The COVID-19 pandemic shifted consumer spending habits so much, e-commerce business jumped 32% that year alone, accelerating economic growth by nearly two years.

A similar trend is happening in the food-storage warehouse sector; according to Emergen Research, the cold-storage construction market is expected to grow to more than $18 billion in 2027, more than double its $7 billion size in 2019. That demand is being driven by consumers turning to online grocery shopping, another trend driven by the pandemic.  

Cold chain is a necessity for not just for the agricultural produce but also for horticulture, floriculture, dairy, confectionary, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, poultry and meat processing.

The Indian market is on the cusp of a revolutionary change with the expansion of middle class and affluence coming into the middle classes. The increase in demand for fresh produce, meat and perishable packaged foods is leading to significant growth in this sector, which is increasingly relying on sustainable cold chain network.

India is one of the largest producers of agricultural produce and has abundant supply base of different produce.

Cold Store increases the shelf life of produce and facilitates the constant supply of the fruits and foods in the market. During the season the fruits and vegetable are easily available and so their prices are minimal. When fruits and vegetables are stored in cold storages they can be sold when the fruits and vegetables season is gone and as per marketing rules its prices have gone up and cold storage vendors maximize their profit. It is need of the hour to timely process and storage fruits and vegetable in the agriculture sector. According to the research, it has proved that Indian cold storage industry is making a constant growth, at the annual growth rate of 25.8 %.

Insulated metal panels for cold store: –

Insulated metal panels are the ideal choice for distribution, logistics and cold store building envelopes. They fast-track the construction process by eliminating multi-component wall systems and reducing the number of trades necessary for installation. They address the need for thermal protection, provide barriers for air and vapor and moisture, and do it all in one product. The speed of build is critical to keep up with demand. 

Most of the sandwich panels on the market are insulated with polyurethane foam (abbreviated as polyurethane foam or PUR) and metal sheathing on both sides. Also, recently, polyisocyanurate foam (PIR) has become widespread. It has thermal insulation characteristics similar to polyurethane foam, but at the same time a higher degree of fire resistance, as a rule, EI30. It is possible to build fireproof partitions from PIR panels.

• Selection of panel thickness.
• Comparison of panels from different manufacturers.

Some manufacturers offer panels with expanded polystyrene insulation (EPS), which is also acceptable for thermal insulation of cold rooms, but since the thermal conductivity of the foam is about 1.5-2 times higher, then the panel thickness must be selected at least 20-30% more than for polyurethane foam sandwiches -panels. 

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Please note that mineral wool sandwich panels are also widely used in construction, but these panels are not suitable for thermal insulation of refrigerating and freezing chambers due to their high moisture absorption. This leads to a rapid loss of the thermal insulation properties of the material because of moisture impregnation. In addition, the thermal insulation characteristics of mineral wool are significantly inferior to polyurethane foam.

When you choose the insulated panel material for the cold stores, it is important to understand the K, R &U value

• K-factor represents the thermal conductivity of a material, measuring its ability to conduct the heat. The lower the K-value, the better the product is at insulating the envelope.

• R-value measures a product’s thermal resistance to heat flow through a single material, like a single metal panel. Because R-value measures resistance to heat flow, the higher the R-value, the better the material is at insulating the building.

• U-factor measures a product’s thermal transmittance of heat flow through a building envelope assembly, like an IMP system. Because U-value measures the transmittance of heat, the lower the U-value, the better the total system is at insulating the building

Kingspan Jindal solutions include insulated metal cold storage roof and wall panel systems and Insulated Doors. The diverse product line offers a highly efficient perimeter for temperature extremes. Our insulated panel systems can be applied to atmospheric controlled environments where hygienic control is of the utmost importance. The use of Kingspan cold storage wall panels, cold storage roof panels, and  Doors are designed to fit the needs of any thermally controlled building envelope.