History
Out of the cold:
ACS&T Logistics began life as the London Ice & Cold Storage Company Ltd, and in 1921 built the country’s first ever cold store for fish underneath Billingsgate Market. We went on to open the country’s first low-temperature cold store, at Grimsby, in 1934. Ever since then, our development has been driven by our determination to meet the changing needs of our food sector clients.
On the move:
The transport side of the organisation was set up in Lincoln in 1953. It was later transferred to Grimsby to specialise in refrigerated distribution for the newly emerging frozen food companies. Similar fleets were then established at Scarborough for client McCain Foods (GB) Limited and at Tewkesbury for client Bird’s Eye Walls Limited.
Gone fishing:
Associated Fisheries, then the operator of the world's largest deep-sea trawler fleet, took over the company in 1959. As the company expanded, a cold store facility at Tewkesbury was purpose-built in 1968 to service the growing fruit processing industry in the area. A government cold store bought in 1970, at Wolverhampton, became the basis for accommodating the area's confectionery, meat, and dairy produce industries.
A worldwide business:
From 1973 international investment organization, Camellia, began to invest in Associated Fisheries, raising its stake from 34% to 100% by 1993. The separate divisions were merged into Associated Cold Stores & Transport Limited in 1984, in order to provide a totally integrated logistics service to its customers. In recent years the business has focused on providing ever better service to its clients, through significant investment in people, systems and resources.
Today:
In 2007 the company took on its present name, ACS&T Logistics and, at the beginning of 2008, three new operating divisions were established, ACS&T: Temperature Controlled, Production Support and Co-packing. This important development will allow us to expand our range of value added services such as production support, specialist packaging services, and supplier and inventory management, and make them available to a broader range of clients.
In 2010, ACS&T formed a partnership with the global food logistics operator, Edge Worldwide Logistics (EWL), to offer a complete, end-to-end supply chain service. Designed to unlock savings for all those who source their products globally, the service enables food businesses in the UK to have complete control of their supply chain, from overseas supplier to their own factory door.
The future:
We believe that the future is bright for our forward thinking, customer focused, quality driven organisation. Watch this space!