I. Industry Risk Analysis

(1) Policy Risk

The dairy cold storage equipment industry currently faces the risk of periodic policy fluctuations: During the policy formulation period, new energy – saving and environmental – friendly technology standards or mandatory certification systems may suddenly be introduced, requiring upgrades of core indicators such as the energy efficiency rating of equipment and the environmental friendliness of refrigerants, which will force the technical iteration of already – produced models. During the policy implementation period, if the cold chain safety supervision changes from “periodic spot checks” to “real – time IoT monitoring”, enterprises need to bear the costs of equipment intelligent transformation and system access. During the policy adjustment period, if cold chain subsidies shift to support the distributed cold storage model, the market demand for existing centralized storage equipment will be squeezed. Frequent revisions of local cold chain development plans may lead to a misalignment between regional production capacity layout and policy orientation.

(2) Economic Risk

If the current macro – economy is in a stagflation or recession stage, the weak consumption demand for dairy products will be directly transmitted to the upstream cold storage equipment industry. The decline in enterprises’ purchasing willingness will lead to a shrinkage in the order volume. The prices of raw materials such as steel and compressors in the industrial chain fluctuate sharply due to the economic cycle. Coupled with the high global energy prices, the manufacturing cost of equipment continues to rise. Entrepreneurs are squeezed by both the extension of customer payment terms and the increase in their own financing costs. The difficulty of cash – flow management increases sharply in an interest – rate rising cycle. Under the downward economic pressure, the government procurement budget shrinks, and policy dividends such as cold chain infrastructure construction may be delayed in implementation, hindering the expansion of the industry’s incremental market.

(3) Social Risk

From the perspective of generational consumption theory, the dairy cold storage equipment industry faces the risk of generational demand fragmentation: Generation Z and the millennial group prefer intelligent and traceable IoT cold storage solutions, requiring equipment to integrate digital functions such as AI temperature control and remote monitoring. However, traditional food processing enterprises still prefer basic mechanical refrigeration equipment. This generational gap in consumption concepts forces enterprises to disperse their R & D resources. They need to maintain the cash – flow of the mechanical cold storage product line and invest high costs in developing digital cold storage systems. At the same time, the pressure of low – carbon cold storage technology iteration promoted by environmentalists conflicts with the demand of customers in the sinking market for low – cost and high – energy – consumption equipment, forcing startups to face the strategic wavering risk caused by generational value conflicts in technology – route selection.

(4) Legal Risk

The legal risks faced by the dairy cold storage equipment industry are concentrated in three aspects: Firstly, there is pressure for environmental protection compliance. Refrigerant leakage may trigger penalties under the “Law on the Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution”, and the EU F – Gas regulations form a technical barrier for exported equipment. Secondly, the energy efficiency standards are iterating rapidly. The improvement of the new national energy efficiency rating in 2023 makes the existing products face the risk of being phased out. Thirdly, food safety supervision is becoming stricter. The “Cold Chain Logistics Traceability Management Specification” requires temperature monitoring data to be stored for three years, and the equipment data module needs to meet the requirements of information security and protection, resulting in a sharp increase in technical transformation costs.

II. Entrepreneurship Guide

(1) Suggestions on Entrepreneurial Opportunities

The core opportunity in the dairy cold storage industry lies in meeting the cost – effective needs of small and medium – sized pastures and regional dairy enterprises. Develop modular intelligent cold storage equipment (with a capacity of 5 – 15 tons), embed an IoT temperature control system to enable real – time monitoring on mobile phones. Combine with county – level cold chain subsidy policies to launch the “equipment leasing + consumables sales” model. Focus on the emerging milk source belts in the northwest and southwest regions. Provide customized solutions for niche scenarios such as pasteurized milk and cheese processing. Enter the dairy processing automation upgrade market through the sales of cold storage equipment.

(2) Suggestions on Entrepreneurial Resources

Entrepreneurs in the dairy cold storage equipment industry should focus on integrating four types of resources: In terms of technical resources, cooperate with the cold chain research teams of universities to obtain the patent usage rights of new phase – change materials, and cooperate with IoT enterprises to develop intelligent temperature control systems. For supply – chain resources, sign regional exclusive agency agreements with leading compressor manufacturers and build modular pre – fabricated cold storage production bases in areas with concentrated livestock farming. Regarding policy resources, apply for cold chain logistics infrastructure subsidies and special rural revitalization funds, and meet the demand for low – carbon cold storage transformation in the ESG reports of dairy enterprises. For channel resources, bind regional dairy e – commerce platforms, adopt the “equipment leasing + consumables sharing” model to enter the county – level market. At the same time, connect with export certification agencies to obtain the qualification for halal food storage equipment and explore the upgrade demand of Southeast Asian dairy processing plants.

(3) Suggestions on Entrepreneurial Teams

Entrepreneurs in the dairy cold storage equipment industry need to first form a composite team with experience in cold chain technology R & D, food industry safety certification, and regional cold chain logistics network resources. They should focus on recruiting engineers with a background in precision machinery manufacturing, quality control experts familiar with the quality standards of the dairy industry, and business personnel with supermarket/pasture channel resources. Core members must have at least three years of practical experience in low – temperature storage equipment. It is recommended that technical backbones cooperate with retired personnel from the quality supervision departments of local dairy enterprises. At the same time, establish an advisory committee composed of experts from the refrigeration industry association and equipment procurement managers of dairy factories. The team needs to be equipped with IoT remote monitoring technology talents to comply with the “Dairy Cold Chain Logistics Data Traceability Specification” newly implemented in 2023. And use equity incentives to bind key technical personnel to cope with the rapid technological iteration in the industry.

(4) Suggestions on Entrepreneurial Risks

First, verify the accuracy and stability of equipment temperature control. Obtain authoritative data through third – party laboratory tests to avoid the risk of quality claims. Establish a dynamic evaluation mechanism for suppliers, sign stepped – price agreements with compressor and insulation material manufacturers, and reserve alternative suppliers to prevent raw material price fluctuations. For small and medium – sized dairy enterprise customers, develop modular pre – cooling devices with remote monitoring systems to reduce the risk of capital advance caused by customized services. Complete the HACCP and GMP certification filings in advance, and assign full – time compliance officers to track the revision dynamics of new cold chain logistics regulations. Establish an equipment leasing and sharing model with regional cold storage operators to share the initial pressure of excessive fixed – asset investment.