• Cold Chain Unbroken 2025 in Hyderabad reinforced India’s role as a hub for temperature-controlled logistics, bringing together over 250 delegates, international exhibitors, and policy stakeholders to discuss, showcase, and deploy innovations across air, sea, and surface networks.
• The event highlighted the rapid adoption of digital visibility, AI predictive systems, and modern refrigerated trucking by small and medium operators, demonstrating tangible improvements in supply chain reliability for pharmaceuticals, perishables, and vaccines.
• CCUB has strengthened government-private sector collaboration, aligning with Telangana’s logistics strategy and India’s National Logistics Policy, while setting the stage for 2026 to expand exhibition space, explore dedicated reefer corridors, and extend cold chain solutions to agriculture, fisheries, and multimodal transport integration.

The 2025 edition of Cold Chain Unbroken (CCUB) —held in Hyderabad—did not merely reaffirm the event’s standing as the country’s leading forum for cold chain and pharmaceutical logistics. It symbolised a deeper institutional shift in how public and private stakeholders are converging to shape the future of temperature-controlled transport across air, sea, and surface networks.

From a modest thought-leadership gathering to a platform for policy dialogue, innovation launches, and commercial partnerships, CCUB 2025 marked a new scale of ambition. “The energy this year has been extraordinary,” said Satish Lakkaraju, founder and chief architect of CCUB and CEO of Nexgen Logistics in exclusive interview with Air Cargo Week. “Day two alone saw over 250 delegates—beyond what we expected. It shows how vital cold chain logistics has become to the wider logistics ecosystem,” asserted Satish.

From awareness to industry acceleration

Lakkaraju reflected on the journey since CCUB’s inception, highlighting how awareness and capability have evolved. “We’ve made tremendous progress since the first edition,” he said. “Awareness around product integrity, patient safety, and the end farmer has grown. During COVID, the technologies and containers used for vaccine transport were first showcased at CCUB. That tells you how closely innovation here aligns with global supply chain needs.”

Indeed, CCUB’s influence has extended beyond discussion to real deployment. Over successive editions, India has seen measurable progress in temperature-controlled trucking, digital visibility, and the adoption of AI-led predictive systems for perishables and pharmaceuticals. According to Lakkaraju, the once-fragmented trucking segment—long seen as a bottleneck—has now become an active participant in cold chain development. “We’ve moved from talking about pain points to implementing solutions,” he noted. “Technology adoption by small and medium trucking operators is accelerating, which is essential for scalability.”

Expanding the global dimension

The 2025 edition also stood out for its global reach. With record participation from international exhibitors and logistics players, Hyderabad has effectively positioned itself as South Asia’s cold chain capital. “We started as a small gathering of thought leaders,” said Dhiren Lakkaraju, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer Unbroken Cold Chain Services Pvt. Ltd. and the event’s young co-organiser. “Today, it’s the launchpad for global cold chain innovations. Many companies see CCUB as their entry point into India.”

Among those milestones was the unveiling of ONE Line’s new reefer solution, marking the first time an international maritime carrier launched a refrigerated cargo service at an Indian industry forum. “Such collaborations demonstrate how CCUB is now influencing the global cold chain ecosystem from within India,” Dhiren observed.

The organisers now aim to expand the exhibition footprint for the event’s fifth anniversary edition in 2026. The challenge, they admit, is logistical: cold chain solutions are physically large, requiring significant display infrastructure. “You can’t sell what the customer can’t touch,” said Dhiren. “We’ll provide more space next year—Hyderabad will remain our anchor city, given its ecosystem strength in pharma, packaging, and vaccines.”

Government partnership and policy synergy

CCUB’s success has also drawn alignment with state and national logistics policies. Telangana’s proactive logistics strategy and India’s National Logistics Policy (NLP) have provided a framework for integrating cold chain priorities—ranging from multimodal connectivity to regulatory simplification.

“The government’s support is not peripheral; it’s central to our progress,” Lakkaraju said.

“The Prime Minister’s vision of multimodal logistics corridors is materialising, and the cold chain is an integral part of that. The next phase will see stronger convergence between policy and private innovation.”

One of the most significant policy-linked themes emerging from CCUB 2025 was the need to extend cold chain coverage to India’s agricultural and fisheries exports. “We’ve focused successfully on pharma and vaccines,” Lakkaraju explained. “But we now need to replicate that success in perishable food and maritime sectors—mangoes, fish, vegetables, and temperature-sensitive goods. That’s where the next growth frontier lies.”

The Road ahead: CCUB 2026 and beyond

As the curtains closed on CCUB 2025, planning for its landmark fifth edition was already underway. Both Satish and Dhiren confirmed that Cold Chain Unbroken 2026 will expand into a larger exhibition-led format, focusing on three dimensions: next-generation packaging, refrigerated freight corridors, and sustainable multimodal integration.

“Our dream project is a dedicated reefer-controlled freight corridor connecting key ports and airports,” said Satish. “If Hyderabad succeeds in demonstrating this, it could be a model replicated across India’s logistics gateways.”

With industry heavyweights, shipping lines, and policymakers pledging continued engagement, CCUB has become more than an event—it is now an institution shaping India’s cold chain transformation. As the 2026 edition looms, the challenge will be to translate dialogue into deployment and ambition into measurable logistics reform.

“Change is constant,” Satish Lakkaraju concluded. “If we don’t adapt, we fall behind. CCUB’s mission has always been to stay one step ahead—and bring the entire industry with us.”