Spar UK’s Northern Ireland franchise owner, Henderson Group, has upgraded its refrigerated delivery fleet with sustainable units developed by the refrigeration company Thermo King.
The new Thermo King SLXi 300 Whisper units will help the Henderson Group, which operates the Spar and Eurospar outlets in Northern Ireland, with the delivery of temperature-sensitive products.
The units are more efficient thanks to the telematics and communication capabilities, lower fuel consumption and enhanced temperature management options, according to Spar.
The Whisper noise reduction kit will also help lower the sound levels of the units, which allows Henderson to further minimise disturbance during deliveries.
Next-Generation Refrigerant
The refrigeration units feature a next-generation, lower global-warming potential, R-452A refrigerant, which is in line with Henderson’s sustainability approach and lowers the environmental footprint of the group's transport operations, according to the retailer.
“We have been distributing food and grocery-related products to the convenience retail sector for over 120 years and efficiency and sustainability of our operations have always been a key element of our strategy,” said Pat McGarry, logistics director at Henderson Group.
“We have a strong and extensive partnership with Thermo King because we can count on their quiet, cost efficient, reliable solutions and strong service network,” McGarry continued. “With this support we can be sure that there will be no downtime and our offering will be competitive, which is critical in the retail and logistics business.”
International Partnerships
Thermo King works with Spar International through its global network, delivering solutions to several more locations such as its Frigoblock electric units in Austria, CryoTech liquid carbon dioxide technology in Norway and its T-Series truck units in the Middle East.
Spar UK has worked with Technical Transport Product (TTP), Thermo King dealer in Northern Ireland, which provides extensive support and covers the service and maintenance contract for the retailer.
“We provide them with support and service on site and in our workshop to make sure the uptime of the equipment is as high as possible so that they can plan their logistics in the most efficient way,” said Tracy Martin, owner of TTP.
Spar International invited Thermo King to present at its last annual Logistics and Technology Conference (LOGIT) in Northern Ireland, according to the retailer.
The refrigeration company joined around 100 Spar delegates from all over the world and showcased best practice examples and its complete product portfolio ranging from diesel, hybrid and cryogenic, to all-electric transport refrigeration units.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Kevin Duggan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
