Cold Link Africa September/October 2017 | Page 7

NEWS INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN Serco delivers multi-temperature body for Durban eatery chain W hen Ko-Lay Home of Chickens • Moveable insulated partitions incorporating thermally-rated cores from Serco’s partner Loadlok in Holland. • Load lock rails with shoring bars for load securing. • Side-door access to the fresh and frozen goods zones. • Double rear-door access to the dry goods zone. • A scientifically calculated loading configuration for the truck, capable of handling 125 storage bins. was faced with the challenge of getting its product to outlets efficiently and speedily, Serco stepped in to help. Serco has developed a reputation for finding solutions to logistical problems customers encounter, as well as going the extra mile to ensure their customers stay ahead in challenging economic This was the case recently when a newly established eatery and takeaway chain, Ko-Lay Home of Chickens, was faced with the problem of getting products from its headquarters in Durban to outlets in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State efficiently and speedily. Ko-Lay first experimented by outsourcing its transport needs, but soon found that was not the answer and discovered they needed to invest in their own delivery vehicles. But it couldn’t be just any vehicle — it would have to be a top-drawer truck able to transport fresh, frozen, and dry goods, and critically, conditions. The new, custom-built Ko-Lay delivery truck. that the cold chain would not be compromised in any way. They turned to Serco for the answer. Sales representative Steve Davenport of the Durban office was called in and he quickly established that the key challenge was to manufacture a truck with multi-temperature compartments, which would enable easy access to all compartments when drop-offs were done at the various widespread branches. Another requirement was to make special provision for the bins that Ko-Lay uses to move its products. Serco offered Ko-Lay the solution: a three-zone, multi-temperature refrigerated rigid truck body. The customer liked the concept and gave Serco the green light for production. The following features ensured that the vehicle met all expectations and coped adequately with the storage bin requirements: It was the answer to Ko-Lay’s needs, with the body fitted to a Hino 300 915, now doing deliveries to branches in Durban, Vryheid, Estcourt, Harrismith, and Van Reenen. Head of marketing at Ko-Lay, Kreeshan Reddy, said the vehicle was already proving its worth, handling deliveries to all the company’s branches. “Fully loaded, the vehicle can carry about 2 500 chickens and 3.6 tons of payload, which is really good,” said Reddy. CLA