FOR RELEASE JUNE 21, 2018

Idaho Governor Otter Announces $90M Investment from Netherlands-based Newcold at SelectUSA Conference

 NewCold will invest $90 million to build a fully automated cold storage facility in Burley, Idaho

Washington, DC – June 21, 2018 — Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter announced today that Netherlands-based NewCold is investing $90 million to build a 140-foot-high, 25 million cubic feet sub-zero cold storage warehouse in Burley, Idaho.   This will be one of the largest frozen storage facilities of its kind in the United States.

The 180,000-square foot fully automated building will serve frozen food producers throughout the area. NewCold in Burley is slated to open in spring of 2019.

“Providing state-of-the-art, conveniently located cold storage is a critical part of keeping Idaho producers’ operating costs down and our value-added Idaho products competitive in the dynamic global market,” said Governor Otter. “This huge new addition to our food distribution chain will help keep Idaho on the leading edge of innovation when it comes to farm-to-market efficiency and delivering high-quality, Idaho-grown foods to the world.”

“Idaho is looking to benefit from this technologically advanced collaborative effort.  They have partnered with us throughout the process and have proven to be a valuable partner in establishing our second U.S. location,” said Jonas Swarttouw, U.S. Country Manager.  “We are excited to offer a competitive edge to existing and new Idaho food processors, and provide jobs in robotic software, systems operations, and automation in Burley.”

From the moment pallets enter the building, conveyors and automated storage and robotic retrieval systems handle the pallets with minimal manual interference into and from a massive system of racks. Finally, the pallets are automatically transported to loading areas for shipment.

“This is an important day for the City of Burley as we welcome NewCold and serve as home to the nation’s largest European style frozen storage facility,” said Doug Manning, economic development director for the City of Burley.  “As processors in our region continue to grow, this highly automated, energy efficient facility will support the frozen storage needs of current and future Idaho businesses for decades to come.  I really think this is going to be a game changer not only for the City of Burley, but for the entire region.”

The facility will have a rail spur connected to Watco’s short line rail facility next door.  Watco’s “perishable express” transport option cuts days off normal delivery schedules an advantage to customers seeking improved storage and distribution of frozen products.

               NewCold developed this style of storage automation in their European operations due to increased labor, land and energy costs and customer demand for faster and more efficient storage and shipping options.  This will be NewCold’s second U.S. facility.  The first facility recently opened in Tacoma, Washington.

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ABOUT BURLEY:

Burley is located in Cassia County and is the third largest city in Southern Idaho. Burley is ideally located for easy access to the Seattle/Portland area, Denver, Salt Lake City, and northern California.  Burley supports the regions large and growing ag sector.  Nestled on the banks of the Snake River, the community offers a wide array of recreational activities year-round.  Key Burley businesses include: DOW, McCain Foods, Watco, Fabri-Kal, DOT Foods, Packaging Specialties and Standridge Color Corporation.

ABOUT NEWCOLD:

NewCold is an integrated service provider for cold chain logistics based in the Netherlands. NewCold operates a European network of large scale automated cold stores and refrigerated transport serving frozen food producers, employing 750 in France, Germany, United Kingdom, Poland and Australia. NewCold is further expanding its operations globally, building on decades of know how in developing and operating advanced cold chain logistics solutions.  www.newcold.com