Henderson Group, owner of the SPAR, EUROSPAR, VIVO, VIVOXTRA and VIVO Essentials franchises in Northern Ireland has upgraded its refrigerated fleet with the SLXi units from Thermo King, a leader in transport temperature control solutions for a variety of mobile applications and a brand of Ingersoll Rand.
The new Thermo King SLXi 300 Whisper units will help Henderson Group plan their logistics of temperature sensitive products to their retailers more efficiently thanks to the telematics and communication capabilities, lower fuel consumption and enhanced temperature management options. The Whisper noise attenuating kit reduces the sound levels of the units, which allows Henderson Group to further minimize the disturbance during urban distribution and deliveries.
“Thermo King is SPAR International’s preferred supplier and thanks to our complete portfolio of products for all refrigerated transport applications, our units can be seen on their fleets around the globe,” said Alain van Schaik, strategic account manager at Thermo King. “Thermo King works closely with SPAR International through its global network delivering solutions like the SLXi units in Northern Ireland, Frigoblock electric units in Austria, CryoTech liquid carbon dioxide technology in Norway or T-Series truck units in the Middle East. We’re everywhere SPAR needs us to help deliver the products to their customers in the most efficient way.”
Additionally, all Thermo King SLXi units feature next-generation, lower global-warming potential (GWP) R-452A refrigerant, which is in line with Henderson’s sustainability approach and lowers the environmental footprint of their transport operations.
“We have been distributing food and grocery-related products to the convenience retail sector for over 120 years and efficiency and sustainability of our operations have always been a key element of our strategy,” said Pat McGarry, logistics director at Henderson Group. “We have a strong and extensive partnership with Thermo King because we can count on their quiet, cost efficient, reliable solutions and strong service network. With this support we can be sure that there will be no downtime and our offering will be competitive, which is critical in the retail and logistics business.”
Henderson Group has worked closely with Technical Transport Product (TTP), the “Platinum status” Thermo King dealer in Northern Ireland, which has provided the customer with an extensive support and covers the service and maintenance contract.
“We have worked together with Henderson Group for many years. We provide them with support and service on site and in our workshop to make sure the uptime of the equipment is as high as possible and Henderson Group can plan their logistics in the most efficient way,” said Tracy Martin, owner of TTP.
SPAR recently invited Thermo King to present at the SPAR International Logistics and Technology (LOGIT) conference in Northern Ireland. Thermo King joined around 100 SPAR delegates from all over the world and showcased best practicesand the complete product portfolio ranging from diesel, hybrid, cryogenic to all-electric transport refrigeration units.
“It was very interesting to meet with Thermo King during our SPAR LOGIT conference and to discuss the current challenges that retail companies are facing today,” said Caroline Schneider, purchasing support manager at SPAR International. “We work closely together in various markets around the globe and were pleased to welcome Thermo King to share best practices with all delegates present.”
