Keynote Address: NHB organised preliminary training session for grass-root reefer truck operators (Mar-2012)

1. Captain Pawanexh Kohli
Founder, CrossTree techno-visors

2.  You provide dedicated and non dedicated
services across regions and transport goods
with temperature ranging from +25 to -25 °C
 You charge on different basis e.g trip wise, km
wise, kg wise, palette wise depending upon
customer.
 Cater to Pharma Industry, Processed Food ,
FMCG and Fruits and Vegetables, Butter, Ice
cream etc.

3.  There are Four stakeholders in the cold chain
industry:
 Cold storage owner (stationary).
 Equipment manufacturer.
 Refrigerated logistics owner (transport).
 Produce Owner – links the complete value chain.
-------------------------------------------------------------
 Almost 80% of cold chain assets are individual
owned with fragmented chain of custody.
 Produce owner requires Integrated Service by and
to assign professional onus on cargo care.

4.  Dedicated Infrastructure  Current (Rs 1000 cr)
▪ Pre-Cooling / Blast Freezers movement management
▪ Buffer Storage market:
▪ IQF and processing  Frozen Range
▪ Market: 4% (Rs 40 cr)
 Transportation - Point to point  Chilled Range
▪ To consumer ▪ Market: 39% (Rs 390 cr)
▪ To cold warehouse
 Mild Chill Range
 Transportation – milk run ▪ Market: 57% (Rs 570 cr)
▪ DC to retail
 Perishable Load segments:
▪ Full truck loads (almost 80%)
 Distribution Multi temp-zones.
 Monitoring, Control & Traceability.  Part Load movement
▪ Vaccines and Drugs
 Demand and Supply Mapping. ▪ Life Sciences
 Financial and Insurance. ▪ Demand in other areas voiced.

5. Product Pickup Reefer Transport Cold Warehouse
•Centrally located hub function
•Optimised Routing, multi-modal options. •Multi Modal Connectivity
•Documentation and routing
•Both innovative & conventional modes.
•Consolidation of handling
•Single connected Chain of Custody.
•Air Express for fast track.
•Brand Assurance and Quality Assurance. •‘Pit-Stop’ Express: Reefer Fleet.
•Life cycle Management. •Milk-run Express: Reefer Fleet.
•Active cooled Boxes remote loads
Delivery Reefer Transport Cold Warehouse

6. Port-side
Trading
Trader Side
Logistics
Trawlers/Catch
Storage in
at Sea
Flaked Ice
IQF/Belt Frzr
Frozen Product
Quality Check/
Packaging
Sorting
Milk-run deliveries to
Retail Stores
Transport to Storage at
Distributors Distributor facility

7. Composite Milk
Processing Plants
Raw Milk collected
from Co-operatives/ Chilled Milk Transported
milk producers, farmers to Dairies
and chilled
Dairy by-products: Processed
Butter, Cheese and Packaged
alike Milk storage
Distribution to Retail
Locations
Intra-city
Transportation to deliveries
Distributors
Storage at
Distributors

8. Sausage Processing
Meat Cutting and Ready to eat
Freezing
Meat Packaging
Bacon & Ham
processing
Milk-run deliveries to
Retail Stores
Transport to Distributor
Storage Facility Storage

9. Procurement from Collection at Sorting/ Grading
Farms Centralized Facility
Product Packaging
IQF Unit Cleaning/ Processing
Milk-run deliveries to
Retail Stores
Transport to Distributor
Storage Facility Storage

10.  Minimal touch points;
Cold Supply Chain

Technology Driven
DSD or DC as preferred OD Pairs;
Cold Supply Chain
Spoke
Cold Supply Chain
Cold Supply Chain
 Traceablity & speed;
Knowledge Driven
Spoke
Spoke Cold Supply Chain
HUB
Specialised packaging;

Speed Driven Spoke
 Perishability (Product knowledge) strives to be.
and Everything the ordinary Supply Chain
Existing (Layered)
Supply Chain

11.  Frozen Products:
 Primarily temperature care (-18 °C or below)
 Machine optimisation prime concern.
 Pharma – Chilled:
 Range of 2 to 6 °C available.
 Speed and cargo care prime concern.
 Fresh Chill and Mild Chill:
 Precise temperature requirements.
 Product compatibilities of concern.
 Temperature, air quality and humidity of concern.
 HACCP compliance more strict.

