Bernard Matthews Farms, the East Anglia-based poultry products company, has taken delivery of a new fleet of Schmitz Cargobull dual temperature refrigerated trailers. In total 11 reefers, which are divided into frozen and chilled compartments, have been supplied.
The fleet is used to shuttle products between Bernard Matthews Farms’ two production facilities at Great Witchingham, near Norwich, and Holton in Suffolk and will also deliver finished products to Bernard Matthews Farms’ outsourced distribution warehouses in Spalding and Chesterfield.
The trailers were built at Schmitz Cargobull’s factory at Harelaw, near Newcastle-upon-Tyne and are fitted with Carrier refrigeration units.
The refrigerated trailer box units themselves are constructed using Schmitz Cargobull’s Ferroplast modular steel-skinned panels which, because they are easy to clean, ensures that the trailers are particularly suited for the transport of foodstuffs – an important issue for Bernard Matthews Farms, as the company’s transport manager Jeffrey Helmore explains. “Hygiene is taken as seriously as health and safety within our company,” he says. “We produce a quality product and it is essential that we comply to the highest standards of cleanliness throughout our production and delivery processes.”
Before placing the order with Schmitz Cargobull, Bernard Matthews Farms went out to tender. In addition to the hygiene issue another important criteria when assessing the various models on offer was the strength and durability of the trailers. “The trailers are in almost constant use around the clock,” says Jeffrey Helmore. “So we need a product that can stand up to the demands that we place upon it.”
The refrigerated trailers supplied by Schmitz Cargobull have been built with extra thick reinforced steel side and floor panels for added protection. However, even if these ultra tough body panels are pierced, Bernard Matthews Farms has the comfort of knowing that the Ferroplast panels inside the steel outer skin will not absorb water.
“Ferroplast panels are filled with high quality expanded polyurethane foam and, importantly, their closed cell structure means that even if the steel skin gets damaged, water will not be absorbed.
This is a big advantage over Styrofoam, which is commonly used in other reefers,” says Schmitz Cargobull UK’s technical director Derek Skinner.
Schmitz Cargobull (UK) Ltd
Tel: 01207 288432
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