Fresh blue sea Temptation, with the Dead Sea only one step

"Blue sea" deep and distant, give people unlimited imagination; Blue Ocean "full of unknown and wind and waves, a little careless, will become a frightening" Dead Sea ", let the Voyager ship destroyed. Cold chain industry is such a blue ocean.

In the industry, the cold chain has a bright future, but it is also a difficult "bone". Shanghai Jinjiang Low Temperature Logistics Development Co., Ltd. Food supply chain marketing director Zheng said that at present, the electrical business of the cold chain is very small, domestic cold chain industry concentration is very low, the size of the enterprise is small. One of the important reasons is that the "fresh aspect of cold chain management is a very difficult business module."

At present, in addition to a small number of powerful electric dealers from the construction of cold chain logistics, other electric operators are to take the form of cooperation with Third-party logistics. Generally speaking, the fresh electricity dealer now has "five faces ambush" to be broken: the durability requirement is difficult, the cost is high, the upstream cold storage structural flaw, "the last kilometer" and the reverse logistics, as well as the industry standard flaw. Only cracked this "five-face ambush", the fresh electricity business may truly usher in a broad blue ocean.

Fresh and demanding

Shun Fung Fast transport its flagship gourmet shopping mall shun Fung Optimization, in the investment to try the aquatic fresh electricity dealers found that the challenge is actually just beginning.

According to Shun Fung Optimization President Tri Xiaoxi introduced, Shun Fung currently has air charter and other rapid logistics system, and investment in the construction of large capital cold warehouse, and procurement of a large number of refrigerated boxes, freezers, ice boxes, cold packs, insulation bags and other temperature control equipment. Tri Xiaoxi Frankly, fresh products storage is difficult to store, because the current domestic many cold construction behind up to the standard, so choose to build a cold storage. At present, Shun Fung optimization in Beijing, Jiaxing and Guangzhou set up 3 warehouses, each warehouse is divided into 5 temperature zones, including room temperature area 0℃~30℃, cold storage area 0℃~8℃, cold storage area 8℃~10℃, frozen area -18℃, constant temperature and humidity zone 15℃~18℃, and equipped with -60℃ freezer, temperature range of 90 ℃, To meet the storage requirements of the whole category of food, and for each commodity has developed a different standardized storage mode.

Shun Fung preferred people said, to Litchi as an example, in the Litchi before the line, Shun Fong for its 1-month test, found that the best preservation of litchi temperature between 5℃~15℃, and transport in the process of collision, squeeze easily cause decay. In response to the above phenomenon, shun Fong in the Litchi packing box to increase the cold chain transport equipment: Ice packs for cooling preservation, foam box for isolation insulation, blister box for the retention of Litchi position, and prevent the Litchi and ice pack direct contact with frostbite.

In addition, blueberries, strawberries and other fruit-like fruits are not easy to save, Shun Fung preferred to introduce, through the experiment, using a package of two-layer way to save the blueberry, the package inside need to have ventilation holes to ensure fruit breathing. In addition, the maturity of the need for manual quality inspection, the company requested manufacturers to send blueberries can not be cooked, but relatively mature, not only to ensure a certain amount of storage time, but also to ensure that the hands of customers to eat right. The choice of way, can not directly contact with the fruit, this easily damage fruit or make the fruit is not fresh.

Tri Xiaoxi said, for the origin of goods not in storage, through the rapid logistics system, such as Shun Fung Airlines, to achieve 24-hour direct access to users, in order to ensure freshness, if the weather is not good and other external factors, will be delayed picking fresh goods, to avoid delays in the logistics process.

In the case of Litchi, after picking up Litchi, Shun Fung preferred to send refrigerated vehicles to the local receiving, and sent to the local airport, from the airport installed directly to the destination, and then sent a special refrigerated vehicle transport. Because it is direct mining, it will be directly in the local Litchi retail packaging, delivery to the destination, the product will be delivered directly to each distribution site, each distribution site to use the insulation box Ice plate preservation mode, the final packaging products delivered to consumers.

For the goods in storage, Tri Xiaoxi said, the same city package of the receiving time is usually not more than 24 hours, the receiving time of different parcels usually not more than 72 hours.

