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IN THIS ISSUE...

Cold chain companies with European networks poised to take advantage of huge growth in frozen food transport

NewCold expands into Australia with frozen and chilled coldstores NewCold’s diverse and inclusive recruitment strategy pays dividends NewCold expands international operations further with major automated coldstore in US

That is the opinion of NewCold’s Country Director, Jon Miles, who says that NewCold UK has noticed a strong increase in the amount of frozen food products being transported from the Continent to the UK and vice-versa.

“There is quite a lot of product moved both ways but in particular there’s an unbelievable amount of frozen food that comes into the UK from Europe, particularly from Eastern Europe, including lots of vegetables, etc.

“For NewCold we’re now working with major ice-cream company Froneri, bringing product into the UK from their European factories. They are based all over Europe but we are predominantly bringing a lot of products over from Germany.”

Unlike many other temperature-controlled supply chain operators, NewCold has an established European network of coldstores in place, along with a substantial distribution fleet to serve UK food producers transporting frozen food products from the Continent to the UK a nd back again.

NewCold has a network of coldstores in France, Germany and Poland along with its

highly automated coldstore in Wakefield, UK, where the company recently took delivery of 36 new Euro V1 Volvo FH tractors, as part of a fleet upgrade to meet increased demand for its services. Additionally, NewCold has extended its cold store with 87,500 pallet locations to reach a total storage capacity of over 143,000 pallets with frozen food produce.

“NewCold can help UK customers use our entire European network and our own fleet to move frozen food product around Europe, which can reduce food miles and lead to a more cost-effective operation” says Miles.

Recent figures on the frozen food market underline the strong growth in volumes. A new report by Grand View Research expects the global frozen food market to reach $360.36 billion (£289.2bn) by 2024.

Reasons for this growth have been attributed to changing perceptions of frozen food, according to Brian Young, chief executive of British Frozen Food Federation. Research has helped to prove that frozen food retains more nutrients than fresh food, reduces food bills and reduces food waste in professional and domestic kitchens.

Cold chain companies with European networks poised to take advantage of huge growth in frozen food transport

An integrated service provider for cold chain logistics

Temperature-controlled company NewCold Advanced Cold Logistics, which opened its first UK automated frozen food coldstore in 2015, is now building two new warehouses in Australia – including a chilled one for the first time.

One of the sites in Truganina, near Melbourne, for frozen goods, will store products for new customer, McCain Foods, Australia along with Peters Ice Cream Australia, part of the Froneri group.

The 10-year deal, starting in July this year, is part of the food group’s “ongoing effort to improve supply chain efficiencies to help customers meet consumer demands”.

The site, being built by storage equipment manufacturer Dematic, will consist of an integrated system combining automated pallet handling systems using in-house warehouse and control software developed in-house by NewCold.

“The storage and handling of McCain’s frozen products in the new automated facility will give us a more stable temperature regime and highly accurate stock control,” said McCain Foods ANZ Supply Chain Director Taso Kourou.

The other site, also based in Truganina, will handle chilled and ambient product for dairy company Fonterra Australia which

is consolidating its distribution network and six warehouses into the one facility. Opening in July, the 12-storey site will be capable of holding up to 110,000 pallets.

Fonterra Australia Managing Director, René Dedoncker, said: “The first of its kind in Australia, the facility is highly automated and, because of its technology, we can be more agile and responsive to our customers’ needs, deliver smaller and more frequent orders and importantly, improve our service delivery.”

NewCold is able to handle major automated coldstore projects worldwide having built up experience in Europe where it now has sites in France, Germany and Poland as well as the highly automated, 40m high cold storage plant in Wakefield, UK.

The phase one of the Wakefield warehouse had been completed and phase 2 – to expand the site – will take place next year.

Jon Miles, NewCold UK’s Country Manager, said: “We have years and years of experience in automation and that gives us the edge over someone who is building an automated warehouse for the first time.”

The new venture in Australia underlines the fact that NewCold is a “truly international temperature-controlled business”, adds Miles.

We have years and years of experience in automation and that gives us the edge over someone who is building an automated warehouse for the first time

NewCold expands into Australia with frozen and chilled coldstores

www.newcold.com 0201

NewCold Advanced Cold Logistics, which is experiencing strong growth in the movement of frozen product being transported into and out of the UK, predicts that supply chain companies with established European coldstore networks and temperature-controlled fleets will be well placed to take advantage of a predicted upsurge in volumes.

