Let’s start with some numbers: 30,000 pallet positions, 45 dock doors, 90 temperature-controlled loading docks— reported to be the biggest in the industry—and 58 drop trailer positions and two deep racking.

Those numbers reflect a partnership between RL Cold and Maersk to create a cold storage distribution facility. The project faced several challenges from the start, said the general contractor. “The Baytown project kicked off when the world was still in the throes of a supply chain crisis. Restrictions on materials were very much an issue,” Primus Builders said in its contest submittal. “This required the team to be agile during procurement, obtaining materials when they were available, storing them on site and managing a very fluid situation.”

For example, the project manager was able to locate polyiso insulation but had to procure it months in advance of installation. This wasn’t ideal, but a necessity, as crews had to make onsite space, increase security and store it until it was time to install.