SM Investment Corporation’s logistics unit 2GO Group announced that it is now the country’s first to have mixed temperature vans that will boost the safe and secure transport of perishable goods.

In a statement, the pioneer in less than container load (LCL) reefers in the Philippines said the new reefer vans are being managed by subsidiary 2GO Special Containers and Value-Added Services, Inc. (SCVASI).

Each van has multiple temperature settings, which allows it to store and transport both frozen and chilled food items at the same time, freeing up slots in vessels.

Frozen foods -- such as meat and fish -- are typically preserved at a temperature of -20C, while chilled ones like fruits and vegetables are kept between -2 and -6C.

Each mixed temperature reefer van has a length of 20 feet and will be used for its LCL reefer service.

On top of this, 2GO Special Containers has acquired LCL reefer vans for frozen foods. Together with the mixed temperature vans, these will be deployed throughout the country.

The addition of these assets increases 2GO Special Containers’ reefer van fleet by 25 percent.

“We continue to believe in the long-term growth potential of this sector and have made these strategic investments as we expect consumer growth to drive the economy,” said 2GO SCVASI President Gener C. Lim.

He added that, “With these new assets, we raise our standards in transporting the freshest food possible, especially as customer demand rises in the coming weeks.” 2GO Special Containers has one of the largest fleets of reefer containers in the country. Complemented by reefer trucks, 2GO SCVASI is able to offer reliable and cost-efficient end-to-end cold chain service.

It has comprehensive nationwide coverage, robust network, and consistency of delivery schedules to fit every customer’s demanding delivery requirements out of Manila to Visayas and Mindanao, and vice versa.

“Being part of the 2GO Group, 2GO Special Containers is able to deliver on-time since the group owns its fleet of vessels. We guarantee the freshness of the food we transport for half the cost of transporting by air,” Lim said.

The company has been offering the LCL reefer service since 2007, in which there is no minimum delivery quantity.

This way, small volumes of cold chain shipments ranging from individual customers and entrepreneurs to big businesses can be shipped, generating savings in terms of warehousing and storage for direct deliveries.

“We first offered this 15 years ago since there was growing customer demand for food products, including those for processed food, nationwide. Later, with ecommerce, they expanded to Visayas and Mindanao, especially during the pandemic,” Lim added.

Among 2GO Special Containers’ long-time clients are favorite restaurants, fast food chains, coffee shops, food and dietary supplement stores, and more. 2GO Special Containers is a trusted LCL provider, as it enables trading partners to go about with their business operations.