Neogen EMEA, a subsidiary of Neogen Corporation, provides a comprehensive range of solutions for the food processing, animal protein and agriculture industries.
Their Food Safety business offers products covering culture media and diagnostic test kits to detect foodborne bacteria, natural toxins, food allergens, drug residues, hygiene indicators and much more.
“We had limited space in our existing facility and a mounting urgency. We needed to hold a higher level of stock at short-term to accommodate more areas than what we currently service,” shared Andy Keirs, Warehouse and Logistics Manager at Neogen EMEA.
The solution
ICS Cool Energy, renowned for its expertise in in critical and process temperature control solutions, emerged as the timely answer to Neogen’s challenge.
Within a short timeframe, they provided Neogen with three 40 ft temperature-controlled cold store containers. Based on a shipping container that has an integrated refrigeration system, they can be used in many different applications.
Frozen or perishable food/beverage products or pharmaceutical goods can be stored safely at the desired temperature, maintaining consistent temperature, humidity and atmosphere.
“Having the containers on-site gave us more control and responsibility for the extra stock hold. We chose ICS Cool Energy because of the cost-effectiveness and the very short time their hire team needed to have everything set up and running."
"It was paramount for us to add extra storage space on site and none of our current suppliers or contractors we work with had any options for what we needed,” Keirs elaborated.
The result
With the added storage capacity, Neogen effectively stored their diagnostic test kits, readying them for distribution primarily within the UK and European Union (with a portion destined for Asia, Africa and the Middle East).
The benefits of the collaboration were multifaceted.
Not only did Neogen secure the required storage in a timely manner, but they also gained the advantage of overseeing stock at their own facility without the need to rely on a third-party logistics provider with whom they weren’t fully integrated.
“Keeping the stock at a Neogen facility in the short-term and not have it stored and shipped from a 3PL has proven to be the right choice. Timely solutions, strategic decisions, and the right partnerships are essential in business growth. The collaboration with ICS Cool Energy ensured we had the right support for this critical project,” Keirs concluded.