The temperatures inside Port of Wilmington Cold Storage (PWCS) may be below freezing, but the demand for cold storage in North Carolina is red hot. PWCS is a new, 101,000 square foot refrigerated warehouse used to maintain specific temperatures for the storage of perishable goods, such as fruits, vegetables and proteins. The warehouse is located within the gates at the Port of Wilmington and is not only the first in-port cold storage facility in North Carolina, but one of a select few such facilities in the entire nation.
Cold storage facilities allow companies to distribute their perishable goods locally, nationally, and globally. According to industry analysts, 88 percent of the demand for refrigerated storage is from the food industry, with the remaining 12 percent consumed mainly by pharmaceutical, floral and fur producers that require temperature-controlled storage. Pharmaceutical companies, in particular, are expected to increase their demand for cold storage as they increase production of temperature controlled vaccines and biologic drugs for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and Type 2 diabetes.