Tan Long is an industrial cold storage contractor active since 2005 and has delivered 29 projects in Vietnam. Unlike trading-style contractors, Tan Long manufactures its own refrigeration equipment at its own factory in Duc Hoa 1 Industrial Park, Tay Ninh (formerly Long An) — from IQF freezer conveyors and contact plate freezers to evaporative condensers.
| Founded | 2005 |
| Projects delivered | 29 |
| Largest project | 30,000-pallet cold store · 12,000 MT frozen store |
| Refrigerants mastered | NH3, CO2, Freon, Glycol |
| Manufacturing plant | Duc Hoa 1 Industrial Park, Tay Ninh |
| Scope | Design – Manufacture – Supply – Installation – Commissioning – Maintenance |
Three kinds of cold storage contractor in the market — and the real difference
When a cold storage project goes out to tender, the investor usually receives quotations from three fundamentally different kinds of company. Knowing which kind is quoting you is the first step to comparing the offers correctly.
| Type | What they actually do | Strength | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panel / civil contractor | Specialises in the warehouse shell and insulated panels | Competitive shell pricing, fast erection | The refrigeration scope is usually subcontracted to another company |
| Trading contractor | Imports equipment and installs it | Wide choice of brands | Dependent on import delivery schedules; slow repairs; hard to customise to the site layout |
| In-house manufacturing contractor | Owns an equipment manufacturing plant | Controls its own schedule, can customise, repairs quickly | Very few companies in Vietnam can do this |
Tan Long belongs to the third type. This is a verifiable difference, not a marketing claim: at the Kyokuyo Vina Foods project, 17 of the 33 main equipment sets were built by Tan Long itself — including all 08 high-speed IQF freezer conveyors, the contact plate freezers, 04 flake ice machines and 04 evaporative condensers.
How Tan Long delivers a cold storage project
| Stage | Content | What the investor receives |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Site survey | Measuring the site, confirming throughput and the temperature range of each zone | Survey report |
| 2. Load calculation and design | Cooling load calculated from actual processing capacity; refrigerant and compressor configuration selected | Design drawings, technical specification, itemised quotation |
| 3. Manufacturing | Equipment produced at the Duc Hoa 1 Industrial Park plant | Production schedule, factory acceptance test |
| 4. Installation | Erecting the shell, installing equipment, connecting piping and control wiring | Site log |
| 5. Commissioning and acceptance | Pressure test, vacuum pump-down, refrigerant charging, fine-tuning down to the design temperature | Acceptance records, as-built documentation |
| 6. Handover and maintenance | Operator training, scheduled maintenance | Operating procedures, maintenance schedule |
Six questions to ask before choosing a cold storage contractor
These six questions separate a contractor with real capability from a company that is only an intermediary. Tan Long encourages investors to put the same six questions to every bidder.
- What is the cooling load based on? If the answer is “the floor area of the room”, keep asking. The load must be calculated from processing throughput, the incoming temperature of the product and the number of door openings.
- Which equipment do you manufacture yourselves, and which do you import? This determines both the schedule and how fast repairs can be made later.
- Does the quotation itemise the safety scope? On an NH3 system, leak detection sensors, emergency ventilation and safety valves are the items most often cut to lower the price.
- Does the system leave room for expansion? Raising output after two or three years is normal for a factory.
- Which comparable projects have you completed? Ask for a specific list with project sizes, not just a wall of client logos.
- Who is responsible for maintenance after handover? If the refrigeration scope was built by a different company, responsibility tends to be passed back and forth when something fails.
Projects delivered by Tan Long
| Factory | Size |
|---|---|
| Meito Vietnam – Tan Duc Industrial Park | 30,000-pallet cold store, NH3 system |
| Nichirei TBA Logistics | 20,000-pallet cold store (~165,600 m³) |
| Frescol Tuna Vietnam | 12,000 MT frozen store, 06 air blast freezing tunnels |
| Kyokuyo Vina Foods | 08 high-speed IQF freezer conveyors, 4,300 kg/h |
| Saigon Food | NH3 refrigeration system for 04 production workshops |
| Lotte F&G Vietnam | Combined three-refrigerant system: CO2, NH3 and R404 |
| Agrex Saigon | 05 consecutive projects, 1,000-pallet cold store |
See all 29 projects — each page lists the equipment actually delivered.
Types of cold storage Tan Long builds
- Cold storage and frozen storage for processing plants
- Pallet-rental cold stores for cold chain logistics
- Chiller rooms for fresh produce, vegetables and dairy
- Air Blast Tunnel Freezers and contact freezer
- Freezing lines: IQF freezing for seafood and vegetables
- NH3 refrigeration serving the whole plant
What a cold storage installation actually covers
Cold storage installation is the step that turns design drawings into a working warehouse. It covers five groups of work: the insulated shell, the floor, the cold storage doors, the refrigeration system and the electrical control system. Tan Long takes on all five, so the investor does not have to coordinate several contractors on the same site.
