TDG in multi- million pound upgrade plan

"We have a further four cold stores that need to be upgraded," said Martin Palmer, business unit director at the logistics solutions and supply chain management business. "We have a programme of £500,000 to £1M worth of investment per cold store and have, in total, a further £3M to allocate, including at the Newport site."

The initiative was part of wider investment in environmentally friendly schemes, which included the roll-out of aerodynamic 'teardrop' trailers and better fleet optimisation, said Palmer. TDG employed a dedicated environmental manager who masterminded a range of environmental projects for the company, he added.

The firm had also been working more closely with manufacturers to determine their environmental impact and how they could reduce it, he said.

TDG announced plans to invest £1M in a new cooling plant at its temperature- controlled Newport cold store. The cash has been pumped into replacing older air-cooled condensers with a more efficient Star ammonia system.

"We are just completing changes at our site in Aberdeen and about to start in Newport," said Palmer. "That will take us through to the middle of next year."

The new equipment at its Newport cold store takes full advantage of the latest technology to reduce emissions, incorporating a range of features, including evaporating condensers, which are intended to reduce energy costs. It uses variable speed drives on motors to increase compressor efficiency and combines screw and reciprocating compressors to improve their overall performance.

"As well as reduced energy costs, this cold store will have some of the most accurate temperature gradients available," said Ian Newell, regional manager at TDG. "Temperatures are constant across whole chambers and we have managed to equalise the temperatures so we have no peaks or troughs anywhere within the temperature- controlled storage area."

The programme of cold store refurbishments has been scheduled to coincide with requirements to upgrade refrigerant systems, according to EU regulations banning R22 refrigerant because of its detrimental effect on the ozone layer.

TDG, which is based in Trafford Park, Manchester, operates 18 UK cold stores, stretching from Aberdeen to Plymouth and stores and transports everything from frozen, chilled and ambient raw materials to finished product. It is one of Europe's largest logistics companies, with more than 130 sites and reported a 2009 revenue of £662.1M.