Distributor no longer feels the heat

Thortight Inflatable Dock Seals, supplied by UK loading and unloading specialists Thorworld Industries, have provided a leading Maltese food distributor with a comprehensive solution for maintaining a consistent ambient temperature within its warehouse.

Alf Mizzi is Malta’s leading importer and distributor of food and other grocery products, whose wide product range includes many chilled goods.  It is therefore vital that the internal warehouse temperature remains at the required four degrees before items are transported to supermarkets, something that is not always easy given the island’s climate.

“There is frequent movement in and out of loading bays, causing huge potential for outside temperatures, which could reach up to 45 degrees in the summer, to impact on our required chilled food temperatures.” explains Christian J. Mifsud, Corporate Services Manager at Alf Mizzi.

As a result, Alf Mizzi’s chillers had to work extra hard to preserve the right temperature, resulting in unnecessarily high energy bills for the company.

Alf Mizzi recognised the need to find an effective barrier to maintain internal temperatures, but initial trials using dock shelters proved unsuitable because hot air could still get into the warehouse through gaps.  The company therefore made a recce to Britain, which alerted Christian Mifsud to Thorworld’s expertise in Inflatable Dock Seals.  

“The UK is widely regarded throughout Europe as an innovator in loading bay solutions, and we visited the IMHX Show to find a reputable supplier who could help us with our needs,” confirms Christian J. Mifsud.

“After we spoke to Thorworld, we were so convinced that their Inflatable Dock Seals could provide an all-encompassing solution for us to keep heat out of our warehouse that we requested two to be installed straight away.”

Thortight Inflatable Dock Seals are ideal for Alf Mizzi’s needs because they offer the closest seal between the trailer and the loading bay, preventing air ingress for a consistent internal temperature.

They also offer many other significant benefits for food distributors.  Seals remain deflated until the trailer is in the correct position, minimising vehicle and seal damage for long-term durability and performance.  Standard Thortight units also fit the majority of loading bays and provide a highly effective seal to different vehicle heights, widths and shapes.

The success of the initial installation has led to a second order of a further three seals, underlining Alf Mizzi’s faith in Thorworld’s solutions.

“The diversification of our product range meant we invested in new trucks which were smaller than those already in the fleet,” explains Christian J. Mifsud.  “As a result, we needed new Inflatable Dock Seals that had a larger inflatable area, in order to fill the bigger gaps between the new trucks and our loading bays.”

Alf Mizzi has been impressed with the assistance given when preparing the sizing for the company’s specific requirements, and sees the performance of the seals themselves as a reflection of the exceptional customer service it has received from Thorworld Industries.

“Thorworld has been very accommodating, flying out a technician to install the seals every time.  The most recent installation was scheduled as a three-day job, but Thorworld completed it within two days, helping to minimise downtime and allow the fleet to use the relevant loading bays quicker than planned,” explains Christian J. Mifsud.