Northbay Polaris remains cool amidst challenges
Cool as Ice: Northbay Polaris Overcomes Challenges in Cold Storage with Meralco Biz
The freshness of food is essential to every delicious meal as it impacts each person’s health and well-being. Behind the scenes, cold storage facilities make this possible by locking in flavor and quality for consumers. And for James Daniel Udquin, president of Northbay Polaris Cold Storage, Inc. (Polaris), this mission is deeply personal. Inspired by his father's dream of protecting food security for future generations, Udquin has successfully braved the cold and transformed Polaris into an industry trailblazer – with the critical support of Meralco Biz especially during its early days.
Northbay Polaris Cold Storage, Inc. President, James Daniel Udquin
Udquin and his family are primarily in the business of importing frozen products. Before starting Polaris, they experienced losses from delays and missing items during withdrawals with their cold storage providers. These problems eventually prompted them to build their own facility with a centralized system for retrieving meat, marine, farm, and poultry products in just 15 minutes instead of two hours with the manual processes. This made them the only fully digitalized cold storage warehouse in Navotas City.
As they designed Polaris from scratch, they also began with a crucial requirement: electricity.
Ready to empower entrepreneurs with a power demand of 5 to 499 kW at any stage of their business journey, Meralco Biz provided a FREE Power Consult to Udquin’s team during their planning stage. This led to Polaris' safe and hassle-free energization, allowing them to jumpstart their operations ahead of schedule.
Udquin commended Meralco for providing the much-needed electricity supply on time. This gave them ample time to conduct a series of tests before opening and running their facility. The simulations involve cooling down the facility to test the compressors, bringing it back to ambient temperature to check for any cracks in the walls or floors, and then cooling it down again. Because the process takes about five days per cycle, they could have suffered financial losses or equipment issues if there had been energization delays.
As the company went ahead with its operations, Meralco ensured Polaris’ reliable and continuous power supply. This is particularly essential for a cold storage business, as power interruptions would have a significant financial impact; the products will spoil and they would need to pay their clients for damaged goods.
Udquin proudly shared that they haven’t had to use their generator set since 2023. This spared them almost Php 30,000 per day on diesel fuel alone, which is needed to operate their warehouse should there be any power interruption. More than the cost of operating a generator, Polaris can minimize the potential risks that come along with power interruptions as they work closely with Meralco Biz.
Future-forward with Meralco Biz
Promoting sustainable energy practices is part of Udquin’s vision for Polaris. To bring this vision to life, he worked with MSpectrum, a solar power company built with Meralco’s energy expertise and service standards. Meralco’s subsidiary installed solar panels at the Polaris warehouse in 2023, which generated almost Php 1 million in savings for the first year.
He also signed up for Meralco's Zero Export solution to ensure the safety of their operations and the stability of the power supply as they use their solar panels.
"It's important for us to implement energy management strategies to help reduce our costs. We are grateful that Meralco introduced an alternative solution that allows us to save as well as reduce our carbon footprint, contributing to cleaner energy through our solar panels," Udquin said.
Looking ahead, Udquin shared that the savings generated from using solar energy will likewise fund the growth of their business. "We are currently in the planning stage of our expansion. Once it's finished, we will be one of the biggest cold storage facilities in Navotas City," he said.
And with Meralco Biz by his side, Udquin affirmed, "Our vision is to be on par with the best cold storage facilities in other countries and be one of those companies that promote clean energy. By partnering with Meralco, we are on our way to achieving those goals.”
Mindful of how electricity plays a crucial role in the overall operations of any business, Senior Assistant Vice President and Head of Meralco Biz Engr. Roberto Galang assured, “Meralco Biz is your reliable partner that not only ensures dependable and sustainable power supply. Beyond powering up your business, we also offer future-ready services and innovative solutions designed to empower entrepreneurs at every stage of their business journey.
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