Truck bodies for food transport IGLOOCAR

Truck bodies for food TrAnsporT

IGLOOCAR, a company from Debica in Poland, is a domestic market leader in the manufacture and sale of truck bodies for food transport. Its tradition, experience and reliability make the company a dependable partner in the assembly of special purpose bodywork for the transport of foodstuffs and other goods requiring stable or regulated temperatures during transportation.

IGLOOCAR delivers various types of bodies, including cooling, isothermal, refrigerated, wagon and distribution. These can be mounted on trucks of all makes, all chassis types, all trailers and semi-trailers. They have all required quality certificates and meet national and foreign regulations, including the international ATP standards.

Growing company

The company’s history goes back as far as the 1970s when a mechanical plant was established within the IGLOOPOL Agricultural and Industrial Complex located in Debica, in south-east Poland. From the very beginning it specialised in the production of refrigerator bodyworks. As a separate state-owned company IGLOOCAR was founded in 1992, then in 1999 it was transformed into a sole shareholder company of the State Treasury. In August 2003 the company was finally bought by a private investor with Polish capital. IGLOOCAR’s annual production is now estimated at 1500 bodyworks, semi-trailers and trailers, of which 74 per cent are bodies for vans, 24 per cent for euro trucks and 2 per cent for semi-trailers. It is a profitable company, with an annual net profit margin of 4–6 per cent. In 2016, its total value of annual sales exceeded PLN 63 million (more than €15 million), and this year the company’s management expects further sales growth.

IGLOOCAR employs 234 people, of which 200 are production workers. To meet the order growth in 2016, it increased its employee numbers by about 10 per cent.

Bodies tailored to requirements

“Our bodyworks have a reputation for excellence in quality and reliability. It often happens that the user replaces the chassis for the new one but keeps our ‘old’ body,” points out Krystyna Jaskowska, IGLOOCAR’s operational director and member of the board. “There are two seemingly opposing forces that work in oru favour among customers: the use of innovative technology and new materials together with a conservative approach to proven solutions and experiences. Our main areas of modernisation have been the same for years and are as follows: reducing the weight of the body, improving functionality, aesthetic finishing and, finally, customising our technical solutions to meet the customers’ specific needs.” The company is proud of its ability to tailor its products to meet the specific requirements of the carrier. It also makes sets of body-

works, e.g. 100 units, with unique features. On request, it can install additional equipment, such as cameras, reversing sensors, GPS and additional lighting. In temperature-controlled bodyworks, the required temperature can vary, both sub-zero and above zero, depending on the type of transported products, seasons and climate zones. IGLOOCAR makes bodies for all vehicle makes and types of chassis. It has European approvals from Volvo, Renault, Mercedes, DAF, Iveco and MAN, and meets the requirements of the ATP standard. The company’s exports make up about 20 per cent of total sales. The Scandinavian countries are its main export but there has also been growing interest in IGLOOCAR’s products from other foreign markets, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia and the Netherlands. Furthermore, after a few years of stagnation, now there are positive signs of increased interest from Ukrainian customers. “Our sales are spread evenly between refrigerators and isotherms mounted on a variety of chassis sizes and makes,” says Ms Jaskowska. “Owing to the large share of bodies tailored to the individual needs of the customers, it is not possible to indicate clearly which ones are the most attractive. We just make what a client expects from us. However, our multi-door bodies for side loading and bodies with different internal temperature zones are especially popular in the Scandinavian markets. It must be emphasised that customers from these countries are very demanding, both in terms of production quality and innovative solutions. The fulfillment of these demands translates into technological progress for our company.”

Reliable partner

IGLOOCAR’s key partners are automotive companies, since they deliver chassis for bodyworks. “In this kind of cooperation, the most important thing is to keep up with technical standards. Each year we are thoroughly audited by car companies, and so far we have never been denied the authorisation. The same procedure is used in collaboration with the manufacturers of lifts and cooling units,” adds Ms Jaskowska. “On the other hand, in collaboration with our material suppliers we have simple rules: we choose those who guarantee high quality, who have the required certification, who meet delivery deadlines, who can find a solution in emergency situations and of course those who offer favourable price conditions.”