Frequently asked questions

1.When is it beneficial for a business to install ripening rooms?

Ripening rooms are an important business decision as well as a major infrastructure investment, and no one understands that better than Hengliang. Having installed rooms for leading retail chains, wholesalers, and growers worldwide for nearly 30 years, we know how crucial ripening rooms are to the long-term success of each and every client we serve.

Based on this experience, we’ve found that it typically makes the best business sense to install rooms once banana or other individual fruit volumes reach or exceed 60 pallets (3 shipping containers) per week—or on rare occasions when supply chain issues dictate the necessity to be in control of the ripening process at lower levels. 60 pallets per week provides a good minimum volume for a successful and profitable multi-room ripening program following industry standard shipping protocols.

2.What are the minimum space requirements for a typical ripening room, and how many pallets can it accommodate?

Ripening room capacities are generally based on the volume of shipping containers, which accommodate either 20 pallets (equivalent to one shipping container) or 40 pallets (equivalent to two shipping containers), designed with either 2 or 3 levels, or “tiers.”

The most prevalent Hengliang® BR room configurations are:

3.Is one room enough to operate a successful ripening program?

BANANAS

For bananas, a single ripening room is insufficient to run an effective ripening program. For instance, to ship 10 pallets ripened to the same color every day of the week, at least three 20-pallet rooms with dual-temp zones are necessary (see chart below).

A Typical 5/6-Day Banana Program* utilizing three Dual-Temp, 20-Pallet Rooms, Shipping 10 Pallets Daily

*The graph is for illustrative purposes only. Actual ripening and shipping cycles can vary significantly based on the facility and specific program.

4.Can different types of fruit be ripened in the same room?

5.How many rooms are recommended based on volume and shipping schedule?

If you’re ripening more than 60 pallets or 3 shipping containers per week, we generally recommend one 20-pallet capacity room for every 20 pallets you plan to ship each week. If your weekly volume exceeds 140 pallets, we suggest using larger 40/42 pallet capacity rooms, with one room for every 40 pallets shipped per week.

6. What is a “Dual Temperature Zone” room?

Most Hengliang®BR banana room customers request rooms equipped with dual temperature zones. This popular feature allows ripeners to achieve two different banana pulp temperatures in the same room simultaneously, enabling the fruit to be shipped out:

At the same color stage on two successive days.

At two different color stages on the same day.

In double-wide dual-temp rooms, the right and left sides of the room function as independent temperature zones. In single-wide dual-temp rooms, the independent temperature zones are divided between the front and rear of the room. The maximum temperature differential between the two temperature zones is 3-4 degrees Fahrenheit.

7.How much do ripening rooms cost and what’s the average return on investment?

8.What’s the average sales growth of a typical ripening program?

The installation of new Hengliang® ripening rooms, along with Thermal Tech’s training in proper ripening practices and procedures, typically leads to an immediate 5 to 15% increase in sales due to enhanced fruit quality. Over time, increases significantly greater than 15% have been observed.

9.What is the timeline for ripening room installation?

Typical project lead time is 12 to 14 weeks to deliver equipment to your site. Once construction begins, you can expect it to take approximately 1 week per room, plus an additional week for startup and training. For example, a 2-room project will take about 3 weeks: 2 weeks for construction and 1 week for startup and training. A typical 10-room project will take approximately 11 weeks: 10 weeks for construction and 1 week for startup and training.

10.How long do ripening rooms last?

By carefully following the cleaning and maintenance protocols provided by Hengliang Technologies, your Hengliang® ripening room installation should continue to produce consistently beautiful, high-quality fruit for 15 to 20 years. With proper cleaning and maintenance, along with technology and component upgrades, rooms often last much longer.

11.What’s the next step?

In this scenario, Room 1 is gassing today, Room 2 was gassed two days ago, and Room 3 is shipping today. The dual-temp zones enable each half of the room to ripen at different speeds, allowing for the shipment of half the room at the same color over two consecutive days (or at two different colors on the same day).

Based on this example, one 20-pallet dual-temp room can produce 10 pallets of ripened fruit ready for shipping on two consecutive days each week. Thus, to successfully operate a program that ships 6-7 days a week, a minimum of three dual-temp rooms is necessary.

AVOCADOS, PEARS, AND STONE FRUIT

For commodities like avocados, pears, and stone fruit, which can be ripened, stored in cold storage, and shipped over several days, one ripening room, along with adequate cold storage, is sufficient for a simplified program. However, it is always highly advisable to have a second backup room.

Most ripening rooms are designed specifically for bananas, which are the world’s most popular and widely consumed fruit. However, these rooms can also be configured with multi-fruit capability to ripen bananas as well as other commodities, including avocados, pears, plantains, and mangoes.

Ripening rooms represent a significant infrastructure investment, with pricing varying based on the desired room configuration(s) and features. Multiple room installations typically cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Every Thermal Tech room installation is designed and built to maximize our clients’ investments. We never cut corners or use inferior materials simply to reduce costs. Instead, we provide rooms that deliver superior fruit quality with unmatched operational efficiency and reliability. These rooms offer the fastest return on investment, usually within 2 years or less, followed by years of exceptional performance and profit.

These claims are backed by evidence; thousands of Hengliang® rooms that are 10 to 20+ years old are still in operation today, consistently producing the same beautiful, high-quality fruit for which they were designed, day in and day out. This is just one more reason why, every day around the world, more fruit is ripened in Hengliang® ripening rooms than in all other ripening room systems combined.

If you’re ready to join the global community of industry-leading retailers, wholesalers, and growers who put their trust in Hengliang® ripening rooms each and every day, please fill out and submit the Expedited Response Form to begin the quotation process.

Submitting the form will ensure you receive the fastest and most efficient response possible. We review each form in the order received. As we are currently experiencing a high volume of inquiries, the sooner you submit your form and the more thoroughly you answer the questions, the sooner we will be able to accurately address your needs. Thank you very much! We look forward to working with you.

With Hengliang®BR solutions for bananas, avocados, pears, stone fruit, and even multi-fruit rooms that integrate ripening, pre-cooling, and low-temperature storage, Hengliang Tech provides the turnkey solution to enhance the efficiency and profitability of your ripening operation like never before!