[May 2008] When Scottish frozen food distributor, JB Foods, set out last year to equip its new distribution depot at Loanhead, Midlothian, it turned to one of Alfa Laval’s business partners, Carlisle Refrigeration, to design, specify and install the equipment needed to maintain the freezer store and loading bay areas at the correct temperatures.
According to Carlisle Refrigeration’s Contracts Manager, Campbell Wark, “We opted for Alfa Laval’s AirMax units because of their innovative fin design which combines maximum external surface area with a very high heat transfer factor and rapid coil water drainage to keep defrost times to a minimum.“
Set up in 1976 by its Chairman, Jack Brown, JB Foods has established a strong reputation for the quality of its products. Its new 30x25x 9.5 metres (high) distribution depot receives, stores and redistributes specialist foods from all over the world, such as pasta from Italy, cakes from the USA, bread from France and prawns from England. From Loanhead, the foods are distributed to supermarkets, shops and caterers throughout central, eastern and northern Scotland.
Maintained by three Alfa Laval Airmax direct expansion unit coolers at a constant -250C, the freezer room is equipped with Storax motorised, rolling racking to maximise storage space. In the loading bay, another Airmax unit cooler keeps the temperature at a steady 20C. The three Airmax units serving the freezer room are all equipped with two off 560mm diameter fans and provide 80 kW cooling capacity. The single Airmax unit chilling the loading bay area also has two fans, this time with a diameter of 500mm, and provides 23 kW cooling capacity.
The Airmax units feature low fan power consumption and low noise levels along with rugged construction. The casings are aluminium and the frame galvanised steel to limit the risk of corrosion and to provide the required strength and rigidity but reduce the overall weight. The drip tray is TIG welded and hinged to enable rapid access for maintenance.
JB Foods uses fleet of 7 ½ tonne refrigerated vans, to distribute frozen and chilled goods throughout Scotland.
Peter Rose, Marketing Manager, Alfa Laval Ltd
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