The International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW) has released its annual Global Top 25 list of the largest temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics providers in the world (click here to see table with details). Accompanying the Global Top 25 is the IARW North American Top 25 rankings (click here for full information). Americold Logistics, with 29,095,138 of cubic meters of space ranked number one in size globally, as well as first in North America at 25,707,689. Lineage Logistics again occupied the second position, with 16,998,329 cubic meters, followed by the Swire Group’s 9,459,033 cubic meters.
In Europe, Kloosterboer was number one with 3,383,707 cubic meters of space, followed by Partner Logistics at 2,860,594 cubic meters (click here for full details). It should be pointed out that the Nordfrost Group, which is not an IARW member, is not listed. It would rank as number two, ahead of Partner Logistics, as the Schortens, Germany-headquartered company offers 3,350,000 cubic meters of space in its network of 35 facilities.
For the first time, Alexandria, Virginia, USA-headquartered trade association has also compiled a list of the largest operators in Latin America and the Caribbean and Europe, reflecting the strength of the cold chain in both regions (click here for complete listing). The lists are determined by total capacity of temperature-controlled space. Ranking number one by far is Frialsa Frigorificos, with 1,724,274 cubic meters of space.
Companies worldwide reported increased capacity and several new companies joined IARW in the past year. As a result, the combined space of IARW total membership is significantly higher.
IARW members currently own or operate 4.73 billion cubic feet (133.96) million cubic meters) – a 7.78% increase from May 2014 when the lists were last published.
The Global Top 25 currently operates 3.58 billion cubic feet (101.34 million cubic meters) – a 6.45% increase from 2014. The North American Top 25 operates 2.81 billion cubic feet (79.54 million cubic meters) – a 3.96% increase from 2014. The European Top 25 operates 585.00 million cubic feet (16.57 million cubic meters). The Latin American Top 25 operates 234.23 million cubic feet (6.63 million cubic meters).
“Our industry is continuing to grow to serve the needs of the food industry, particularly in countries outside North America and Europe,” said IARW President & CEO Corey Rosenbusch. “Members are continuing to expand in developed markets, but are also focusing on emerging and developing markets where cold chain services are most needed.”
IARW represents 1,184 temperature-controlled facilities across 60 countries. Its warehouse members offer a range of logistics solutions, including storage, transportation, processing, blast freezing, exports, and more. A complete listing of all IARW warehouse members can be found in the Global Cold Chain Directory, which is available for free online or as a mobile app. For more information, visit www.gcca.org/directory.
Many of these companies will be participating in the 124th IARW-WFLO Convention & Expo, April 26 – 29, 2015 in Orlando, Florida. Those interested in registering or obtaining more details may visit the convention website at http://www.gcca.org/124th-iarw-wflo-convention-expo
