The Top 25 temperature-controlled

logistics operators Produced by Cold Chain News in association with The first Cold Chain News listing of the top 25 temperature-controlled transport and logistics providers in britain and ireland - april 2012.

Many of the UK’s large temperature-controlled non-food items such as home-wares and specialist Ice Pak in January last year. October 2010 was “exceptional”. operators sounded an optimistic note for 2011 electricals. “This purchase and previous acquisitions – “Our pre-tax profits for the year to 31 October and are upbeat about prospects for this year, Harry Yearsley, managing director, Yearsley Innovate and Celcius – require a programme of 2010 went up 26.5% to £2.8m from £2.2m the despite the gloomy economic backdrop. Group, says: “We store and distribute a lot of integration which, as it comes to an end, will previous year. Turnover also increased 11.8% to Revenues for the sector’s top 25 players have frozen stock on behalf of local manufacturers and allow us to further improve efficiency through £25.7m from £23m and total warehouse risen by slightly over 10% year on year, but importers using the Humber ports, and we increased consolidation and a reduction in utilisation for the year was 91% - up from 79% in although this is well ahead of inflation, a good realised many of them also have a requirement delivery miles,” says managing director Harry the previous year.” part of that turnover increase has come from for dry goods storage. Rather than split their Yearsley. Grocott says that the growth can be attributed ambient rather than chilled or frozen business. deliveries - taking on additional contracts, Fowler Welch Coolchain’s chill business to better utilisation and increased efficiencies, As we report in this issue, Culina Logistics, management time and road miles - we took a continued to perform well, “growing organically along with a new warehouse in Whitchurch. ranked second among British and Irish third decision to invest in our facility in order to offer and with new clients”, says Fowler Welch What about the future? “Well, next year we party logistics providers in the sector, has that additional service to our customers. managing director Nick Hay. are quite cautious as the turnover figures have started a next day ambient delivery service into “Bringing the same level of service, quality of “The outlook for 2012 looks positive: our levelled off, and there will also be the impact of ’s national distribution centre network. customer relations and best-in-class warehouse ongoing investment in people, systems and increased fuel and electricity costs,” says The infrastructure and processes in place to management system that we offer for cold infrastructure will facilitate our clients’ growth Grocott. support next day deliveries from Monday to storage to the ambient market will also open up and provide ongoing efficiencies geared towards For Virginia International Logistics, 2010/11 Saturday mean the option to expand to full new opportunities for us in the area, enabling us our drive for lowest operating costs.” proved a challenging period for transport and seven-day service is available if required by to extend our service provision to a whole new Langdon Industries’ managing director Arran logistics, especially in the light of spiralling fuel Tesco and its suppliers. range of customers.” Osman says that over the last two years, costs and further global economic uncertainty. The operation will also provide Culina Chilled operator Fowler Welch has expanded Langdons has made steady progress, with “However, despite these challenges, our Logistics’ customers whose stock is not held at its ambient operations buying a 46,000m2 growth of turnover and net profit. business remained constant,” says managing Wolverhampton with cross-docking facilities into distribution centre in Heywood, Greater “A significant contribution to that growth has director Ray Cole. the company’s ambient network so that they Manchester. This increased ambient capacity been a larger market share and we have also Castlecool continued to expand over 2010 and achieve the same levels of service. from around 17,000 to 50,000 pallets. Fowler been fortunate to experience growing sales with 2011, adding additional services such as Vendor Culina is working with other major multiples Welch has also added ambient delivery volumes several existing customers whose own markets Management Systems, IT improvements and and expects a second retailer to participate with and over the last year. are expanding. During 2011 we completed a groupage services to the UK and Europe. 