Fridocks, a leading Italian temperature-controlled logistics provider, part of the CubeCold Group, has announced plans for an expansion of its cold storage facility in Pozzolo Formigaro, Northern Italy.

This move comes as a strategic response to the increased demand for frozen storage from existing and potential customers, including clients already engaged with CubeCold’s other locations and seeking an extension into Italy, specifically targeting the port of Genoa.

Fridocks is an established player in the regional cold storage industry. It has operated in the sector for more than 70 years, specializing in receiving and storing goods from global sources, including raw materials and semi-processed items.

Currently, Fridocks operates a total capacity of 45,000 pallet positions (p.p.) of refrigerated storage space across three locations in the north of Italy, with the facility at Pozzolo Formigaro hosting 32,000 p.p. of frozen space with temperatures ranging from +15°C to -30°C.

Strategically positioned in Italy’s industrial golden triangle (Milano, Torino, and Genoa), the Pozzolo Formigaro location enjoys easy access to the ports of Genoa and Savona and great connectivity to international airports and major transportation routes in the region.

“Northern Italy presents a significant opportunity for us to become the dominant regional player in cold storage,” says Gerben Paauwe, the CEO of CubeCold. “With this expansion, we will be able to meet the escalating demand from both existing clients and new customers seeking a reliable cold storage provider in the region.”

Unlike most companies in the industry that focus on final product distribution within the large-scale retail channel (Grande Distribuzione Organizzata), Fridocks differentiates itself by concentrating on the initial stages of the supply chain.

In addition to warehousing, Fridocks offers a comprehensive suite of supplementary services to its clients. These include inventory management, order fulfilment, labelling, blast freezing, and cross-docking.

Fridocks also holds specialized certifications as a Customs Warehouse, Excise Warehouse, AEO Certified Warehouse, and Ministry of Health Authorised Warehouse.

Strategic expansion

The new development involves an expansion of the existing warehouse, including demolishing a building with a current capacity of 700 pallets and developing the adjacent land, which will consequently increase the total capacity of the warehouse by 4,000 p.p.

“The plan is to increase our capacity by 4,000 pallet places or 14,000 cubic metres by building a hall 18 metres high and 1,500 square metres of floor space,” explains Federico Marsi, CEO of Fridocks.

“We will have mobile racking to make the most of the refrigerated space up to 12 metres high. The cold production plant will be modernised to enable further energy efficiency.”

To minimize disruption to ongoing operations, the tear-down will be managed during the low season, with pallets being relocated to other locations within the facility.

The construction is planned to be completed before the start of the high season in October 2024.

By increasing the storage capacity at Pozzolo Formigaro, Fridocks is well-positioned to meet the growing demand for cold storage and strengthen its presence in the region.

“The main objective is to support the demand for refrigerated space from our customers and other potential customers and to be able to differentiate the products in storage, which today are almost exclusively frozen,” adds Federico Marsi.

“The result is to expand activities and services to be able to better serve our clients.”

About CubeCold

CubeCold is a pan-European cold storage platform, focusing on acquiring and developing small to medium-sized cold storage facilities across strategic areas. A special focus on ports and logistics hubs in Europe makes CubeCold one of the key players in Europe. The platform has already assembled a portfolio of about 280,000 pallets across strategic assets in the Benelux, UK, and Italy region and is expanding rapidly. For more information, visit www.cubecold.com