Market Drayton, UK: Culina Fresh has opened two dedicated UK facilities at Spalding and Heathrow. The company has also taken half the space on a dedicated rail-freight service carrying seasonal produce between Spain and the UK.
The Spalding, Lincolnshire facility offers a temperature controlled consolidation service dedicated to fresh produce and horticultural products.
“Shipments are delivered to retailers and wholesalers throughout the UK and Ireland using the company’s own temperature controlled fleet which is further enhanced utilising resources from the existing Culina Group network,” the company says.
“To ensure a successful operation from day one, experienced drivers who have all previously worked in temperature controlled operations were recruited and are using the latest technology vehicles.
“Likewise supply chain management specialists with in-depth fresh produce and horticultural experience were recruited. As the first Culina Group depot in this part of the country it offers local customers access to the group’s complete range of warehousing, distribution and value-added services.
The new Heathrow site co-ordinates sea and air transportation and European road transportation for customers who need to move fresh produce, horticulture and other short shelf-life items. “Now fully operational, this facility provides an interface for other Culina Group companies to enhance the services currently offered,” the company says.
“Another component of the multimodal business that is now fully operational is a rail freight service running between Valencia in Spain and Dagenham in the UK to import seasonal fresh produce items such as lettuce and citrus fruit.
“Culina Fresh utilises half of the space available on the train to complement the overall sustainability of the operation with the various partners.
Culina Fresh is a door-to-door freight management service offering multi-modal supply chain capability for fresh produce, horticulture and other temperature sensitive goods.
“It was established to meet demand from producers, importers and retailers for an integrated solution to manage the complete supply chain from source – whatever the country – to final delivery throughout the UK and Europe,’ Culina says in a statement.
“The shared user model employed by Culina Fresh, as with all Culina Group companies, offers customers an efficient and scalable solution to their warehouse and distribution needs with a range of value-added services from its own operations and the resources available within the wider group. The unique end-to-end operation has been designed to combine complete supply chain visibility and product traceability with value added services. Land based synergies enable the company to offer a highly flexible, adaptable and scaleable service that meets the specific requirements of individual customers.”
