Transforming Cold Storage Industry with the help of IoT Devices

Celcius is a cold-chain marketplace start-up that offers solutions for both Reefer logistics and cold storage warehousing. Their technology-driven approach ensures accountability of the shipment from booking to delivery. Celcius’ web and app-based platform verifies shippers and transporters before signing up with them. The platform centralizes the booking and helps collate all the data in a single system. During the transit period, customers can track both the thermal conditions and the real-time location of the shipment. Celcius also offers a multi-temperature loading option, along with a multi-location pickup and drop facility. They provide the convenience of a rating system for transporters and shippers and an online bidding system for negotiations.

In a short span of time, the company has scaled significantly. They have transported over 10 thousand tonnes of perishable cargo for sectors like dairy, fresh agricultural produce, pharma, fruits, seafood, and vaccines across 93 cities in India. The start-up has also ventured across the border to import fruits from Afghanistan and export seafood outside India. Celcius’ clientele includes Spicejet, Godrej Agrovet, Gadre Marine, IB Group, Reliance Pharma, Balmer & Laurie, Vadilal, Dominos, and more.

About the Founder & Co-Founder

Swarup Bose, Founder, and CEO, Celcius, has over 18 years of experience in cold chain logistics. He is passionate about digitizing the cold chain in India. He envisions Celcius as the nation’s biggest network of cold chain vehicles and warehouses that can cater to the smallest businesses in the remotest cities. His responsibility is to hire the right talent for the organization.

Rajneesh Raman is the Co-Founder and COO of Celcius. In his current role, he manages day-to-day operations, strategies HR policies, supervises accounts and establishes processes across various departments. At Celcius, he aims to build transparency in the unorganized segments.

Leading by Domain Knowledge

Celcius offers its customers end-to-end cold chain solutions. The web and the app-based platform allow its customers to log in and access different kinds of cold storage owners and transporters across the country. The assets, vehicles, and cold storage units are onboarded by Celcius’ team after verifying their credentials. They physically inspect the asset and note the kind of equipment and storage they provide. “Once the inspection is done, we get the latest IoT devices like temperature sensors, door sensors, GPS, and more to the vehicle. This helps us get alerts when some mishap occurs during the journey. Our software geotags each vehicle which helps us track the vehicle till they reach its destination point. If anybody tries to open a door or the transporter deviates from the route, then our software flags it and alerts us,” he says. The team does all the groundwork before allowing shippers to engage with the products.

The company’s software is the key differentiator as it helps its customers to know about their products in real-time. They simply have to log in to the app to receive the latest updates about the vehicle, temperature, location, and more.

Speaking about the pandemic, Rajneesh says, “We launched our company in 2020, and it was difficult for us to reach the transporters or connect with the shippers during that time. Making them understand the software over a video call was another challenge. But now, as we can physically go and meet these people, it has become easy to convince them to come on board.”

The goal of the company is to become a premium cold chain service provider in India. They aim to bridge the demand-supply gap in the cold supply chain and reduce wastage of perishable goods.

Future Prospects

Celcius plans to upgrade its platform with Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and Transportation Management Systems (TMS), introducing an in-depth cold storage warehousing solution and securing a reach in over 200 cities by the next year. “We are looking to expand nationally for the next couple of years. We want to reach small cities and help manufacturers sell their perishable products. Once that is done, we plan to scale our business internationally,” he says.

The company is inviting people to join its network. They plan to help people establish their own business in the cold chain industry. Celsius is keen on assisting aspiring cold chain entrepreneurs with installation, commission, and running the business.

Swarup concludes by saying, “If you are looking to start your own venture, then this is the time. Life is unpredictable, so take a leap and have faith in yourself. Hardships will come, but as long as you hold onto your dream, you will definitely succeed.”

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