Trailer manufacturers sign up for frozen and chilled distribution show

Refrigerated HGV bodybuilders and light van converters are amongst the growing list of companies that have decided to exhibit at the Temperature Controlled Storage & Distribution Exhibition and Frozen & Chilled Foods Show.

The brand-new shows, co-located at Peterborough’s Exec exhibition centre on 14 and 15 September, will promote a wide range of innovative products and services that feature the latest technology for perishables. Up to 80 companies from right across the sector – from forklift companies, through transport refrigeration system manufacturers to cold chain 3PLs – are expected to exhibit at the event, which is also supported by the Food Storage & Distribution Federation (FSDF).

Major players on show
Many of the major players in cold chain transport have signed up for the shows including Montracon, Gray & Adams, Krone Trailers, The Cold Consortium, Thermo King, Dawsonrentals and Seven Refrigeration & Telematics.

Commenting on the new event, David O’Gorman, Commercial Director, Climate Solutions UK & Ireland for Thermo King , said, "We are looking forward to this new event and feel that its launch is a great testament to the fact that the industry is looking more buoyant after a couple of challenging years for operators and end-users. This is going to provide a fantastic opportunity to get to meet key industry partners from throughout the UK and to be able to highlight the recent new solutions that Thermo King has to offer." These new products include the SLX Whisper low-noise refrigeration unit, the SLX Spectrum multi-temperature unit and Thermo King’s T-Series range, designed for medium and large trucks, all of which are aimed at helping operators meet the latest industry challenges. "These challenges," said Mr O’Gorman, "are not going away any time soon. But by making the best use of the refrigeration systems they already have, planning their future technology investments and implementing good practices, fleet managers can reduce their fuel costs, improve their companies’ bottom lines and protect the environment, all at the same time – and the Thermo King team will be able to give advice and tips."

Of the new shows, Ian Gardner, Managing Director of The Cold Consortium Ltd , said, "We are really pleased to be exhibiting at the TCS&D and Frozen & Chilled Foods exhibitions in September, as it is about time that this important industry sector had its own dedicated show again – the last TCS&D show being in the Autumn of 1995." Mr Gardner continued, "We look forward to showing our range of panel van conversions, from the major chassis manufacturers, to senior buyers from the temperature-controlled storage and distribution sector."

Seven Refrigeration & Telematics has also reserved a stand at the show. Said Michael Kane, Sales Director, "As soon as we heard of the plans for the TCS&D and F&CF shows, we booked space. The reason is simple: exhibitions are a costly exercise and in many you cannot guarantee that the footfall will meet your expectations. Often," continues Mr Kane, "we have found our message lost in a large venue with a visitor and exhibitor profile far too broad to get any real benefit. With these new shows, the revenues we invest will be directed to the right people, who are relevant to our products and industry." On its stand at the event, the Newark-based company will be offering visitors full demonstrations of its leading Telematics products, which offer real-time, web-based temperature monitoring to ensure product integrity despite difficult delivery windows.

Also exhibiting at the show will be Dawsonrentals temperature control solutions , part of the Dawsongroup, which offers rental, lease and contract hire solutions for a range of industrial plant. On stand A19, the company will be promoting its wide range of products including hot boxes, chill and/or freeze coldstores and complexes, inflatable chill stores and defrost units. Says David Quinn, Business Development Manager, "At the show we’ll be introducing our latest design concepts, which meet the requirements of a permanent build installation while retaining the flexibility of rental, a vital requirement for many of our clients in these difficult economic conditions."

Experience a working cold store at the show!
Exhibitors ISD Cold Stores and Hörmann (UK) Ltd will be teaming up to offer visitors chilled drinks from a working cold store on their stand at the show. Says Tony Wall, Managing Director of Gloucester-based ISD Cold Stores, "We thought this would be a novel way of demonstrating our expertise in cold store construction and Hörmann’s know-how in industrial doors." ISD is the leading UK contractor for cold store developments, pioneering the single-envelope construction method that is increasingly favoured by developers and clients alike for its sustainability advantages. "We have delivered the largest two examples of this clad-rack design – for Unilever in Gloucester and Lamb Weston in Wisbech – and we’re about to start constructing the same type of chilled and frozen warehouse for Ocado’s new site at Tamworth," says Tony Wall. "The market is incredibly buoyant at the moment, due to new food manufacturing and distribution sites springing up to meet the demand for reduced transport miles. The past two years have been our busiest ever," he continues, "with projects not only in the UK but also in Eire, Poland and the Czech Republic."

Live demo area and seminars
The shows will also feature a special area for live product demonstrations, allowing visitors to see products such as forklift trucks in action. There will also be a seminar programme featuring key topics and trends in the cold supply chain, as well as a café area for networking, within the shows’ Business Hub.

Industry dinner returns
At the end of the first day of the show, exhibitors and visitors are invited to attend the TCS&D Dinner, which makes a welcome return to the industry after a break of some 15 years. Says Richard Cogan, Director for the shows’ organisers , "We are delighted to be bringing back the TCS&D Dinner, which was a hugely popular event in the industry’s diary and we are confident that it will once again provide a superb opportunity for networking." The three-course meal and entertainment costs just £60 plus VAT per head, or £500 plus VAT for a table of ten. To book or for more details, call Richard Cogan on 01732 868 288.

Many innovative ideas
The shows will be packed with new and exciting products and services for frozen and chilled food manufacturing and distribution. Exhibitors at the show are expected to include rigid and trailer bodybuilders; panel van converters; food container manufacturers; transport refrigeration manufacturers and distributors; vehicle panel manufacturers; suppliers of temperature monitoring and recording equipment; satellite tracking suppliers; cold store door specialists; suppliers of ancillary door furniture; cold store refrigeration plant manufacturers; cold store contractors and panel manufacturers; lift truck manufacturers; industrial and commercial floor- and wall-coating specialists; clothing and safety system suppliers; pallet converter manufacturers; insulated roll pallet system producers; cold store racking suppliers; vehicle rental and contract hire companies; loading bay solution providers; and providers of supply chain IT solutions.

Convenient and easily accessible
The show’s venue – within Peterborough’s East of England Showground – is centrally located and easy to travel to, being just a stone’s throw from the A1. The Exec centre is also just 15 minutes from Peterborough’s mainline railway station, with London’s King’s Cross just 45 minutes away by train. East Midlands, Birmingham, Luton and Stansted airports are each approximately an hour’s car journey away and the venue offers plenty of free parking. For further information, visit www.tcsanddshow.com and www.fcfshow.com.