In order to solve the problem of rapid logistics, suning easy to buy fresh in charge of the daily economic news reporter said, suning is now easy to buy through the integration with the refrigeration chain service capabilities of the logistics company to make up for the cold chain logistics short board, will soon be built from the cold chain warehouse and logistics distribution system.

The later self-owned mode, will be taken by Suning easy to purchase the operation of the early stage of sales work, order flow to manufacturers, by the manufacturers responsible for distribution. In the quality preservation, suning easy to purchase integrated supply chain, logistics and distribution, and third-party logistics companies to ensure the fastest time to complete delivery services.

Leafy vegetables also have transport preservation problems, such as the once sensational "Poly Land" project, in the attempt to fresh vegetables transport fresh, because of lack of experience encountered some minor problems.

In March this year, Zhejiang hexing Electronic Commerce Co., Ltd. has carried out a new attempt of "land electric Quotient" in Jixi County Hu Lake, Anhui province. The model is also known as "Poly Land", at least 580 yuan for the public to become a "privately-tailored" farmer, enjoying 1-point crop ownership for 1 years.

This model increases the income of farmers, but also allows city people to eat the rest of the food vegetables, but in the first vegetable transport, there is a problem.

Hu Hu Xiaoquang, secretary of the Village party branch, told reporters that at that time sent out is the package vegetables (cabbage), morning picking, afternoon packaging, and then sent to Huangshan shipments, the entire mailing process will take about two or three days. Unfortunately, that day is catching up with the rain, vegetables contain more water, we have not enough experience, such as the delivery of the past, the road away from the broken. Finally, the company had to reissue it once.

In fact, although the lesson learned, the operator bought energy-saving nitrogen machine, freezer (making insurance ice packs) and inflatable cushioning packaging machine, but the current problem of leaf vegetables remain unresolved, operators have to mail more easily preserved tomatoes, cucumbers and other products.

High cost of logistics

Cold chain fresh products of transport costs than conventional transport to be higher, to achieve more competitive prices, the need for centralized procurement, but centralized procurement if the preservation is not good loss, therefore, the high cost is also a cold chain electric business needs to consider the problem.

"It's really hard to make a fresh electric dealer, and it's not the blue ocean we imagined." "Tri Xiaoxi to the daily economic news reporter said," Cold chain threshold is very high, how to send the freshest products to the hands of consumers, these costs may not be the average electric dealer can withstand. ”

Suning easy to buy cold chain distribution responsible also have the same feeling, "fresh products for logistics and distribution requirements are very high, both to keep food fresh, but also to ensure the speed of delivery, the most common way is the cold chain logistics." But the cold chain logistics is more complicated than the normal room temperature logistics system, the construction investment cost is big, it is a huge system engineering. ”

Suning easy to buy fresh head of the owner frankly, to the electrical business, fresh goods sold back and exchange is the biggest problem, "in the purchase of fresh goods, consumers may not be satisfied with fresh quality and return, which will undoubtedly increase operating costs." ”

As a result of the cold chain fresh products high cost problem, Shun Fung optimization at the beginning of the establishment of the positioning to do the high-end fresh food.

"Layout in the high-end, 70% is the high-end imported food, which is conducive to ensuring food safety, but also conducive to consumers for better quality products to pay, take some differentiated routes." Tri Xiaoxi said, because cold chain fresh products relatively high logistics costs, "including cold chain transportation and distribution costs, according to product structure and price, the average customer price of 200 yuan, to ensure profitability." ”

For centralized procurement and return issues, Tri Xiaoxi said, the current company focused on procurement mainly in frozen meat, seafood, stored in the 18 ℃ cold storage, longer shelf life.

"Even if the preservation conditions are very good, but some fruits, vegetables are very easy to deteriorate, if the preservation method, transport method is improper, the loss is very large, can reach almost 20%." "Tri Xiaoxi points out. Because the vegetable fruit refrigeration cost is higher, and is more likely to damage, at present cannot achieve the centralized purchase, can only take the subregion Origin direct supply form.

