With 17 warehouses across Mexico, Frialsa
Frigorificos is positioned to offer warehousing and
distribution services anywhere in the country
Written by Militza Richard & Produced by Lorraine Heist
“We have a very strong commitment to grow in new locations and to cover all of our customers’ needs in the country,” says Frialsa Frigorificos’ President Luis Jorba. This kind of commitment is very easy to talk about, but also exceptionally difficult to actually put into practice.
At Frialsa Frigorificos, however, commitment to growth and customer satisfaction is actively pursued every day. The company’s selection of services and the coverage of warehouses make it the leader in its sector throughout Mexico.
“We always offer new services,” says Jorba. The company’s already impressive list of warehousing services includes blast freezing, picking, pre-cooling for crops, TIF (which is similar to USDA) cross docking, palletized, in bond, and three rail side.
With 17 warehouses strategically located around the country, the company boasts the ability to provide for distribution and food service needs in diverse markets. Warehouses in Mexico City (3), Guadalajara (2) Monterrey, Tijuana, and Queretaro are dedicated to distribution needs. The warehouse in Cancun serves the tourism industry, while warehouses in Torreon, Culiacan, Irapuato, the Bajio area (2), and Zamora serve production areas with products such as poultry, vegetables, and fruits. A warehouse in Colombia (on the Mexican side of Laredo, TX) serves as an import and export border, and another in Aguascalientes is dedicated as distribution center for supermarket chains.
With a total of more than 35 million cubic ft of cold storage space, Frialsa Frigorificos is listed number 15 in the top cold storage warehouses in North America according to International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses statistics.
In addition to its warehousing abilities, Frialsa Frigorificos also boasts a distribution division that offers LTL transportation and distribution services, delivering products all over Mexico and receiving and shipping products from Canada and the US. “We make approximately 1000 stops every week covering the whole country of Mexico, from supermarkets, hotels, distributors and restaurants,” says Jorba.
“There is no company in Mexico that offers the coverage equal to ours,” he continues. “They can’t offer the amount of services or amount of hours we are open at our 17 different locations. Our distribution capabilities also differentiate us from our competitors.”
GROWTH PLANS
Already an industry leader, Frialsa Frigorificos refuses to let its business stagnate. “We plan to open an average of one or two warehouses a year,” explains Jorba. “This year we’ll start a new warehouse close to Mexico City to cover distribution needs.” While expansion plans into other cities are confidential, Frialsa Frigorificos plans to be present in more cities covering more distribution and food service needs over the next five years.
“I see Frialsa developing new services for our customers, integrating more and more of their operation into our company so we can help them grow their business,” says Jorba. “To get to that position we are investing in getting good people who are strongly committed with our company. Training and personal formation will be very important to reaching that goal.”
With a total of 800 employees between storage and distribution, Frialsa Frigorificos has already developed a wide selection of training programs. These programs cover technical skills as well as personal growth. “We offer our employees courses on how to improve your personal life in your family and your community,” explains Jorba. “We also have a personal retiring program for all employees as well as covering hospital expenses and providing life insurance.”
NEWEST TECHNOLOGY
Along with committed employees, Frialsa Frigorificos uses the most up-to-date technology to assist in growth. “We always try to equip our warehouses with state of the art technology, and we are always updating our equipment. We are implementing WMS and TMS software in all of our warehouses. This software, called Accellos, is very sophisticated and will help us improve our operations substantially,” says Jorba.
The company also uses specialty lighting and the most efficient electrical motors to save energy. “We are changing our lighting fixtures to help reduce our electric bill and reduce energy consumption,” states Jorba. “We have also invested in other improvements and expenditures to reduce our impact on the environment.”
The company is especially careful about its water usage. “Every year, water is more expensive due to climate changes. In Mexico, water is scarce in certain areas and almost everywhere is very expensive,” he explains. “For a long time we have reused the water from our condensers in WCs and for cleaning needs or gardens.”
IMPRESSIVE HISTORY
Founded in July 1983 by Luis Jorba’s father Jaime Jorba, Frialsa Frigorificos started operations with a 600,000 cubic foot cold storage warehouse in Mexico City to attend storage needs especially for Christmas season items. Three short years later, the company expanded to its capacity to 1.2 million cubic feet.
Luis Jorba helped his father run the business while attending Anahuac University in Mexico City. “He sent me to receive training in Dallas in several warehouses to learn about how the cold storage business was run in America,” says Luis Jorba. “And with the help of the IARW, I received very good experience that helped me develop our business.”
In fact, Frialsa Frigorificos has been a member of IARW almost since its founding. “It has been an excellent source of information and has helped us very much in our progress in this industry,” says Jorba of the warehouse association.
Frialsa Frigorificos opened its first outside warehouse in 1989. The freezer facility in the Bajio area of Central Mexico was especially dedicated to grow fruits and vegetables for the export market. Ever since that first experience, Frialsa Frigorificos has emphasized growth in order to meet customer needs, whether a cold storage requirement or any other distribution or logistic need across México.
By 1997, the company had nine distribution centers and delivered to 152 cities. Over the next ten years they continued to open new facilities and increase the distribution area. In 2007, the company joined “The World Group”; an organization of North American privately owned and run warehouses. “We offer services jointly,” says Jorba. “It has been an excellent source of experience to apply in our company.”
With the completion of Distribution Center at Colombia, N.L in 2008, the company reached its current size. But, as Luis Jorba indicated, it is far from finished growing.
FACTS AT A GLANCE:
Company Name: Frialsa S.A. de C.V.
President: Luis Jorba
Operations: Warehousing and distribution of frozen and refrigerated products
Established: 1983
Employees: 800
Revenue: NA
www.frialsa.com.mx
View Digital Corporate Profile of Frialsa in SupplyChain Digital November 2009