Maximum cube double deck trailer

Distribution manager Paul Farrow said: "We aimed to introduce a cost effective, environmentally friendly solution to trunk multi-temperature produce from our national distribution centre (NDC) at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, to a new facility at Paddock Wood in Tunbridge Wells to support our continued growth.

"By commencing two daily Wedge trailer trunk deliveries, we can transport the equivalent of four 13.6-metre single deck trailers on this 216-mile round trip. This equates to saving 432 miles per day, or more than 157,248 miles a year, generating an annual reduction of over 190,000kg CO2 and over £200,000 in transport costs.”

Transdek custom designed and built the multi-temperature Wedge double deck trailer for Thomas Ridley. It is capable of transporting up to 50 standard pallets or up to 90 roll cages, twice the load of a standard single deck reefer.

The trailer incorporates Transdek’s patent applied ‘Wedge’ chassis design, which allows full-height loading on both decks, including over the slimline 76mm neck. It is also fitted with Transdek’s patented insulated twin-slide vertical door system, with a four-part sliding insulated curtain on the inside of each deck to create additional thermal integrity. Opening one deck at a time after docking, the system offers further improvements in thermal efficiency, driver safety and anti-theft security.

Transdek has also installed three 6.5-tonne V2G modular double deck lifts and developed a modular warehouse extension at the Bury St Edmunds NDC to service the DUET Wedge trailer along with Thomas Ridley Foodservice’s existing fleet of rigid trucks.

The V2G lifts were installed directly onto the existing yard without the need for any additional civil works by Transdek’s team of engineers. The entire installation was completed and commissioned in less than four days, creating a sealed, temperature-controlled continuum between delivery vehicles and the warehouse. The lifts provide fast, safe and efficient loading and unloading of all vehicles to ground level at the flat floor loading bays.

Each of the loadhouse units are finished with insulated cladding and fitted with composite panel doors – to maintain thermal efficiencies of the warehouse.

The extension was installed to the front of the existing warehouse to provide additional storage and improved marshalling.

Refrigeration unit

The trailer is specified with a low-noise, low-emission Thermo King SLXe Spectrum 3 Zone refrigeration unit and three off S3 remote evaporator units, giving three independent temperature zones with a range of -20 deg C to +7 deg  C. A removable bi-fold plug type insulated bulkhead is fitted on the bottom deck to separate frozen/chilled or chilled/ ambient compartments.

The fixed second deck comprises a 40mm aluminium panel with 30mm base insulation and an innovative fully-bonded angle to eliminate thermal bridging. Compared to lifting deck alternatives, the Wedge trailer offers at least three-tonnes more payload, enabling more efficient transport with lower running costs, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

All internal and external lights are based on LED technology, with two-off PIR-operated 12,600 lumens strip LEDs fitted internally on both top and bottom decks – said to be a first in the UK. A lightweight, slimline, two-tier column tail-lift facilitates easy offloading at the Paddock Wood distribution centre.

Farrow added: "From the start Transdek understood our requirements and we’ve worked closely to develop a bespoke trailer that provides a flexible solution to manage multi-temperature deliveries and reduce cost and our carbon footprint.

"In addition to the trailer design, Transdek has provided a one-stop supply chain solution approach, which improves our existing infrastructure and has resulted in a highly efficient, fully integrated loading and distribution model that meets our specific requirements. It’s also flexible and can adapt as our business expands in the future.”

The project, which forms part of Thomas Ridley’s supply chain efficiency programme, won the Temperature Controlled Storage & Distribution Award for Innovation 2015.

Thomas Ridley Foodservice provides a total solution for the catering industry, delivering a comprehensive range of chilled, ambient and frozen products, both locally and nationally. The company services a wide range of customers, such as pubs, restaurants, hotels, nursing homes, hospitals, schools and leisure facilities.