On an industrial estate in Tilburg, the largest freezer warehouse in the Benelux stands proudly. Agristo, a producer of frozen potato products, wanted to ensure optimal traffic flow for the over 100 trucks that come to load daily at this new location. Additionally, proper site security was needed to ensure the food safety of their potato products.
With speed gates, barriers, and a turnstile from Heras, Agristo can automatically manage the daily flow of trucks. A sliding gate ensures that emergency services can quickly access the site. Thanks to these solutions, Agristo can also guarantee the quality of their products without compromise.
Agristo is the silent force behind the frozen potato products found in supermarket freezers and restaurants. “We produce everything you can get out of a potato,” says Geert Ceelen, Supply Chain Manager at Agristo. “Fries, wedges, potato croquettes, anything you can think of. And we supply customers in no less than 130 countries.” In Tilburg, the originally Belgian company built the largest freezer warehouse in the Benelux, with storage space for up to 42 million kilos of frozen fries. And that brings some challenges.
“Heras is a well-known name in site security, and they deliver quality products. We have been working together with great satisfaction for years.” — Geert Ceelen, Supply Chain Manager, Agristo
Ceelen: “At our old location, we dealt with about 55 trucks daily coming to load our products. That was already a lot, but at this larger location, the number of trucks has increased to over 100 per day. Additionally, in terms of food safety, we want to prevent everyone from accessing our products. Therefore, we looked for a way to manage the daily traffic flow and ensure that unauthorized persons cannot easily enter our site. We have been working with Heras for years at our other locations, so I knew where to go for this job.”
Ceelen contacted Heras. Naturally, he finds it. “We always work together with great satisfaction. Heras is a well-known name in site security, and they deliver quality products. They respond quickly to service requests, and they are nearby. That’s just pleasant.”
Together with Heras, Ceelen designed the ideal traffic flow for the loading process at the new freezer warehouse. “Truck drivers must register at our automatic access system upon arrival,” explains Ceelen. “If there is a spot at a loading dock at that moment, they can drive through immediately, and the loading can begin.” But if there is no spot, the trucks are not allowed on the site yet. “Then they can wait in the parking lot, which is a kind of intermediate phase. They then receive a notification when there is a spot available. All of this must happen automatically. That’s why we needed site security solutions that we could seamlessly connect to our access system.”
Heras installed various site security solutions, all produced in Oirschot. Ceelen: “Speed gates ensure that trucks can enter quickly after registering. These gates also close quickly, so our site is fully secured again.” In the parking lot, truck drivers can stretch their legs. “Through a turnstile, they can already enter our site to get coffee inside or take a shower after a long drive.”
A barrier separates the parking lot from the area around the freezer warehouse. “This way, we prevent trucks from driving directly to the loading docks and causing a traffic jam. That barrier only opens when a truck driver receives a notification that a loading dock is available. After loading, the truck leaves the site through speed gates on the other side.” Of course, emergencies have also been considered. “A sliding gate along the road allows emergency services to access the site very quickly.”
The solutions from Heras and Agristo’s access system form an ideal synergy for efficient traffic flow and a well-secured site. “We now have a smooth flow of traffic on and around our site,” notes Ceelen. “And our carriers and drivers know what to expect. Thanks to the access system and the connected site security, we can see exactly which phase of the loading process the trucks are in. Moreover, Heras contributes crucially to the food safety of our products. Thanks to their solutions, we can be sure that no one can easily access our products. And that is very valuable to us. Heras provides exactly what we need to deliver the quality our customers expect from us.”