Twenty years of cold chain

Unintentionally, Jiangning Industry and Trade's sudden move accelerated the cooperation between Kunyu Building Materials and Tongxing. Although Jiangning mainly deals in factory equipment and Kunyu mainly deals in cold chain building materials, the western market waits for no one. If things continue to drag on, Tongxing's technological focus will inevitably shift entirely to Jiangning Industry and Trade.

Finally, Kunyu Building Materials agreed that Tongxing would provide Kunyu with full-chain technical services for cold chain construction in the form of technology-based equity investment. At the same time, the western project was launched immediately.

Jiangning Industry and Trade and Kunyu Building Materials, these upstream equipment suppliers in the cold chain, have taken the first step into the western market. They are just a microcosm of countless equipment and material companies. Forklift companies, pallet companies, and assembly line equipment companies related to the cold chain are all developing ideas for expansion.

For the cold chain itself, the western market has never been a singular entity. Essentially, it is a so-called blue ocean in the industry caused by the uneven development of the cold chain in the east, central and western regions. Integration and complementarity are the future of the cold chain. When the west becomes strong, other markets will also rise accordingly.

In the delivery sector, Tongxing has received clear signals that the differences between Chunrong and Morgan Stanley Capital are widening. After discussing the scale of Tongxing Delivery, Morgan Stanley Capital has strongly intervened, advocating for a strategic partnership between Tongxing Delivery and Huanshi Fresh.

Dou Shaojie added fuel to the fire by pretending to use Tongxing's southern fruits as part of the raw materials as a test, which thoroughly enraged Chunrong. The two sides have become increasingly incompatible, and it has become a reality that Huanshi Fresh will break away from Chunrong and operate independently.

Under Yang Chenghai's leadership, Tongxing R&D Center has set up a separate delivery technology team. This team works closely with Daye to continuously optimize Tongxing's delivery technology.

The Wuguan Industrial Park is also progressing smoothly. With the continuous consultation and cooperation of Liu Zhiying's team, the park's planning proposal has finally been finalized, and construction will begin after the New Year.

During this period, Hu Shutong stayed in Tongxing. He realized that Tongxing could no longer send people away or transfer personnel. Too many experienced veterans had left, which was really draining the main base.

In fact, this is true for all large-scale cold chain companies, because each one needs one fulcrum or front end to break out of its own pattern. Some things can only be done by their own people. This is a simple but only way.

The people and businesses around Hu Shutong are all becoming increasingly successful in their respective cold chain industries. Yesterday, his younger brother sent him an email with a proposal he personally drafted to apply for cold storage expansion support funds from Yuncheng City. He is leveraging the benefits that Yuncheng's transshipment services bring to the local area and is preparing to obtain funding from channels outside Qingning. This guy who has settled in Yuncheng is increasingly showing the makings of a successful entrepreneur.

Although Tongxing basically built the Wuguan Industrial Park on its own, Hu Shutong would not forget what he had said to Meng Qiangqiang. He specifically instructed Liu Zhiying that although Qiangyun Cold Chain was small, its local advantages were clear. With Tongxing, who had won the reins, leading the way, what was impossible about nurturing a new "Xiongguan"?

Looking south, some are working on more refined controlled atmosphere standards for tropical fruits, researching longer shelf lives. Currently, with increasingly diverse distribution channels and a more substantial supply, scarcity is no longer enough to capture a larger market share. The new way to establish a competitive advantage is to differentiate yourself by creating premium products, building upon the foundation of previous scarcity.

Marine ranching has begun pilot projects in several coastal areas, and artificial aquaculture is making great strides forward, no longer relying solely on the natural gifts of the sea, but sowing the seeds of a bountiful harvest in the ocean to enrich the tables of countless families.

Cold chain workers, scattered across the country and in every field, have bid farewell to years of confusion and hesitation, and with a different spirit, are striving for a better future.

If you could place a day from ten years ago and today side by side, you would find that the changes in this industry are astonishing. Ten years ago, no one knew what in-vehicle technology was. Ten years ago, an entire family's income was tied up in DaPei. Ten years ago, if a cold chain company wanted to raise funds, they would think Series A venture capitalists were fools. Ten years ago, if someone wanted to start a cold chain academy, they would be considered a complete spendthrift.

Speaking of the ocean and looking eastward, something new and exciting is about to happen.

The first "Fisheries Expo" will be held at Panhu Fishing Port next March. Hu Shutong, as the enterprise representative, and Luan Pingxin, as the technology representative, were both invited.

The Fisheries Expo can be seen as an "aquarium on your dining table," where you can see the most advanced and novel fish. Moreover, the Fisheries Expo is connected with many people, including fishery companies, industry associations, and buyer companies. Some of them also cooperate with many overseas associations.

Hu Shutong would never miss this trip. The Fisheries Expo is not only a trade fair, but also a platform for showcasing various new products and technologies. It also provides access to manufacturers of high-quality aquatic products from abroad and serves as a major window for many rare edible seafood products to enter the domestic market. Furthermore, it is the ultimate application area for ultra-low temperature cold storage.

Today, Tongxing needs more sources of goods because the downstream supply chain has been established, and newer and deeper channels have gradually become an urgent task. From competing with the old hands in Qingyan County for goods in the early days, to working together to transport goods from Panhu to compete for supply, and then to seizing the initiative in transporting vegetables to the south, Hu Shutong knows best that the "source of goods" is the most important foundation.

This year, although he seemed to be busy in the Northwest, it has actually opened up a broader vision for Hu Shutong. Whether it is the Belt and Road Initiative or the China-Europe Railway Express, the company's control over the source of goods has expanded from the county to the city, province and even the whole country. In the near future, strong cold chain companies will definitely turn their attention to overseas countries and become irreplaceable "carriers of goods".

Beyond the goods themselves, there's the even more anticipated bridge of the times.

This will be 2014 under the Belt and Road Initiative, and also an extraordinary 2014 for the cold chain.

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.