckload of chives, everything smelled like chives, and it was returned by customers again."

"Hu Shutong, you've really done your homework! Refrigeration and freezing are inherently complicated businesses. Do you think Tongxing has no problems with shipping goods? Stop nitpicking!"

Hu Shutong spoke these words with a lot of pent-up anger in his heart. Few people understood better than Hu Shutong how hard-won the southern suburbs were. But what's regrettable is that, despite being several times larger than Tongxing, it has become increasingly lame!

It no longer resembles a nascent logistics base; in just over two years, it has become visibly aged and disregards its reputation, plagued by constant minor problems. It seems that simply being able to operate normally is a blessing.

"I don't believe you didn't calculate the fuel costs, I don't believe you didn't calculate the order losses, and I certainly don't believe you weren't envious of the expedited processing lane!"

"That's enough!"

"The excessive weight consumes so much more fuel! It was cheap at first, but as the days go by, can you still see the cheapness? The southern suburbs are so large; there are no green channels, no toll reductions, and no fuel subsidies! What, you have to pay for a new car, but these costs aren't costs too!"

Qi Zhendong slammed his hand on the table. "Go play your Tongxing game! The southern suburbs don't need your meddling!"

Hu Shutong wouldn't back down an inch. "When we were working on the materials and equipment, why didn't you criticize me? When the people from Lianghuzhuang came to me from another village, why didn't you criticize me then? You're quite adept at taking advantage of others' conveniences! You keep saying you want to continue in the cold chain business, but you don't care if the cold chain isn't done well, if it doesn't work, if it gets moldy and rotten. Don't you care if your stepmother doesn't want you to live properly?!"

It must be said that Hu Shutong's demeanor in this state somewhat stunned Qi Zhendong; many of his words were almost unbearable to ponder. A powerful aura swept over him, like a person who was usually gentle and composed suddenly becoming a hedgehog with fiery eyes!

But Hu Shutong had already experienced Qi Zhendong's temper when he first went to Mingheti HACCP; the atmosphere of that meeting was unforgettable.

As expected, after a brief silence, Qi Zhendong suddenly stood up. Hu Shutong's intentions were practically written all over his face, so how could he not retaliate? "All that righteous indignation, isn't it just that you want to sell Weihui's car!"

"Of course, otherwise why would I be here grinding my teeth?"

These words immediately silenced Qi Zhendong's intended rebuttal, and the tense atmosphere eased instantly. Qi Zhendong gave a strange look, stared at him for a few moments, furrowed his brows, and then plopped down on his seat.

At this moment, Qi Zhendong felt a profound realization. The person before him was no longer the technically skilled individual he once knew. He had lingered on memories of him from many years ago, even often imagining him as a college student. Now, seeing him again, this man's words were sharper, his demeanor fiercer, and his remarks about the company more cutting.

"Replacing your car in the southern suburbs can solve many problems. I have ready-made templates for the green channel approval. In addition, I can install a visual temperature control process at a lower price. I even have an improved solution for the HACCP that I used to do for you."

"You don't actually think that just because someone from the southern suburbs intervenes, this container issue will be resolved smoothly, do you?"

"I haven't thought that much about it. Just tell me if you can do it or not!"

"you!"

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.