NewCold expansion meets high demand while keeping energy output low

NewCold Advanced Cold Logistics is providing a specialist warehousing and logistics service for a growing number of UK frozen foods producers which, says the company, are using 50% less energy per pallet space than for a traditional cold store.

Based in Wakefield, NewCold has recently extended its highly automated deep-frozen warehousing facility to handle 143,000 pallets at minus 20 degrees and the company is engaged on several new contracts, some of which require the handling of over 300,000 pallets of frozen food items per year.

“Our challenge is to offer short and long-term storage and automated handling solutions” says Country Director Jon Miles, “which not only improve energy efficiency and reduce Co2 emissions, but also cut product handling times and reduce road miles. On all these fronts, we are reaching our operational targets for each of our clients.”

The NewCold logistics fleet includes automated double-deck temperature controlled trailers, which can carry 44 pallets and in a controlled temperature environment can load and unload in just 5 minutes, thereby maintaining product integrity and keeping ‘human’ intervention to an absolute minimum.

Pallets are collected from food manufacturers’ production facilities and after consolidation at the Wakefield site, are delivered to relevant retail, foodservice and wholesale customers throughout the UK.

NewCold dispatch bays are kept at -20C to maintain cold chain integrity and maximise product quality, while most conventional stores prepare pallets for despatch in chilled or ambient bays. Automation is the site watchword and is key to the retrieval and preparation of orders while minimising human error and temperature fluctuations. Thus, stock control, accuracy and quality are maintained at the highest level.

“Our customers require a logistics solution focused on improving product quality at the end user” adds Jon Miles. “They also want to see sustainability, through reduced food miles and storage facilities, which reduce CO2 emissions by 50% compared to traditional cold store methodology. To this end, NewCold’s world-class warehouse automation and logistics model enables us to more than satisfy the brief.”