Union Industries secures new business with cold storage hub

Union Industries, the UK’s leading manufacturer of bespoke industrial roller doors, has fitted the final piece in the jigsaw in a Lincolnshire firm’s investment to refurbish one of its industrial freezers.

QK Cold Stores (Marston), which provides short and long-term freezer storage for supermarkets and food producers, has overhauled one of its freezer chambers.

Operations at QK Cold Stores (Marston), which is five miles north of Grantham, include extensive blast freezing, defrosting, food handling, and frozen and chilled storage areas.

When it came to sourcing a reliable, high quality, roller door system for the cold storage unit, it turned to Leeds-based Union Industries, which supplied one of its Eiger Doors.

The Eiger design was the first automatic fast-acting, rapid roll freezer door to be invented to operate effectively and efficiently at high speed. Its features also prevent snow and ice forming on the door blade and around the freezer opening, while also helping reduce cold store energy costs.

The freezer is accessed by forklift trucks and the fast-acting operation of the door, which is activated by Radar motion sensors with back up push buttons, reduces the potential for the ingress of ambient air that causes the freezer to work harder to maintain its temperature.

QK Cold Stores were attracted to Union, as a supplier, because of its reputation for reliability, its fast response to requests for spare parts and technical support, its maintenance agreements, and the Eiger Door having a 25-year warranty.

Brent Richardson, QK Cold Stores General Manager, said: “Dependability, the Eiger Door’s integrity and ability to contribute to temperature control, and the levels of on-going support and maintenance were the main reasons we chose Union Industries as the supplier of this important component of the freezer chamber’s upgrade and refurbishment.

Rob Howe, Union’s Technical Sales Engineer, said: “This is the first time we have supplied to QK Cold Stores, and we hope it is the start of a long-term relationship.

“Key selling points in Union winning this inaugural contract with QK were how reliable and efficient our Eiger Door is and our exemplary and prompt aftersales customer care service.”

He added: “Maintaining a consistent internal temperature in a freezer chamber can be a challenge when products regularly are being moved in and out.

“However, Union’s high-spec Eiger Door overcomes that issue with its fast-operating speed, which stops warmer air getting in as well as cold air escaping.

“This also helps keep costs down, which is more critical than ever to companies due to current soaring energy costs.”

The Eiger Door, in line with other Union doors, has a ‘crash-out and auto-reset’ feature, which allows the door to continue to function even after impact to the bottom beam by a fork lift truck.

It is designed for internal openings and is suitable for storage areas requiring temperatures ranging from ambient/chill down to freezer levels of minus 30 degrees Celsius.

Since its launch in 2002, Eiger Door has been installed as a fast access traffic door at major food retailers, 3PL cold storage and distribution, and frozen food manufacturers across the UK.

Union Industries has clients in a wide range of sectors including food production, processing and packaging, supermarkets and distribution, chemicals and pharmaceutical, logistics and warehousing, recycling and waste management, and manufacturing.