Twenty years of cold chain

When Yang Chenghai arrived at Tongxing again, the atmosphere in the conference room was colder than an ultra-low temperature warehouse, so quiet it was almost unsettling. Standing beside the screen in front of everyone, Yang Chenghai felt an overwhelming pressure, or more accurately, resistance.

Those attending the meeting were the main leaders and deputies of various departments of Tongxing, totaling fourteen people.

They were all well-dressed, refined gentlemen, except for Yang Chenghai, whose fierce and malicious appearance seemed out of place with Tongxing's image to many.

But Yang Chenghai paid no heed to these gazes; compared to the past, they were all gentle. He only cared about Hu Shutong's gaze. When their eyes briefly met, Hu Shutong's gaze was sharp and focused, seeing Yang Chenghai's composed and serene demeanor as he sat upright.

Yang Chenghai felt reassured. Among those present, whether they were senior, talented, or shrewd, none could withstand the aura of this top leader.

Hu Shutong didn't let the atmosphere last long. "President Yang, please finish what you have to say first. If you have any questions, please discuss them together after you finish speaking."

Hu Shutong had not seen this plan either. Yang Chenghai had suggested discussing and optimizing it with Hu Shutong before the meeting, but Hu refused.

Yang Chenghai had to mention many things that were common knowledge, as these were essential conditions for his entire third-party logistics plan. Yang Chenghai explained the prospects of third-party logistics from the perspectives of policy and current situation. In terms of policy, looking back at the important documents of recent years, the phrases "encourage the development of third-party logistics" and "encourage manufacturing enterprises to outsource their logistics business" were repeated over and over again.

The reason for continuous policy support is that the rise of third-party logistics is a huge boost to the transportation industry and the national economy. Simply put, specialists do specialized work: businesses ensure product quality, and logistics helps products reach wider markets. Looking at the whole country, the goal is to revitalize the large logistics network.

It will not only effectively solve many livelihood issues, but also generate more GDP.

Yang Chenghai didn't spend much time on this part, and didn't go into detail in front of these experts, quickly moving on to the operational level.

"Building micro-warehouses in cities can be seen as miniature front-end warehouses. The difference is that Tongxing's current front-end warehouses serve the production areas, while micro-warehouses serve the sales areas. Product manufacturers can only achieve large-scale distribution centers at most, and cannot achieve more refined terminal allocation. For them, it's like building an asphalt road that only their own vehicles can use. Such an investment is unrealistic. But for logistics companies, micro-warehouses will be a network of bridges connecting all customers."

"Currently, every fresh food brand is emphasizing freshness, timeliness, and delivering fresh produce to every household. The fresh food delivery sector is extremely attractive to these brands. Once operational, this type of delivery service can quickly achieve scale thanks to Tongxing's strong back-end support and operational experience."

It sounds reasonable, but for some, the cracks have already appeared. It's not just product companies that need to consider costs; this has always been a pain point for logistics companies.

However, this requires over a dozen micro-warehouses per city. His vision is to expand to even more cities in the future.

The investment required to treat an entire city as a single network point is simply unimaginable.

Liu Zhiying, who was standing to the side, adjusted his glasses thoughtfully. Judging from this alone, the plan was obviously not going to pass, but Yang Chenghai's words gave him a great hint. Just as he was pondering, the words, which seemed to come from his own mouth, suddenly came to his ears!

"For Tongxing, the function of micro-warehouses is not just to deliver goods to fresh food companies; they can become the front-end station of third-party logistics. For example, if Tongxing cooperates with meat companies and the delivery terminals are major supermarkets or chain restaurants, micro-warehouses can realize the early storage of goods and provide product delivery to major terminals nearby when the partners send out orders."

This statement ushered in a new era!

Returning to the content of Yang Chenghai's meeting with Hu Shutong, the micro-warehouse was actually a segmented execution level. His original intention was to completely separate Tongxing's third-party logistics, with fresh food delivery being just one component within this larger system. In Yang Chenghai's plan, the focus was on establishing Tongxing's distribution capabilities, not just fresh food delivery.

The high cost of logistics and transportation is essentially due to the limited number of distribution points. It is common for third-party logistics providers to store goods for companies. Nowadays, almost every delivery business has to start from Tongxing's headquarters, often resulting in a full load on the outbound journey and an empty return, which involves significant costs.

Therefore, Yang Chenghai's plan is worth studying in detail. Some goods do not need to be stored in Tongxing's main warehouse, but can be placed in micro-warehouses for immediate dispatch. The flexibility of micro-warehouses is undoubtedly a great tool at the forefront of the market.

It's important to understand that competition among third-party logistics companies is intensifying, with an increasing number of companies offering delivery services, making it difficult for manufacturers to choose. However, efficiency remains the primary concern for business owners. Avoiding delays and inventory buildup are essential requirements for all manufacturers, and these are genuine skills that cannot be compromised by any personal connections or relationships.

Therefore, if Tongxing takes this step forward, it can elevate the concept of "timeliness" to a new level and establish a new reputation, making it a more promising third-party logistics provider. It also connects Tongxing's present and future, integrating delivery into a unified whole, consistent yet innovative!

After Yang Chenghai finished speaking, there was a brief silence before Liu Zhiying spoke first, "I agree with Mr. Yang's plan. The function and impact of micro-warehouses are foreseeable, so there is no issue of direction. As for the input and output of micro-warehouses, that is a matter of profit calculation, which is another issue."

This silenced everyone who wanted to speak. Liu Zhiying's words were concise and insightful: don't worry about costs when it comes to this proposal. The other party is here to demonstrate feasibility, not to give a performance review. If you think it's feasible, then do it. They have no obligation to optimize costs for Tongxing. Some things, if you don't weigh them carefully, don't get too involved.

There is another important reason why people are silent: Liu Zhiying's words carry weight. People are more concerned about his attitude than what he said.

Liu Zhiying's perspective on things is very similar to Hu Shutong's. They can both tear away the superficial frameworks and explore the core of the matter. They are cautious about rumors and gossip, but true strength is what makes a person truly stand out.

However, Hu Shutong felt that Yang Chenghai's plan was missing a piece, and that it was missing the part that Yang Chenghai was best at. The rumors from Tongxing were true; Hu Shutong had indeed studied the cases that Yang Chenghai had worked on back then.

It must be said that it left a deep impression on Hu Shutong. To "simplify" third-party logistics to that extent was something few people would dare to do. Although many people in the industry labeled him a loser, the reality is that he truly once brought third-party logistics to a level that people couldn't even imagine.

At least from this plan, Hu Shutong did not see Yang Chenghai's most formidable side.

Just then, the screen suddenly changed, and a map showing numerous cities came into view.

"I also have a technical proposal I'd like to share with you, but it's mostly just one person's opinion, so please take it with a grain of salt."

There was a rustling sound coming from inside the room. I thought it was time for President Hu to give his concluding remarks, but I never expected the meeting to escalate like this.

At first glance, let's not talk about anything else.

The city as seen by this person is different from that seen by a normal person.

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.