Park Cakes Bakery, subject of a recent high-profile MBO and a leading supplier of premium private label cakes and desserts in the UK, has opened a new temperature controlled storage facility. This has been custom-built at its Oldham site by Dawsongroup temperature control solutions (DGTCS). The new unit was designed by DGTCS specifically for the site, working closely with the Park Cakes’ team under the overall guidance of Site Manager Chris Biddle and Supply Chain manager George Walsh.

The new unit replaces ten modular units, each capable of holding 37 pallets, supplied on rental to the Oldham Bakery over preceding years. The new building, running on the latest, low GWP, R454A refrigerant gas, takes the same volume of pallets, but in a smaller and more controllable area.

George Walsh commented, “We had gone for what we believed was a low cost option with those modular units, but suffered in terms of both innovation and service, so I’m very happy to be working with Dawsongroup this time. The new building is far better value for the business, delivering the same storage capacity from a much smaller footprint, and with the added benefits of lower running costs and easier access. It is significantly more economical and convenient in every respect. The fact we are not opening and closing ten individual doors, and now have R454A gas at work, also makes a major contribution to reducing our environmental impact.”

The new Park Cakes unit is fully racked and fork-lift compatible inside, offering the producer faster and easier access to the stock it needs. The mono-pitch steel structure is constructed to BS EN 1993-1 with 40mm thick, Loss Prevention Certification Board approved, PIR roof and fascia cladding. Refrigeration is handled by multiple, independent, low noise, energy-efficient systems, utilising the industry-leading, R454A refrigerant gas, which has an extremely low Global Warming Potential (GWP) of just 238. It took the DRTCS on-site team just 22 weeks to build and get operational.

From the Park Cakes perspective, the smaller and more efficient unit has opened up opportunities for development of the facilities elsewhere on site. The bakery has a track record of new product development and launch, and the space and efficiency of the new unit is expected to allow additional room and time for this core focus.

“The Park Cakes business is very strong,” said George Walsh, “we are always looking to target the market’s core and constantly evolving macro trends; indulgence and convenience. That puts space and time here at a premium, so choosing DGTCS for the new build was a carefully taken decision. At the end of the day though, I have to say I couldn’t have been happier with the professionalism and drive of the on-site team they sent in here. They didn’t put a foot wrong on the H&S front; they understood we are a busy site and planned in such a way that delays to our day-to-day business were minimal; and they delivered a top quality product at the end of it all. They even introduced their Dawsongroup materials handling colleagues to us, and they sourced and supplied exactly the right fork-lift for the new building, at a very competitive rate with full service support. All in all, a first class experience from start to finish.”