SH PRATT Group, who have specialised in fruit ripening and distribution since 1960, just announced their new bespoke-controlled distribution facility at DP World London Gateway called Halo, which is slated to open next month. The Luton-based firm seeks to reduce food miles and increase freshness in perishable and chilled supply chains by adding value to products coming across the quay at DP World London Gateway Port reports producebusinessnewsuk.com.
According to official reports, the 108,555-sq. ft, state-of-the-art, multi-chambered warehouse will handle temperature products, before distributing them to the UK consumer market. The company says the facility will ensure a more sustainable supply chain, cutting waste, cost and time to market. As part of the construction process, SH Pratt Group has installed high-tech temperature controlling equipment across nine chambers, including three frozen chambers.
“We’re really pleased with how the building has progressed,” says Robert Wells, Chairman, SH Pratt Group. “Halo will see us drawing on our expertise in delivering a quality service when it comes to handling a wide range of products.”
Claiming to be “the fastest, the freshest and the leanest,” Halo boasts food safety accreditation and investments in technology, delivering fresh and safe produce that is transparent across the supply chain.
The fully integrated logistics facility has been qualified as a Grade A building, rated BREEAM ‘Excellent’, EPC ‘A’ rated and with The Planet Mark™ accreditation, ensuring that construction was undertaken in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
DP World London Gateway’s market-centric location, 25 miles from Central London, means more than 18 million consumers are located within a 90-minute drive. It presents an opportunity for retailers and importers to reduce lead times, increase the freshness and shelf life of products by getting them to stores faster; all with a reduced carbon footprint.
Also being located within the DP World London Gateway Logistics Park’s West Zone, the facility will feature multiple temperature regimes, from frozen to ambient, enabling flexible as well as multi-usage. It also will employ advanced IT systems to aid the monitoring of products and ensure quality. In terms of construction, it is planned for warehouse facilities up to 1.5 million-sq. ft in size and 42m in height.
Internationally speaking, the Halo centre will handle goods arriving at DP World London Gateway Port from a number of countries around the world. There will also be grounds for more than 400 vehicles nationwide, supporting UK and wider European accessibility to and from the facility. For the actual tracking of goods, enterprise resource planning software (ERP) will make it possible for customers to see where their goods are through a portal.
Park Development Director DP World London Gateway Oliver Treneman says, “Halo is going to add value to temperature-controlled supply chains through its mix of expertise and know-how and through operating a high-spec, focused facility on the same site as one of the world’s fastest growing container ports.”
