International logistics service provider Kloosterboer is set to develop a new fully automated high-bay cold store featuring a capacity of 40,000 pallet spaces. 

The new facility will serve, among others, McCain, the world's largest producer of french fries and other potato products. 

It will be built on a site covering nearly 2.6 hectares and should be operational in the fourth quarter of 2018.

It is expected that the construction of the cold store and the collaboration with McCain will generate about 50 additional jobs.

Kloosterboer is already an integrated supply chain partner for McCain in Harnes (France), Maasvlakte Rotterdam and Vlissingen (The Netherlands).

It said Lelystad was an "obvious choice" for the new facility and had the "ideal location" from which to distribute products further into Europe

“We are very proud to be creating a second distribution center with our partner McCain in order to optimise their supply chain strategy,” said Kloosterboer COO Stephane Pluenet.

Kloosterboer and the municipality of Lelystad have been working closely to make this project a reality, the company said, adding the environmental permit had already been granted.

Kloosterboer said it provided a "total solution" for McCain by centralizing the stock for Northern Europe which was previously stored at four different locations.

This centralization reduces road traffic by about 6,000 transports and 420,000 km, amounting to 386 metric tons (MT) of CO2 per year, it said.

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