2012 within the next few months. Providing an all-encompassing service, with £9m investment into our new Midlands regional will see the company roll out further services to “The lead time requirements of the ambient ambient and temperature-controlled logistics, is depot situated in Redditch that replaced the its customer base, and it will also look at and chilled grocery markets are converging but likely to remain a driver for new business. One former rented depot in the same town. We are expansion into other global areas, says the profile and sensitivities of the products, of the main findings of the listing was that, confident that this new development alone will managing director Paul Shortt. together with the processes within many overall, turnover of the Top 25 increased by make a growing contribution towards what we Matthews International Transport says that supplier and retailer distribution networks, around 10% from 2009 to 2010. Many of these expect to be another good year in 2012.” its ability to adapt to change in difficult trading mean that the respective supply chains will top temperature-controlled logistics companies Keith Boardall, managing director of Reed conditions allowed it to successfully navigate remain largely independent,” says Steve focused their attention on boosting efficiency to Boardall, says that the company is putting through 2010/2011. Winwood, group commercial director at Culina. control costs while others continued to spend significant effort into reducing journeys where “During the year we continued to invest in our Frozen food company Yearsley Group and money on acquisitions and new vehicles and no load is carried and no revenue is earned, by fleet of vehicles and refrigerated trailers,” says chilled operator Fowler Welch have also depots. for example, targeting business that will Russell Matthews, managing director. expanded their ambient business. Yearsley David Frankish, NFT Distribution chief integrate well with existing routes. Chiltern Cold Storage Group managing increased its ambient storage warehousing at executive, says, “investment across the business “Over the last year, the uneven nature of the director Paul Jackson believes that success and Heywood, Greater Manchester, by 6,000m2 to has provided a real catalyst for growth and demand and generally higher costs made for continued growth is the “direct result of provide 7,500 additional pallet spaces. 2010/11 was one of our best years yet”. He says difficult trading,” says Boardall. demonstrating that you can consistently achieve The £500,000 refurbishment is in response to that NFT will continue with its investment “The uncertain outlook of many companies in high performance standards whilst retaining demand from local manufacturers and importers programme in 2012 in a bid to achieve growth the food industry made it very difficult to obtain flexibility in operation”. to use a single supplier for their frozen and dry targets and “keep us at the cutting edge of our price increases. However, the high level of H S Logistics said that 2010/11 has seen goods. The newly refurbished dry goods store industry”. customer satisfaction is being maintained and is continued growth through transport provision to complements the group’s 40,000-pallet frozen Meanwhile, Yearsley Group broadened its instrumental in several major companies food manufacturers such as Kerry Foods. “We store at Grimsby. The new store is also aimed at food sales product range and opened up new renewing their service agreement”. are looking forward to 2012 being equally new customers that do not require frozen market opportunities for sales and logistics Grocontinental’s joint managing director successful”, says managing director Brian storage and could even be used to store divisions with the acquisition of seafood Linda Grocott says that the company’s year to 31 Hilton. Top 25 temperature-controlled operators 2012 Turnover (millions) Fleet Size About our sponsor Rank Company 2010 2009 Tractors Trailers Rigids Vans Storage Capacity Depots Carrier Transicold’s position as a major 1 Gist 460.0 410.0 3,452 total 225,000m2 24 provider of temperature controlled 2 Culina Logistics 206.0 170.0 380 560 60 5 153,000m2 10 3 NFT Distribution 128.0 118.0 370 440 65,032m2 7

