If we had to summarize your need for a refrigerated warehouse in one sentence, we would say that a well-designed refrigerated warehouse keeps products moving. It also lowers operating costs and gives you confidence that your facility can handle whatever tomorrow looks like, but that’s only important if you want to build an exceptional business.
You might have heard that cold storage is just for large food companies, but that’s just not true. Food manufacturers, distributors, third-party logistics providers, pharmaceutical companies, and growing businesses all need temperature-controlled storage that they can count on. The size of the operation doesn’t matter so much as the goal of it.
Leasing space works for some businesses, but eventually, a lot of companies reach the point where building their own cold storage warehouse facility just makes more sense. You don’t have to compete for available warehouse space or pay someone else’s operating costs. You don’t have to try to squeeze your products into a building that wasn’t designed for your business. If you build your own space, it’s all up to your discretion. With a professional design, you will be unstoppable.
Good projects start long before ground is broken. We mentioned having a plan. But how do you get a plan? Where do you start? The answer is simple: With us.
We’ll sit down with you and talk about what you need. This could look like discussing what you’re storing and the temperatures you want to maintain. What do you expect growth to look like over the years? We’ll factor that into the plans so that you don’t find yourself doing redesigns the next time you want to add a product.
You guessed it. Refrigeration is the heart of every cold storage facility. It couldn’t not be.
Depending on why you need this facility, we’ll determine whether ammonia, CO₂, or HFC refrigeration systems make the most sense for your operation. They’re all different, and they all come with different installation costs, operating characteristics, maintenance requirements, long-term advantages, and other factors.
Our goal here isn’t simply to make a room that can get cold. You need to be able to maintain consistent temperature and humidity while using as little energy as possible so that your business can put out consistent quality and deliver professional results.
Good refrigeration planning goes beyond choosing equipment. Systems have to be sized for max loads, include backup capacity, support temperature zoning, and allow remote monitoring. Combined with quality insulation, vapor barriers, and high-speed doors, these decisions will be the means of protecting your inventory while lowering your energy costs at the same time.
Cold air has a way of finding every little crack that you didn’t know existed. It makes it very hard to control. That’s why we spend so much time talking with you about little details that you didn’t know needed to be thought about.
Before the building is finished, it’s worth taking one more look for thermal bridges, air leaks, and areas that could become maintenance problems later. As we said, cold air loves nothing more than to escape, so a few more energy-efficient designs and a second look at proper insulation could save you a lot of money.
Getting these details right the first time costs far less than fixing them after the warehouse is supposed ot be working.
The floors in your cold storage area have to work harder than you might realize. You see, designing a facility isn’t only about thinking about how to have the lowest operational costs. It’s also about setting your business up for the long term.
Heavy forklifts, pallet jacks, foot traffic. They all test the limits of the floor, and freezing temperatures push it even further. Your needs could be even more intense than choosing one high-quality material. Depending on how cold you plan to let it get, underfloor heating may be needed to prevent frost from gathering under your insulated concrete slabs.
Doors also matter. You can have all the right refrigeration equipment and insulated metal panels, but if your doors are letting all the cold air out, you’ll be hard-pressed to keep anything chilly. Rapid-roll insulated doors are often the solution. They’re fast enough to keep staff moving and cold temperature inside.
If you’re building for cold storage capacity, it always costs more than a traditional warehouse. You’re probably expecting this because of all the things required to make it work. It’s worth it, though, since you start with cold storage construction that’s designed to last, rather than trying to modify something else.
And even still, costs vary widely depending on temperatures, building size, automation, and location. Sometimes, a small design change today can save years of higher operating costs.
If you’re thinking about either building a refrigerated warehouse or transforming your current cold storage facility into something incredible, start with a conversation between your team and those of us at HMS.
