British Airways and Christian Salvesen have expanded operations at BA’s World Perishable Cargo Handling Centre at London Heathrow Airport to the fresh and cut flower market.
This follows a £30,000 investment at the Centre to install automated handling equipment that trims two days off the time taken to get flowers to market.
From December 2003, British Airways and Christian Salvesen will process nine million bunches of flowers every year for The Real Flower Company, specialists in home grown and imported flowers from Kenya, Colombia and South Africa who arrange and distribute flowers ordered online direct to retailers and customers across the UK.
Working with BA Airside, Christian Salvesen will move flowers within minutes of touch-down to a dedicated temperature-controlled area at the 69,000 sq ft Perishable Cargo Handling Centre, where products will be custom cleared and prepared for delivery to the Real Flower Company’s gardens at Bramdean, Hampshire and direct to retailers’ RDCs the same day.
Julian Marks, The Real Flower Company’s MD, said: “We established the Real Flower Company to meet demand for flowers grown naturally to preserve their colour, texture and scent. Through the Perishable Cargo Handling Centre we are able to significantly reduce out-of-water and transit time ensuring blooms get to market earlier and stay at their best for longer.”
“The £30,000 investment into automated trimming, bunching and conditioning equipment means imported flowers can be treated in the same way as other fresh produce,” said Matthew George, GM at the Perishable Cargo Handling Centre. “It enables retailers to access new varieties from further afield, and British Airways to replicate growth, which has seen the PHC expand from start-up to handling 85,000 tons of produce each year.”
Opened in 1999 following the decision by BA to separate perishable from dry cargo, the PHC is the only facility of its kind in the world, processing fresh fruit and vegetables destined for the UK. The PHC has reduced food miles by up to 40%.
Serving ready-prepared fruit medley suppliers in Kenya and soft fruit suppliers in North America and Mexico, Christian Salvesen and BA are supporting year-on-year increases in volumes of produce to UK supermarkets by 30%.
