Steve Winwood, Culina Logistics CEO was presented with the award for Temperature Controlled Storage Operator of the Year by FSDF Chief Executive – Chris Sturman.

“This is a proud day for Culina Logistics,” said Steve, “It is real testimony to the commitment and hard work of our staff at all levels to excel in everything that they do to provide on-going service excellence for all our clients.”

Against strong nominations from leading competitors in the chilled logistics sector, Culina Logistics collected the award at a prestigious ceremony at the Manchester’s iconic Midland Hotel.

The acquisition is a logical next step for both businesses and it made strong commercial sense for Culina Group to bring Robsons (of Spalding) into the family.

This acquisition is another significant and exciting milestone in the development of the Culina Group of Companies.

The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

Culina Group is actively expanding its ambient logistics business. This joint venture with Warrens Group, and its dominance in the bread, cake and patisserie services marketplace, means Culina Group has significantly strengthened its market position in the UK. Furthermore Culina Group will continue developing the excellent relationships with Tesco and Sainsbury’s, both long established major clients of Warrens Group.

“This joint venture with Warrens Group means we are now market leader in the UK in the baked goods niche,” Said Thomas van Mourik, Chief Executive of Culina Group.

“Warrens Group is a strong and successful business that fits well within Culina Group. I am very pleased that Warrens Group is now a part of our family. This positive development is going to provide great opportunities for both staff and clients of both Warrens Group and Culina Group as a whole.”

Warrens Group focuses on transportation and storage of non-refrigerated baked goods and expects to report overall sales of approximately £37m in the 2017 financial year.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for everyone involved in Warrens Group and Culina Group,” Said Michael Warren – Warrens Group CEO.

“This is a synergistic joint venture which will enable both our businesses to combine our strength to grow even further.”

With a turnover of over £540 Million, a workforce of more than 7,000 staff and a fleet of more than 950 vehicles and 2,200 trailers, Culina Group continues to be a significant market leader in the Food and Drink Chilled and Ambient Logistics sectors in the UK and Ireland.

Currently, it can cost up to £150 per tonne to separate, store and transport edible surplus food to charity. If this cost were reimbursed far more of the 270,000 tonnes of edible surplus in the system would go to people who need it. For only £10-15m per year, 100,000 tonnes of food could be donated.

This funding could save UK charities millions. If only 100,000 tonnes of surplus was redistributed it could save them between £150-200m – at least a tenfold return.

This is great value, potentially hugely effective and risk free. Every pound will result in an exponential benefit to charity.

As you may be aware, Culina Group is a partner with FareShare, a leading food redistribution organisation. We recently reached a milestone by contributing 218 tonnes, equivalent of 500,000 meals since our partnership began in May 2017.

If you could please take the time to add your signature to the petition by visiting the following link: Help fund the cost of redistributing more edible surplus food to charity, it would be hugely appreciated.

You can read more about this important initiative at the following link: Grocer petitions government for food waste subsidy after poll backs its campaign.

We’ve all been there, you’re running late and forgot to make your lunch the night before. You grab a bag of crisps, some chocolate, a couple of cans of energy drink and you are out of the door to face the day ahead. You get to the yard, do all of your pre-checks, find your route and you’re ready to hit the open road. You put the Culina Group Spotify Playlist on the stereo and as the wheels start to role the engine begins to rumble. But it’s not the only thing. Your stomach decides to pipe up, and join in with the symphony of sound. You decide to wait until you’re further down the road and at least off of the yard before you dip into your hastily grabbed snacks on your break.

First up the trusty chocolate bar to keep those hunger pangs at bay and to provide a nice little sugar boost while stuck in the non-moving traffic. Then you decide to open the large ‘share’ bag of crisps you found in the cupboard. The problem is, there’s no one around to share them with! Before you know it, the bag has gone and you are still no further down the road and at least off of the yard before you dip into your hastily grabbed snacks on your break.

Later in the day, the load is dropped off and you are waiting to be loaded for your next trip. The depot in question is running behind so you are now a participant in ‘The Waiting Game’. You’ve checked your social feeds, caught up on world events, who scored what and where you may have even beaten your high score in whatever game you happen to be playing at the time. But now your arch nemesis, tiredness rears its ugly head. You reach for your trusty can of energy drink to give you the get up you need to get back out on the road and go. You arrive back at base, do what is needed to be done before heading for home. Mentally and physically tired ready to retire to your bed ready to do it again tomorrow.

