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"Gap between demand & supply of cold storage is 25 MT"
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Monday, 23 March, 2015, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Ashwani Maindola
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fiogf49gjkf0d  ACME, a leading player in the field of integrated infrastructure through the usage of prefabrication technology and new-age energy management solutions, is spearheading the campaign to resolve the challenges of extreme environmental conditions and lack of contiguous power supply in the country. he company offers state-of-the-art Environmentally Controlled (EC) Houses with its technologically advanced solutions that cater to requirement of controlled atmosphere infrastructure to ensure best productivity. This infrastructure offers superior thermal insulation owing to the customised PUF panels manufactured at Rudrapur, Uttrakhand.
ACME provides end-to-end solutions under one roof starting from designing, manufacturing, supply and installation for critical sectors in the food industry like dairy, poultry, hatchery and meatworks.Samir Sharan, CEO, ACME, in an email interaction with Ashwani Maindola expresses his views about cold chain solutions for the food industry and more. Excerpts:
What are the challenges ACME observes in the cold storage industry at the moment?
ACME, one of India’s leading corporate in providing solutions for the cold storage sector, is participating to its fullest to serve the country in its efforts to overcome the challenges to feed its over a billion population.
India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables (about 200million metric tonne) but it has a very limited integrated cold-chain infrastructure, with only ~5,400 stand-alone cold storages having a total capacity of ~23.6million metric tonne.
Thus, adequate cold storage facilities are available for just about 10 percent of India’s horticulture production. Of the total annual production, 30-40 per cent is wasted before consumption. During the peak production period, the gap between the demand and supply of cold storage capacity is approx. 25 million tonne.
Considering these facts the development of cold-chain networks in the country assumes high priority. Owing to the tremendous pressure on improving supply chain and reducing losses during produce handling and movement, the need for creation of a cold chain network is crucial for perishable food commodities.
Developing an integrated supply chain, including cold chain can save up to Rs300 billion annually and at the same time reduce the wastage of perishable horticulture produce. It is worth noting that the price of vegetables, fruits, milks and eggs, meat and fish have been rising faster in spite of the fact that India is the second highest producer of fruits and vegetables. This is led by inadequate supply chain and logistics infrastructure and management.
The biggest challenge thrust upon us is the diverse climatic condition across the country that increases the requirement of solutions that offer contiguous and standard atmosphere across any location in the country.
To maintain the standard atmosphere, the players face the challenges of lack of contiguous power supply, need for technological ‘upgradation’ and poor infrastructure.
Here, it would not be pertinent to not mention the matter of financial constraints amongst the biggest challenges that have been hampering the growth of the cold storage industry.
What are the solutions that ACME has to offer to counter these challenges?
ACME, a company driven by disruptive-innovative technologies, offers PUF panels to be used through the Prefabricated technology to construct Cold Rooms focussed on precise cold storage needs. ACME offers custom designed Modular Cold Rooms of all sizes, with pre-fabricated panels which are manufactured to international standards giving the unbeatable advantages of efficiency, reliability, hygiene and durability.
These insulated PUF Panels serve cold storage needs in industries as varied as horticulture, floriculture, sericulture, hospitality, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, dairy and food processing.
How can ACME help in alleviating the problem of food spoilage to help the producers and the complete supply chain?
ACME’s Cold Storage experts have extensive and intensive domain knowledge of the industry. This helps us deliver reliable Cold Storage Solutions for precise requirements which further help resolving the problem of food spoilage to help the producers and the complete supply chain.
A range of options and accessories ensure that the entire cold room supplements the efficiency and ruggedness of the PUF panels:
Flush-fit/ Swinging/Sliding doors: aesthetic, efficient, heavy-duty flush-fit doors with FRP door perimeter Hardware: heavy-duty cast alloy handles and hinges with attractive brushed-chrome finish Heated air vent: tri-action heated air vent to prevent damage
Interior and exterior ramps: ramps allow ease of movement of material without damage to floor Sweep gasket: air-tight heavy-duty sealing gasket below door with a double sweep, remains flexible at any temperature
How are ACME solutions better than the solutions available in the market at present? What are the cost benefits?
ACME uses world’s latest prefabrication technology with PUF panels, manufactured at its state-of-the-art, fully-automated manufacturing facility spread over 11 hectares of facility at Pantnagar, Uttarakhand.
This manufacturing facility is one of the largest of its kind in Asia.
Through R&D and experience based on innovation-driven practices in the sector, ACME offers technologically-advanced turnkey infrastructure that offers superior thermal insulation owing to the customised PUF panels that are tailor-made as per the suitability and requirement.
These unmatched solutions have a higher advantage through usage of green energy that bring down carbon footprint through decreased use of costly fossil fuel.
These solutions also bring down the cost of ownership through least maintenance cost and longer life.
Which parts of the country is ACME targeting or supplying its solutions to?
We are present pan-India. The corporate office of ACME is based in Gurgaon, in the state of Haryana in Northern India with a nationwide network of 4 regional offices and 14 other sales and service offices, which serve all major hubs.
In terms of marketing, sales, installation and after sales support, the ACME has the requisite and highly skilled manpower in all business locations in the country – which essentially means that it is totally geared up to, provide end-to-end solutions and support for any of our innovative technological solutions in any part of India.
List down ACME's customers in this area.
ACME provides various green technology solutions under one roof for various categories of food works industries like dairy, food processing, warehouses, cold storages, slaughter Houses, poultry Houses and hatcheries.
Where does ACME source these products from?
ACME uses world’s latest prefabrication technology with PUF panels developed through years of R&D and experience based on innovation in the field and manufactures them at its state-of-the-art, fully-automated manufacturing facility spread over 11 hectares of facility at Pantnagar, Uttarakhand. ACME’s PUF Panel Line utilizes environment-friendly technology, wherein it uses n-pentane as a foaming agent avoiding use of CFCs which are normally used and are known to be ozone depleting substances.
This manufacturing facility is one of the largest of its kind in Asia.
Tell us how you see Indian cold chain sector rising in recent times.
There is tremendous scope for cold-storage in the country with a backdrop of the tremendous amount of food wastage keeping in view the burgeoning population of the country.
Though the market is nascent, there is immense requirement for the sector to play an active role in bringing down the food wastage in the country.
We believe that this sector holds the key to the food-security scenario in India and given its due importance, will serve as the key to achieve food security.
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