For centralized procurement and durability issues, Jing Dong Fresh distribution Responsible person said, "This is not a difficult problem for the east, Jingdong itself has a huge flow of consumers, turnover is much better than other electric dealers, in addition, the BoE will be through pre-sale, direct sales and other means to reduce inventory, improve turnover." ”

Structural shortage of cold storage

In the interview process, the cold chain of the upper reaches of the refrigerator structural deficiencies are not open to practitioners barriers.

"Cold storage is a scarce resource, the demand for cold storage is very large, far from satisfied, such as our cold storage belongs to medium-sized scale, those big supermarkets such as Metro, Canton Bai goods have to negotiate with us, hope to cooperate." "Guangzhou Fisherman's Wharf Investment Management Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Fisherman's Wharf) operations director Rozhi to the daily economic news reporter said."

Rozhi that the cold storage in the Cold-chain logistics, especially in the production and processing, storage, transportation, etc., are playing the core role of the equipment.

Rozhi introduced, Fisherman's Wharf has more than 4,000 square meters of cold storage, began mainly to do seafood refrigeration, and then many supermarkets and hotels have rented the company's cold storage, "supermarkets, hotels and other large cold storage, only some of the day-to-day emergency refrigeration facilities, need to lease the cold storage outside." ”

Jintao fruits and Vegetables Logistics Co., Ltd. Wang Wenqing to the "Daily economic news" reporter said, "Our company in Shandong, Hunan and other areas have 8 vegetable base, with the seasonal changes with vegetables for processing and trafficking, supply more than 200 restaurants in Hong Kong, the mainland also has a number of hotels began to use our vegetables." ”

"If there are no matching cold and refrigerated cars, cabbage will start rotting more than 10 hours, the consequences are difficult to imagine." Wang Wenqing said that many of the agricultural base to grow vegetables is due to the lack of cold storage, resulting in herd concentrated harvest, but also because of the lack of local cold storage, can not be the wrong peak sales to avoid competition, the emergence of vegetables cheap injury farmers, and the situation of the farmers.

Wang Wenqing said that the current domestic cold storage construction There is a focus on meat cold storage, despise fruit and vegetable cold storage, pay attention to the city management-type cold storage, contempt of origin processing cold storage construction.

According to statistics, due to the lack of cold storage, domestic perishable foods, frozen food, dairy products, drugs in the picking or factory, the loss rate of all logistics links between 25%~40%, this data in the developed countries only 1.5%~3%, which is also our country fruits and vegetables, fresh, dairy products, pharmaceuticals, One of the main reasons for the high price difference between purchase and sale of chemical reagents, such as perishable products, short selling period and higher price of fresh goods.

One side is the lack of a new type of cold storage, while the old cold business depression.

Guangzhou Fanyu District Silver Road is a famous cold storage street, June 25, "Daily economic news" reporter came to Silver Jian Road, No. 20th, Yushan Mountain cold storage, see the merchants in the cold storage door queue to deal with their goods, refrigerated vehicles parked outside the cold storage loading, the platform is back and forth Shuttle 3 forklift. But in the lively behind, there are many tenants rented shops have been empty, at the door of the cold storage Pull "Wang Shop for Rent" banner ads.

In fact, insiders believe that this is the current domestic cold storage encountered a common problem.

Shanghai Jinjiang Low Temperature Logistics Development Co., Ltd. Food supply chain marketing director Zheng told the Daily Economic news reporter, the domestic refrigeration logistics industry is still the main state-owned cold storage, the establishment of the library earlier, most of the use period has been more than 15 years, has entered the overhaul period. Limited by the conditions at that time, these cold storage engineering design standards Low, the process is not reasonable, the degree of automation is low.

Guangzhou Fanyu District, no. 39th, Silver Road, Heng Fung Cold storage in charge of the reporter said, cold storage business model is generally first built after the lease, the main collection of business and cold storage leasing funds, in accordance with the quality of merchant goods or the cubic charges, "we generally do not do business, only concerned about the management of cold storage, merchant cargo in tons of calculation, A ton of goods per day costs about 2~3 yuan. ”

"Affected by the economic environment, cold storage These years business is not good to do, can only say now to achieve break-even, a lot of other cold storage operators have encountered difficulties, many businesses appear to rent back." Hengfeng Cold storage in charge frankly.

