SILVEXA Director Pragalbh Sharma Shares Industry Perspective on the Changing Indian Cold-Chain Market
India is entering an important phase in the development of its cold-storage and temperature-controlled supply-chain infrastructure. Growth in food processing, organized retail, pharmaceuticals, dairy, frozen foods, quick-service restaurants, agriculture and exports is increasing the need for reliable and efficient temperature-controlled infrastructure.
Cold storage is no longer simply a facility where products are kept at low temperatures. It is increasingly becoming an integral part of the entire supply chain — from farm to processing plant, distribution centre and ultimately to the consumer.
From Cold Storage to Integrated Cold Chain
Traditionally, India's cold-storage industry was largely associated with commodity storage, particularly potatoes. The market is now becoming increasingly diversified, with demand coming from multiple sectors.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Pragalbh Sharma, Director – Sales & Marketing, SILVEXA, a brand of Silver Star NextGen Pvt. Ltd., said:
“The Indian cold-storage industry is moving from conventional storage towards application-specific and integrated cold-chain solutions. Customers today are looking beyond individual refrigeration equipment. They want a technically designed solution that addresses their complete operational requirement — from design and installation to commissioning, energy efficiency and after-sales support.”
According to Mr. Sharma, this change is creating opportunities across fruits and vegetables, dairy, pharmaceuticals, frozen foods, food processing, mushroom cultivation, banana ripening, QSRs, hospitality and cold-chain logistics.
Application-Specific Solutions Will Drive Growth
Different products require different temperature, humidity and airflow conditions. A pharmaceutical facility cannot be designed in the same way as a vegetable cold store, while a banana ripening chamber has completely different requirements from a frozen-food warehouse.
Mr. Sharma explained:
“Cold storage should not be treated as a standard box product. The application, product characteristics, loading pattern, temperature requirement, ambient conditions and operating cycle all need to be considered before designing the refrigeration system.”
This application-driven approach is expected to become increasingly important as Indian businesses look for improved product quality, reduced wastage and better control over their supply chains.
Technology and Energy Efficiency
Energy consumption is one of the most important operating considerations for any temperature-controlled facility. Modern cold-storage projects are therefore increasingly incorporating energy-efficient refrigeration equipment, advanced controls, efficient evaporators and condensers, variable-speed technologies, monitoring systems and improved insulation.
“Customers are becoming much more conscious about the operating cost of refrigeration systems,” said Mr. Sharma.
“The lowest initial equipment cost does not necessarily mean the lowest cost over the life of a project. The complete system needs to be evaluated for energy consumption, reliability, maintenance requirements and long-term performance.”
This shift from initial purchase price to total cost of ownership is expected to influence future investment decisions in the sector.
Growth Across Multiple Sectors
India's expanding food and pharmaceutical industries are creating new applications for temperature-controlled infrastructure.
Mushroom Cultivation
Banana Ripening
Dairy
Pharmaceuticals
Food Processing
QSR and Hospitality
The Importance of Industry Expertise
Cold-storage infrastructure represents a significant investment for businesses. Its performance depends on several interconnected factors, including refrigeration selection, heat-load calculations, insulation, airflow, temperature control, product loading pattern and maintenance.
“Engineering expertise is becoming increasingly important,” Mr. Sharma said.
“A refrigeration system may have technically capable equipment, but the overall performance of a cold room depends on how the complete system is designed and executed. Correct engineering at the beginning can make a significant difference to reliability, energy consumption and product protection.”
The Road Ahead
India's cold-storage industry is entering a new phase of development.
The future will not be defined simply by the number of cold rooms constructed or the overall machines sold by several companies. Increasingly, attention will focus on temperature reliability, energy efficiency, product protection, automation, monitoring and integration with the wider supply chain.
As Mr. Sharma puts it:
“India does not just need more cold rooms. It needs better-designed, energy-efficient and application-specific cold-chain infrastructure.”
The industry is therefore moving towards:
Smart Refrigeration + Energy Efficiency + Application-Specific Design + Automation + Monitoring + Integrated Cold Chain
SILVEXA’s Industry Approach
SILVEXA, a brand of Silver Star NextGen Pvt. Ltd., focuses on cold storage, commercial refrigeration and air-conditioning solutions designed around specific customer applications.
The company brings extensive individual industry experience in cold storage and refrigeration, with a focus on technically sound, reliable and energy-efficient solutions.
“Our objective is to understand the customer's requirement first and then engineer the appropriate solution,” said Mr. Sharma.
“Whether it is a cold storage facility, mushroom project, banana ripening chamber, dairy application, pharmaceutical facility, food-processing plant or QSR requirement, the approach should begin with understanding the application and end with a properly commissioned and supported system.”
With India's temperature-controlled infrastructure requirements continuing to evolve, the next phase of growth is likely to focus not only on capacity expansion but also on technology, efficiency, reliability and professionally engineered solutions.
