Twenty years of cold chain

Chapter 46 Technology and Reality

For someone in the cold chain industry, not knowing RFID technology would be quite embarrassing.

In simple terms, RFID technology can minimize labor costs and provide more accurate and complete traceability of goods. Its principle is not complicated; it consists of an electronic tag attached to an object to identify the target, a reader that reads the tag, and an antenna that transmits signals. It relies on electromagnetic radiation, rather than the one-to-one laser scanning of barcodes.

In the production and processing stage, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology can record information about the source of raw materials, and can automatically identify, sort and track raw materials, semi-finished products and finished products. Moreover, after the product is processed, information such as the processor, processing date, shelf life and storage conditions can be written into the electronic label.

In other words, there is no need for a large number of people to screen, sort, inspect and preserve the goods in the factory area. It is equivalent to each item and each batch of goods having a unique identity.

In the field of information technology, it is an indisputable fact that Ming University of Technology is stronger than Ming University. Li Zhou's visit is of great significance, and Hu Shutong feels honored to be able to work with such a technical expert.

Even at work, Li Zhou remained a very quiet person. He rarely spoke, sitting silently with no interaction with anyone else. To be honest, he didn't have the equipment he needed here, and he wasn't here to research low-frequency chips. He came here to mingle with these industry leaders and gain a clearer understanding of the application of radio frequency identification in the cold chain.

"I've drawn a system diagram, would you like to take a look?" Hu Shutong stepped forward.

Li Zhou was taken aback for a moment, then took it and glanced at it for a few seconds. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, and he sat down, completely absorbed in the diagram. What was presented to him was a cold chain system architecture diagram. He had seen these things before, but none could compare to what was before him, because this one completely revitalized the entire system, and it was so "clear and concise".

Starting with the emergence of food and ending with its distribution, Hu Shutong illustrated the four major and eight minor stages in a single diagram. Even more remarkably, he also marked the monitoring process and the smart terminal.

Hu Shutong didn't understand the technology, but he was confident that he had a solid and complete understanding of the process.

"Good stuff." Li Zhou looked at it repeatedly and nodded.

Li Zhou is a technically gifted person, but he has very little practical experience; he rarely leaves the laboratory. Hu Shutong was unaware of the shock Li Zhou was feeling at that moment. Processing, warehousing, distribution, and sales—anyone can talk about these things, but everyone talks about them superficially. Yet this person in front of him used a single diagram to give him a clear picture of the whole picture.

"In the warehousing process, besides installing readers at warehouse entrances and exits, I think readers can also be installed on forklifts to facilitate accurate goods sorting. During transportation, if the temperature from a temperature sensor could be periodically written into the RFID reader, wouldn't real-time temperature monitoring be possible?"

Li Zhou sank down. Technology is radiating, but its application is practical. Therefore, technology cannot encompass everything; it needs to be compatible with practical applications.

Li Zhou found the person before him to be incredibly capable. The ability to simplify complex concepts was a skill in itself, let alone simplify them in a way that resonated with people's hearts. Without a doubt, this was someone who had been paying attention to RFID for a long time, but his abilities extended far beyond that. Li Zhou now understood why this person had been able to enter the refrigerated food laboratory.

In the days that followed, he felt even more strongly about Hu Shutong's abilities. Despite being the least senior person in the lab, Hu Shutong was always there, especially around the incubator and miniature cold storage. Hu Shutong could not only chat with the experts but also participate in the specific experimental process.

It was as if Li Zhou had also broken down some kind of barrier; at least the atmosphere in the dormitory was no longer so oppressive. His biological clock was no longer as rigid as before; he only kept playing the ocarina for one hour. Although he still spoke very little, Hu Shutong knew that this guy had become much more lively and finally stopped treating him like he was invisible.

Li Zhou reveals that human communication doesn't require language. When his mind is troubled, the ocarina plays a slow, gentle tune; when he has exciting ideas in the lab, the ocarina plays a cheerful tune. When he's in a good mood, he turns on the desk lamp and hears the scratching of a pen on paper. When he brings back drinks, he'll also bring one for Hu Shutong. When he's in a bad mood, the scratching sound transforms into the sound of him lying there, turning pages in front of the wall.

He appears to be someone who doesn't show his emotions, but in reality, he's the one who can't hide his feelings the most.

At the end of March, Hu Shutong and Li Zhou received a request from Pang Shiyou to accompany him to a technical communication meeting in the southern suburbs on April 1st. A meeting had already been held within the laboratory to discuss technical cooperation in the southern suburbs, but the meeting had received a lukewarm response.

Some professors cited key points in their research projects as reasons for not wanting to participate in corporate meetings, while others bluntly stated they didn't want to attend. Pang Shiyou couldn't name these experts and scholars; some of them were simply too stubborn to be swayed, and conversely, it was precisely this kind of temperament that had brought them to their current positions. Therefore, even with a host of reasons, the two younger members, Hu Shutong and Li Zhou, had to attend the meetings.

Li Zhou was clearly reluctant. He hated meetings and felt like he was just there to make up the numbers. The technical team was mainly responsible for materials, so what did they have to do with RFID? However, Hu Shutong noticed that Li Zhou was listening to Pang Shiyou. Although he was unhappy, he had begun to make some preparations.

On the eve of the meeting, Hu Shutong suddenly received a call from Luan Pingxin.

"Shutong, I've come to Mingyuan."

"Is it because of the South Suburbs Industrial Park?"

"What's going on with this company?! Why does the equipment team need to be stationed here? Why can't they just hold an equipment meeting every now and then? Are they keeping us tied up here to install it for them?!"

In fact, Hu Shutong had a premonition about this as early as last year when the equipment group was established. Moreover, there had been no news of Mingda University and Mingda University of Technology participating in the equipment group, so they must have sought help from universities outside the province. The Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering of Kuala Lumpur University has a long-standing reputation, and Kuala Lumpur University is the most likely candidate for this institution.

Hu Shutong comforted Luan Pingxin, "I will also attend the meeting tomorrow to see what the situation is. Once we have reached a consensus, you shouldn't have to stay there indefinitely."

"I'm so embarrassed! I was just about to test the machine when my teacher said it's a major provincial project, very important and it'll enhance my resume. How am I supposed to manage both?"

"Now that you're here, focus your attention here for now."

Luan Pingxin was silent for a moment. "Don't worry, I won't shirk my responsibilities. But why are they so insistent on keeping track? Are they worried they won't take it seriously if they don't see it? Sigh! Never mind, our team needs to go through it first tomorrow morning. See you at the meeting."

"I'll treat you to fish after the meeting, the kind cooked over a wood fire, it's really authentic."

Luan Pingxin laughed and said, "Anyway, you're going to be tied up here, so you have plenty of time to call me!"

Hu Shutong nodded without saying much, "See you tomorrow."

……