Zheng that most refrigeration enterprises have not from the simple "warehousing" to "logistics service-oriented" role of the change of consciousness, has not adapted to the new era of warehousing and distribution business needs.

Guotai reported that the data show that 2013 domestic cold storage capacity of 26.73 million tons, most of the traditional cold storage, while the storage of aquatic products and quick-frozen food cold modern cold storage accounted for only 10%, structural deficiencies serious.

"Last kilometer" to be solved

"Cold chain is a high profit industry, but if the same as Jingdong and Alibaba to do business, it is difficult, such as ' last kilometer ' and reverse logistics is currently difficult to solve the problem." "Zheng said.

Jintao Fruit and Vegetable Logistics Co., Ltd. Wang Wenqing that, "the electrical business to do cold chain, must be wired under the cooperation, unless in each district has a physical store, these raw food does not enter the community, is tantamount to not solve the last kilometer problem." ”

Wang Wenqing also pointed out that dealers to the terminal must use refrigerated vehicles to ensure that the cold chain transport, to ensure the final product quality, but, because of the high cost of refrigerated vehicles, the market now many dealers use or ordinary cars, vans.

"Use refrigerated vehicles for the whole distribution, must ensure that the goods than the market is cheaper than the market, it can only take a centralized procurement model, the amount of centralized procurement determines the price and gross margin." "Zheng said that in the context of high food safety requirements, because of the short shelf life of fresh products, can not achieve rapid sales, there may be losses."

Zheng that, to solve the problem of the last kilometer, the electrical business must solve the problem of distribution in the community. "Now the electricity business to do fresh fight is logistics, fight is in each city community who decorate the point more faster, but it can be imagined that every city big community all cloth point, this piece of capital investment will be how huge." ”

In addition, Zheng said, to solve the problem of the last kilometer in the cold chain, it is also necessary to open a "green light" on the traffic policy.

"Because the refrigerated truck belongs to the lorry, in Shanghai, the inner ring of the city center do not let the refrigerated car in, this gives the electric dealer a problem-how to do timely delivery and the whole cold chain delivery?" Zheng said.

Zheng said that the national transport sector can consider the cold chain to the industry to give special preferential treatment, "foreign Wal-Mart, Metro in the city center are unimpeded, domestic can also give cold chain open a green channel, in order to achieve a standardized cold chain operation." ”

At the same time, cold chain reverse logistics is also placed in front of the electricity business problem. "Cold chain fresh products such as vacuum packaging raw meat, if the packaging product leakage How to do?" Back to go through so many links, return is tantamount to this piece of meat has been scrapped. ”

Shun Fung Select the official website of the return of replacement policy shows that the current Shun Fung optimization also does not support fresh products in the sign after the problem of the case to return: "Fruits, vegetables, aquatic products, meat and other fresh perishable food, please check the quality of the goods before signing, such merchandise will not be processed after the receipt of replacement; In addition to raw and perishable food, If the sign after 24 hours you found that the quality of inspection can not be found, and submitted to the relevant Food Inspection Department inspection certificate, Shun Fung optimization will be door-to-door for you to deal with. ”

Zheng said, "fresh products sometimes difficult to identify products from the color to determine whether there is a quality problem, if the purchase of meat products found in the sign after the problem can not be returned, this to the consumer net purchase fresh experience and interest will be greatly reduced." ”

"If the electricity dealer makes the raw product return rate achieves 20%, how still earns money?" Zheng Frankly, the current electric business do fresh in reverse logistics and other issues more prominent, "if continue to invest, the last kilometer and reverse logistics problems may be solved, but so far, still do not see the mature solution." ”

Lack of industry standards

When the capital enters the field of the cold chain electric business, the problems of the cold chain industry standard are gradually appearing.

"At present, the cold chain industry access threshold is relatively low, often see convertible cars to transport low-temperature products, some of the drivers in order to save power to switch off refrigeration equipment, halfway ' off the cold ' phenomenon or more common. "Beijing East Fresh distribution responsible for the daily economic news," Reporters frankly, the existing logistics distribution system is not perfect, especially the lack of industry standards is more prominent.

Suning easy to buy fresh head told reporters, in the cold chain logistics industry has made great progress in the meantime, because there is no uniform industry standards, resulting in cold chain logistics implementation difficulties, can not timely deal with the problems in operation, become a weak link in the development of cold chain, making the electrical business cold chain logistics operation is greatly affected.

