The new purpose-built facility features frozen, chilled and ambient temperature zones with biosecurity-compliant features, positioning the company to expand its 90% export-focused airfreight business into Middle Eastern and Asian markets.
Food logistics specialist Seafrigo (trading as Mode Logistics in Australia) has opened a 10,000 sq m warehouse at Melbourne Airport, quadrupling the size of its previous facility there and enabling extended loading windows for both day and night operations.
The new warehouse has been specifically designed to meet the growing demands of Seafrigo’s airfreight business, with meat, fresh and frozen fish, dairy products, horticultural goods and various supermarket items among the cargo it handles – 90% of which are exports, currently.
The facility’s temperature-controlled zones include frozen storage (-16°C to -20°C), chilled storage (0°C to 4°C), and ambient temperature areas. It also has biosecurity-compliant features such as fumigation chambers and a fully enclosed shutter system on the docks to maintain the integrity of temperature-sensitive shipments.
Mode Logistics chief executive Jason Farrugia said: “We’re no longer a step behind the competition – we’re a step ahead. The additional space gives us the ability to preload units overnight and again in the morning, helping us meet critical cut-off times and enhance our service reliability.
”Until now, we had to turn down business because we simply didn’t have the space to accommodate more. With this new facility, we’re not only meeting current demand but setting the stage for expansion into new markets.”
Seafrigo president and founder Eric Barbé added: “Our investment in this new site underscores our commitment to operational excellence, customer satisfaction, and importantly, global reach. It will open up more opportunities in other international locations, especially those in the Middle East and Asia, which we serve from here.”
Le Havre-based Seafrigo Group has developed a worldwide network in food logistics within the refrigerated space and now has its own infrastructure in 32 countries.
In May this year, the forwarder announced it would open two new offices in Chile as part of expansion plans for the South America region that also include potential opportunities in Peru, while in January, Seafrigo opened a new office in Vietnam.
