Heathrow-headquartered forwarder, International Cargo Logistics (ICL) celebrated the inauguration of its cold storage extension at London-Heathrow Airport recently. Its cold storage facility previously measured 153 m², and now comes in at a cool 300 m². The investment was made in view of the fast-growing customer demand for temperature-sensitive handling solutions. It is also a part of the international freight forwarder’s goal to achieve British Retail Consortium Global Food accreditation this summer. The augmented facility, ICL Site Unit 13, comprises five chambers offering a variety of temperature ranges, X-ray and external temporary storage facilities (ESTF), and temperature-controlled vehicles set to transport goods across the UK. Inspection areas for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) as well as a control point for Customs checks and clearances complete the set-up.
Heathrow is just one of a number of locations across 207+ countries and part of a growing network, as the forwarder focuses on offering comprehensive supply chain and Customs solutions on a global scale. Additional office locations are planned for this year, with the first focus being on Southeast Asia, beginning with a new office in Vietnam. Rotterdam in the Netherlands also recently joined the ICL network, as it implements its perishables operations growth strategy. Coming back to the UK, ICL also expanded its temperature-controlled air freight capabilities by going into partnership with FreshLinc, and collaborating on final-mile delivery, earlier this year.
Nick Finbow, Perishables Sales Director, ICL, commented: “This expansion, which comes as we celebrate our 20th anniversary this year, greatly enhances our ability to deliver high-quality logistics services from our Heathrow site. Our clients from the perishables sector can now benefit from centralized, round-the-clock logistics services as well as access to an efficient and reliable national distribution network, saving them valuable time and resources while allowing for fresher products to enter the UK food chain. Additionally, ICL is preparing to be BRC-accredited by the end of the summer, which means we will be able to deliver to a wider range of retailers and wholesalers.”
