The Netherlands-based cold chain logistics provider NewCold and construction company B-Built recently broke ground at the future site of NewCold’s new automated cold store in Montauban-de-Bretagne, France, near Rennes.
The company said the cold store will use state-of-the-art technology, including automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) to automatically move and store products in the ‘dark’ high-bay warehouse. The equipment and operators will be directed by advanced software systems, while products are kept in optimal conditions with all cold store areas cooled down to temperatures as low as -23°C.
This advanced cold chain solution ensures processes are sustainable, traceable and fully integrated with the processes of NewCold’s customers, and always at the very forefront of technological developments. It offers a consistent logistic service level, and a more sustainable and better food safety alternative than more conventional cold store solutions, NewCold claimed.
The futuristic multi-customer cold store enables food producers, including anchor customer Froneri, to optimize cold chain management, with increased agility and responsiveness to better serve the needs of their domestic and international end customers.
“With this groundbreaking development, NewCold brings to Montauban-de-Bretagne, Rennes, the Brittany region and France, 20 years of leadership in automated cold storage development and operations,” said Bram Hage, founding executive officer of NewCold. “Although our roots are in the Netherlands, our heart is with global food producers wherever NewCold can bring value. We could not be more pleased than to stand as partners beside B-Built and our sponsoring customer, Froneri.
“NewCold highly values trusted partnerships and the partnerships created to realize this efficient, giant freezer are very special. Our sincere thanks to the City of Montauban-de-Bretagne for their critical support and guidance. They are easy to work with and clearly focused on economic growth through leading technologies and we are thrilled to be investing here.”
The state-of-the-art freezer is a joint design effort and construction by NewCold and B-Built. The facility will be one of the largest in France with a storage capacity comparable to the volume of 1 million household refrigerators, NewCold said.
“B-Built is excited to partner with NewCold on this facility, their second in France,” said Martijn Baartmans, CEO of B-Built. “The unique method used to build this facility, and the technologies incorporated within the facility are the way of the future, and we’re pleased to team with them and their storage partners to make it a reality. Leading edge technologies used in addition to the automated pallet retrieval systems, are the monorail system, the low-oxygen environment eliminating the risk of fire from the inside entirely, and the total building design needing only half the energy consumed by conventional cold stores to keep the products optimally frozen.”
The permitting team at the City of Montauban-de-Bretagne, worked conscientiously to review permits and get the construction off to a smooth start. “From the very first meeting, this project was off to a great start with successful teamwork between company representatives, designers, project managers and our permitting folks.”
