Twenty years of cold chain

Porto Vigo, Europe's largest fishing port, is more than 500 kilometers from Madrid.

Their next stop was Paris, which was three days away according to the schedule. The two planned to go directly from Vigo to Paris to meet up with the team, so they had plenty of time. Luan Pingxin was very familiar with all kinds of things when traveling abroad, and the two set off overnight, arriving in Vigo in the early morning.

Leaving behind the hustle and bustle of Madrid and arriving in a major logistics city, things became clearer. Luan Pingxin only saw busyness, but in Hu Shutong's eyes, the coming and going vehicles and the passing distribution centers truly showed him the reality of the European cold chain.

Europe's advanced cold chain system is largely due to its "third-party logistics".

According to conventional thinking, if you ship your own products, there will be no shipping costs in the cost, and the product profit will naturally be higher. Moreover, everyone knows that the cost of transportation is often inflated, so grasping this point will cut off a major expense.

However, many companies are actually struggling with transportation capacity. First, there's the issue of vehicle maintenance. With a mission to produce better products, companies often lack the time and resources to build their own large transportation network. Second, there's the issue of distribution channels. There are too many things to manage during transportation, such as roadside inspections, qualification reviews, and different policies in different regions. For companies with a wide reach, it's simply impossible to handle all of these.

This has both spurred the emergence of third-party logistics (3PL) companies and strengthened them. These companies specialize in this field, leveraging their transportation capacity and logistics expertise to build their businesses. They dedicate themselves to providing comprehensive transportation services for enterprises, and their reputation is growing stronger.

For example, dairy factories and canneries only need to produce their products, and the distribution center will pick them up and store them in the distribution center's warehouse. Then, they will ship the products to all directions according to the manufacturer's orders, relying on the advantages of the distribution center to fully promote the products to the market.

Another type of cooperation, such as between farms, fisheries, enterprises, and schools, is also a great opportunity for third-party logistics to play a significant role. The vehicles heading to the fields and ports are third-party logistics vehicles, and the third party handles the logistics for point-to-point cooperation.

Hu Shutong had considered this model before, and it was used on a small scale in China, but his first day in Vigo made him realize the power of European third-party logistics even more.

Based on the distribution center, it comprehensively enhances its own functions, not only for storing and transporting goods for enterprises, but also for sorting, picking, packaging and even semi-processing of goods!

For example, when a truckload of cabbages arrives here, the distribution center can not only refrigerate, cut, and semi-process them, but also affix the corresponding brand labels, and then push them directly to the buyer.

Seeing this successful model firsthand, many ideas began to materialize, and his previous thoughts no longer seemed so bold. Hu Shutong saw a promising path, and a profound concept emerged in his mind: the functionality and service of distribution centers, transforming transportation tools into aids to customers, had already taken root and flourished in his heart.

At the same time, Hu Shutong had a wonderful fit with HACCP, which he was very familiar with, and RFID, which he was responsible for tracking the entire process for the company.

When the crucial moment arrived, Hu Shutong would involuntarily clap his hands or smile broadly. Luan Pingxin suddenly realized she had seen a fool, but deep down she was just as excited as Hu Shutong.

Since arriving here, she noticed a complete change in Hu Shutong's demeanor. He seemed to have become like he had when he heard he was coming to Europe; his eyes lit up and sparkled, and he seemed to have completely forgotten about Madrid. She didn't know what Hu Shutong had seen in the passing cars and buildings, but she knew this trip had been well worth it.

Porto Vigo is bustling with activity at dawn.

Workers unloaded fish crates from the dock and then transported all kinds of fish to a processing station more than 300 meters away. At the processing station, some of the fish were directly packed into crates, while many other workers skillfully wielded sharp tools to quickly cut and process the fish fillets.

Regardless of the type, once they arrive at the port hall, they will be affixed with an RFID traceable electronic tag, which clearly records the type of fish, the fishing method, and the sea area where it was caught. Then they will be loaded onto the waiting refrigerated truck.

Hu Shutong was amazed by the speed of delivery, and he was also impressed by the functions of Vigo Port, which combined the functions of fish storage and distribution center processing.

This highly efficient operation is inseparable from the institutional guarantees of Europe's quality and safety system, which connects all aspects of food production, transportation, storage and sales into a whole, and promotes the system's unique certification labels. In the event of a violation of the system's rules, there is also an independent sanctions committee to intervene.

With his keen eye and powerful imagination, Hu Shutong suddenly had a core idea for the "Three Zones Planning Project" of Panhu Fishing Port that he was working on, and it was bound to be outstanding!

The core principle here is timeliness.

The three zones have completely different functions, but they should not be treated as three separate zones. Instead, a "one-zone-mind" approach should be adopted. Materials and equipment must be mentioned, but they are not the focus of this project. The focus is on "a fast route from fishing boats to the market." More important than the three zones themselves is the connection and combination between them.

In a sense, the three-district planning project was also a bidding process. There were plenty of people working on the materials and equipment, which was not something Hu Shutong wanted to get involved in. Besides, no matter how difficult this area was, it couldn't compare to the southern suburbs.

On Samir Beach at dusk, Luan Pingxin had never seen Hu Shutong so happy. He wasn't grinning incessantly, but rather a kind of overflowing joy that brewed into an unstoppable smile, making his whole person appear lively and radiant.

Hu Shutong couldn't hide some of his emotions, and he didn't need to hide them from Luan Pingxin. Solving the current problem and understanding the future—what could be more exciting than that?

Luan Pingxin remained an observer throughout, the person beside her offering no interaction whatsoever, simply lost in their own world, observing everything without a trace of excitement or memorable moments. Yet, despite this, the person beside her seemed to have subtly unlocked their full potential.

"Pingxin, actually Vigo is more important than Madrid. Madrid shows us the extreme cold, but Vigo shows us the cold in every household. That's what we should be doing. I think I should change direction."

Watching the unfamiliar seabirds fly around, the two sat back to back on the beach. The sunset blushed their faces, and the waves seemed to draw them into a surging future. Feeling Hu Shutong's warm back, Luan Pingxin smiled. That path perfectly matched her expectations of him.

He's really different now. Before, he was a humble student, a dedicated scholar, a conscientious practitioner, and a person who devoted himself wholeheartedly to the industry.

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.