12,000 m³ seafood cold storage & blast freezer — Vietnam
An export-grade seafood processor needed a multi-temperature facility combining IQF tunnels, blast freezers and long-term storage to meet EU/Japan buyer requirements.
Challenge
- Existing facility could not blast-freeze shrimp fast enough for export specs.
- Energy costs rising 14% year-on-year on R22 plant nearing end-of-life.
- HACCP and BRCGS audit gaps on temperature traceability.
ColdMatch solution
- ColdMatch sourced 3 shortlisted EPCs from Korea, Italy and Vietnam.
- Selected NH₃/CO₂ cascade plant with IoT monitoring (logger + cloud).
- Phased construction allowed processing to continue during build.
“ColdMatch handled the EPC tender across three countries — the savings paid for the upgrade in under four years.”
How this project was delivered — planning to commissioning
Multi-country EPC tender, phased construction on a live site. Total programme: 19 months, concept to full production.
- 1
Planning & feasibility
Months 1–4- Throughput study across shrimp, pangasius and value-added lines, including seasonal peaks.
- Heat-load and freezing-curve modelling to size blast capacity against export specifications.
- Capex and operating-cost case built for three plant architectures before any supplier contact.
Milestone: Approved technical brief and budget envelope signed off by the board.
- 2
Permitting & approvals
Months 4–7- Provincial construction and industrial-zone approvals for the extension footprint.
- Ammonia handling permit, safety distance study and emergency response plan.
- Environmental discharge and refrigerant registration filed with the authorities.
Milestone: Construction permit and ammonia safety approval issued.
- 3
Procurement & build-out
Months 7–15- Three shortlisted EPCs from Korea, Italy and Vietnam tendered on one common specification.
- Panel envelope, NH₃/CO₂ cascade plant room and IQF tunnels installed in two phases.
- Processing kept running throughout by sequencing the works around production windows.
Milestone: Mechanical completion of both phases with the plant charged and leak-tested.
- 4
Testing & validation
Months 15–18- Pull-down and freezing-curve testing against contractual blast-cycle times.
- Temperature mapping of every chamber, loaded and unloaded, across 72-hour cycles.
- HACCP and BRCGS traceability evidence assembled from the IoT logger platform.
Milestone: Performance guarantees verified and audit pack accepted.
- 5
Commissioning & handover
Months 18–19- Operator training on plant control, alarm response and defrost strategy.
- Spares package, service contract and remote monitoring handover.
- 12-month energy benchmark baseline agreed with the operator.
Milestone: Facility handed over in full production with warranty and service plan active.
This project sits under the Develop a Food Processing Cold Chain objective. Start from the objective hub to scope capacity, permitting and budget before engaging suppliers.
Project brief → RFQ package → supplier outreach → outcome
Every ColdMatch project follows the same managed sequence. Nothing reaches a supplier before the ColdMatch project team has reviewed the brief and confirmed the project scope, budget and timeline.
1. Project brief
- Submitted via
- RFQ builder — seafood processing / blast freezing
- Review
- Reviewed manually by the ColdMatch project team before any supplier was contacted
Clarified before outreach
- Peak shrimp intake per shift and required core-temperature curve for EU/Japan buyers.
- Whether the existing R22 plant would be decommissioned or run in parallel during build.
- Available electrical capacity on site and the cost of upgrading the transformer.
Qualification checks
- Budget envelope above the USD $250K project threshold (indicated US$ 3.5–4.5M).
- Board-approved capex window and a named technical owner on the buyer side.
- Export certification deadline fixed the commissioning date.
2. RFQ package issued
Single common specification issued to all shortlisted EPCs on the same day
Documents in the pack
- Heat-load and freezing-curve calculation pack (12,000 m³ storage, −40 °C blast).
- Room schedule with temperatures, insulation targets and floor build-up.
- Phasing plan keeping the existing processing line in production.
- Commercial terms: payment milestones, LDs, spares and 24-month warranty.
Mandatory supplier returns
- Priced bill of quantities split civil / mechanical / controls.
- Guaranteed specific energy consumption (kWh/m³·yr) with test conditions.
- Refrigerant charge, safety study and local ammonia compliance approach.
- Named site team, references for at least two comparable export plants.
3. Managed supplier outreach
- Approached
- 9 refrigeration EPCs pre-screened (Korea, Italy, Vietnam, Thailand)
- Shortlisted
- 3 invited to tender after ColdMatch technical pre-qualification
- Round 1 — capability screen
Reference plants, ammonia experience, local service presence and financial standing checked before any buyer contact.
- Round 2 — technical tender
Common specification issued; clarification log run centrally so all bidders answered the same questions.
- Round 3 — commercial alignment
Bids normalised to like-for-like scope, then energy guarantees and spares pricing negotiated.
Evaluation weighting
- Guaranteed energy performance
- 30%
- Technical compliance & blast capacity
- 30%
- Price (normalised scope)
- 25%
- Local service & spares response
- 15%
4. Commercial outcome
NH₃/CO₂ cascade plant awarded to the mid-priced bidder on energy guarantees, not lowest price
Delivered results
- −38% energy versus the legacy R22 plant.
- −45% blast cycle time, meeting EU/Japan export specifications.
- US$ 4.1M delivered capex with a 3.8-year payback.
Model a comparable plant with the cooling-load and OPEX calculators before submitting your brief.
Project records are anonymised at the buyer's request and presented as planning-grade benchmarks. Costs, timelines and performance figures are indicative and are not engineering designs or quotations.
Supplier and manufacturer information is provided for research only; it is not a directory for direct contact. There is no direct buyer-to-supplier connection: every RFQ comes to the ColdMatch team, which validates it, contacts suitable suppliers on the buyer's behalf and presents organized responses through ColdMatch.