Chicago to host new cold chain show

USA: The global cold chain will be the focus of a new exhibition to be held in June 2016 in Chicago.

Organised by the the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) and United Fresh Produce Association, Global Cold Chain Expo is promised to be a one-stop-shop for all cold chain needs with 25,000ft² of trade show space featuring hundreds of exhibitors from every sector of the cold chain, including material handling, warehousing, construction, supply chain/logistics solutions and transportation providers.

Co-located with FMI Connect, the International Floriculture Expo and United Fresh, the organiser says the Global Cold Chain Expo will attract more than 15,000 key decision makers from retail, foodservice, processing, production, distribution, logistics, and transportation. Attendees will represent frozen, refrigerated, ambient and fresh operations.

“Increasingly, the fresh produce industry is being challenged to compete with locally grown, short haul fruits and vegetables that are picked closer to ripeness”, said Tom Stenzel, president and CEO of United Fresh. “We believe the only way we can enhance quality control in our supply chain is a deep dive into the cold chain and technologies that bring our growers, packers and wholesalers closer to the consumer”.

“The cold chain industry has evolved — the pallet-in, pallet-out storage business of yesterday has transformed into a total logistics solution”, stated the GCCA’s president and CEO Corey Rosenbusch. “Today’s customers place a higher value and priority on total cold chain solutions, no matter which industry and anywhere in the world.”

The inaugural Global Cold Chain Expo will be held from June 21-23, 2016, at McCormick Place, Chicago.