Isopan for NewCold, Europe's largest new cold hub

Europe's largest cold logistics centre opened in Fiorenzuola d'Arda: NewCold’s plant increases energy efficiency by 60% thanks to Isofrozen panels.

With more than 145,000 pallet places and eight double-capacity stacker cranes, the new hub of NewCold Italia is described by Il Sole 24 Ore financial newspaper as “Logistics 5.0”. NewCold, based in Breda in the Netherlands, is the world's leading logistics provider. It can be called a supply chain optimiser for the country where it operates and the best in class because, thanks to a unique business model integrating all working steps vertically (from engineering to design, WMS PLC and even operational management), it is able to achieve quality and service standards, which set the benchmark in the global market.

A logistics masterpiece

NewCold works closely with its global partners, developing every year projects with the world's leading Frozen Food Producers facing specific logistical challenges. This collaboration revealed the need to cope with a limit of the Italian industry, which could no longer guarantee a service level in line with global and European standards.

For this reason, the new automated cold hub was created in Fiorenzuola d'Arda. The building stands out against the plain like a large, geometrically neat white box, with the Apennines Mountain in the background.

It accommodates 145,000 pallet places, having an unparalleled capacity in the Italian or European market, which makes this automated hub a masterpieces of global logistics. It features eight double-capacity stacker cranes and, thanks to NewCold's technology and know-how, boasts more than 60% energy efficiency and a 60% reduction in labour costs with respect to traditional market competitors.

Partnership with Isopan

The implementation of the project was made possible thanks to key partnerships, ensuring high quality standards and effective performance.

"Quality and types of panels play an important role of course," says Luca Quaresima, Country Manager for NewCold Italy. "This is why in our Fiorenzuola d'Arda site we relied on a collaboration with Isopan, which is for us the best in class in the Italian market and the manufacturer of the sandwich panels best suited for this joint project”.

Isofrozen panel for the cold chain

For the Fiorenzuola d'Arda site, we have chosen Isofrozen panel, Isopan's solution for design and construction of temperature-controlled environments.

38,500 square metres of Isofrozen panels clad the façade of the site: with a thickness of 200 mm, they provides high quality thermal insulation and efficiency, meeting the typical requirements of these buildings.

Further, the special joint used provides outstanding air-tightness, ensuring a constant temperature of -23°C, which is a critical feature for the cold chain respect.

Certified panel

FM Approved

Isopan's Isofrozen panel is certified according to the international product quality standard FM Approval, an American company that sets and tests the most diverse building elements in order to minimise the risks and maximise the buildings functionality in terms of insurance. Isofrozen panel, for example, like the rest of the Isopan range, has been tested and approved following evaluation of both its fire behaviour and its mechanical behaviour in response to wind forces, such as hurricanes in tropical areas.

Fire behaviour

Isofrozen panel is also CE-marked and has received fire behaviour certifications according to European standards, achieving a Bs1d0 fire reaction class (the highest achievable on polyurethane foam products) and fire resistance up to 1 hour.

In cold chain applications, the excellent thermal capacity of polyurethane is one of its highlights, since it maximises the building thermal insulation, while minimising the energy costs of temperature stability.

EPD, LEED and BREEAM

Isofrozen product range has also undergone Life Cycle Assessment by Isopan, resulting in the EPD Environmental Product Declaration, which is crucial for obtaining LEED and BREEAM credits being offered to our customers to create high value and low environmental impact projects.

Isopan is proud to be part of a project promoting further initiatives aimed at innovating logistics in Italy.

Photo credit: Flavio Chiesa

Find out more about the project