Cold room project case study in Ecuador: IQF shrimp freezing line and frozen store, Guayaquil
Export growth outstripped the existing plate freezers. An IQF line was retrofitted into an operating plant without stopping production, then tied into an expanded frozen store.
A 950-pallet −30 to −40 °c blast / deep frozen facility in Ecuador of roughly 4,600 m³, built with ammonia (r717) industrial plant, models at about USD 5,295,412 installed (USD 4,236,329–USD 6,884,035 planning range) and USD 659,753 a year to run, over a 52-week programme from brief to handover. Figures are indicative planning estimates from ColdMatch Group's country cost model — not a quotation.
A senior cold-chain specialist stays with your project from first brief to commissioning.
What was built, and for whom
Hot and humid — higher defrost energy and infiltration load
~260 generator hours modelled per year
Local band 0.070–0.120 USD/kWh
Zones
- IQF spiral freezer, −35 °C air, continuous line
- Frozen store −25 °C, 950 pallets
- Chilled processing hall +10 °C
What a project like this costs in Ecuador
Derived from the same indicative country cost model used by the public ColdMatch calculators: local construction cost index, design ambient, humidity, grid reliability, diesel price and electricity tariff. Planning-grade estimates, never a quotation.
Planning range USD 4,236,329–USD 6,884,035
USD 1,151 per m³
42% of it is energy
336 kW average refrigeration load
| Envelope, plant, electrical and installation | USD 4,863,605 |
| Standby generation | USD 413,406 |
| Monitoring and alarms | USD 18,400 |
| Total installed | USD 5,295,412 |
| Grid electricity (2,940,824 kWh) | USD 264,674 |
| Standby diesel (20,774 litres) | USD 11,426 |
| Maintenance and spares | USD 169,453 |
| Operations labour (15 staff) | USD 210,000 |
| Monitoring and compliance | USD 4,200 |
| Total per year | USD 659,753 |
Running the same facility on legacy fixed-speed plant models at USD 804,537 a year — about USD 144,784 more, which is the efficiency decision this project turned on.
What made this project difficult in Ecuador
These are the local realities that change the design, the price and the supplier shortlist.
- Retrofit inside a running plant — tie-ins had to happen in scheduled shutdowns
- Hot and humid ambient; defrost strategy is a real energy line
- Buyer audits require hygienic design and traceable freezing records
The decisions that shaped the result
- Ammonia plant extension rather than a separate packaged system, keeping one operator competency
- Sequenced hot-gas defrost to avoid simultaneous demand peaks
- Phased tie-in plan agreed with the supplier before contract award
Programme: about 52 weeks from brief to handover
Phases overlap in practice. This sequence shows where the schedule risk sits in this market.
- 1
Brief and feasibility
Weeks 1–3 · 3 weeksProduct, temperature, capacity, site status, electrical supply, budget band and timeline confirmed. ColdMatch reviews the brief and flags missing data before anyone is approached.
- 2
Concept design and RFQ preparation
Weeks 4–7 · 4 weeksZone layout, load estimate, system shortlist and a single bid form so every supplier quotes identical scope, exclusions and assumptions.
- 3
Supplier review and tendering
Weeks 8–13 · 6 weeksSuitable suppliers are approached only after internal approval, then proposals are normalised on scope, energy assumptions, spares, commissioning and warranty.
- 4
Enabling works and shutdown planning
Weeks 14–21 · 8 weeksCondition survey, tie-in plan and shutdown windows agreed with operations so production is not interrupted.
- 5
Equipment manufacture and delivery
Weeks 22–37 · 16 weeksPlant and panel manufacture with delivery sequenced to the installation programme.
- 6
Installation and insulation
Weeks 38–47 · 10 weeksPanel erection, refrigeration pipework, electrical installation and controls.
- 7
Commissioning, pull-down and handover
Weeks 48–52 · 5 weeksLeak and pressure testing, staged pull-down, performance verification against the specified duty, operator training, spares handover and documentation.
What the project delivered
- IQF throughput added without a production stop longer than a planned weekend
- Freezing time per batch reduced versus the legacy plate freezers
- Product quality claims supported by continuous line records
What buyers in this market should take from it
- In a retrofit, the shutdown plan is part of the technical bid — score it
- Ask every bidder for defrost energy assumptions in writing
Tools and market data for Ecuador
Change the capacity, temperature and system and the numbers above move. These tools use the same country model.
Cold storage project costs and timelines in Ecuador
How ColdMatch Group works — independent B2B procurement and sourcing platform — ColdMatch Group is an independent B2B procurement and sourcing platform for industrial refrigeration, cold storage and cold-chain projects from USD $250K+, connecting buyers with qualified third-party suppliers, EPC contractors and independent financing providers.
Have a comparable project in Ecuador?
Submit your product type, temperatures, capacity, site status, power situation, budget band and timeline. David and the ColdMatch team review the brief, structure the RFQ so every supplier quotes the same scope, and approach suitable suppliers only after internal approval.
This is a worked project example built from ColdMatch Group's indicative country cost model — local electricity tariff, design ambient, humidity, grid reliability and construction cost index. It is a planning-grade illustration, not a client transaction, an engineering design or a quotation. Supplier and manufacturer listings on this site are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. ColdMatch Group does not provide automatic buyer-supplier introductions. Every cold chain project request is reviewed manually by David / ColdMatch Group, and supplier introductions are made only after internal approval.
Supplier and manufacturer listings are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. ColdMatch Group does not provide automatic buyer-supplier introductions. Every cold chain project request is reviewed manually by David / ColdMatch Group, and supplier introductions are made only after internal approval.