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Cold storage and refrigerated warehouse systems play a major role in the food industry. Whether you're working with fresh or processed ingredients, you'll need to store them properly to maintain their quality. Freezing or refrigerating them reduces waste by preventing contamination and extending their shell life.
During the pandemic, the volume of goods and services being purchased online increased dramatically. This also bought about a major change in the online purchasing habits of customers. E-commerce channels are now more frequently used to acquire everyday essentials like groceries and meat. Since these are low-margin products, their distribution requires maximum efficiency to be sustainable. Therefore, warehouse construction companies are seeing heavy demand for cold storage or refrigerated warehouses built specifically to store these types of perishable commodities.
As more businesses are now looking for cold storage solutions it is important to stay updated with the latest trends in cold storage and refrigerated systems. Here are six hot trends that are affecting the cold storage or refrigerated warehouse construction industry right now.
Increase in Regional Distribution Centers
Online shopping has facilitated smaller brands to reach new and larger markets. This has increased redistribution services, which repalletize and redirect products to deliver them to customers in a variety of geographical markets more quickly. At the same time, customers still expect a fresh product, even if it comes from a manufacturer across the country. As a result, cold storage warehouses must be more efficient than ever before to move perishable products quickly while also meeting today's delivery expectations.
This has resulted in the establishment of smaller, regionally located distribution centers to help reduce delivery time and increase shelf life. To accomplish this, many businesses are renting space in an existing, conveniently located building and retrofitting it to create a cold storage environment.
Material Shortages
Due to supply chain irregularities and delivery delays, cold food manufacturers have been experiencing ingredient shortages. Cold storage or refrigerated warehouse construction is subject to the same level of unpredictability as building materials, particularly joists, steel, and petroleum-based products such as plastics, insulation, metal panels, glass, and others.
Those who can secure materials require a longer lead time for delivery, which affects project schedules and, in some cases, causes owners to reconsider, especially as inflation drives up prices for those materials, affecting budgets. This trend is expected to continue in the upcoming years as well.
Technology
The continued advancement of computer technology has an inevitable impact on every industry, including cold storage warehouse construction. Web-based platforms and cloud computing are making it easier for design-build firms to share data and execute designs more precisely. Everything from project management to the bidding process has been digitized, and the impact of computer technology will continue to grow as it advances.
Packaged Refrigeration
Nowadays, many owners are using packaged refrigeration to cool their facilities. A packaged refrigeration system is made up of the same components as a traditional field-built system, but they are mounted on a steel base and assembled off-site in a controlled environment. These types of systems have a variety of advantages such as:
· Improves Safety
· Reduces cost
· Enhances quality
· Reduce overall schedule
Increased Sustainability Efforts
As energy prices (and all other prices) rise and more cold food warehousing becomes necessary, more and more businesses are likely to implement or accelerate sustainability efforts, particularly solar, because cold storage requires massive amounts of electricity.
More cold storage warehouse construction companies are now including solar energy in their plans as they build new warehouses, rather than adding it as an afterthought. These companies are expected to increase their sustainability efforts to save money on energy while also prioritizing corporate responsibility and benefiting from improved consumer perceptions.
Potential Tariffs on Steel
The threat of steel tariffs would significantly affect cold storage warehouse construction. Steel is used in the building shell, HVAC and refrigeration ductwork, compressors, insulated metal panels, and pretty much anything metal throughout the facility. Tariffs have the potential to increase costs while decreasing supply, resulting in construction delays and increased project costs.
Cold storage facilities have been around for quite some time. However, recent market changes have put them in the spotlight, with more businesses looking for cold storage solutions. Buildmyinfra is a one-stop solution for your infra projects that can provide you with the best cold storage or refrigerated warehouse construction service. For any query related to warehouse construction contact Buildmyinfra.