I. Industry Risk Analysis

(1) Policy Risk

From the perspective of the policy life cycle, the cooling tower industry currently faces multiple policy risks: During the policy incubation period, the upgrading of environmental protection standards leads to a sharp increase in R & D costs, and companies may be forced to adjust their technical routes; during the policy introduction period, the differences between new energy – efficiency regulations and local environmental protection law enforcement create uncertainties in compliance costs; during the policy implementation period, the increase in the frequency of spot – checks brings the risk of sudden business suspension, and small and medium – sized manufacturers lack the ability to respond; during the policy adjustment period, the reduction of subsidies compresses the profit margin, and changes in international carbon tariff policies exacerbate the fluctuations in the export market. The industry also faces double compliance pressures during the phase – out of old standards and the vacuum period of new regulations.

(2) Economic Risk

Against the backdrop of the current economic cycle fluctuations, the cooling tower industry faces the risk of shrinking demand. The slowdown in economic growth weakens the willingness of downstream industries such as power and chemical industries to make capital expenditures. Infrastructure projects are postponed or their procurement budgets are cut, which directly affects the market demand for new cooling towers. Coupled with the decline in the capacity utilization rate of the manufacturing industry, the equipment replacement cycle is extended, and the demand for replacing existing equipment is also reduced. At the same time, the prices of raw materials such as steel and composite materials in the upstream continue to fluctuate at a high level due to inflation. Coupled with the upward pressure on financing interest rates, start – up enterprises are squeezed by both the rigid increase in costs and the lack of bargaining power. The industry’s profit margin has been compressed to a dangerous critical point.

(3) Social Risk

From the perspective of inter – generational consumption, the cooling tower industry faces the risk of a gap between the iterative demand of the young consumer group and the inertia of traditional industries. The procurement decisions dominated by Generation Z are shifting towards energy – saving, environmentally – friendly, and intelligent integrated equipment, but traditional manufacturing customers still rely on high – energy – consumption basic models. Entrepreneurs are caught in the inter – generational demand gap: If they bet on the transformation of old production capacity, they will bear the social public opinion pressure of “high – carbon lock – in” and future policy risks; if they aggressively transform to low – carbon and intelligent products, they will face the risk of losing existing customer groups and a broken cash – flow. At the same time, the new – generation market is monopolized by international brands, and the lack of trust in local technologies creates a two – way squeeze.

(4) Legal Risk

Entrepreneurs in the cooling tower industry need to focus on compliance with environmental protection regulations (wastewater discharge, noise standards), product quality certification (national mandatory energy – efficiency and safety standards), intellectual property protection (risk of patent infringement), and contract legal risks (loopholes in supplier/customer terms). Currently, environmental protection inspections are becoming stricter. If the equipment operation noise or circulating water treatment fails to meet the standards, enterprises will face high fines or even business suspension for rectification; if products fail to pass mandatory certifications such as GB/T 7190, it may lead to market supervision penalties and user claims; if technical solutions involve third – party patents without authorization, it is easy to get involved in infringement disputes; unclear rights and responsibilities clauses in procurement and sales contracts may cause significant default losses.

II. Entrepreneurship Guide

(1) Suggestions on Entrepreneurship Opportunities

Focusing on the demand for industrial energy – saving and intelligent upgrading, entrepreneurs in the cooling tower industry can focus on developing high – efficiency and energy – saving closed – circuit cooling towers to seize the technological transformation market of small and medium – sized factories. Use the Internet of Things technology to build a remote operation and maintenance platform to provide real – time monitoring services for enterprises in the chemical and power industries. Develop customized modular cooling systems with corrosion resistance and anti – clogging functions for emerging fields such as data centers and new energy. At the same time, integrate the waste heat recovery technology of steel plants to develop regional centralized cooling solutions. Cut into the infrastructure supporting market of the “Belt and Road” through modular design to reduce transportation costs. Cooperate with university laboratories to apply new materials such as graphene coatings to improve the service life of heat exchange fins, forming a differentiated competitive barrier.

(2) Suggestions on Entrepreneurship Resources

Entrepreneurs in the cooling tower industry need to focus on integrating resources in three aspects: In terms of technical resources, they should cooperate closely with university thermodynamics laboratories or energy – saving technology R & D institutions to obtain low – cost heat exchange efficiency optimization solutions; in terms of supply chain resources, lock in 2 – 3 suppliers of fiberglass/stainless steel sheets with customized mold – opening capabilities, and obtain payment term support through strategic cooperation; in terms of customer resources, focus on connecting with the equipment selection catalogs of design institutes in the power/petrochemical industries. At the same time, layout a matrix of industrial equipment online influencers on Douyin and Kuaishou to accurately reach the procurement decision – makers of small and medium – sized factories. It is recommended to give priority to integrating the government resource channels of EPC general contractors for thermal transformation in industrial parks to obtain the first batch of benchmark project orders with the help of the dual – carbon policy.

(3) Suggestions on the Entrepreneurship Team

Entrepreneurs in the cooling tower industry need to form a composite team, focusing on allocating heat exchange technology experts (to ensure product energy efficiency and stability), sales leaders of industrial equipment (with in – depth experience in B – end channel resources in industries such as power, chemical, and metallurgy), and environmental protection regulations consultants (to deal with mandatory standards such as water consumption, noise, and emissions). It is recommended to set up a co – founder with equipment operation and maintenance background (to deeply understand the full – life – cycle service needs of customers). The core team should have experience in operating EPC general contracting projects and establish a hierarchical training system for regional agents (covering installation, commissioning, and after – sales links). The team should have at least one test engineer with ASME CTI certification to obtain the entry threshold for international orders.

(4) Suggestions on Entrepreneurship Risks

Entrepreneurs in the cooling tower industry need to prioritize controlling the risks of market positioning and technology adaptation. Through accurate analysis of the differentiated needs of customers in industrial, construction, and other segmented fields for energy efficiency, noise, and corrosion resistance, focus on the target market and establish a customized product matrix; at the same time, strengthen the environmental protection compliance system to ensure that waste gas and wastewater treatment, dust control, and other links meet the latest environmental protection standards, and establish a full – process traceability mechanism for safety production; in supply chain management, sign long – term price – locking agreements with core raw material suppliers, establish a database of alternative suppliers, and set up an inventory early – warning mechanism; in cash – flow management, adopt a light – asset operation model, dynamically monitor the accounts receivable period, and use financial leasing tools to optimize equipment investment; in team building, equip the team with process engineers and environmental protection compliance specialists with at least 3 years of experience, and improve the installation and commissioning ability through regular technical training; in response to the pain point of high after – sales maintenance costs, establish a network of regional service stations, implement a remote intelligent monitoring system to reduce operation and maintenance costs, and enhance customer stickiness through three – year extended warranty services.