DUBAI, UAE, 25 February 2020: If you only talk about the price, you shortchange yourself in terms of the shelf life of the product, said Bryan Lim, Managing Director, Teko Asia Refrigeration. Lim pointed out that in the Middle East market, further education has to be carried out, as price continues to take precedence over the durability or reliability of refrigeration equipment. “We talk about the quality and shelf life, how long it should last for the customer before we talk about price, and that’s a big difference in terms of how we look at things and how customers look at things,” said Lim, who added that this is the main bottleneck the company faces when trying to promote its more innovative products that can better ensure clients’ food quality.

Lim stressed that clients operating in the food sector should ensure the highest food quality and must be willing to invest in it. “We are in the business of providing freshness to the food,” he said. “What I see is that, more often than not, people don’t understand it, and they have a refrigeration system that has not been selected well, which means eventually, the food doesn’t last long.” Lim said the problem is aggravated by the decreasing number of specialised consultants and contractors in the market, who would be in the best position to explain the payback of investing in reliable refrigeration systems to clients. “Because every product has different requirements and specifications,” he said. “For example, packed meat and unpacked meat require different kind of temperature and humidity. All this has to be understood.”