Industrial Refrigeration (IR) was originally conceived in 1958 when Mr.Ramprasad Ruia pioneered Car Air Conditioning in India. Mr. Ruia decided to name his company Gorakhram Haribux (GH), after his ancestors, Gorakhram & Haribux.
Car-Air Conditioning was followed by Room Air Conditioning. Over the years, GH’s portfolio grew by the addition of Refrigerant gases, Solenoid Valves, Expansion Valves, Thermostats, Controls, Refrigeration Quality Copper Tubes, etc.
IR was eventually spun off as a separate private limited company – Industrial Refrigeration Private Limited (IRL).
In 1974, IR established a factory at Andheri, Mumbai for assembling Car Air conditioners, Room Air Conditioners, Cooling Coils, Ice Plants and Tube Kits for the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration industry.
It was a really difficult period up until the late 1990s, since the government used to consider Refrigeration and Air Conditioning a Luxury Industry. This Industry attracted heavy taxation in the form of import duties and Excise Duty, totaling up to a whopping 200% for some products. IR never believed in short-term gains from evasion of taxes, and it was an uphill task to survive against the competition.
However, IR maintained great market standing by leveraging sourcing, cost control and a deliberate product mix. In the early 1990s, IR started progressing in Food Refrigeration and over the years gained experience in Ice Making Machines, Freezing Plants, Chillers and Cold Storages for temperatures in the range of + 5°C to - 40°C and for applications ranging from Storage of Films to Storage of Seafood. IR takes pride in having executed challenging assignments like setting up a Freezing System onboard a 55 Ft. Fishing Wooden Trawler and a $1 million ice plant in desert conditions in Oman.
Over the years IR entered into several tie-ups with Global Companies like GEA group to introduce the latest refrigeration technologies and practices in India such as Paraffin Wax Freezers for Refineries, Snow Rooms, Ice Skating Rinks, Dairy Refrigeration, Abattoir Refrigeration and Modified & Controlled Atmosphere Cold Stores.
Greater consciousness about food preservation in developing countries is leading to greater demands being placed on IR and this is one challenge IR is eager to face.
Today, IRL offers complete food processing plants & ultra modern cold storages on a near-turnkey basis. IRL represents: IFS of UK, IBEX & Honeywell of UK for refrigeration systems used in supermarkets. Sister company Gorakhram Haribux is one of the oldest & largest suppliers of refrigerant gases like R-22, R-134a, R-410A, R-404A and many more.
IRL is a part of 52-year-old Allstate Group involved in Refrigeration, Transformers, Photography, Leisure equipment, Real estate consultancy, Web development solutions & Media. Some multi-nationals that we have collaborated with include Fujifilm, DuPont, Brunswick Group and ASG Software Solutions, among others.
We are honored to be esteemed members of the IMC Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the All India Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Association, ISHRE, and RATA.
