NewCold’s diverse and inclusive recruitment strategy pays dividends

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. 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!”

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.