NE BUSINESS BUREAU
CHENNAI, MARCH 20
Blue Star Limited on Wednesday announced the launch of a comprehensive new range of energy-efficient and eco-friendly deep freezers varying in capacities right from 60 to 600 litres to cater to a wide set of customer segments for diverse applications.
- They are super tropicalised and designed to work even in 47℃ ambient temperatures
- These deep freezers start at an attractive price point of Rs 16,000 onwards
- The products and solutions are designed to preserve the produce and retain efficacy, freshness and flavour throughout the storage period; extending the shelf life of perishables and reducing wastage during the cold chain process
- Company offers refrigerated vans in Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Kolkata, which can be used as a standby at customer premises to store perishables
New Range of Deep Freezers for 2024
The new range deep freezers offer higher storage, enhanced cooling capacity and are embedded with superior technologies which ensure greater heat transfer for efficient cooling. Further, they are super tropicalised and designed to work even in 47℃ ambient temperatures. A few other features include wide range of elegant control panels with smart eye and square design with LED light, Quadracool technology that ensures uniform and optimum cooling from four sides, and a wide operating voltage range right from 160V to 270V. With an extensive range of storage capacities, the Company is in a position to cater to a wider customer segment for applications right from dairy and ice cream, frozen food, restaurants, convenience stores, hospitality and supermarkets, among others. These deep freezers start at an attractive price point of Rs 16,000 onwards.
Strengthening ‘Make in India’ Strategy
The entire deep freezer range is now manufactured completely in Blue Star’s modern manufacturing facility at Wada, reaffirming the Company’s commitment to the ‘Make in India, Make for the Globe’ initiative. Two years ago, this new plant at Wada was commissioned to manufacture deep freezers from 300 to 600 litres, and in the current financial year, an additional capex was invested to manufacture the entire range starting from 60 litres. This facility is well-equipped with the latest automation technologies and has also received BIS certification for deep freezers. The new plant has an installed current production capacity of 3 lakh deep freezers and 1 lakh water coolers.
In addition to Wada, the Ahmedabad Plant is dedicated to the manufacturing of deep freezers.
Cold Chain Products and Solutions
Apart from deep freezers, the Company has ambitious plans to grow its Commercial Refrigeration business to leverage the rising opportunities in the country. With a rich legacy of over 80 years and expert domain knowledge, Blue Star has developed a wide portfolio consisting of cold chain products and solutions that cater to the entire spectrum of segments, which include Horticulture, Floriculture, Banana Ripening, Dairy, Ice Cream, Poultry, Processed Foods, Quick Service Restaurants, HoReCa, Sericulture, Marine, Pharmaceutical and Healthcare.
Blue Star’s value proposition for its refrigeration products and solutions is ‘Enhancing Life’. The products and solutions are designed to preserve the produce and retain efficacy, freshness and flavour throughout the storage period; extending the shelf life of perishables and reducing wastage during the cold chain process.
The products are divided into multiple categories and solutions
Merchandising solutions offer products like deep freezers, bottle coolers, visi coolers, and supermarket refrigeration equipment such as multideck chillers/freezers, pastry cabinets, chocolate coolers and upright freezers. Water Dispensing solutions include storage water coolers and bottled water dispensers. Further, Commercial Kitchen Refrigeration solutions include products such as reach-in coolers/freezers, undercounters, saladettes, back bar chillers, blast freezers and ice cube makers. Recently, the Company launched its minibars range as well. Integrated Cold Room solutions envisage pre-engineered PUF insulated panels along with hermetic, semi-hermetic, and rack refrigeration systems. The Company has also launched inverter based-technology refrigeration units, cold chain solutions for warehousing and logistics segments and IoT systems to strengthen its portfolio in this category. Additionally, Healthcare Refrigeration solutions offers products such as blood bank refrigerators, ice-lined refrigerators (+2°C to +8°C), medical freezers (up to -20°C), pharma refrigerators (+2°C to +8°C), ultra-low temperature freezers (-86°C), vaccine transporters (+8°C to -20°C) and mortuary chambers.
Sustainable Technologies
Blue Star adopts eco-friendly technologies to manufacture sustainable products using low-GWP refrigerants and insulation blowing agents, a first-of-its-kind in India. The Company continues to be recognised by the Government of India for adopting greener technologies that are ahead of its curve.
R&D Infrastructure
Blue Star has accelerated its investment in R&D infrastructure and resources and its R&D facilities incorporate all the requisite test labs, including NABL-accredited deep freezer testing labs and AHRI-certified testing labs. The Company has obtained many patents and design registrations, with many more in the pipeline. Underpinned by its robust R&D set-up, Blue Star has been incorporating the latest technologies from across the world into its new product developments.
Expanding Distribution and Service Network
Blue Star’s 2100 sales and service channel partners are trained to sell, install and maintain refrigeration products and solutions across 900 towns. The Company continues to invest in capability building and upskilling of its channel partners and their broader teams.
On customer service, Blue Star is the country’s leading after-sales Air Conditioning and Commercial Refrigeration ISO-certified service provider. With its Gold Standard program, the Company provides 24×7 customer call centre specialists, service on wheels, mobile apps and technical competence across India. Another unique feature of Blue Star’s service infrastructure is the availability of refrigerated vans in Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Kolkata, which can be used as a standby at customer premises to store perishables. The Company is making significant investments in building service infrastructure and CRM software.
Future Prospects
B Thiagarajan, Managing Director, Blue Star Limited, adds, “As a leader in the field of commercial refrigeration, and with our proven domain expertise in preservation and life extension of perishables, we serve a wide range of customers covering the value chain for diverse applications – fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, aquaculture, floriculture, dairy, frozen food, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and several other products, including specialised applications even for the silk industry. The market for commercial refrigeration and cold chain solutions is poised for huge growth in the coming years, and we aim to further consolidate our position by introducing a new and innovative range of energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly products and solutions.”
