TESDA Director General Isidro S. Lapeña (left) and FASPS Director Al O. Orolfo (right) hold the ribbon cut to mark the official launching of CCI Hub.
29 June 2022 – The Cold Chain Innovation Hub (CCI Hub), the physical platform of the Global Partnership for Improving the Food Cold Chain in the Philippines (FCC) project, has been officially launched at the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Complex in Taguig City. The event started with the unveiling of the building marker and followed by the ribbon cutting ceremony and blessing of the building.
The CCI Hub is a one-stop shop for technology transfer and other functions such as capacity building, research and education. It will showcase the best-in-class systems and components from around the globe and will serve as a venue for global partnership among the public and private sectors and technology providers to promote the best available low-carbon and energy-efficient design technologies and practices. The building features a workshop and exhibit area, training room and a cold storage room for technology display. CCI Hub will play a key role in TESDA’s upskilling of the labor force in green industries and green jobs of the commercial and industrial refrigeration sector. This initiative is made possible through the Global Partnership for Improving the Food Cold Chain in the Philippines (FCC) project that is implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), TESDA, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and shecco.
The event showed various technologies from the industry such as the Hydrocarbon Freezer and Chiller Display Cases for Commercial Food Retail (Epta), the R600a Solar Driven Refrigerator (Vestfrost Solutions), and the Selection of Tools and Machines (Magic-Aire Industries, Inc.). These would form part of the initial batch of equipment to be showcased in the hub to demonstrate energy efficient and climate-friendly refrigeration with low to zero global warming potential. Several batches of equipment and refrigeration systems are expected to arrive in the CCI Hub until September, all of which exemplify “next generation” cold chain solutions.
The launch also presented networking and collaboration opportunities through exhibits by Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Technicians for Development of the Philippines (RACTAP), Women in Refrigeration and Air-conditioning (WOVRAC), Magic Aire Industries, DELSA, Danfoss Philippines, Mayekawa Philippines Corporation, GEA Philippines, Epta Refrigeration Philippines, Cold Front Technologies Asia, Unimagma Philippine, Koppel, and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
TESDA Director General Isidro S. Lapeña, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Country Representative Teddy G. Monroy and Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Foreign-Assisted and Special Projects Service (DENR-FASPS) Director Al O. Orolfo hailed the momentous occasion.
TESDA Director General Isidro S. Lapeña highlighted the role of the hub in providing livelihood for Filipinos by training and upgrading their skills in priority sectors that include commercial and industrial refrigeration. UNIDO Country Representative Teddy G. Monroy underscored the role of innovation in the cold chain sector to address the challenges in food and energy security due to global events such as the war in Ukraine, the Covid 19 pandemic and climate change. DENR-FASPS Director Al O. Orolfo noted that while cold chains are vital for the economy, it must be developed in a sustainable and climate-friendly way and aligned with the country’s commitment to the Montreal Protocol and the Paris Agreement. (FCC Project/ Mae Valdez)
