A 12,000-pallet cold storage facility will soon rise on a 63-hectare lot at Anflo Industrial Estate in Panabo City, Davao del Norte.
The groundbreaking ceremony for GMAC Davao Cold Storage, a joint venture between Damosa Land Inc., Glacier Megafridge Inc., and AC Logistics, took place on March 12, 2024.
Set to be one of Mindanao's largest cold storage facilities, it will serve regional food makers, importers, and producers, boasting a capacity of 11,798 pallets.
“The new 11,798-pallet cold storage facility is poised to become a cornerstone of food preservation and security, avoiding wastage while promoting better food prices in Mindanao,” Damosa Land said in its press release.
Arturo Yan, chief executive officer of Glacier Megafridge Inc., highlighted the storage's ability to maintain temperatures from -30 degrees centigrade to +10 degrees centigrade, catering to various raw products.
The facility will utilize quasi Artificial Intelligence (AI) to regulate temperature, adapting to stored items' requirements. Yan noted the job opportunities the construction will create in the community.
“Together, we will employ around close to 100 employees, and these are not just low-value jobs. These are jobs that will cover technology, mostly refrigeration, people who know how to maintain and operate refrigeration equipment and also do some probing programming of warehouse management systems,” he said.
Nona Torres, AC Logistics' chief commercial officer, said that GMAC Davao Cold Storage is Mindanao's second facility, with the first opening in Cagayan de Oro in 2023, housing around 5,000 pallets.
The joint venture aims to expand to strategic locations across the country.
“There is a very high rate of food spoilage that happens all over, so it is also in Cagayan de Oro when we were there, so [we] hope to be able to fill those gaps. We know it's a very complex problem in terms of storage,” she said.
Yan outlined plans to commence construction immediately, targeting completion by early 2025. Additionally, they aim to construct cold storage in Basilan, General Santos, Visayas, Bacolod, Benguet, and Manila. RGP