Centre of excellence

The Perishables Handling Centre at Heathrow is the largest chilled airfreight distribution centre in the UK. With a capacity of more than 140,000 tonnes of perishable cargo each year and the ability to process eight million retail trays a year, it has had a significant effect on many of the UK’s large produce import businesses and their customers. Operated by Salvesen Logistics, the sponsor of this year’s Re:fresh Importer of the Year award, the centre has entered another phase of development, and plays a key role in the future expansion plans of Salvesen’s aviation logistics division, the company’s general managers Giles Brown and Matt George tell Tommy Leighton.