The growth of the frozen food market in Mexico is bringing new demands to the last mile , where maintaining the temperature throughout the journey becomes one of the main challenges to avoid affecting the quality and safety of the products, according to Esteban Cohen, general director of Vima Foods Mexico .

The transition from fresh to frozen foods is beginning to gain ground in different categories, a trend that, in addition to modifying consumption habits, requires a logistics chain prepared to preserve the conditions of the product from its origin to the final point of delivery.

Cohen specifically identified the professionalization of last-mile delivery as one of the challenges that accompany this growth.

“With regard to transportation, it is precisely about professionalizing the last mile distribution, ensuring that the product reaches the operator at the right temperature and with the appropriate quality,” he explained.

The challenge arises primarily during delivery. Cohen noted that there are still operations where the trucks begin their routes with frozen product, but the product loses temperature as the hours pass and they make deliveries .

In the case of Vima, he explained, the products are kept between -18 and -21 degrees Celsius during the logistics process , as part of the controls established to preserve their condition.

Temperature under surveillance

Environmental variations represent another factor that refrigerated transport must face. Goods may enter the country under certain conditions and experience different outside temperatures before reaching a distribution center or the customer.

Cohen cited as an example the operations that enter through Manzanillo , where the outside temperature can be around 27 degrees Celsius, while the product must maintain its conditions during transport.

To track this variable, the units used by the company have GPS and temperature monitoring systems , while the loads are “thermographed during the logistics process,” he emphasized.

The complexity is also related to the different points of origin. Vima Mexico sources frozen food from Europe, Asia, South America, and the United States , a strategy that diversifies its supply across different regions.

The last mile extends to third parties

Cold chain control doesn’t end with the operations carried out directly by companies. When distributors are involved, the challenge also lies in maintaining the same parameters throughout the final leg.

To serve the hotel sector, Vima operates its own fleet of approximately 50 vehicles, delivering to over 500 hotels. Nationwide, it also has a network of 50 distributors, all of whom must adhere to the company’s same transportation and cold chain standards.

Currently, the company has three distribution centers and serves different channels, including retail , food service and hotel chains, with operations in destinations such as Puerto Vallarta, Punta Mita, Los Cabos, Cancun and the Yucatan Peninsula.

The logistical challenge could become more significant as demand increases. Cohen noted that in categories like fruits and vegetables, the frozen food market is experiencing annual growth of between 5% and 8% , while he observes a shift towards this type of product in other categories.

In this scenario, the growth of frozen foods not only opens up space to move a larger volume of products, but also puts pressure on the last mile capacity to maintain an uninterrupted cold chain to the final destination.

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn:  @Karina Quintero  /  @GrupoT21

El cargo The rise of frozen foods challenges last-mile delivery: Vima Foods apareció primero en T21.

Previously, maintaining the cold chain seemed to have a very specific mission: preserving the correct temperature from origin to destination. Today, that’s no longer enough. Fleets need to know the unit’s location, what’s happening inside the cargo box, how many times its doors have been opened, whether the equipment requires maintenance, and even if an alert justifies halting the journey.

The information is there. The challenge now is to use it .

Despite the progress of digitalization in transportation , a gap still exists in leveraging the data generated by equipment. José Carlos Gómez, commercial director of Thermo King Latin America North, estimated that between 15% and 18% of their clients currently use these tools, while one of the main obstacles continues to be resistance to change within companies.

But the decision to digitize operations is no longer solely the responsibility of the fleets. Customers themselves are raising their demands and, in some cases, are requesting temperature tracking of goods from the moment they leave the premises until they reach their destination as part of their receiving and payment processes.

In dry cargo, a delay can mean lost hours and additional costs. In temperature-controlled cargo, it can also mean putting the product at risk. A temperature fluctuation, an unexpected door opening, or a malfunction during transit can compromise goods that must travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometers before reaching the consumer.

In this sense, digitalization allows for monitoring what happens to the merchandise and is also becoming a tool for keeping the truck operational. Available systems allow for tracking location, speed, temperature, and door openings, but also for identifying maintenance needs and determining whether an alarm requires halting operations or can be addressed after the trip is completed.

For Gómez, this is part of the value of using available information to anticipate interventions and avoid unnecessary shutdowns . He also believes that technological infrastructure is no longer the main obstacle to doing so.

Fifteen years ago, he explained, leaving an urban center could mean losing connectivity. Today, he noted, Mexico has better cellular coverage, so the challenge has shifted to within the companies themselves.

An increasingly long cold chain

The challenge will grow as the way perishable products are distributed changes.

Rising temperatures, urban deliveries, and the need to bring goods closer to increasingly specific points of consumption are creating opportunities for smaller vehicles, electrification, and new temperature-controlled solutions. Gómez even predicts that these systems will begin to expand to units such as motorcycles and, eventually, drones.

Thermo King currently offers electric solutions, connected digital equipment and systems supported by solar panels, in addition to traditional diesel technologies that have incorporated improvements focused on reducing consumption.

The company, part of Trane Technologies and with over 90 years of history, focuses on temperature-controlled transportation solutions and operates through a network of distributors. In Latin America, it has over 6,000 units connected to its systems.

Thus, for refrigerated fleets, the next competitive advantage might not only be in adding more units or incorporating new equipment, but in making sure that every kilometer traveled also generates information capable of improving the next one.

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn:  @Karina Quintero  /  @GrupoT21

El cargo Refrigerated fleets face the challenge of turning data into operational efficiency: Thermo King apareció primero en T21.