JD Refrigerated Transport has long been regarded as one of Australia’s most well-grounded cold chain providers.
Fourteen years of operation and more than 30 years of industry experience have constructed a set of values based around safety and the end user – two elements which are now integral to the daily operations of the company.
“We pride ourselves on being a safe set of hands in a market which has undergone quite a bit of turmoil and change in the last couple of years,” JD Refrigerated Transport Director, Joe Joseph, tells Trailer. “A number of players have fallen by the wayside and there’s a lot of heavy price competition, but we know what we’re good at and we focus on that. For us, it’s now about continuing to fine tune our service offering and making sure that we’re best in class.”
Although JD Refrigerated Transport first emerged onto the scene in 2011, it’s been during the last seven years that it has truly established a foothold. This period compromised of various fleet expansion phases, investments in new facilities and the introduction of new clients.
“The last two years have really been about preparing ourselves for the next stage of growth,” Joe says. “I’ve spent a lot of time looking at utilisation of our equipment and filling the gaps in our current fleet. That’s where the predominant focus has been.”
This focal point led to JD Refrigerated Transport’s most recent trailer delivery of a Performance-Based Standards (PBS) 26-pallet tri-axle Vawdrey Iceliner which has been deployed for a Martin Brower contract. The refrigerated trailer was highly customised for its applications with a dual evaporator setup, side door, tailgate and underbelly stowage for electric pallet jacks. Its specific freight task is delivering frozen, chilled and ambient goods to various McDonald’s stores in North Queensland.
“We’re three months in with this new trailer,” Joe says. “Based on what I’ve seen, I think Vawdrey will be a great partner for our business moving forward.”
Meanwhile, Joe has been investing in a number of other parts of the business to prepare for its next growth phase. This included opening a close to 20,000-square-metre facility in Archerfield, Queensland, with chiller and freezer facilities, six refrigerated docks and new refrigeration equipment.
The new depot has presented JD Refrigerated Transport with many benefits. First and foremost, the business now has its own onsite refuelling and truck washing capabilities. A new warehouse will also look to bring servicing and maintenance in-house to reduce downtimes. Additionally, the new Archerfield depot has enhanced JD Refrigerated Transport’s overall service offering with new refrigerated capabilities, temporary storage solutions and cross-docking services for customers.
“We’re listening to our clients and ticking all of the boxes,” Joe says. “We want to be the best partner that we can be. That means using the most reliable equipment which gives us the greatest uptime and investing in skilled people who have the right processes to do the job well.”
Highlights for JD Refrigerated Transport in the last year alone include expanding its suite of accreditations with the addition of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), renewing an electric prime mover trial, rolling out an internal learning management system and heavily investing in new technology such as camera monitoring systems.
“We don’t want to be bleeding edge, but cutting edge would be nice,” Joe says. “I think we’re doing that pretty well.
“We’ve been able to scale without tripping over ourselves by sticking to the things that we know we can do. Knowing where to put your focus and how to grow smartly is just as important as anything in business. We are in a race which we will crawl, walk and then run. So, once the foundation is strong, we’ll take the next step.”
