Cold Chain Innovation Hub Presents Latest Updates on Manila NatRef Training Facility
The renovation and preparation of the physical space for the Cold Chain Innovation Hub (CCI-Hub) is set to be completed this quarter, said Jan Dusek, Head of Global Partnership for the Manila, Philippines-based center for sustainable HVAC&R technology exhibitions and training.
“We are very excited to announce that, in this current quarter, we will be bringing these latest technologies to the facility so that the industry [in the Philippines] has access,” said Dusek during a presentation at the ATMO World Summit on March 31. The online, 24-hour conference was organized by ATMOsphere (formerly shecco), publisher of R744.com.
The Cold Chain Innovation Hub was launched in 2019 as part of an initiative to upgrade the food cold chain in the Philippines. The Global Partnership for Improving the Food Cold Chain in the Philippines initiative is jointly led by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Filipino Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). ATMOsphere is one of the project’s key executing partners.
The facility is located at the Philippines’ TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) Regional Training Center in Manila.
To date, the project has more than 16 companies that have pledged to donate natural refrigerant-based technologies, knowledge and expertise to the CCI-Hub, including CO2 (R744) and propane (R290) refrigeration systems for the commercial, industrial, transport and post-harvest food cold chain sectors.
Focus on food cold chain
The Global Partnership for Improving the Food Cold Chain in the Philippines project aims to identify, develop and stimulate the application of low-carbon, energy-efficient refrigeration technologies and business practices throughout the food cold chain to increase food safety and food security.
It is funded by US$2 million from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), with US$25 million in co-financing (in-kind, grants and loans).
The CCI-Hub will serve as the project’s main platform for providing an ecosystem of technical resources, training, knowledge sharing and stakeholder collaboration. In 2020, TESDA was announced as the official national entity that will host the CCI-Hub at its offices.