Tim Ludwig, chief commercial officer at Congebec, serves as chair of the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) Board of Directors. He started his career in the cold chain with a part-time job order picking ice cream on the night shift. Image courtesy of GCCA

In April, Tim Ludwig, chief commercial officer at Quebec-based temperature-controlled warehousing and distribution business Congebec, began his second year as chair of the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) Board of Directors.

With the organization’s governance newly consolidated into a single, unified GCCA board, he is leading the organization into a new era.

Ludwig answers five questions about key issues for the GCCA and the global cold chain in 2026.

How is the cold chain responding to the ongoing global shifts in trade, supply chains and geopolitics?

Supply chains are facing repeated disruption on a global scale and the cold chain is adapting effectively to changes as they occur. It is difficult for businesses to anticipate with certainty about what comes next — the reality is that we are living in an era of disruption. Businesses are increasingly structuring their operations to plan for ;disruptions, with resiliency designed into systems. GCCA members around the world are focusing on ensuring we can keep the food supply chain moving. We are proud of our ability to keep feeding the world.

As we are adapting to fast-changing global supply chains, the cold chain is also steering the changes over which we can assert more control – such as managing the impacts of consolidation at an industry level, embracing new technologies and investing in future skills.

Which GCCA board priority are you most excited to address in your second year as chair?

I am proud to continue GCCA’s momentum in several key areas, and a particular focus for me will be how GCCA can tell the story of the cold chain. This is becoming increasingly important for our members: it matters in building relationships with customers and supply chain partners, and it matters on how governments make investment and policy decisions.

Too many policymakers still do not understand enough about what we do. GCCA is pressing for ;greater recognition of the food supply chain as critical infrastructure, delivering an invaluable and essential role in the food ecosystem.

Governments need to understand how close to “real time” we operate. The catastrophic Pacific Northwest floods in 2021 are a prime example: when that happened, we needed to quickly reroute food through another country to reach parts of Western Canada. When supply chain disruptions occur, governments should actively engage cold chain operators as key partners in developing solutions.

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There is a similar lack of understanding about the cold chain’s fundamental role in food safety. Supporting customers in a food recall situation, for example, is an enormous operation to accomplish. It is extremely time sensitive and the tolerance for error is zero.

It is time for the cold chain industry to tell its own story. While external forecasters have spent years predicting explosive growth in cold storage demand, the reality is more measured: our industry has grown steadily and sustainably, guided by deep knowledge of customer needs and a commitment to long-term investment.

How is the relationship between cold chain 3PLs and food manufacturers evolving?

The food manufacturing business is incredibly complex. By concentrating on one challenging but very specific area, cold chain 3PLs can provide great expertise and a singular focus on supply chain management. We can leverage collective buying power and create a highly efficient and focused supply chain, allowing food manufacturers to focus on other areas of their business.

It's an ever-evolving conversation. During COVID there was less capacity, which shifted perceptions. Much has changed since then: capacity is now generally available to support our customers and businesses are able to pivot to ensure that can provide the required services in the right place with the right capacity at the right time. Many customers are shifting to a balance between “just in case” and “just in time” and revisiting, with support from their cold chain partner, the optimum approach for their supply chain.

How can the industry encourage more young people into cold chain careers?

I am very passionate about this topic, having started in our industry with a part-time job during university, order picking in the ice cream freezer on the evening shift. We must show young professionals that working in the temperature-controlled supply chain provides a unique skill set, which opens up a range of roles and opportunities. And while our industry is global in scale, the community is still quite small. You are truly able to build a life-long career and establish wonderful relationships across the industry.

There are exciting new job opportunities as our industry embraces innovation. Many GCCA members are leaders in automation technology. The scale of data our operations produce is both a challenge and an opportunity. We are already working to understand how artificial intelligence (AI) can help us use that data more effectively, with a clear focus on delivering value to our customers. Tolerance for risk in the food supply chain is very low. Right now, AI is in a supporting role, but there will be a transition to a greater role in coordinating and directing supply chain activity. We are learning on a daily basis how best to utilize this technology as it continues to develop and mature.

Advancing sustainability also presents exciting opportunities for our industry. I am particularly interested in the cold chain's potential to play an active role in managing energy from low- or zero-carbon sources. As policies evolve and technologies improve, cold storage facilities could effectively act as large-scale "cold batteries" — absorbing and storing energy during periods of excess supply from renewable sources.

Because refrigeration systems in these facilities are already highly automated, the additional infrastructure investment required would be relatively modest. Innovations like these will open a wide range of new career opportunities within our industry.

How is GCCA serving its members in navigating this era of industry transformation?

The changes in our industry have been reflected in the makeup of GCCA. Over the past year, leadership has examined those changes and pivoted towards our key goals for the future. Through this process we have set out a clear vision, steering the development of our next multi-year plan. While food warehousing continues to be a central priority, GCCA is committed to broadening its membership to more fully represent the wider refrigerated supply chain industry and the diverse range of products it handles.

International trade is playing an increasingly important role in the global food supply chain. GCCA is strengthening its global network to reflect this — giving regional voices a platform, helping reduce food waste and supporting efforts to improve food security worldwide.

GCCA also plays a vital role in helping members build resilience. We bring together people from across the world, creating the relationships and shared knowledge needed to tackle tomorrow's challenges. By learning from one another and speaking with a collective voice, our members are far stronger together – ensuring the cold chain perspective is heard clearly by customers, governments and regulators alike.

Demand for refrigerated and frozen food continues to grow in the developing world and the global cold chain has a wonderful opportunity to provide safe and nutritious food to more people around the world. The core challenge is being able to provide what is needed, in the right place and at the right cost. GCCA is proud to help lead this crucial conversation.