NewCold Advanced Food Logistics
Gray Delivers Large Automated Warehouse for Cold Storage Customer.
Founded in the Netherlands and operating in three continents, NewCold provides energy-efficient, highly automated, temperature-controlled logistics for companies with ambient, chilled, and frozen products, offering more than 1.1 million pallet positions.
For its first project with Gray, the customer selected the company to design and build a nearly 450,000 s.f. ambient warehouse and automated distribution center on a 45-acre site in McDonough, GA.
- LocationMcDonough, GA
- Square Footage442,930 s.f.
- Operational15 months
NewCold is a global leader in advanced food logistics. As an integrated service provider for the food industry’s largest customers, NewCold delivers third-party, end-to-end supply chain solutions across 15 automated warehouses, backed by a complete transportation network and a team of more than 1,700 employees.
Gray’s scope for the automated facility includes a variety of design, construction, and engineering services, including building information modeling (BIM) and virtual design and MEP systems engineering.

Gray’s design-build of the customer’s newest facility includes a multilevel warehouse with an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) 140 feet tall and installed on a 14–24″ reinforced concrete slab with more than 4,000 rigid inclusion piles and uplift anchors. The climate-controlled facility is designed as a low oxygen environment, with a vapor barrier and interlocks to protect sensitive products and processes once operational.
Topping Off Ceremony
On July 19, 2023, NewCold and Gray commemorated a milestone in the project’s progress with a topping off ceremony. As the 15-month project moves steadily forward, Gray, the customer, and the communities of Henry County are all eager to see the completion of the state-of-the-art automated warehouse.
“This is an important point in NewCold’s North American journey, entering one of the nation’s most strategic locations for food distribution in the Southeast,” said NewCold’s Jonas Swarttouw, executive vice president, Commercial, and chairman of North American operations.
“For more than a decade, NewCold has been advancing the boundaries of what’s possible in the warehousing space,” says Brett Goode, executive vice president of Gray’s Food & Beverage market. “Gray is excited to partner on this new project that will help move the industry and region forward.”
Announced as the single-largest business investment in Henry County’s history, NewCold’s facility in McDonough’s Midland Industrial Park will create 170 jobs once fully operational.
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About Gray
Gray is a fully integrated global service provider specializing in engineering, design, construction, digital, equipment manufacturing, and real estate services.