The cold storage goods business in Saudi Arabia is increasing at a fast pace and is projected to grow further in the coming years. The elevated need for cold storage goods implies that there is an increased need for cold storage warehouse facilities to store these items. Cold storage warehouses facility is a dedicated storage area to store short-lived items that can ruin if not stored at a particular temperature. Such items as vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, and others) need an optimum temperature along with a humid environment to stay fresh for a longer period.
The type of warehouse construction reflects the process of cooling that can be easily managed for cold storage. The cold storage warehouses can be ideally built with insulated metal panels, insulated concrete, or a combo of both. If you don’t have the budget to construct an entirely new facility then you can upgrade your old warehouse into a cold storage warehouse by adding insulated metal panels inside the already present walls.
It is quite challenging and different to design and built a cold storage warehouse and not every other company has the experience and resources to do so. While choosing a construction company for your cold storage warehouse, keep in mind that the company should be able to offer versatile and unique services.
While designing and constructing cold storage warehouses, there are certain factors that you need to take into account. Constructing a cold storage warehouse is not similar to a normal dry warehouse. You require to think about a lot of important aspects while designing such a challenging project. The major aspects that need attention include
- Adequate refrigeration: The most critical part of cold storage warehouse is the refrigeration of the facility. The refrigeration needs vary from project to project so you have to customize these settings as per the desired level of temperature or coldness you desire for stored goods. Uninterrupted refrigeration is the key to designing a flawless facility that will keep cold storage goods fresh and healthy. The refrigeration is a combination of air conditioning, CO2, Ammonia, Commercial splits, and Freon. Through a mixture of these 5 components, the temperature level is controlled to maintain the necessary temperature in the cold storage warehouse to serve its purpose.
- Proper insulation: Without proper insulation, the cold storage facility won’t be able to maintain the required temperature and the stored goods will get ruined. You must install such insulation that offers a tough vapor barrier. If you won’t take much care of proper thermal insulation then it will lead to condensation. The vapor barriers are airtight and even a small leakage area can cause condensation whereby everything will be covered in ice and will lose its natural taste and appeal. This is why you must install vapor barriers without any sort of leakage chance.
- Underfloor heating system: You will be amazed to know that extremely cold temperatures in cold storage units can make their way up to the soil under the concrete floor moistening the soil and causing it to freeze eventually. This phenomenon can cause cracks in the floor damaging its entire structure and causing a hazard to the work of the warehouse. Therefore construction companies must install an underfloor heating system that ensures to offer adequate heat supply above freezing temperature to the soil underneath. This will save the soil from freezing and damaging the warehouse flooring.
- Adequate Energy supply: As cold storage facilities need uninterrupted low temperatures so it requires a lot of energy supply to run chillers and air conditioners. Using energy at such a large scale will surely skyrocket your bill unless you use some alternative source. One of the most widely used energy supply sources is the solar panel. You surely have to pay a huge cost upfront, but then you can seek its benefits for the years to come.
Finding a construction company that offers the most favorable combination of all these desired services can be quite challenging. But the KSA market is lucky enough to have the services of DTC (Dorar Tammam Co.) which specialized in all the above-mentioned services. It has the potential to design and build a cold storage warehouse with unmatched quality and efficiency.