Nordfrost inaugurates new multi-cooling center in Mücke, Hesse

Nordfrost GmbH & Co. KG has put its new cold logistics center in Mücke, Hesse, into operation. Conveniently located directly on the A5 near Gießen, Nordfrost now offers an additional 46,000 pallet spaces for frozen goods and products in all positive temperature ranges as well as for dry goods.

(Schortens/Wilhelmshaven) Nordfrost, headquartered in Schortens in Friesland near Wilhelmshaven, has now put its new cold logistics center in Mücke, Hesse, into operation, which is centrally located and easily accessible directly on the A5 near Gießen. This enables the market leader in frozen logistics for the food industry to offer a total of 900,000 pallet spaces nationwide, providing ample new space for frozen goods and products in all positive temperature ranges as well as for dry goods.

Property with 14 hectares

The purchase agreement for the 14 ha property was signed in March 2018 by Nordfrost founder Horst Bartels (†) and former Mayor of Mücke, Matthias Weitzel, thus laying the foundation for the logistics company’s establishment in Mücke. The official opening of the newly completed cold logistics center, into which Nordfrost invested 62 million euros, took place earlier this week in a small circle. The two managing partners of the family business, Dr. Falk Bartels and Britta Bartels, as well as branch manager Andreas Behne, welcomed the district administrator of the Vogelsbergkreis, Manfred Görig, and Mücke’s mayor Andreas Sommer. Also present were representatives from the construction company Bremer AG, the industrial refrigeration supplier Zimmermann GmbH, and the civil engineering company Quakernack Straßen- und Tiefbau GmbH & Co. KG. The latter moved approximately 140,000 cubic meters of earth to prepare the construction site and meticulously leveled the originally slightly sloping terrain for the subsequent development.

The entire building comprises 11 halls

Accompanied by Ulrich Burmann, the deputy technical director of Nordfrost, and the on-site project manager Christian Arcos Garcia, the group toured the logistics site with 46,000 pallet spaces. The impressive building consists of a total of eleven halls and is 18 m high. Four cold storage halls, where temperatures of minus 22° Celsius prevail, house 24,000 pallet spaces. In the positive temperature range, 22,000 spaces are available, which can be adjusted in seven different halls depending on the stored goods to temperatures between 0° Celsius and plus 18° Celsius. A generous handling area of 6,200 sqm and 43 loading gates ensure smooth goods receipt and dispatch. The yard has parking spaces for 100 trucks.

State-of-the-art technology

The impressive refrigeration center of the logistics center features state-of-the-art technology. As in a large part of the 40 other logistics properties located nationwide, Nordfrost uses natural gas-powered combined heat and power plants with an electrical output of approximately 2.33 MW for sustainable electricity production in Mücke. The waste heat generated is converted into cold via combined heat and power cooling, which is then required in the cold storage. This very energy-efficient technology allows the facility to achieve an efficiency of around 80%.

Spacious administrative building

The three-story, modern administrative building offers plenty of space for the administration of the cold storage. With large floor-to-ceiling windows, there is a wide view over the entire site up to the highway. A dedicated team has come together here. The thorough practical training in the logistics company’s operations on all topics related to warehouse logistics, transport, IT systems, and quality management – according to IFS standard at a higher level – began several weeks ago at selected company locations. “Nordfrost in Mücke is well-prepared and highly motivated from the start. We are very pleased about this and thank everyone involved,” reports Britta Bartels, and Andreas Behne adds: “We offer interesting development opportunities in warehousing, operational technology, and in the commercial area as dispatchers, customs clerks, or freight forwarders.” For the opening, the first goods arrived in Mücke and were unloaded from the delivering trucks, recorded in the warehouse management system, and stored pallet by pallet in the shelving systems using reach trucks.

Politics also expresses satisfaction

Dr. Falk Bartels recalled the construction phase in his speech and was pleased with the successful start: “At Nordfrost in Mücke, all temperature levels and value-added services are available under one roof. In conjunction with the size of the storage capacities, this enables our customers to bundle assortments across different temperature ranges at a centrally located warehouse in Germany,” he says, referring to the still available expansion reserves of the property, which is excellently located on the A5. District administrator Manfred Görig and Mayor Andreas Sommer congratulated the management and staff of the logistics company and wished them all the best for the future: “This is an important project for the economic development of the region. We look forward to cold logistics in Mücke and the creation of more jobs in the Vogelsbergkreis!” District administrator Manfred Görig particularly emphasized the attractiveness of the Vogelsberg economic location: “We are located in the middle of Germany, have good transport connections, and can offer sufficient commercial space. It is a great place to work – and above all, to live well,” emphasized the district administrator.
Photo: © Nordfrost / Image caption: Together with other invited guests, they are pleased about the delivery of the first warehouse goods in Mücke (front row from left): Andreas Sommer (Mayor of Mücke), Britta Bartels (Nordfrost), Manfred Görig (District Administrator of Vogelsbergkreis), Dr. Falk Bartels (Nordfrost), and Andreas Behne (Branch Manager of Nordfrost in Mücke).
www.nordfrost.de