Efficiency is key in cold storage warehousing. The right equipment plays an important role in keeping up with the quality and integrity of temperature-sensitive products throughout the supply chain.
Whether you're involved in food warehousing, fresh food logistics, or managing a cold supply chain, understanding and utilising the right equipment is essential for success.
Read about cold storage management and the tips that you can follow to increase efficiency.
What Is Cold Storage Used For?
Cold storage warehousing is suitable for any products or items that will spoil, degrade, or lose integrity when subjected to temperature fluctuations or warm temperatures. You preserve their purity and extend their life by chilling or freezing sensitive products.
A cold storage warehouse aims to maintain a consistent and optimum temperature to slow goods' physical and chemical changes. As we know, goods are frozen to ensure there is no risk of damage.
Types Of Products Stored In Cold Storage:
Perishable goods such as fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy products, seafood, and pharmaceutical products are commonly stored in a cold storage warehouse between production and being placed on the shelf in a supermarket or convenience store.
This helps prolong and preserve each product's quality and ensures they remain fresh during transport.
Some of these products may require a cold storage warehouse, such as artwork to prevent fading or paint flaking, cut flowers to improve longevity, candles to retain shape, cosmetics to increase shelf life, and seeds to increase lifespan.
Specific Industries That Have Cold Storage
Specific cold storage solutions industries include restaurants and food outlets, supermarkets, importers and exporters, pharmaceutical and healthcare organisations, and agricultural producers.
The industries use cold storage to keep food, chemicals, and cosmetics at an optimum and controlled temperature to maintain freshness, quality, and properties.
By using cold storage facilities, businesses within these industries can transport and store items that would usually go bad, improving their shelf life and saving the company money.
How To Improve Your Cold Storage Management and Maximise Efficiency
Cold storage is important to many businesses but can also be difficult to manage properly. If you're looking for warehouse efficiency tips to improve your cold storage management, you're in the right place. Read about these tips below:
Keep A Routine Inspection Schedule
One of the most essential things you can do to improve your cold storage care is to establish and follow a regular inspection schedule.
Your operation's specific needs and conditions should determine whether that means daily, weekly, or monthly facility checks.
This process will help identify and address potential problems quickly before they become bigger.
You need to keep a check on these things to look for during your inspections, including:
- Discolouration
- Cracks
- Mould
- Rot
- Ice build-up
Consistently Monitor The Temperatures
Another key part of effective cold storage management is consistently and accurately monitoring the temperatures in your facility.
This will help you keep your products within safe parameters and avoid potential spoilage. Make sure to take readings from several different spots in each room (near the ceiling, floor, doors, fans, vents, etc.) to make sure there aren't any severe fluctuations that could negatively affect your inventory.
Ensure All Doors Are Properly Sealed
If you want to maintain the cold air in your facility, you must ensure that every door is properly sealed.
A good seal will help keep the cold in and any warm air out, making your facility much more efficient.
A leaky seal will require your cooling systems to work harder to maintain a steady temperature, resulting in higher energy costs.
If you find any cracks or damage, it is important to repair or replace the door/seal as soon as possible.
Keep The Condenser Unit Clean
The condenser unit is one of the most important pieces of hardware in your cold storage facility. It helps keep the air cool and regulates the temperature.
Keeping the condenser unit as clean as possible ensures it continues running at maximum airflow.
This means removing any dirt, dust, or debris particles that may have built up over time. You can clean the condenser unit with just a garden hose and normal water pressure. Just make sure to unplug it first!
Regularly Check The Evaporator Coils
The evaporator coils also play a significant role in cooling the air in your cold storage facility.
They absorb heat by passing refrigerant through a metal jacket, lowering the air's temperature. Because of this, it's important to regularly check these coils for dirt, dust, or ice build-up.
If the coils have a lot of build-ups, it can interfere with their ability to cool the air properly. You can clean the coils with a metal coil brush.
Use The Right Kind Of Lighting
The type of lighting you will use in your cold storage facility is also important for maintaining an efficient environment.
Fluorescent lighting is good for cold storage because it produces minimal heat and doesn't have a negative impact on the products stored there.
Incandescent lights should be avoided because they produce a lot of heat and can lead to product spoilage.
LED lighting is ideal in modern cold storage facilities to help keep expenses low. We also recommend dimming your lights since brighter lights produce more heat and require more energy.
Optimise Storage Space
Optimising your storage space can help to reduce your energy bill and improve efficiency. First, you should ensure that products do not block ventilation vents and are not placed close to doors or entry points.
This ensures products are not exposed to heat and helps regulate temperatures. Additionally, optimising and organising the shelving layout can help improve foot traffic, allowing workers to find products and move around the warehouse efficiently and easily.
Speaking of optimising storage space, OZI Racking offers the best warehouse storage solutions for cold storage. Check out our website for more information!
Final Thoughts:
You have to be very careful with cold storage. Following these simple tips, you can greatly improve your cold storage management and efficiency while keeping your frozen goods of the absolute best quality. Always make sure that you are keeping an eye on every element inside your cold storage!