Multinational industrial company Ingersoll Rand has announced the launch of a new cold chain consulting business in India, and aims to bring its international experience to bear on the rapidly developing market.
The new business will provide consulting services, design and technology for customers wishing to build cold chain infrastructure in India. Ingersoll Rand estimates the Indian cold chain market to be worth Rs8bn (US$173m), with annual growth of 20-22 per cent.
Ingersoll Rand sees great opportunity for cold chain development in India. The lack of cold chain infrastructure in India is responsible for significant post-harvest losses – 30-35 per cent of perishables, according to the company.
“Even though India has embarked on laying standards for the cold chain industry, there is still a deficiency in following and designing processes towards building world class infrastructure because of lack of knowledge and technical competency,” said Venkatesh Valluri, chairman and president of Ingersoll Rand India.
“Ingersoll Rand intends to fill the gap in this space because it is a world leader and has developed many of the industry best practices.”
The company is also currently developing a reefer transportation model for small-scale applications, suitable for small farmers in rural India.
“We aim to provide competitive leverage to our customers, through consulting assistance in structural planning, storage knowledge, automation, remote tracking and cold chain transport and refrigeration,” said Ingersoll Rand India’s cold chain business creation leader Manjunath MS. “Ingersoll Rand plans to provide a host of services and solutions to minimise loss of perishable products.”
