ADB Cool Company, part of the Agro Merchants Group, has been awarded BREEAM Excellent certification for sustainable solutions, the highest energy efficiency rating in Europe for this type of storage facility.
Agro Merchants said the award reflects the company’s commitment to implementing sustainable solutions throughout its global coldstorage and logistics network.
“Sustainability has been and will continue to increase in importance. CO2 emissions, energy saving, loss prevention are areas in particular where effective cold chain solutions can make a huge difference,” the company said in a statement.
“Our projects are specifically designed to obtain high ratings for sustainability through state-of-the-art efficient buildings and handling, storage & packaging processes that preserve product quality to the maximum. Innovations like mobile pallet racking systems, LED lighting and solar systems enable the company to save vast amounts of energy in their warehouses all over the world.”
The expansion of ADB Cool’s site creates a capacity of more than 23,000 pallet positions and enhances the company’s storage, handling, ripening and repacking capabilities through a substantial investment in new facilities, equipment and technology.
Agro Merchants has also implemented sustainable measures in their brand new 18,000-pallet-space coldstore in Maasvlakte-Rotterdam, which has again been certified as BREEAM Excellent.
The facility, which is located in the port of Rotterdam, offers additional integrated services.
The company said its strategic investments in port-proximate locations is especially important in terms of CO2 reduction from road transport movements.
Some of Agro’s sites, for example Opticool in Delta-Rotterdam and Agro Merchants Algeciras are located directly in the port, allowing cargo unloading from the ship directly into the coldstore.
“Besides the benefits of utilising the maximum container payload and saving transport expenses, the environmental impact is largely reduced,” the company said
Agro’s ambitious growth strategy has brought a number of new openings and acquisitions in the past year. In 2016, the company expanded further in the Iberian Peninsula by acquiring APC in Barcelona and massively expanding the coldstore in Algeciras.
It also finished expansion projects in ADB, Naaldwijk-Rotterdam, Lucca Freezer & Cold Storage in Vineland, New Jersey and built a new state-of-art warehouse in Maasvlakte-Rotterdam. Most recently, it entered into Australia by acquiring Doboy Coldstores in Brisbane.
The company has aggressive global market expansion plans in 2017 as well. A new flexible multi-temperature site in Houston, Texas at the Bayport Container Terminal and a fruit and vegetable-only facility in Savannah, Georgia will increase AGRO’s presence in major US ports and enhance its growing global fresh produce network.