NewCold can help UK customers use our entire European network and our own fleet to move frozen food product around EuropeJon Miles, Director, New Cold.

TRUGANINA, NEAR MELBOURNE

Fast-growing temperature-controlled distribution company NewCold Advanced Cold Logistics is reaping the rewards of recruiting and training a number of long-term local unemployed and young people without any academic qualifications at its highly automated coldstore in Wakefield, Yorkshire.

These new local recruits, who were originally taken on to fulfil roles in NewCold’s repacking and mixing deep-freeze operation at Wakefield, have now gone on to become team leaders, quality control checkers and operators.

Following talks with the local council a year and a half ago, NewCold decided to extend its recruitment strategy to include the long-term unemployed, young people with little or no work experience and no academic qualifications, along with people with disabilities.

NewCold originally had three recruitment routes: a local recruitment agency; via the local Jobcentre/Government initiatives and a company open day arranged.

From working with the local authority at the Jobcentre and arranging a company open day NewCold managed to source 11 candidates. Out of these original recruits,

seven are still with NewCold, employed in a range of roles, including team leader, operator and quality control checker.

NewCold also took on 10 new staff from the local recruitment agency as repackers and fork-lift truck drivers. While two remain as fork-lift drivers, two others are now team leaders, one is a trainee engineer, three are operators, one is a quality control checker and one is a planner. Each of these promotions led to “substantial increases in salary”, says David Priest, Site Manager at NewCold UK.

NewCold’s team leaders are now enrolled on a management development programme sponsored by the Government.

NewCold Country Manager Jon Miles said: “Although we are an automated company, we want to look after and nurture the staff we do have.”

David Priest added: “Our design and efficiency model provides the foundation for a lean and proficient service to our customers; but our real strength lies within the capabilities and mind set of our people.”

“At NewCold we value one another and recognise that each individual, whatever their background, qualifications or physical ability, has something to offer our business.

NewCold’s diverse and inclusive recruitment strategy pays dividends

WAKEFIELD SITE, UK

An integrated service provider for cold chain logistics

We don’t just pay lip service to colleague engagement, we actively encourage this resource to find solutions to complex problems, with the ethos that if the solution doesn’t exist, we’ll invent it!

NewCold Advanced Cold Logistics, which is expanding quickly in the UK, is making its first foray into the US with a new coldstore in Tacoma – believed to one of the largest in the country with storage capacity of over 25 million cubic feet.

The $50 million warehouse in South Tacoma, is NewCold’s first large US project, according to Jonas Swarttouw, business development manager for the company’s US operations. NewCold is working with Trident Seafoods, its first major US client, for the project.

The warehouse, which is expected to be operational in the middle of the year, will be fully automated and NewCold will be using the experience gained at its European operations, including the Wakefield site in the UK. Part of that automation includes using fewer fork-lift trucks and more conveyors and robots to pick up customer orders.

Swarttouw said that automation became the solution for NewCold’s European operations in response to “increased labour, land and energy costs”. Businesses in the US are now facing the same pressures at a time when customers are demanding faster and more efficient shipping options, he said.

In the UK NewCold is expanding quickly at Wakefield: it recently announced that it taking delivery of 36 new Volvo FH tractors, as part of a fleet upgrade to meet increased demand for its services.

The company is also planning to extend its cold store with 87,500 pallet locations to reach a total storage capacity of over 143,000 pallets with frozen food produce. The enlarged pallet capacity means the company will be able to respond to an increasing demand for high-quality storage from food producers in Yorkshire and surrounding areas.

David Priest, Site Manager at Wakefield, said: “NewCold represents the next generation of automated storage and distribution options for the global frozen foods market. Our intent is to provide our partners with a service that is world class, cost effective and second to none.

“At Wakefield we have completed the successful start-up of our phase 1 plan

– we delivered our client’s Key Performance Indicator (KPI) matrix ahead of expectations. As we work on our phase 2 expansion plan the industry interest in our business is fantastic, as the realisation is evident that the future of 3PL distribution is here. “

NewCold expands international operations further with major automated coldstore in US

www.newcold.com 0403

In 2015 NewCold made its first foray into the UK, opening an ambitious, highly automated, 40m high cold storage plant on a green field site in Wakefield, Yorkshire. NewCold has completed the successful start-up of its phase 1 plan and is now working on its phase 2 expansion plan. As part of this expansion plan they have already opened dialogue with Wakefield Council to look to support the next round of recruitment, as they look for the logistics stars of the future.

TACOMA SITE, US