The verdict in three sentences
A port-side cold storage warehouse storing fish, meat and pharmaceuticals for third-party clients is liable for every degree: without automatic readings, a cold chain breach is discovered too late and costs tens of millions. Cold storage warehouse software paired with connected temperature sensors costs the equivalent of 10 to 25 million FCFA excluding VAT (about EUR 15,000 to 38,000, or 150 to 375 million GNF), with alerts, billing per cubic metre per day and traceability reports for clients. A single avoided breach a year often covers half the investment.
What a cold chain breach costs
At the Port of Conakry and in the Kaloum area, cold storage operators face grid outages, generators that sometimes start late and room doors left open during loading. Seafood exporters and pharmaceutical distributors now demand complete temperature curves.
| Lot type (2026 order of magnitude) | Required range | Lot value | Cost of a breach (loss + penalties) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frozen fish container (20 t) | -18 °C to -22 °C | 30,000,000 FCFA | 30 to 36 M FCFA |
| Frozen meat pallets (10 t) | -18 °C | 25,000,000 FCFA | 25 to 30 M FCFA |
| Dairy and fresh products (5 t) | 0 °C to 4 °C | 8,000,000 FCFA | 8 to 10 M FCFA |
| Vaccines and temperature-sensitive drugs | 2 °C to 8 °C | 40,000,000 FCFA | 40 M FCFA + lost client |
| Export fruit and vegetables (mangoes, pineapples) | 8 °C to 12 °C | 6,000,000 FCFA | 6 to 7 M FCFA |
| Undocumented client dispute | Not applicable | Not applicable | Full liability for lack of proof |
Without continuous logging, the warehouse cannot prove that the deviation came from upstream transport rather than storage, so it bears the full loss or the insurance deductible.
Software scope and budget
| Module | Features | Indicative budget excl. VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Sensors and gateways | 20 to 40 LoRaWAN or GSM probes, reading every 5 minutes, 3-year battery | 2,500,000 to 6,000,000 FCFA |
| Monitoring and alerts | Thresholds per room and client, SMS, voice call, WhatsApp, escalation | 1,500,000 to 4,000,000 FCFA |
| Inbound and outbound management | Receiving, locations, batches, FEFO, pallet scanning | 2,000,000 to 5,000,000 FCFA |
| Billing | Per cubic metre, per pallet, per day, handling, in FCFA, GNF or USD | 1,500,000 to 3,500,000 FCFA |
| Client portal and traceability | Temperature curves, PDF certificates, real-time stock | 1,500,000 to 4,000,000 FCFA |
| Offline mode and power | Local logging during outages, generator monitoring | 1,000,000 to 2,500,000 FCFA |
| Total | Live in 3 to 5 months | 10,000,000 to 25,000,000 FCFA |
Sensor connectivity subscription: 3,000 to 6,000 FCFA per probe per month. Application maintenance: 15% of the initial budget per year.
Billing per cubic metre per day
Many warehouses under-bill because storage durations are not tracked precisely. The software calculates each client's daily occupancy automatically and applies the contract rate card.
| Service (Conakry, 2026 order of magnitude) | Indicative rate |
|---|---|
| Chilled storage (0 to 8 °C) | 800 to 1,200 FCFA per m³ per day |
| Frozen storage (-18 to -25 °C) | 1,200 to 2,000 FCFA per m³ per day |
| Pharmaceutical storage (2 to 8 °C, qualified) | 2,500 to 4,000 FCFA per m³ per day |
| Inbound or outbound handling | 5,000 to 10,000 FCFA per pallet |
| Certified traceability report | 15,000 to 30,000 FCFA per lot |
| Billing omissions observed without software | 5 to 10% of revenue |
Mini case study
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Mamadou Camara, director of a 3,000 m³ cold storage warehouse near the Port of Conakry, generates about 900,000,000 FCFA in revenue a year. He invests 18,000,000 FCFA excluding VAT in the software and 30 probes (1,800,000 FCFA a year for connectivity), plus 2,700,000 FCFA in maintenance. Automated billing recovers 5% of omissions, or 45,000,000 FCFA, and a breach on a fish container is avoided thanks to a night-time alert, saving 30,000,000 FCFA in losses. Year-one gain: 45 + 30 - 1.8 - 2.7 = 70.5 million FCFA (about EUR 107,500), with payback in 3 to 4 months. Two pharmaceutical distributors then sign up thanks to the traceability portal.
FAQ
What happens during a power or internet outage?
Probes log locally for at least 30 days and the gateway switches to the GSM network. SMS alerts are still sent even if the site's internet connection is down.
Is the budget expressed in FCFA or Guinean francs?
We price in FCFA-equivalent excluding VAT, convertible into GNF or USD depending on your contract currency. As a guide, 18 million FCFA is about 270 million GNF at 2026 rates.
Are the reports accepted by pharmaceutical clients?
Timestamped reports from calibrated probes meet good distribution practice expectations. Plan for annual probe calibration, around 25,000 FCFA per probe.
Can we connect our existing refrigeration equipment?
Yes, if the controllers expose a standard protocol such as Modbus. Otherwise, standalone probes independent of your cooling units are enough for traceability.
How long until we are operational?
Probes and alerts work within 3 to 4 weeks. The full software with billing and client portal is delivered in 3 to 5 months.
Let's scope your project. Send us your volume in cubic metres, product types and clients and we will price a solution between 10 and 25 million FCFA-equivalent excluding VAT, operational in 3 to 5 months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
