Best Practices in Cold Chain Warehousing

Cold Chain Warehousing is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20% YOY. Main drivers in this sector include increasing consumer demand for cold foods, booming pharmaceutical industry and increasing focus on agriculture has prompted the growth for cold storage However, once built up the cold chain warehousing comes with several challenges

Energy costs – Energy cost can run high especially when air conditioning systems are continually running 24 hours in a day. A great way to off-set energy cost is by using renewable energy sources such as solar. Effective cost savings can be seen in monthly billing in a tropical country like India. Other measures like insulation, roof coatings, and lighting can control energy costs.

Equipment Breakdown

Equipment breakdown on AC and MHE can pose significant disruptions in the warehouse. Temperature-humidity compliances are of paramount importance to any sector requiring climate-controlled storage, and deviations caused from aircon breakdown can cost the company heavy losses. Back-up systems made to balance the load and provide uninterrupted cooling during breakdowns or maintenance is crucial for long-term continual operations.

Predictive maintenance and monitoring data on equipment can lead to significant uptime improvement in the asset. While preventive maintenance is done on a routine basis, predictive maintenance can be done using analysing data on performance, past defects, and live observation and reporting. This `sensing` of potential issues and subsequent action can then detect issues before they manifest in breakdowns or otherwise.

Smart Solutions

Smart technologies using sensors and cloud hosting enable live visibility on ground operations –

Safety aspects from information sharing can mitigate accidents occurring in the warehouse. Live temperature monitoring is possible with sensors and cloud-based solutions. Optimization through live asset tracking can produce higher efficiency and effective planning. As more companies are requiring more transparency for quicker decision making the use of control towers enable more visibility into on ground operations.