SILVEXA Director Pragalbh Sharma Shares
Industry Perspective on the Changing Indian Cold-Chain Market
India is entering an important phase in the development of
its cold-storage and temperature-controlled supply-chain infrastructure. Growth
in food processing, organized
retail, pharmaceuticals, dairy, frozen foods, quick-service restaurants,
agriculture and exports is increasing the need for reliable and efficient
temperature-controlled infrastructure.
Cold storage is no longer simply a facility where products
are kept at low temperatures. It is increasingly becoming an integral part of
the entire supply chain — from farm to processing plant, distribution centre
and ultimately to the
consumer.
From Cold Storage to Integrated Cold Chain
Traditionally, India's cold-storage industry was largely
associated with commodity storage, particularly potatoes. The market is now
becoming increasingly diversified, with demand coming from multiple sectors.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Pragalbh Sharma, Director –
Sales & Marketing, SILVEXA, a brand of Silver Star NextGen Pvt. Ltd.,
said:
“The Indian cold-storage industry is moving from
conventional storage towards application-specific and integrated cold-chain
solutions. Customers today are looking beyond individual refrigeration
equipment. They want a technically designed solution that addresses their
complete operational requirement — from design and installation to
commissioning, energy efficiency and after-sales support.”
According to Mr. Sharma, this change is creating
opportunities across fruits and vegetables, dairy, pharmaceuticals, frozen
foods, food processing, mushroom cultivation, banana ripening, QSRs,
hospitality and cold-chain logistics.
Application-Specific Solutions Will Drive
Growth
Different products require different temperature, humidity
and airflow conditions. A pharmaceutical facility cannot be designed in the
same way as a vegetable cold store, while a banana ripening chamber has
completely different requirements from a frozen-food warehouse.
Mr. Sharma explained:
“Cold storage should not be treated as a standard box
product. The application, product characteristics, loading pattern, temperature
requirement, ambient conditions and operating cycle all need to be considered
before designing the refrigeration system.”
This application-driven approach is expected to become
increasingly important as Indian businesses look for improved product quality,
reduced wastage and better control over their supply chains.
Technology and Energy Efficiency
Energy consumption is one of the most important operating
considerations for any temperature-controlled facility. Modern cold-storage
projects are therefore increasingly incorporating energy-efficient
refrigeration equipment, advanced controls, efficient evaporators and
condensers, variable-speed technologies, monitoring systems and improved
insulation.
“Customers are becoming much more conscious about the
operating cost of refrigeration systems,” said Mr. Sharma.
“The lowest initial equipment cost does not necessarily
mean the lowest cost over the life of a project. The complete system needs to
be evaluated for energy consumption, reliability, maintenance requirements and
long-term performance.”
This shift from initial purchase price to total cost of
ownership is expected to influence future investment decisions in the sector.
Growth Across Multiple Sectors
India's expanding food and pharmaceutical industries are
creating new applications for temperature-controlled infrastructure.
Mushroom Cultivation
Banana Ripening
Dairy
Pharmaceuticals
Food Processing
QSR and Hospitality
The Importance of Industry Expertise
Cold-storage infrastructure represents a significant
investment for businesses. Its performance depends on several interconnected
factors, including refrigeration selection, heat-load calculations, insulation,
airflow, temperature control, product loading pattern and maintenance.
“Engineering expertise is becoming increasingly important,”
Mr. Sharma said.
“A refrigeration system may have technically capable
equipment, but the overall performance of a cold room depends on how the
complete system is designed and executed. Correct engineering at the beginning
can make a significant difference to reliability, energy consumption and
product protection.”
The Road Ahead
India's cold-storage industry is entering a new phase of
development.
The future will not be defined simply by the number of cold
rooms constructed or the
overall machines sold by several companies. Increasingly,
attention will focus on temperature reliability, energy efficiency, product
protection, automation, monitoring and integration with the wider supply chain.
As Mr. Sharma puts it:
“India does not just need more cold rooms. It needs
better-designed, energy-efficient and application-specific cold-chain
infrastructure.”
The industry is therefore moving towards:
Smart Refrigeration + Energy Efficiency +
Application-Specific Design + Automation + Monitoring + Integrated Cold Chain
SILVEXA’s Industry Approach
SILVEXA, a brand of Silver Star NextGen Pvt. Ltd., focuses
on cold storage, commercial refrigeration and air-conditioning solutions
designed around specific customer applications.
The company brings extensive individual industry experience
in cold storage and refrigeration, with a focus on technically sound, reliable
and energy-efficient solutions.
“Our objective is to understand the customer's requirement
first and then engineer the appropriate solution,” said Mr. Sharma.
“Whether it is a cold storage facility, mushroom project,
banana ripening chamber, dairy application, pharmaceutical facility,
food-processing plant or QSR requirement, the approach should begin with
understanding the application and end with a properly commissioned and
supported system.”
With India's temperature-controlled infrastructure
requirements continuing to evolve, the next phase of growth is likely to focus
not only on capacity expansion but also on technology, efficiency,
reliability and professionally engineered solutions.