Refrigeration Industries and Storage Company (RISCO), which has evolved as a total logistics provider from its more simple days in the 1970s as a cold storage and warehousing firm, has won over some very high-profile clients who expect the highest calibre of services.

RISCO’s clients represent several business categories including suppliers of perishable goods in Kuwait and Iraq, co-operatives and supermarkets in Kuwait, local and foreign contractors for the coalition forces in Iraq and companies involved in the reconstruction there.
Most contracts require RISCO to take delivery of items from the port and store the chilled, frozen or dry products for dispatch to various destinations, particularly Iraq.
 “These contracts have been awarded to RISCO in appreciation of its track record,” said Adel A Sanad, manager of the logistics and stores division.
 The company launched services in cold storage and warehousing way back in 1976, adding in course of time supply chain and logistics solutions.
RISCO provides tran-sportation overland of all types of cargo such as frozen, chilled, dry, reefer/dry containers and bulk. Its services include customs clearance and international freight forwarding for land transportation as well as repair and maintenance of fleet vehicles of all makes. The company undertakes the cleaning and pre-trip inspection of refrigerated vans and boxes as well as repairs to reefer containers while also providing storage rentals and equipment for rent. The equipment available includes generator sets, forklifts, steel pallets and pallet transporters. Another facet of RISCO’s services is project development and management support for general warehousing and storage. These services cover maintenance and computerised warehouse management systems.
Two of the company’s cold storage facilities are located at the Vegetable Market in Shuwaikh and at Shuwaikh Harbour, while the third warehouse is only for dry products, located at Al Dajeej, Farwaniya, near Kuwait International Airport. 
RISCO’s total warehouse volume capacity is 125,000 cu m, of which 8,445 cu m is for chilled items and 14,580 cu m for frozen. A large area of 76,975 cu m has been allotted for “convertible storage – chilled/frozen and dry” and another 25,000 cu m is available at Al Dajeej.
Sanad said the cold stores at the Vegetable Market would be expanded to provide an additional volume of 9,000 cu m. The volume there is currently 70,000 cu m and work on the expansion will begin in mid-2006. The official also said efforts were in progress to present the cold store facilities at Shuwaikh Port as a bonded warehouse and that a feasibility study was underway to turn the Al Dajeej warehouse into a documents store with state-of-the-art information technology.
RISCO sees strong potential for trading in containers. “The management’s attention for 2006 will concentrate heavily on the business of buying, refurbishing, selling and maintaining refrigerated seaworthy containers,” said Sanad, adding the company was expecting good business in the summer season.  Other initiatives he spoke about relate to an advertising campaign with regards to the division’s products and services and the re-energising of its marketing and development efforts, particularly in the transport business.
Both cold stores at the Vegetable Market and at the port have sophisticated refrigeration facilities to handle temperature ranges from –25 degrees C to 25 degrees C as well as the latest handling equipment to guarantee proper storage and prompt service. The equipment includes 47 pallet transporters, 13 reach trucks and four forklifts (all battery operated) and eight other diesel-operated forklifts. The temperature and relative humidity levels are accurately adjusted according to the type of goods and customer requirements.
“Round-the-clock maintenance and supervision of refrigeration plant operations and storage conditions are strictly enforced and all operations are fully controlled and monitored by a state-of-the-art warehouse management system using the latest wireless radio barcoded applications,” said Sanad. “Thus, store operations are fully computerised for efficient storing, inventory control, issuance and distribution. These facilitate a ‘first in, first out’ principle. It confirms that product safety critical control points and procedures are entirely applied and, as a result, product and food safety hazards can be prevented, eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level.”
Sanad stressed that the guidelines for logistics and warehousing operations were based on international standards set by agencies including the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW), USA; the World Food Logistics Operations (WFLO) and the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR), France. The Lloyd’s Register of Shipping classifies RISCO as a refrigerated store. The company won US Centcom approval for logistics operations in the region.
The company also ensures that the standby generator set functions 100 per cent once normal power failure is encountered. The power unit is fully equipped with auto transfer system and activates within 18 seconds while fuel and water reserve storage facilities can adequately function for several days. The high- and low-tension power supply is connected to the main ring system with Kuwait’s Ministry of Water and Electricity.
With a surge in demand for transport and distribution services in mid-2003, RISCO increased its fleet from 5 to 207 units.  There was another fleet expansion in 2005, raising the fleet strength to 241.  The company can provide transport from Kuwait to any point in Iraq and the Gulf countries and also to places in Europe depending on the agreement.  
To support the transport department, a fleet maintenance department was created to ensure that the division’s transport services functioned smoothly. The move also underscored the importance of the company as a one-stop shop for logistics services.
“Our vision and mission is to continuously provide a high quality of supply chain solutions to ensure customer satisfaction and to uphold and maintain RISCO’s trademark of service excellence and its reputation as the leading company and pioneer in this line of business,” Sanad said.