Cold chain expert Dale Brothers has taken on 10 new Schmitz Cargobull reefers, including three specified with meat hanging systems which were built and delivered by the trailer manufacturer in just 12 weeks.
The Telford-based operator had initially ordered four multi-temp and three mono-temp trailers, each one equipped with Cold Chain Federation member Schmitz Cargobull’s TrailerConnect telematics to provide complete visibility when delivering chilled and frozen food produce to supermarkets nationwide.
When Dale Brothers won new business to transport lamb products to French markets, the company went back to Schmitz Cargobull, which was able to make short-term production slots available at its Vreden factory in Germany to supply the additional units in rapid time.
Neyland Dale, Director at Dale Brothers, says: “We’ve sourced most of our fleet from Schmitz Cargobull because the trailers are very robust with maximum uptime. Their suitability for our work makes them the stand-out choice, and the team provided us with the ideal trailers quicker than any other manufacturer.”
Schmitz Cargobull’s TrailerConnect software enables Dale Brothers to seamlessly trace all deliveries at any time and provides complete cold chain visibility through real-time temperature monitoring.
The system records and stores information onto an easy-to-access online portal, which is also available via a mobile app. In the event of a security threat, unplanned usage or deviations from setpoints, alert messages are sent to the operator via SMS or email.
Dale adds: “TrailerConnect gives us the complete picture, so we can monitor an entire trailer from the fridge unit right down to the axles and tyres. No other manufacturer has been able to give us this much information before. Being able to make decisions through a phone app makes the process very easy to manage.”
Extra trailer features include additional bumper protection under the rear doors, to offer more reinforcement when reversing into supermarket bays during unloading.
Each asset is cooled by Schmitz Cargobull’s own refrigeration unit, which features an intelligent evaporator design to reduce defrosting cycles by up to 50 per cent. Any service and maintenance work on the fridge will be carried out by approved Schmitz Cargobull workshop PWL Transport Refrigeration.
When in Europe, Dale Brothers also benefits from a pan-European network of 1,700 authorised workshops should any trailer suffer a breakdown when travelling on the continent.