systems for road transport and 4 Yearsley Group 127.0 141.5 250 350 50 287,500 pallets 13 intermodal operations makes it the ideal 5 Fowler Welch Coolchain 119.8 112.4 416 664 34,500m2 12 sponsor of the Cold Chain News Top 25. 6 Langdon Industries 59.39 55.16 161 230 85 3 20,275m2 8 7 Reed Boardall Transport 53.0 50.9 140 240 49,239m2 1

The company is committed to reducing the 8 Grocontinental 25.7 23.0 56 120 62,382m2 1 environmental impact of its products through 9 Peter Green Chilled (Mann group) 20.0 75 total 20,000m2 2 improved energy efficiency, leading-edge engineering and technological developments. 10 Moores Refrigeration Controlled Transport 19.5 17.9 110 165 5 In the UK, Carrier Transicold offers three distinct 11 Virginia International Logistics 16.0 13.9 80 300 1,858m2 2 ranges: direct-drive systems for vans and rigid trucks up to 48 cubic metres; diesel-powered truck and 12 Ocean Trailers 14.2 14.2 30 total 1 trailer units; and the innovative all-electric Vector 13 David Price Food Services 13.1 11.2 50 total 7,500m2 7 trailer range. This includes the PIEK-certified Vector 14 McCulla (Ireland) 12.0 11.0 68 125 2 3 14,000m2 1 1550 City (mono-temperature) and Vector 1850 City (multi-temperature) units for quiet night-time 15 Cold Move 11.7 11.1 15 24 33,000m2 2 deliveries – both of which have been recognised with 16 Pulleyn Transport 10.0 35 40 10 2 3,400 pallets 1 prestigious John Connell Awards by the Noise 17 Armoric Freight International 8.5 8.0 13 19 1 2,100 pallets (ambient) 1 Abatement Society. Carrier Transicold is a part of UTC Climate, 18 Castlecool 8.0 7.0 29,000m2 3 Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies 19 Matthews International Transport 6.34 6.83 120 total 5 Corporation. 20 Chiltern Cold Storage Group 6.17 6.68 20 21 7 7 13,872m2 1

21 SDM European Transport 5.5 5.0 17 18 30,000 pallets 2

22 IDS Transport 5.5 5.5 25 31 6 1 7,000m2 1

23 Refrigerated Delivery Services 3.8 3.4 9 10 20 15 1

24 Clan International 3.4 3.0 20 20 2

25 HS Logistics 2.8 2.7 10 20 14 19 1,500m2 1

Notes: • The listing includes only those logistics companies where temperature-controlled transport and distribution services make up a substantial portion of turnover. • Companies which declined (or were unable) to particpate and excluded from the list are: ACS&T Logistics (wholly owned subsidiary of Camellia plc turnover £230m), B W www.carriertransicold.eu Refrigerated Couriers, Davies International Transport, Direct Deliveries Transport, Edward Gilder & Co, Gregory Distribution, J B Wheaton & Sons, Lowe (Paddock Wood), Win- canton, Eddie Stobart, DHL, Robert Summers Transport, Turners of Soham, Solstor UK, McBurney Transport, Oakland International, and Samworth Brothers. 1 Gist www.gistworld.com 2 Culina Logistics Gist, owned by gases supply company Linde Group, www.culinalogistics.co.uk provides “bespoke solutions that meet all the The Culina Group provides a “one-stop supply chain requirements for time and temperature control, solution that can meet existing and future challenges alongside optimising transportation and warehousing, faced by food, drink, horticultural, perishable and grocery The Top 1 serving food producers, manufacturers, wholesalers manufacturers and the changing demands of the and retailers”. It has 5,000 employees and operates in 2 sector”. The group includes Culina Logistics, Culina the UK and on the Continent, managing UK, European Fresh, Culina IPS Contract Packing, and Culina Logistics and global end-to-end supply chains from Europe, Ireland. The group serves food and drink manufacturers 25 in profile Asia, South America and South Africa. in the UK and Ireland and employs 2,300 people.

3 NFT Distribution www.nft.co.uk 4 Yearsley Group www.yearsley.co.uk 5 Fowler Welch Coolchain NFT works with retailers, manufacturers and Yearsley has 12 cold stores, 280,000 pallet sites, and offers www.fowler-welch.co.uk suppliers in the UK, Ireland and continental Europe. collection of products and raw materials, storage and Fowler Welch provides supply chain solutions for Its core business is divided into two main areas: distribution into manufacturers, retailers and food service chilled and ambient products incorporating storage, chilled distribution and trans-shipment, and total providers, with a 24-hour, seven-day delivery capability. pick to order, consolidation, and multi-modal logistics solutions. Services include: chill, deep-chill Yearsley consolidates stock from manufacturers, enabling 5 transport. Fowler Welch operates out of 12 UK 3 and ambient storage and picking, cross-docking, 4 customers to reduce their storage requirements. All locations as well as locations in the Netherlands. The container de-stuff, national transport network, customers have access to Yearsley Group’s bespoke company, part of the Dart Group, employs over 1,300 promotional re-packing, reverse logistics, warehouse management system NetStock. Customers: people. Clients include retail groups, manufacturers, sophisticated WMS, EDI and TMS. Heinz, Youngs, Brakes, Kerry, General Mills growers, processors, wholesalers and importers.