According to the Shanghai Cold Storage Association survey data show that China's cold chain transport, the railway accounted for only 2%, the highway is only 10%~20%, about 40,000 cold chain vehicles. And the cold storage Many is 20th century 70, 80 's construction, mostly only has the storage function, does not have the logistics distribution function.

"In this case, it is necessary to unify the mandatory standards." The establishment of industry standards is not only the need of cold chain logistics enterprises, but also beneficial to the rapid and healthy development of the industry. "Suning easy to buy fresh raw head said.

In this respect, CIC Consultant Senior researcher Shen Zhengyuan, "Daily economic news" reporter said, "At present, although the industry standards have, but the enforceability is very poor, more chaotic, but also at present the cold chain industry development more prominent obstacles." ”

Shun Fung Optimization insiders told reporters, "fresh and non-standard goods, the life characteristics of each commodity are different, temperature, storage requirements are not the same, such as the leaves to breathe, and so on, these are not ordinary warehouse tube can do, the industry has not formed a standard." ”

"The current cold chain industry standards should be led by the government departments, and enterprises are the main participants, the standard of the enterprise is also more clear, you can choose some recognized, can better ensure food safety practices as industry reference standards." "Tri Xiaoxi said.

Reporter observation

The elegy of the pioneer of fresh electric power business

Every journalist Guo Rong Hu Fei Army

In fact, the cat, Jing-dong, Shun Fung optimization and suning easy to purchase and other involved in the cold chain of fresh electricity is not the first batch of "eat Crabs", in 2010, gradually appeared a group of small and medium-sized electrical business, but because of the difficulties are not fully resolved, these pioneers finally ended with Elegy.

In the 2006 ~2010 years, because of the high cost of cold chain logistics, consumer habits difficult to change and the industry regulations are not perfect, and other factors, the domestic cold chain logistics industry almost stalled. According to China Refrigeration Institute statistics, 2006 China's cold storage capacity of 8.8 million tons, and in 2010, the NDRC issued the "agricultural products cold chain logistics development planning," the status of a column, cold storage capacity of 8.8 million tons. Although it may be the difference in statistical caliber caused, but also enough to show that 2006-2010 years of cold chain logistics almost no development.

Since 2010, the proportion of logistics cost after the introduction of cold chain of agricultural products has been reduced, and the cold chain logistics has been rapidly developed. During this period, a group of small and medium-sized electric companies have dabbled in cold chain fresh fields.

If founded in 2010, the excellent vegetable net, is the first batch of domestic trial of fresh product mode of the electric business enterprise, its establishment soon gained 2 million Yuan Angel investment, then announced the realization of profit.

But not long, excellent vegetable nets This has been the industry's bullish segment of the field of electrical business model in the next less than three years, but experienced from the glorious to the withering process.

January 2013, Ding Jingtao founder of the network through Sina Technology said "do not go on", to 1.5 million yuan to transfer excellent vegetable network. Excellent vegetable network in two years of accumulated resources for: 20,000 registered users, of which 4000 active users, the site unit price of about 40 yuan, the site 2012 annual sales of about 3 million yuan. Ding Jingtao also summed up the reasons for the failure: there is no stable supply, can not provide a better shopping experience than the market, to control the link too much, logistics problems (such as trucks into the city problem). March 2014, excellent vegetable Network Bulletin said Ding Jingtao has resigned from the excellent vegetable network CEO position.

In fact, the excellent vegetable network is not to do cold chain fresh failure of the first home appliance business, "Good helper", "Yi million Home" and the first batch of selling vegetables site has ceased to exist.

2009, Yi million founder Wei Wei founded fresh web site Yi million home, covering 27 communities in Guangzhou Fanyu District. However, after six months, due to logistics distribution and cold chain, coupled with the site is immature, the decline in orders led to losses.

April 2013, Yong-Hui supermarket quietly on-line fresh type of Web site "Half the Sky", and in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai and other regions to expand distribution, to provide goods to pay, try aquatic fresh products. But now, in the Yong-Hui supermarket official online, "half the Sky" label has also disappeared.