But why so tired? It’s not like you dragged the load there yourself right? A lot of people think that driving an HGV is easy and that all you have to worry about is getting to your destination on time and don’t hit anything on the way. WRONG! Driving a 40ft plus vehicle is a completely different experience compared to a driving a car. Yes, you have to try and get your load to where it needs to be on time while not hitting anything, but on top of that, you have to be hyper-vigilant, even more so than the average driver. Mainly because other road users around you aren’t aware of the multiple blind spots that an HGV has, not to mention constantly accounting for the weight of your load and how that will affect your driving in whatever weather condition you are in i.e. high winds or rain. The length of time that you spend on the road compared to the average motorist, along with keeping track of your hours as not to be penalised drop on top of that, you could be doing all of this any time of the day or night!

Now let’s re-visit these hastily grabbed snacks and see what they actually do (other than taste good). First off, the chocolate bar. High in sugar and unnecessary calories. Sure it gave you a little sugar boost but it is not sustainable and there are far better alternatives for a healthier boost and not to mention for your waistline!

If you don’t get a tiny feeling of guilt or remorse for eating a whole ‘share bag’ of crisps then this means you do it far too often! We’ve all been guilty of it one time or another, I know I have! No doubt I’ll do it again. With their deliciously high fat and salt content, we know that they’re not good for us but yet we still keep burying our hands into the giant moreish bags. Finally, the energy drink. Again they may give you a short burst of energy but with their high sugar and calorie count they are not good for the heart or the ‘spare tire’.

It doesn’t have to be that way, and you need not live in fear. You are the master of your own health and it is up to you to make those small differences that could pay off big in the long run!

Don’t worry though, we’re not going to let you go through it alone! We’ve found some easy tips, tricks and alternatives to help you on your road to healthy road living.

Let’s circle back to those snacks that we were talking about earlier. All you will need is to set aside some time for planning and a set of small portion Tupperware. EASY!

Alternative Snacks

Try swapping out the crisps and chocolates for some of the below healthy alternatives which are all great snacks while on your break.

• Sticks – carrot, celery, pepper (even the wholegrain bread variety). All great finger food and are a healthy crunchy alternative for those crisps. If you’re not a big veggie fan try hummus for dipping. There are lots of flavours available – and it’s pretty good for you too.

• Fruit – For a natural sugar rush why not take a sliced apple, pre-segmented orange or clementine, grapes or a good old-fashioned banana. You could even have a fruit salad if you wanted! Just remember to pack a fork.

• Dried fruit – mango (my favourite), pineapple, banana/coconut chips, raisins & sultanas, cranberries. I have found these to be a tasty swap if you have a sweet tooth.

• Nuts and seeds – Avoid any that are salted or coated (as good as they are). Many supermarkets sell pre-mixed bags some with dried fruit already so all of the work is done for you.

• Jerky or Biltong – A great source of protein and will keep the hunger at bay while keeping your jaw busy. Just make sure to avoid the sugar and sodium-heavy brands.

If you’re a ‘sandwich’ kind of driver why not change your white bread for brown or 50/50? Get the ‘lighter’ or sugar-free mayonnaise and sauces. I used to complain that ‘they weren’t the same’, then I switched myself and I can honestly say you won’t be missing anything while eating smarter in the process. Make small changes to your everyday food items. Have skimmed or a dairy alternative milk in your hot drink, and try and cut the sugar out if you can. Maybe try sweeteners?

DRINK MORE WATER!

We get told this a lot, and for good reason. It was found that 75% of the UK population was chronically dehydrated. Which is hard considering that we are made up of 65% water. Bear Grylls says ‘if you’re thirsty, then you are already dehydrated’. So it is recommended that you drink 6-8 glasses of water every day. Water not only helps flush toxins through the body but also helps brain activity and concentration levels while keeping you alert. Which I think we can all agree, helps while driving.

Make sure you get those 40 winks

Exercise

I know, I know. When can you get the time to exercise? Well, there is a gentleman by the name of Siphiwe Baleka who is a truck driver from the states. He wanted to change the least healthy profession in the country into the most. To do this he developed a series of exercises that drivers can do while they are in the yard waiting to be loaded. This increased blood flow and gets more oxygen into the body and most importantly the brain. I’m not saying you have to run around the site until you are a sweaty mess. Just something that gets the heart pumping and loosens the muscles.

So in conclusion, eat less, eat better, eat smarter. Stay hydrated and gets the sleep you need and you can be a healthier and happier HGV driver.

The above advice and information are great for both body and mind but please remember safety first, never eat at the wheel if you are in control of the vehicle. Having to take on hi-energy drinks to fight tiredness could find you guilty of an offence of driving a vehicle when you are knowingly tired, so make sure you rest properly, drink plenty of water ensuring both you and your vehicle get to where they need to be safely and in one piece.

AMC are looking for a stable partner and a long term contract. Culina will be working with MMUK, the UK subsidiary of AMC, handling over 140 different products on their behalf.