6 Langdon Industries 7 Reed Boardall Transport 8 Grocontinental www.grocontinental.co.uk www.langdons.co.uk www.reedboardall.co.uk Grocontinental works with some of the world’s leading food Langdons operates chilled and frozen logistics services Reed Boardall is the largest single site frozen food industry brands to provide complete and tailor-made storage via eight depots in the UK and three partner depots in consolidator in the UK. With planning permission and distribution solutions. The company employs 300 people Ireland. It offers shared-user services with next-day for expansion, there is an option to increase the site and oversees 120,000 pallet spaces of multi-temperature delivery throughout almost all the UK mainland. Frozen by 30,000 pallet spaces to a total of 142,000. This storage, within a temperature range of between -25°C and 6 and chilled storage is available at all depots. Langdons 7 would make it the largest cold storage facility of its 8 +12°C; and 4,000 daily pallet movements. Specialist services also provides full load temperature controlled shipments. kind in Europe. Based on the A1 (M) at include blast freezing, a nitrogen tunnel for rapid freezing and Since 2006, Langdons has been a wholly owned Boroughbridge, the cold store and transport a tempering system. Customers: dairy, meat & poultry, bread/ subsidiary of the Nagel Group, based in Germany. operations deliver up to £4m of food per day. pastry, ingredients, food packaging

9 Peter Green Chilled 10 Moores Refrigeration Controlled Transport 11 Virginia International Logistics www.petergreenchilled.co.uk www.mrct.co.uk www.virginialogistics.ie Peter Green Chilled provides chilled, frozen and ambient Family-owned Moores Refrigeration Controlled Virginia International Logistics is a privately owned warehousing, case consolidation and order picking with a UK Transport was set up in 1969. “From the innovative company, based in Virginia, Co Cavan, Ireland, chilled, frozen and ambient groupage network and European beginnings of refrigerated containers fixed to flatbed operating 80 tractors and 300 trailers. chilled and frozen groupage delivery and collection. The trailers to the purpose-built vehicles of today’s modern The company specialises in national and 9 company provides added-value services including product blast- 10 fleet we have been serving customers of all sizes for 11 international refrigerated, dry freight and freezing and tempering, labelling and re-boxing, sample nearly 40 years.” The company has grown to a multi- containerised transport and logistics. It has deliveries and couriers. Customers: Tesco, Sainsbury, ASDA, depot network, delivering goods to wholesale markets, provided services in Ireland, UK and Continental , , Nisa, Morrisons, Co-operative food service suppliers and major retailers. Europe for almost 30 years.

12 Ocean Trailers 13 David Price Food Services 15 McCulla www.mcculla.co.uk www.oceantrailers.co.uk www.davidpricefoods.co.uk McCulla provides “total temperature controlled logistics Ocean Trailers operates in the UK and Europe. It is privately David Price provides a national distribution solutions for the food manufacturing and foodservices owned, founded in 1990 and has a 30-vehicle fleet. “We service of frozen and chilled foods, offering next- sectors across Ireland, UK and Europe”. “We provide the work closely with our customers to ensure they receive a day distribution in mainland UK for one to 26 complete supply chain for the food sector including cost effective service. We have grown organically with our pallet loads. It has locations in Glasgow, factory gate collections, frozen and chilled storage, blast 12 customers since our conception and have established 13 Newcastle, Doncaster, Bury St Edmunds, Bristol 14 freezing, order picking, re-packaging and forced ourselves as a forward thinking service orientated and Gillingham and chilled and frozen storage and defrosting. In addition we specialise in transport for the company.” Customers: Yoplait, Danone, NFT, Senoble, picking-packing facilities. Customers: foodservice, pharmaceutical and aerospace industries.” Sainsbury, Culina, Gist, TFE, Royal Mail, Turners, Gefco wholesale, further manufacturing

