When a refrigerator is first switched on, or after a long power cut, the cabinet walls, shelves, air and any product inside are all warm. Pull-down time is how long the system takes to bring them to setpoint. Manufacturers may quote it for an empty cabinet at a given ambient, which is a useful comparison but quicker than real life with stock inside.
Pull-down depends on cooling capacity, cabinet size, insulation, airflow and the ambient temperature. Fan-forced cabinets generally pull down faster than static ones, and units with generous compressors recover more quickly after heavy door use. In a 40 °C-plus kitchen, expect pull-down to take noticeably longer than in an air-conditioned space.
Good practice is to switch a new or relocated cabinet on and let it reach temperature before loading, and to load gradually rather than filling it with warm stock at once. Pull-down capacity is not the same as blast chilling: a storage cabinet is not designed to bring large batches of hot food down quickly and safely.