APM Terminals opens state-of-the-art South India cool chain facility

As part of its ongoing investment in hinterland supply chain operations, APM Terminals today opened a new cold chain facility in South India.

The 10,000sq-metre facility in Ponnari, near Chennai, is the latest in the company’s strategy to position itself as a port solutions integrator, “offering customs clearance facilitation and proximity to the ports of Chennai, Ennore, Kattupalli and Krishnapattnam with round-the-clock accessibility”.

Cargo handled includes fish, fruits, medicines and specialty chemicals requiring strict temperature control, and the facilities will provide refrigerated container plug-in facilities for cold warehousing with services ranging from customs examination and clearance under controlled temperature, as well as value-added services like palletisation and packaging, on-wheel customs seal verification and bonded cargo movement to ports and airports.

The services are available for both domestic and international import/export customers.

The inland services strategy has hinged on redefining what it considers to be its customer base from the main shipping lines to thousands of shippers, forwarders and hauliers that use its global network of terminals

“We are committed to providing integrated specialty warehousing services globally. APM Terminals is constantly looking for ways that we can best address the supply chain needs of our customers,” said Dries van Dongen, APM Terminals’ global head of inland services.

“India has seen an increasing demand for temperature- and humidity-controlled products, especially frozen foods and pharmaceutical products for both domestic consumption and international export.

“In line with this trend, and backed by our strong experience in handling temperature-controlled cargo, we’ve invested in not only offering global standards of cold chain solutions, but also offering export-import cold chain solutions within our container freight station, for the first time in South India.”