15 Cold Move www.coldmove.net 16 Pulleyn Transport Cold Move offers temperature-controlled storage and 17 Armoric Freight International www.pulleyn.co.uk distribution in the UK and Ireland including case www.armoric.co.uk Pulleyn Transport provides storage and transport of picking, blast freezing, tempering, container handling, Armoric Freight specialises in international temperature pharmaceuticals/vaccines throughout Europe along with pallet management and rework/ repack. Solutions can controlled movements for the food industry. The frozen and chilled storage and distribution of foods. The be developed for long or short-term contracts at its company was established in 1975 by current managing company’s 3.9 acre site near Reading provides customers British Retail Consortium (BRC) accredited facilities. 16 17 director Marc Payne. Armoric Freight started as a 15 with not only secure frozen, chill or ambient storage As a frozen consolidator, Cold Move is able to provide forwarding company with strong links with the Brittany facilities, but other solutions to suit customers’ needs, competitive rates for national distribution into both area of France. Today Armoric operates throughout such as laser coding, sampling, printing and labelling etc. foodservice and retail supply chains. Europe with an emphasis on France, Holland, Belgium, Customers: Pharmaceutical, chilled, frozen Germany, Spain, and Italy & Portugal.

18 Castlecool www.castlecool.ie 19 Matthews International Transport 20 Chiltern Cold Storage Group Castlecool is a food management and distribution www.matthewstransport.co.uk www.chilterncoldstorage.co.uk company specialising in all logistics handling, food Matthews International Transport traces its roots Chiltern provides temperature-controlled storage and preparation and control of dry and temperature- back to 1972 when it began trading as a single distribution in the UK and Europe. Its storage facilities controlled products for the food processing and vehicle operation. It has grown to become recognised include frozen, chilled and ambient warehousing and are export industry. It provides a wide range of support as being one of the leading privately owned haulage BRC quality approved. Alongside the storage activity, 18 services including temperature-controlled storage 19 businesses in the UK. The specialised fleet offers split 20 Chiltern offers distribution via its own fleet of 7.5t, 18t and 21 (cold, chilled and ambient), blast freezing, tempering, chill and freezer facilities, internal movable 26t rigid vehicles plus a fleet of 44t articulated vehicles packing, food testing and distribution to both bulkheads, double decks, satellite tracking and which are multi-temperature. Chiltern also specialises in national and international destinations. remote temperature monitoring. providing unique pharmaceutical logistics solutions.

21 SDM European Transport 22 IDS Transport 23 Refrigerated Delivery Services www.sdmeuropean.com IDS Transport provides fresh produce www.rdstransport.co.uk 25 HS Logistics SDM European Transport provides UK and storage and distribution to all Delivery services to the food industry. www.refridgeratedtransport.co.uk European transport distribution for all wholesale markets and . HS Logistics provides chilled and temperature-controlled and boxed goods, Customers: Evesham Vale Growers, 23 24 Clan International frozen transport services from import/export goods, high-risk valued goods, Oxford Fruit Co, Ron Dadge, www.clan-international.com 26-pallet loads to one box and pharmaceutical European transport and 22 Valefresco, Produce Partners, Norman Clan International provides international dedicated panic trips. 25 Customers: Food manufacturers, dedicated transport and logistics. The Collett, Minor, Weir & Willis, K S 24 movement of fresh and frozen food, confectionery, company provides refrigerated transport, Coles, Southern Fruit Brokers, Walsh and pharmaceutical products especially to and including Bakkavor, Greencore, frozen transport and cold storage for food. Mushrooms, Wellpak UK from Switzerland and the Benelux countries Kerry Foods, and Moy Park.