Understanding the Effects of COVID-19 on Cold Storage Construction in California

It goes without saying that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread changes across virtually every industry. Cold storage construction services are no exception. The question is, how exactly has COVID-19 impacted cold storage construction in California? Consider just a few of the trends we have noticed here at R-Cold.

The State of Cold Storage Construction Services in California

Back before the pandemic hit, the state of refrigeration services looked pretty promising. In fact, back during the first couple of months of 2020, companies like R-Cold had robust pipelines, full of exciting new projects. Commercial real estate experts have long predicted an explosion in demand for cold storage, which includes commercial and industrial refrigeration facilities, along with surging interest in other industrial spaces, like warehouses and office facilities. There are a lot of factors that contribute to this, but the rise in e-commerce is high on the list. So what happened once the pandemic hit? Believe it or not, the immediate impact was a major upswing in demand for cold storage construction services. Simply put, more and more people become stuck at home, not wanting to risk going outside to eat in restaurants, and also striving to keep trips to the grocery store to a minimum. The upshot of all this? A spike in consumer demand for cold food items, which are easy to store at home for an extended period of time. And of course, to meet this demand, there was an immediate need for more commercial refrigeration facilities. In other words, the trend for cold storage builders in California has largely been positive. There was already a lot of work available, and now there’s more opportunity than ever before. But that’s just a high-level view. It’s worth taking a moment to explore some of the on-the-ground changes that cold storage construction teams have noticed at worksites, particularly here in California. Changes Faced by Cold Storage Builders in California Experienced builders, like those at R-Cold, have always gone to great lengths to orchestrate worksite logistics, ensuring each job can be completed as efficiently and as safely as possible. Needless to say, the pandemic has complicated this process somewhat, and added a few extra steps to the process. At R-Cold, in particular, we have instructed all of our worksite managers and foremen to make education a key concern. We are keeping abreast of all the latest guidelines from the CDC, as well as new regulations or suggestions from the state government. We keep all of our teams in the know about what they need to be doing to keep themselves and their colleagues as safe as possible at all times. Additionally, many cold storage builders in California have implemented new signage at worksites, designating certain areas for entry and exit, and minimizing the proximity that workers have with one another. Frankly, these multi-step changes to worksite logistics have made our work a bit more complex, yet they also provide us with a way to keep serving the needs of our clients while also ensuring our personnel are well cared for. There have certainly been some disruptions and growing pains within the cold storage construction industry, but overall we are grateful for ongoing opportunities to work, and to deploy smart strategies that allow us to make safety and client satisfaction a priority. Learn More About Cold Storage Construction in California If you have any further questions about cold storage design and construction, or if you need to work with a commercial refrigeration service in California, we welcome you to give us a call. We are here to answer any questions about refrigeration services  in the age of COVID.