12. Packaging • Resusable, sustainable, breathable, saleable
Conditioning • Grading, Precooling, coating, HACCP
Transport • Cooling, vibration, insulation, tracking
Product Life Cycle
Storage • Insulation, air change, energy saving, HACCP
Distribution • TMS, JIT, Replenishment, Shelf presence
Monitoring • Traceability, tracking, shelf life, HACCP
FEFO • Smart picking, customer demand, quality
Atmosphere • Life, Humidity, disease, EOP, tainting
Vibration • Aging, damage salability, packaging
Trade Processes • Shelf presence, shrinkage, Aging, speed

13. End of Deck

14. All living tissues • Oxidizing various components to provide
respire: energy to continue life.
Fruit & Vegetables are • Continue to live even in absence of
living tissues: nutrient transfer.
F&V have a delicate • Flavors, colors, nutritional components,
balance: etc. A slight change makes a difference.
Not all are created • Yet most Fruits & Vegetables are 90-95%
equal: water.
Ultimately all F&V die: • And become unusable or unmarketable.

15. • Cooling requires energy and tends to invite
Tainting: compartment sharing and other shortcuts.
• Cooling effects external environment and
Moisture Loss: changes ambient conditions.
• Cooling creates condensate which encourages
Disease: disease and rots.
• Cooling is ineffective if the medium spread is
Stowage: in-correct.
Control: • Cooling causes chill injuries and even death.
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16.  Physiological respiratory processes of fresh produce continues after
harvesting. This requires oxygen (O2) and in turn generates heat and
releases carbon dioxide (CO2) and ethylene.
 High concentrations of CO2 & Ethylene degrades or kills the produce.
 These gases must be replenished with Fresh Air employing a
ventilation system.
 Efficient air circulation enhances cooling & removes trapped pockets
of gaseous by-products.

17.  Products stored in common spaces
must be compatible for shared
storing temperatures, moisture
levels (RH), volatility (ethylene),
odour (tainting), etc.
 Cross contamination through
incompatible product mix can lead
to an un-saleable produce.
 Cross-transfer of odours and/or
stimulated maturing leading to
subsequent decay is to be avoided.
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18.  Fresh horticultural commodities are unique packages of
water! In fact Freshness Sells and freshness is water!
 Water loss is one main cause of loss of quality &
marketability of fresh fruits and vegetables.
 Low Humidity levels are inherent to poorly designed
refrigerated spaces.

19.  With inefficient packaging and storing, the cooling medium
(air or water) does not spread contact with the produce
leading to cooling inefficiencies & product damage.
Shoulder Vents allow
vertical air flow
Panel Vents allow
horizontal air flow
 Packaging must Protect, easy on FIFO, tolerate & allow
preferred Cooling method, enhance Space Utilisation and
have Sales Appeal.
 Some packaging can simulate CA conditions.

20.  Safe sanitation, hygienic conditions and abidance
with laws of food regulatory authorities is a must.
 Prudent care is applied to keep the fresh produce
clean dirt, insect & microorganism infestation.
 All water used to be pre-treated.
 Anti fungal treatments are regularly applied.
 Between subsequent uses, the cold room space
sanitisaton is required.
 To identify and apply controls, HACCP (Hazard
Analysis and Critical Control Points) procedures
are useful.
 Regular internal quality audits, checks and
training is a must.

21.  Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points
Field Worker Hygiene
Farm Equipment Sanitation
Water Sanitation
Crate Sanitation
Temperature Control and Cold
Store Sanitation
Transport Sanitation

22. End of Deck

23. Link OD
Pairs for
Customer
Value Cargo
Preservation Reefer Delivery
Trucking
Personal
Conform Monitor
to Service Cargo
Levels Status

24. Saleable Quality
Moisture Color Potency
Shrinkage Firmness Rot Disease Efficacy

25. Sale Value
Shelf Life Hardware
Excursions
Shrinkage Quality
Air Quality
Chill Injury Moisture Infestation
Tainting Failure
Ironically, most reefer cargo damage not always occurs due to technical reasons,
but due to poor communication, management practices or cargo procedures.