“AMC are looking to actively expand in the UK. The decision to switch to Culina was integral to our plans. We need a logistics supplier we can rely on completely”, said Mark Graham of MMUK.

“Through MMUK we are working with the most demanding retailer networks, clients who insist on total commitment to their systems. In our phase one trial Culina have proved that they can fully deliver on their promises”.

A clear unique selling point for Culina in winning this significant contract with AMC was Culina IT support. Culina were able to respond rapidly to develop an efficient bespoke IT interface to an extremely complicated client brief.

“Culina are pleased to say that our initial 2000 pallet uplift of AMC products from the previous logistics partner was totally seamless”, Said Thomas Van Mourik, Culina CEO.

“There was absolutely no impact on deliveries into the major retailers being served. We are now channelling considerable on-going focus on meeting AMC KPI’s exactly”.

The Culina contract is 100% to distribute Juice for AMC.

‘The synergy with the existing Culina customers made Jacks Links a perfect match for our business’ said Chris Hills – Account Manager for Culina.

The contract will be stock held within the Culina network, which will support Jack Links from order placement through to final delivery into major retailers and wholesale outlets.

The contract will run initially for 2 years with Jack Link’s looking to introduce additional products from their existing global portfolio throughout 2016.

“This is a further important step for Jack Link’s in delivering on its mission to be the dominant leader in branded protein snacks throughout the world.” Said Konrad Kowara, DC/Logistics Manager EMEA for Jack Link’s, “The UK is a massive and tremendously important market place for Jack Link’s and we are confident that we can rely on Culina to deliver a solid supply chain for us throughout the country”.

The move sees IPS carry out a series of services, including flow wrapping, shrink wrapping, cartoning and the creation of display units, complementing other packaging solutions already provided to Nestle by IPS via its York and Featherstone sites.

You can read more about this innovative development on The Grocer’s website.

It is that precept which has driven our decision to take occupation of the first warehouse distribution unit to be built at the new National Import Centre being developed by the Peel Group as part of its multi-million pound Port Salford development.

It is the UK’s first tri-modal inland port facility and distribution park, accessible by mainline rail, motorway and inland waterway.

Why move to Port Salford? Because we recognise that retail trends are changing – smaller convenience stores are gaining popularity over megastores amongst consumers. That means smaller and more frequent orders are increasingly being lodged by retailers.

As a growing, market-leading operator, we need to be fleet of foot in order to respond to that new dynamic. We recognised that we needed to consolidate our operations and increase the capacity of our network via the development of larger, shared-user logistics facilities, while maintaining the cost base for our food and drink clients.

Our existing North West site, at Middleton, is only around 14 miles away from Port Salford, but its capacity is just 10,000 pallets. It isn’t a ‘future-proof’ solution. With 45,000 pallet spaces, Port Salford has 36% more capacity than our current largest ambient facility at Wolverhampton, which has 33,000. Our new base will provide the vital additional capacity that is required to service our business growth.

Location is also strategically important. Port Salford will enable Culina to establish a major foothold in a key geographical region. Approximately half of the UK population – 35 million people – is located within a 150 mile radius of Port Salford. Its position offers significant advantages for us to reach the consumption heartland of the UK more directly, more frequently.

Port Salford is a unique development in the UK: a multimodal facility that offers excellent connectivity by road, rail and water. There are 10 motorways within 10 miles and the site sits adjacent to the Manchester Ship Canal, connecting directly with the Port of Liverpool and Manchester, the second largest city in the UK. That gives us real flexibility and the ability to offer our clients an unparalleled level of choice.

What’s more, the rail and water links will provide genuine environmental benefits by reducing road mileage and carbon dioxide emissions. This ‘green logistics hub’ is the type of innovation that will enhance Culina’s market-leading credentials and put us even further ahead of our rivals.

This is innovation at its best – and we are looking forward to enjoying the benefits a state-of-the-art freight gateway at the heart of Great Britain can offer us and our customers.

Culina Port Salford will have a capacity of 45,000 pallets and the multimodal facility, accessible by road, rail and short-sea shipping, and is scheduled to go-live by April 2016 and be fully operational by the end of that year.

The state-of-the-art site will be located adjacent to the Manchester Ship Canal and next to the arterial motorway routes of the M60 and M62.

Thomas Van Mourik, Culina CEO, said: “This is fantastic news and a really important development as we seek to enhance our market leading position. Culina Port Salford will give us a real strategic foothold in the North West, enabling us to manage the growth of our existing clients, bring even more new business on board and create a substantial number of jobs in the region.”

This announcement follows the confirmation of detailed planning permission for the warehouse unit, granted by Salford City Council at a meeting on 19 March.

The site will be developed in conjunction with Peel Ports. Construction on the new Culina warehouse is scheduled to start on site within weeks.