Alternatives for meeting peak cold storage demand in a New Zealand seasonal industry

Seasonal industries producing products which require cold storage are always faced with the problem of obtaining sufficient storage capacity to meet the peak demand. This paper examines the storage demand pattern of the meat export industry in New Zealand and looks at the economics of building and operating on-site stores to meet peak demand compared with the costs of additional transportation to and hiring of off-site storage space. The concept of temporary stores using non-conventional structures (air supported, air inflated and steel frame supported) is also examined.