| Category | Work involved | Where faults commonly arise |
|---|---|---|
| Insulated warehouse shell | Erecting wall and ceiling panels, sealing the joints, applying airtight silicone | Open joints cause condensation and cold loss |
| Warehouse floor | Waterproofing layer, insulation layer, sub-floor frost protection, load-bearing finish | Skipping sub-floor frost protection in a deep-freeze room makes the floor heave after a few seasons |
| Cold storage door | Sliding or hinged doors, sealing gaskets, frame heater elements, PVC strip curtains | A door out of square leaves the gasket open and the room cannot hold temperature |
| Refrigeration system | Installing the compressor pack, air coolers, condensers, piping, insulation and refrigerant charging | Poorly sealed pipe insulation causes condensation and cold loss |
| Electrical and control | Power distribution boards, control panels, temperature sensors, fault alarms | Without alarms, a fault is only discovered once the goods are already spoiled |
Typical panel thickness by temperature range
| Warehouse type | Operating temperature | Typical panel thickness |
|---|---|---|
| Cool storage | 0°C to 5°C | 75 – 100 mm |
| Deep-freeze store | -18°C to -25°C | 100 – 150 mm |
| Freezer | -35°C to -40°C | 150 – 200 mm |
The final thickness is confirmed after the cooling load has been calculated for each room, because it also depends on the daily intake volume, the number of door openings and the climate at the plant location. Tan Long uses PIR or PU panels depending on the project's fire rating requirement and budget.
Schedule and acceptance
A cold storage installation runs as a sequence: the site is handed over and the floor built first, then the shell is erected and the doors fitted, and only then are the refrigeration and electrical systems installed. Each milestone has its own acceptance record, so the investor controls progress item by item instead of waiting until the end of the project.
- Shell acceptance: checking airtightness, flatness and joint sealing.
- Refrigeration system acceptance: pipe tightness test, vacuum pump-down, refrigerant charging, trial run down to the design temperature.
- Electrical and control acceptance: checking sensors, alarm thresholds and compressor duty-rotation mode.
- Hand over: as-built drawings, commissioning records, operating instructions and the maintenance schedule.
Selected projects delivered by Tan Long
- NECS New Era cold storage, Tay Ninh: refrigeration contractor for a 102,642 pallet-position facility. The scope covered refrigeration equipment, NH3 piping, electrical controls, PLC and SCADA, commissioning and handover across three consecutive phases from 2024 to 2026.
- AJ Total Vietnam automated cold storage, Long Hau Industrial Park: refrigeration contractor for a centre of approximately 30,700 pallet positions, combining an ASRS automated freezer store with a conventional Double Deep store, plus an air duct system distributing cold air through the high-bay store.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a cold storage contractor actually do?
A turnkey cold storage contractor performs six steps: site survey, cooling load calculation and system design, manufacture or supply of equipment, installation of the shell and the refrigeration system, commissioning and acceptance, and maintenance after handover. If the contractor only builds the shell and subcontracts the refrigeration scope, responsibility is split in two when a fault occurs.
How do you tell a genuinely capable cold storage contractor from the rest?
Ask three questions: what is the cooling load based on (it must be processing throughput, not floor area), which equipment the company manufactures itself, and who is responsible for maintenance after handover. You should also ask for a specific project list with sizes rather than only looking at client logos.
Does Tan Long manufacture its own equipment?
Yes. Tan Long builds IQF freezer conveyors, contact plate freezers, air blast freezers, flake ice machines and evaporative condensers at its plant in Duc Hoa 1 Industrial Park, Tay Ninh. Specialist equipment such as Mycom compressors and Güntner air coolers is imported from the manufacturer. On the Kyokuyo Vina Foods project, 17 of the 33 main equipment sets were built by Tan Long.
How many cold storage projects has Tan Long completed?
29 projects in Vietnam since 2005, covering seafood, food and beverage processing plants and cold chain logistics centres. The largest are a 30,000-pallet cold store at Meito Vietnam (Tan Duc Industrial Park) and a 12,000 MT frozen store at Frescol Tuna Vietnam. See the full list.
What determines the cost of building a cold store?
It depends on the total cooling load, the required temperature range, the floor area and height of the rooms, the refrigerant selected, the level of automation and the site conditions. When comparing quotations, ask for an itemised breakdown — a cheaper quotation has usually cut the safety scope or the control scope.
Does Tan Long repair cold stores built by other contractors?
Yes. Tan Long carries out scheduled maintenance and fault rectification on cold stores and industrial refrigeration systems, including systems installed by other companies. Call 0933 357 058 (Mr. Thinh) to arrange a survey.
How long does a cold storage installation take?
The duration depends on the floor area, the temperature range and how ready the site is. After the survey, Tan Long fixes milestone dates for each work package in the contract itself, rather than giving only a single final handover date.
Which factors drive cold storage installation costs?
Four factors carry the most weight: the operating temperature range (which sets panel thickness and machine capacity), the room volume, the floor treatment method, and the refrigerant used. Tan Long quotes item by item so the investor can compare the offer against other bidders.
Can Tan Long build only the shell if the investor already has a refrigeration system?
Yes. Tan Long can take on the shell alone — panels, floor and cold storage doors — or the refrigeration system alone. Note, however, that when the scopes are split between contractors it becomes hard to hold one party responsible if the room fails to reach temperature; this should be agreed in the contract beforehand.
Request a site survey and cold storage quotation
Tan Long surveys the site, calculates the cooling load from actual processing capacity and quotes item by item. Call 0933 357 058 (Mr. Thinh) or send a quotation request.
Related technical reading
Related pages
- NH3 refrigeration systems – turnkey design and installation
- Industrial refrigeration systems – types and applications
- Cold storage installation to standard – step by step
- About Tan Long – industrial cold storage contractor since 2005
- Industrial cold storage design consultancy
- Industrial cold storage maintenance
