Coimbatore has emerged as a key hub for reefer containers in the last few years and several companies have set up base in this city to provide their expertise in this domain. Hosanna Container is one of them. The company has carved a niche for itself in insulated as well as reefer containers. M K Prabhakar caught up with the trio of Managing Director S Vijayakumar, CEO H Hariharan and Marketing Manager John Ebin at the company’s factory premises where they spoke about the company’s history, the specialty of its containers, its quality focus and future plans
Hosanna Container was established three decades ago in 1990. However, it was focused on something else. “Initially we were engaged in the manufacture of the superstructure of commercial vehicles. We established ourselves in this field in quick time. It was in 2014 that we decided to fully concentrate on manufacturing reefer and insulated containers,” states Managing Director S Vijayakumar, who has vast technical experience in the commercial vehicle bodybuilding sector. CEO Hariharan adds that the company is now focused on manufacturing only reefer and insulated containers for such sectors as food, pharmaceuticals and dairy and cold chain products.
“We use imported zinc-coated galvanised steel for our steel containers. Galvanised steel is known for its high corrosion resistance which is up to 100 times better than uncoated regular steel,” Marketing Manager John Ebin explains. The construction using galvanised steel and light-weighted aluminium composite, stainless steel creates a protective cage around the cargo. The combination of the design and material strategy is such that while it offers strength, sustainability in all road terrains and long running life, it also saves weight while increasing payload life. This combination results in fuel savings and increased productivity.
According to Hariharan, the company also ensures that cost-wise the products are affordable to everyone. He further adds: “There are viewable parts and hidden parts. Even in the hidden parts we are using non-corrosive material to ensure low thermal conductivity.” Hygiene and air ventilation are the two key important factors for transporting food or pharmaceutical products in reefer containers. It becomes essential to maintain a uniform temperature inside the container. The floors of the containers made by the company are designed for free circulation of air around the cargo. The flooring in these containers is fully sealed and unique technology ensures a 100% leak-proof container.
Similarly, watertight floors are designed with ‘L’ beam inserts and non-skid surfaces as well as stainless steel or aluminium ‘T’ flooring, which are ideal for palletised load. “We never compromise on the quality. You can take a look at the material that we are using and you will understand what I am talking about. Secondly, we offer several variants in reefer and insulated containers made of metal i.e. galvanised iron, special composite aluminium and machine-pressed corrugated or flat exterior for enhanced branding,” Hariharan informs.
Focus on Strength and Weight
“If you see the construction of our reefer containers, it is usually in stainless steel and zinc-coated galvanised iron. This combination is to make the containers rust-free. The final advantage is that even though we offer excellent quality, cost-wise almost everybody can afford our reefer and insulated containers,” Hariharan says. “We provide additional layers of coat during painting. This ensures perfection in exterior surfaces to sustain all kinds of weather conditions. While this may appear like a relatively small thing, we make sure that things are done right. From end to end, quality can be found in every segment of our product. And we are still working to improve and innovate. It is this approach of no compromise on quality that has been driving our growth,” he elaborates.
PUF Insulation
Excellent insulation is another highlight of the company’s reefer containers. Hariharan explains that they infuse insulation with a density of 40 kg – 42 kg per cubic metre and its PUF (polyurethane foam insulation) technique creates superior bonding between the exterior and interior walls, while offering excellent insulation. “This can raise the heavy level of temperature-holding capacity in our reefers and insulated containers. It also ensures 100% desired temperature control,” he says. “The higher density of the foam while providing superior insulation, also ensures lower reefer unit running load on the diesel engine, thereby ensuring fuel saving,” he adds.
“Anybody can say ‘quality’ and sell a product. However, a customer has to ‘experience’ the quality. We excel in metal container variants. Our customised solutions are a preferred choice. Based on different applications, customers will demand different types of special designs such as moveable or fixed vertical or horizontal partitions, multi-temperature, multi-deck, shelves, special unloading doors, etc. Retail customers will have their own demands. Similarly, manufacturers or fleet owners will have their own unique needs,” Vijayakumar points out. The company is right now supplying its products to most parts of India.
“Our aim is to grow step by step. We will be operating in almost every part of India soon. So far as exports are concerned, we are not doing it right now. However, once we catch the market throughout India, we will definitely want to go for exports,” he mentions. The company’s research and development is 100% indigenous. Vijayakumar with his vast experience in this line heads the research and development efforts too. Robust infrastructure has been another key reason for the company’s consistent growth over the years. The manufacturing facility is spread across a sprawling 52,000 sq. feet area and is equipped to deliver around 40-45 vehicles per month – numbers which are expected to increase soon.
“We have a team of 60-70 people working for us. We also outsource certain processes whenever we have additional requirements. In fact, we are absolutely geared to increase our production capacity five-fold,” Vijayakumar reveals. What about tie-ups with OEMs? Is the company looking to work on this front? Replying to this question, Hariharan says, “We are looking for OEM tie-ups. We expect some positive news soon on this front. We are already doing work for many of the OEMs. They too are looking for good manufacturers of reefer containers. Remember, they too don’t want their reputation to go down in the market.”
Optimistic Outlook
Vijayakumar further adds that the company is educating people about the advantages of reefer containers. “The government too is encouraging cold chain logistics. We now have excellent road infrastructure. Pollution has also decreased due to these reasons. I feel that we too are making our own small and humble contribution in this growth story of building the cold chain infrastructure of our nation,” he states. The company has had to face certain challenges during the ongoing pandemic. “Yes, we too had to face the negative backlash just like other companies. However, we followed all the guidelines. We kept in place SOPs like checking temperature, use of sanitizer, washing hands regularly, etc. During the early days of the pandemic, our business took a 10% hit,” Vijayakumar shares.
“However, things improved after a couple of months and we are back to normal business levels,” he adds. On a concluding note, when asked to spell out the company’s vision for the next five years or so, Vijayakumar states: “Our vision by that time would be to deliver around 900-1,000 vehicles per annum of all sizes and serve every part of our country in this industry. We would like to maintain our quality focus and come out with further innovations while we attain these numbers. Right from our inception, our growth has been only through word-of-mouth marketing, which is perhaps the best form of advertising. This is again a testimonial to our quality focus. In the future too we would like a major part of our promotion to happen through word-of-mouth.”