Maersk is ticking all the right boxes with a state-of-the-art cold storage facility near Chennai for its customers with the requirements of import and export of perishable goods

Over the last few years, Maersk has embarked on the journey of integrating container logistics for its customers and providing end-to-end solutions. This means that the customers booking their shipments with Maersk do not limit their logistics to ocean shipping alone but get a lot more than that. An important part of this end-to-end journey is the one that includes storing perishable goods in facilities that can ensure retention exact of quality of the goods when they exit the facility as it was when they entered. To drive results to this effect, Maersk invested in setting up a cold storage facility on the outskirts of Chennai that would match any international facility and equipped it with state-of-the-art systems to deliver on its promise to the customers.

Located in Anupampattu Village, Ponneri Taluk, Tamil Nadu, approximately 12 kms from two major ocean ports of Kattupalli  and Ennore, the cold storage facility is also well connected with the new Chennai Outer Ring road that in turn connects to all major South Indian cities such as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Trichy Coimbatore, Kochi etc. The outer ring road connectivity also makes sure that the cargo can move smoothly without getting impacted by the Chennai city traffic.

The typical cold storage challenges and their solutions

Indian conventional cold stores have their own challenges in terms of providing customised services, proper racking system for easy storage, quality of machineries & forklift, skilled labours and other value added services.

Amongst the fresh produce, especially fruits such as apples, pears and kiwis need cold storage facility. Traders prefer to store their fruits in cold store to overcome the short shelf-life of the perishable items and beat the external environmental conditions which damage the quality of their produce. Further, a common challenge faced by the merchants trading perishable goods is how well the cold chain integrity is maintained throughout the cold chain cycle.

At the Maersk cold store, 24×7 undisrupted power supply is managed by means of an automatic switchover genset, thus ensuring that the cargo is always stored at right temperature with no power disruptions affecting the cargo. All cold chain values are strictly adhered to and absolute transparency is provided to all the customers. In fact, Maersk offers cold store solutions that are customised to the customers’ requirements and can be integrated under one roof.

Tailor-made solutions for multiple requirements

Maersk has split its cold storage facility in two parts – one is a customs-notified export and import cold storage while the other is a domestic cold storage. Being attached to container freight stations (CFS), ease of storing export and import cargo is much higher.

Further, the cold storage has multiple chambers which can accommodate chilled, frozen and ambient temperature controlled cargo. This enables different commodities like seafood, protein, fruits & vegetables, processed foods and even pharmaceuticals to be stored as per individual requirements.

However, what really makes a difference at this facility is the possibility of offering multiple values added services, including but not limited to labelling, packing, repacking, sorting and grading (manual), palletisation, container lashing and choking, blast freezing etc. These services make the facility a one-stop-shop of all the customer supply chain requirements.

The added advantage of an unbroken cycle

Perishable cargo is sensitive to external environment, which means that it needs to be moved in an unbroken cycle of cold chain, from farm to fork. This is where the integrated solution offered by Maersk comes into play in addition to the cold storage facility. Offering first mile and last mile container movement services to and from hinterlands in the country by Maersk becomes the strongest proposition for customers who need a single window access to entire logistics support. Additionally, Maersk takes care of booking management, transportation, stuffing/packing at the cold store, customs clearance, necessary documentation like phytho certification or certificate of origin, and of course reliable ocean services as per customers’ requirements.

Especially in current times, having resilient supply chains has become the most important aspect for every business. The exporters or importers have been traditionally dealing with multiple vendors to take care of the various aspects of their supply chain and have had to tackle complex processes which include friction at various stages, generally move slowly and at times it is not resilient enough for the demands of the situation. With Maersk’s ‘end to end cold chain solution’ coupled the cold store facility, the complexities are being simplified and supply chains are getting more resilient and reliable.

What’s more?

The Maersk cold chain facility is accredited as per international standards. In addition to the general certifications of ISO and AEO, the facility is also certified with commodity specific certifications like GDP for pharmaceuticals, EIA and MPEDA certification for seafood and FSSAI certification for food products which ensure that the standard operating procedures followed are aligned with the best practices and guidelines for each commodity.