Twenty years of cold chain

In Minghe's conference room, Hu Shutong could no longer remain calm as he stared at the materials in front of him.

It is certain that the supply chain for materials in the southern suburbs has been thrown into chaos.

The construction process of the civil engineering warehouse is quite complicated. The materials needed for the floor ventilation ducts, slag concrete subbase, and reinforced concrete roof were delivered to the site at the beginning of the year. However, the materials for the insulation layer, such as cork, glass wool, and polystyrene foam, as well as the moisture-proof and air-proof petroleum asphalt and roofing felt, are still under negotiation.

In addition, the bulky plastic foam inside the cold storage and the high-airtightness cold storage door are not well-designed. As for the equipment, the compressor, condenser, expansion valve, liquid receiver, separator, and condensing and defrosting water pumps are all at different stages of supply.

This is the result of the "initial chaos." If we had chosen Koning and Boye as suppliers in the first place, the overall insulation technology solution would not have been in such a fragmented predicament.

It must be said that this is the most complicated thing Hu Shutong has ever faced.

First, he had to re-examine the earliest version of the materials and equipment database, eliminate manufacturers that could not supply the materials, and then find solutions from the less qualified manufacturers to address the immediate problem. Second, Hu Shutong also had to make a detailed schedule based on the current progress of the project.

Thinking about this, Hu Shutong realized an even more serious problem: he had no control over the material suppliers, and the expected schedule was bound to face various uncertainties. If they needed something but lacked it, things would only become increasingly passive.

The best approach is to reach an agreement with the construction team that work can only begin before major progress is completed and materials are fully available. In this case, the main construction work should focus on columns and beams.

Fortunately, Minghe's senior management stopped holding meetings specifically for the southern suburbs. Qi Zhendong reported under pressure that everything was going smoothly. But one day, the construction team couldn't hold back and revealed that the construction schedule in the southern suburbs was delayed due to material issues. All the efforts of the technical department would have to be devoted to dealing with the group.

In the conference room, everyone in the technical department was looking at Hu Shutong. To them, they could provide data but they couldn't analyze it at all. These people wearing technical hats knew every kind of material, but due to Minghe's business, none of them had any experience in using cold storage before.

Hu Shutong didn't know where to begin. He figured he could talk until dark and still not finish, and besides, these were all things he had personally worked on; there was no point in discussing them now. He figured it was better to have some time.

"Mr. Qi, we need to sort out the materials one by one and understand each supplier. The current situation is too scattered. The materials for the cold storage are a whole, and using whatever is available can easily cause problems. My suggestion is to first reach an understanding with the engineering team and have both parties agree on the steps. At least 90% of the materials should be in place before proceeding to the next step of the project."

Everyone in the meeting room nodded in agreement, but they were also filled with helplessness. Qi Zhendong had already thought of the places Hu Shutong pointed out, but the problem was that the construction team was also under great pressure. They wished that if you handed them a brick, they could start laying it immediately. Moreover, the columns and beams were already in the final stages. To be honest, the construction team was also being dragged down quite a bit by the South Suburbs project.

Long ago, Pengcheng Construction, the engineering contractor, had expressed reservations about the South Suburbs project, which essentially boiled down to money. The South Suburbs project was extremely frugal, with all materials and equipment provided by the contractors themselves. This meant Pengcheng Construction could only earn a small profit from labor and construction costs. In contrast, Pengcheng Construction could connect with its own material suppliers, resulting in substantial profits.

"You need time too," Qi Zhendong sighed. "We started negotiating more than a month ago, but Pengcheng Construction has its own schedule. If the materials can't be supplied, they can demand compensation for the delay. Once this matter goes through the finance department, we may not be needed anymore."

Qi Zhendong failed to obtain his ideal solution from Hu Shutong, who was his last resort. However, the matter still fell to the engineering team, leaving Qi Zhendong utterly dejected. Materials, materials, and more materials—he had brought Hu Shutong back, hoping to assign the task to the right person and pin his hopes on a turning point.

If Qi Zhendong hadn't known Hu Shutong for so long, he probably would have already been furious. If he had time, none of this would have happened. But the person in front of him also needs time. So what is the point of this separation?

But Hu Shutong couldn't back down. He had to reassess the current supply environment. The southern suburbs were a whole game of chess; every move had to be carefully executed, with no chance of winning. In his view, taking time from the project was the only solution, the only way to ensure the project's smooth progress.

Seeing Qi Zhendong's dejected appearance, Hu Shutong couldn't help but be moved. Qi Zhendong was like an umbrella, supporting the project to move forward. Above him was the Gaowei Group, and below him was a mess. Most importantly, the funds were insufficient and could no longer cope with the current chaos.

"How's the Morning Star project from the engineering firm going?" Hu Shutong asked.

At this point, the person in charge of liaising with the project spoke up, "The Morningstar project has been withdrawn."

"They've withdrawn?"

"That happened a long time ago. As far as we know, Morningstar terminated its agreement with Pengcheng ahead of schedule and took the initiative to withdraw its team."

"How could this happen?"

"The South Suburbs project had been delayed for a long time, and Pengcheng was somewhat tough on several subcontractors. Later, it was said that there were differences between the actual situation and the contract, and Chenxing and several other subcontractors felt that they were being treated unfairly."

"So there are no subcontractors in the southern suburbs now?"

"That's right. Pengcheng Construction is now the sole contractor. Pengcheng's project supervisor is very difficult to deal with. We tried to ask him for more time, but he only cares about the progress and is very unyielding when we try to communicate with him."

"Who is this person, and how can we contact them?"

A moment later, a business card appeared in front of Hu Shutong.

This glance made Hu Shutong's eyes light up.

Pengcheng Construction South Suburb Project Chief Supervisor —

Yu Dajun!

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.