Twenty years of cold chain

The three left the hotel directly and sat in the car. Hu Shutong's gaze was somewhat cold. Meng Qiangqiang, still somewhat restrained from his earlier outburst, appeared a little awkward. The atmosphere in the car was heavy. Hu Shutong asked Meng Qiangqiang to recommend a specialty restaurant so they could arrange dinner first. Soon they arrived at a mutton hot pot restaurant.

"The situation in this industrial park doesn't seem complicated to me."

These cold chain companies in Wuguan City are probably trying to pool their market resources and, relying on their extensive distribution channels, submit a detailed plan for expanding overseas to the planning commission.

Liu Zhiying nodded and said, "I guess they will form a new cold chain company by taking shares in multiple companies, and then take over the industrial park. In this way, they can leverage their respective advantages and develop targeted channels to make more practical agricultural and market connections. This perspective is very appealing."

"Qiangqiang, what's your opinion?" Hu Shutong asked Meng Qiangqiang.

"The city's current cold chain enterprises are located in agricultural production areas across the city, from all directions..."

In reality, it's all about dividing up territory. This time, it's like bringing together all the big shots, and given their ambitions, they'll definitely try every means to dominate this industrial park. I've also heard some unspoken rules: even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. So, I predict that ultimately, no more than three companies will actually come to operate the industrial park, and they'll likely face resistance from them.

"Do you have a way to submit the data directly to the Planning Commission?"

Meng Qiangqiang immediately nodded, "I had already submitted the plan to the county before I came. The county is very supportive of Qiangyun's participation in the industrial park and hopes that Qiangyun can secure a place. The county leaders can help submit the documents."

Hu Shutong said, "Since the entire Wuguan City can negotiate together, why can't Tongxing and Qiangyun play the same card?"

Besides selling agricultural products to solve practical problems, every household is thinking about its own development strategy.

In comparison,

The combination of Tongxing and Qiangyun seems too weak. Not to mention the formidable presence of the "Wuguan Group," companies from other provinces are also not to be underestimated, and leading cold chain companies from major cities in the southeast coastal region are also vying for a share.

Meng Qiangqiang knew very well that Qiangyun could not play a significant role. Whether Tongxing applied separately or Tongxing and Qiangyun merged, it made little difference. Hu Shutong's move was still a gesture of support as always.

This wasn't Tongxing's home turf, nor was it like in Qingning where people could more directly see Tongxing's advantages, but Hu Shutong decided to give it a try. Agricultural products need to reach wider markets, and so do cold chain enterprises. From Hu Shutong's perspective, Yuncheng's transshipment function was becoming increasingly singular, only capable of solving transit and storage issues.

Tongxing and Yuncheng can only cooperate in the upstream and downstream sectors, but they cannot form a combined force. However, if this Northwest Industrial Park can be realized,

This will involve coordinating frontline demand, and Tongxing will establish another product base, which returns to the essence of the cold chain.

Putting all that aside,

Hu Shutong certainly values ​​this business model. There are no land issues or infrastructure problems. Tongxing has never had such an opportunity in all these years.

"Senior, I've drafted the initial application materials for this industrial park, but I'd like you to review the details regarding the company's strengths."

Meng Qiangqiang also said, "I have prepared the materials for the joint application as well. However, we need to integrate some of the information. We will submit a plan to the county leaders later."

Hu Shutong simply nodded slightly, without responding to their words, his eyes showing a thoughtful expression, as if it wasn't time to take action yet.

The phrase "farm-market integration" has accompanied Hu Shutong throughout his career, and as times have changed, he has continued to ponder its true meaning.

Transporting apples from Longwei County to the Wuguan market? Transporting vegetables from Mozi County to the Qingyan market? Such a view of agricultural-market integration is too narrow.

Today, with the southward transport of fresh vegetables, higher-quality lettuce, garlic scapes, and radishes from Qinghai and Ningxia have already made their way onto the tables of southern coastal cities. He also learned that northwestern provinces are building their own vegetable and fruit brands, and the terminal markets negotiated by various regions have long since broken through geographical limitations. Purple-skinned garlic, daylilies, high-quality apples, and even lilies—these advantageous regional agricultural products are all trying to open up markets thousands of kilometers away.

Farms and markets are never a matter of distance. As long as agricultural products can be transported in a targeted manner and a stable supply and demand can be maintained in the long term, even if the destination is around the Mediterranean or along the Nile River, this is still a farm-market connection!

Hu Shutong further realized the importance of "opposite directions." For example, farmers in Ganzhou want to access markets in Panhu, and conversely, farmers in Panhu also want to access markets in Ganzhou. The cold chain is never one-way; in fact, it's the cold chain that most abhors one-way traffic. Moreover, Wuguan City also needs high-quality channels for fish, shrimp, sea cucumber, abalone, and tropical fruits. Enriching the market is also about improving people's livelihoods and is related to the currently popular happiness index.

Looking at Tongxing from Ganzhou is like looking through several layers of paper. No matter how well the plan is described, in the end, compared with the major competitors, it is no different. In terms of technology and concepts, each company has its own tricks.

Therefore, in Hu Shutong's view, if Tongxing wants to establish a highlight and attract attention, in addition to showcasing its own resources, it also needs to tell others that its partners possess unique skills. Only from this perspective can the initial breakthrough not seem weak.

Hu Shutong briefly explained the plan, leaving Liu Zhiying and Meng Qiangqiang momentarily stunned. If things were to proceed this way, things would become far too complicated. According to Hu Shutong, he wanted to assemble a "proposal team" to enrich Tongxing's resources.

"Senior, putting everything else aside, these people are all from all over the country, so there probably isn't enough time."

"There's still time. I'll have them bring their teams to meet us."

As they were talking, Hu Shutong picked up his phone. Meng Qiangqiang picked up a piece of mutton. Having tasted black goat with minimal seasoning and no dipping sauce, he realized what true purity and authenticity meant.

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.