Yearsley Logistics, the largest frozen food logistics service provider in the UK, is using stand-alone blast freezers from Dawsongroup temperature control solutions (DGTCS) on two UK sites to offer customers enhanced flexibility and service levels.

Richard Couch, Head of Commercial at Yearsley Logistics, said, “The Dawsongroup units are a direct response to customer need. We have a number of customers who, though they could handle their own freezing process, find it far more economical and productive to use us. It means they can concentrate on what they do best – which is produce quality goods – and let us deal with the time-consuming element of getting that product down to the right temperature level to come into our cold stores for onward distribution.”

The most recent DGTCS unit to be installed, in the yard at Yearsley Logistics Bellshill depot in Glasgow, replaces old units from another supplier. Richard Couch explained, “The DGTCS units are great, modern performers with a good support and service team to ensure smooth operation. We even have remote monitoring on the Bellshill unit, so are better able to manage it and keep customer costs low. I have dealt with Dawsongroup for many years and would be very happy to take further units as and when the right customer opportunity arises. Their service levels mean we can take units on very quickly and tie the duration of the contract to our own customer contract lengths – it works very well and very economically, both for us and our customers.”

The logistics giant offer customers of all sizes a day one for day two service, seven days a week, into major retailers, alongside a market-leading foodservice distribution network.

Blast Freezing

The Bellshill unit is a British-built, Dawsongroup Giga Blast, designed by the company in its headquarters at Sutton-in-Ashfield and supported by a nationwide service team. It has a capacity of up to 31 pallets and can reduce the product temperature, from chilled on arrival, to -18°C in just 24 hours, ready for immediate storage and eventual distribution by Yearsley Logistics. The unit is set up on a steel frame at loading dock height and sealed directly onto on an existing bay linked into the Yearsley Logistics storage facility. This allows efficient movement into the freezer of products taken from trucks unloading at adjacent bays, followed by a simple movement into storage once at the required temperature.

Managing director of Dawsongroup temperature control solutions, Rod Benham, commented, “Yearsley Logistics is a prime example of just how to enhance customer service levels by utilising our stand-alone units. For logistics companies with a longer term or larger need, including those looking to get more involved in the growing frozen and chilled sectors, we are also undertaking complete build projects on either leasing or outright purchase terms. The beauty of these units is that they can be complete in about a third of the time of a traditional build, and without the disruption to a yard that a traditional build can bring.”