His Majesty King Willem-Alexander recently officially opened NewCold's new fully automated cold storage facility in Dinteloord. The impressive building can store up to 134,000 pallets and operates entirely on its own renewable energy supply.
© NewCold
Earlier in the day, the King inaugurated NewCold's new headquarters in Breda, which also marked the official launch of the Dinteloord complex. More than 300 employees from 35 countries work there, driving innovation in cold chain logistics. Government representatives and key business partners attended the ceremony. During a guided tour, guests could see how robots and automated systems move pallets efficiently throughout the facility.
The Dinteloord site operates completely off-grid, powered by renewable energy generated in collaboration with the neighboring plant breeding company Rijk Zwaan (link in Dutch).
The facility consists of several components. At its heart stands a 40-meter-high high-bay warehouse, housing automated cranes that move along monorails to handle storage and retrieval. In addition, a lower warehouse area is used for preparing goods for shipment, featuring expedition and order-picking zones. The complex also includes a three-story office building, technical spaces, and loading and unloading facilities. Altogether, the site covers 32,000 square meters.
The surrounding grounds were designed by Megaborn, a consultancy specializing in traffic, infrastructure, and mobility planning, ensuring that the facility integrates smoothly into its local environment.
© NewCold
Fire safety in extreme cold
A cold storage facility brings unique technical challenges, especially when it comes to fire safety. Conventional sprinkler systems simply don't work at temperatures as low as –28°C. To meet these extreme conditions, engineering firm ABT developed tailored solutions that ensure safety and reliability.
In the high-bay warehouse, NewCold maintains a low-oxygen environment to eliminate the risk of fire altogether. For the lower warehouse, however, a different approach was needed. Because the storage areas exceed 2,500 square meters, ABT designed a specialized sprinkler system capable of functioning in subzero conditions.
The office building was equipped with traditional fire-resistant partitions, while the technical rooms, where ammonia is used for cooling, required extra care due to potential safety risks. These areas were designed in strict compliance with safety standards. The roof, fitted with solar panels, was also designed for emergency access, with two stairwells and dry risers for firefighting.
Building next to a nature reserve
The Dinteloord facility is located near a protected Natura 2000 nature reserve, which added another layer of complexity to the project. ABT therefore also advised on nitrogen emissions, both during construction and in the operational phase. To further minimize environmental impact, zero-emission systems were installed to prevent nitrogen output entirely.
Sustainability guided every stage of the project. The building operates completely off-grid, without a connection to the national power network. Its bright white façade reflects sunlight to reduce heat absorption, while thick insulation keeps the cold air efficiently contained inside.
Collaboration between disciplines
A project of this complexity demands close collaboration between many disciplines. ABT was responsible for building physics, structural engineering, acoustics, and fire safety, and worked alongside several companies within the Oosterhoff ecosystem. bbn adviseurs handled tender management, while Huygen contributed to the technical engineering. Together, the partners brought together expertise in geotechnics, construction, building services, fire safety, and cost management.
This teamwork was essential, as every part of the building is interconnected. Even the foundation required precision: the piles must move subtly with temperature fluctuations to prevent stress on the structure. A shift of even a single millimeter could cause the automated crane systems to jam, bringing the entire logistics process to a halt.
The Dinteloord project integrates all the technologies NewCold has developed in recent years. The result is a facility powered entirely by renewable energy, a true benchmark for sustainable logistics and a model for the cold chain of the future.
© NewCold
For more information:
NewCold
https://newcold.com/