26. Management
Equipment
Protocols
Emergency
Trained Staff
Plan

27.  Pre-cooling – yes or no?
 Temperature Control – cargo dependant.
 Air Freshening – cargo dependant.
 Cleaning and cross contamination.
 Insulation and refrigeration.
 Quality – product and packaging.
 Handling (pre-shipment and post shipment).
 Trip time – journey time.
 En-route Contingency plans.

28. End of Deck

29.  NO!!!!
 Pre-cool only in specific conditions.
 Pre-cool to ambient air ingress temperatures.
 Too much cooling causes condensate to form.
 Leads to moisture damage and icing on coils.
 Iced coils do not allow efficient heat exchange.
 Results in shorter defrost cycles on initial load up.
 Pre-cool when sealed docks are provided.

30. Supply
Fresh Air
Air Intake
Return
Air

33.  Cold air as medium to counter heat ingress from
peripheral walls.
 Cold air is medium to counter respiratory heat.
 Air as medium to extract odours and hot pockets.
 Air as medium to freshen environment.

35.  To maximise cooling for
hand stacked loads (top-air
delivery)
 Use airflow loading pattern
for respiring cargo.
▪ Build starter stack against front
with vertical flow channels.
▪ Load top boxes in solid layer
end to end.
▪ Build end stacks against door
with brick lay to diffuse flow.
▪ Again, load top boxes in solid
layer end to end.
▪ This pattern is used reefer vans
without forced bottom up
circulation.

36.  To maximise cooling for
frozen cargos
 Use block stow pattern for
inert cargo.
▪ Build all stacks clear from
side wall contact.
▪ Allow air to envelope cargo
and dissipate heat ingress
from external walls.
▪ As cargo does not produce
heat, air flow directly
through cargo not
necessary.

37. DURING LOADING
Use proper stowage as per cargo
types.
Never leave blank spots to allow
short cycling of air.
Do NOT run reefer unit when doors
Top down circulation are open.
Stop genset during stuffing to avoid
exhaust gas reaching chamber.
Bottom-up circulation Use electric powered forklifts when
possible.
Use strip curtains to trap precious
energy.
Check cargo core temperature
frequently during loading period.
Check cargo packaging integrity
frequently during loading.

38. Complete pre-trip checks on vehicle and record
the same.
Demand all parameters required for safe
transport of cargo, including-
 Temperature range in transit.
 Set point required.
 Air freshening if any.
 Loading temperature permitted.
 Packaging type to be deployed.
 Shelf life of product.
Get sign off on cleanliness before loading.
Request recommended stowage pattern.
Record start of loading time.

39. Do NOT leave areas uncovered on floor plate of
vehicle.
Check no over stow of cargo beyond limit line.
Check that cargo is stable for transit.
Bracing of cargo preferred with dunnage, air
bags or cargo nets.
Ensure bracing does not block floor channels on
ends.
Ensure no loose packing or wrapping material
which can create blockage of fan.
Reconfirm set point and other parameters.

40.  Avoid multiple point loading.
 Avoid delayed loading process.
 If required by customer, insist on indemnity.
 When forced into such situation, stop the
evaporator fans.
 Secondary load “must” be at the requisite
carriage temperature.
 Loading should preferably be at sealed docks.

41. Vehicle doors not properly sealed.
Incorrect pre-cooling of vehicle.
Keeping fans running during loading.
Improper cargo status on loading.
Cargo packaging compromised.
Quality of cargo previously compromised.
Hot spots in cargo chamber.
Incorrect set point parameters.
Overloading in chamber.
Poor maintenance of equipment.

42. Profitability
Revenue Costs Infrastructure
Sales KAM Capital
Coverage Pricing Maintenance Manpower Receivables Leakage Sourcing
Pipeline Practices Infusion
Operating Subsidy
Scheduling Transport VAS Processes Own / Lease
Costs Grants
Holding /
Optimisation Solution Solution Spares Partner
Investors
 Transport Business staged for progressive growth
 Business management tools a must before growth.
 Reserve Logistics for reefer trade.
 Asset monitoring and tracking tools required.
 Innovative model for sourcing transport and drivers.
 Exports hinge on production parameters
 Tap into Existing exports and pace growth.
 Facilitate back end through cold chain initiators.
 Liaise with rail infra to fast track export lane.

47. Note: Inter-regional reefer air transport share is negligible
Source: Ministry of Current Affairs; logistics player interviews; TL analysis
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50. Thank You