Non Stop Fresh Magazine Q1 2018 UK

Aartsenfruit: onwards and upwards
Bursting at the seams
‘We opened these premises in Venlo in
September 2011’, explains Frans, ‘but
already, it’s too small. Just seven years
ago, we thought this much space would
serve our needs for many years to come;
it even seemed quite ambitious, back
then. Now, the warehouse is bursting at
the seams, the cold stores are cramped
and we need more dock boards. All in
all, there’s simply not enough room for
further growth.’
Foresight
Aartsenfruit is tackling the project with
vigour. To the current 7,500 m 2 floor area,
it is adding another 2,500 m 2 , with 1,800
m 2 for the warehouse and 700 m 2 for the
four cold stores. The warehouse
is where the work happens – where
products come in, quality checks are
carried out and orders are prepared.
According to Frank, ‘When we built it in
2011, we made a point of accommodating
the possibility of future expansion,
which has come in handy now as it makes
adding this addition on to the existing
building relatively easy. Also, the adjoining
land was still available. As before, the
design has factored in possible future
developments, and we again have an
option on an adjoining piece of land.’
Growth potential
With a larger warehouse comes more
room for further growth. After all, big
customers don’t buy products in the
shop, but place orders by phone that
they then come to collect. The new
warehouse will offer more space to
store orders for dispatch. This plus a
high turnover rate will enable aartsenfruit
to expand its business, creating
potential to attract large customers.
‘Our ongoing growth and this expansion
are a big deal for our staff in
Venlo’, continues Frans. ‘It’s really
energising people. It’s great to feel that
you are part of a successful and growing
enterprise, and new employees
inject fresh energy.’
New sustainable technologies
Aartsenfruit never passes up an opportunity
to make the most of new technologies,
and a renovation is the perfect
time to roll out innovations. According
to Frank, ‘We are building a new refrigeration
system for the four cold stores
and the climate-controlled warehouse
space. The system we have now uses
Freon, which we will no longer be
allowed to use in the future, in around
ten years, due to tighter environmental
restrictions. We want to be a step
ahead, which is why we are installing a
refrigeration system that runs on CO 2
, a
natural refrigerant that has no effect on
the environment. It’s a big investment,
but one that will pay off over time, since
this system is more efficient. We’re also
switching to LED lighting in the new
warehouse. We need our products to
receive light with a specific colour
temperature, as if they were in daylight.
This colour has recently become available
in LED.’
What lies ahead
‘Construction companies are really
feeling the pressure these days, and
there’s also a long wait for materials to
arrive.’ Frank speaks from experience.
‘We’re fortunate that the building
contractor, WijnenBouw, has scheduled
everything to a T, so we can do business
as normal. At aartsenfruit, we
know how to make a plan and stick to
it, so, barring any unforeseen events,
the rebuild will be completed in the
first week of June, and then the new,
bigger warehouse will be ready for
action.’
Phase 2
Aartsenfruit is always focused on the
future. Even now, Frans is looking
ahead: ‘Considering the enormous
growth we are going through, we’ll
have to expand more than just the
warehouse. After the summer period,
we’re also going to increase our office
space to accommodate the rising
number of commercial employees, so
our employees have all the space they
need to do a good job.’
7.500 m 2 2.500 m 2
+ more room for further growth
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