How a Maine seafood processor had a commercial walk-in freezer running before day one

A seafood processor opening a new plant in Auburn, ME, USA needed a commercial walk-in freezer in place before its first production run. The plant makes seafood butter and soup on an IQF line, and every frozen case needed somewhere to go the moment it came off that line. ZGROUP delivered a ZSTORE 3XL that was running before production started, so the plant opened with its own freezer on site.

The challenge

A new plant has a hard deadline: the first batch. Once the IQF line starts, frozen product comes off it continuously and has to move into storage right away. Without a freezer on site, the options are all workarounds: trucking product to off-site cold storage, paying a third party to stage it, or slowing the line to match whatever space is available.

Each workaround adds handling, cost and risk to a product that depends on staying frozen. For a plant that was just starting up, the goal was simple: have frozen storage ready before the line ran, without tying the opening date to a construction project.

The solution

ZGROUP supplied a ZSTORE 3XL, three XL modules connected side by side into one open walk-in freezer with 960 ft² of floor space. Each XL module adds about 20 pallet positions, and because the modules share one space, fewer refrigeration units are needed per square foot than with single containers. Refrigeration is by Thermo King.

The unit was running before production started. From the first batch, finished product went straight from the IQF line into the freezer, with no off-site storage and no third-party staging.

The results

• 960 ft² of floor area
• Freezer storage on site, dedicated to frozen product
• No build: capacity added without permanent construction

The plant started production with its cold chain already in place: line, freezer, then shipping, all on one site.

When does modular seafood freezer storage make sense?

Modular seafood freezer storage fits best when the timeline matters more than the building. A few situations where it tends to be the right call:

• New plants and new lines. Units are delivered in under 60 days and installed in 2 to 5 days, with no civil works and minimal site prep, so storage can be ready before production starts.
• Replacing off-site storage. Keeping frozen product on site removes the trucking and handling between the line and a third-party warehouse.
• Uncertain volumes. Start with a 2XL and add XL modules as output grows. Each module adds 320 ft² and about 20 pallet positions.
• Mixed needs. Zones can run at different temperatures, so a cooler and a freezer can share one connected structure.

The cold storage line covers -40°F to +104°F (-40°C to +40°C), and ZTRACK remote monitoring reports temperature and alarms so the team knows the freezer is holding without walking out to check it.

Units are available to rent or to buy, come with a 5-year warranty, and can be moved and reinstalled at another site if the plant relocates or expands elsewhere.

Sizing frozen storage to the line

Size the freezer around how much finished product builds up between shipments, not around the line itself. Count the pallets you need to hold at your busiest point, then divide by about 20 pallet positions per XL module. Leave room to grow: more modules can be added later.

Commercial walk-in freezer: built-in or modular?

A built-in commercial walk-in freezer is assembled from insulated panels inside a building, so it waits for the building to be ready. A modular walk-in freezer like the ZSTORE XL arrives as finished modules, each with its own Thermo King refrigeration unit, and installs indoors or outdoors in 2 to 5 days. That is how this plant had frozen storage running before its first batch. A 3XL gives 960 ft² and about 60 pallet positions in one open room.

Compare the options on our walk-in freezer page.

Is it right for your operation?

If you are opening a plant, adding a line, or tired of paying to store frozen product off site, a modular freezer can be ready before your first batch. See how ZSTORE XL modular cold storage is configured, or talk to our team about your layout and volumes.