US units keen on cold chain

With the retail sector set to grow by leaps and bounds in the coming years, major foreign logistics companies are eying the back-end supply chain management market in India.

Over the last month, representatives of at least four logistics companies from the the US and Europe, belonging to the Global Cold Chain Alliance, have visited India to establish their businesses in India, said Corey Rosenbusch, director policy and programs of the organisation, at a workshop on "building India's cold chain infrastructure" in Kolkata on Tuesday.

Recently, Apollo LogiSolutions Limited, a subsidiary of Apollo International Limited, and Spire Group Limited of Toronto, Canada, entered into a joint venture agreement to construct 15 temperature controlled warehouses in India with an investment of $ 250 million.

Several US-based consultancy firms are also planning to enter the Indian market, he said.

For example, The Peoples Group, a US-based consultancy firm for cold storages, is also planning to open in India. James S Brown, vice president, The Peoples Group, said his company would soon open an office in Mumbai in collaboration with an engineering firm.

"We are looking at expanding our business in India, as cold chain management provides huge opportunities of growth in India," Brown said.