In the heart of Tokyo, people are sitting on crystalline benches alongside a beautifully carved bar. The glasses in their hands reflect a warm blue light that permeates the room. The temperature outside is well above 25 degrees Celsius, but amazingly, the benches, the bar, the walls – even the glasses themselves – are all made out of ice.
A unique commodity
ABSOLUT ICEBAR TOKYO is a partnership between the world famous Swedish ICEHOTEL and Absolut Vodka. Four other ABSOLUT ICEBAR are also currently in operation – in Sweden’s ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi and in Stockholm, London, and Copenhagen. Geodis Wilson is the sole logistics provider for this venture, and continuously ships ice from the Torne River, 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, where ICEHOTEL is located. The ice blocks are harvested directly from the natural frozen river and then kept in a giant storage facility until use.
“This is a unique commodity,” says Mats Nilsson, Director of Sales and Marketing for Geodis Wilson Sweden, and Key Account Manager for ICEHOTEL since 2004. “When we started, absolutely nobody had any experience with this type of thing. Now, thanks to the efforts of colleagues such as Susanne Johansson and Conny Blysell, we have excellent processes and procedures firmly in place.”
It is a delicate operation. The blocks of ice and the ice glasses and sculptures are cut in Jukkasjärvi, where they are carefully packed, wrapped in thermal reflective material and transported to Gothenburg. The ice, which must remain at a constant minus 5 degrees Celsius in order to be as elastic as possible to prevent breakage, is then placed on pallets separated by airbags. The ice glasses are placed in special trays especially designed for this purpose, and are kept in refrigerated storage facilities near each ABSOLUT ICEBAR location.
Working around the clock
“The ABSOLUT ICEBARs themselves are totally rebuilt every six months,” states Nilsson. “This requires the delivery of an entirely new batch of ice blocks within an extremely short time frame. We work day and night to make it happen.”
Nilsson’s team also supplies trade fairs and events. Mont Blanc recently ordered a bar of ice and its company logo carved in ice, and a project for the Swedish Embassy in Washington D.C. required an on-site refrigerated truck to supply a group of ice sculptors for a week.
Shipments are worked out down to the smallest detail, and Nilsson’s team has built a website specifically for ICEHOTEL, which provides them with an overview of ice glass consumption and the progress of ice deliveries. They can also track and trace all sea and air shipments using Freight Monitor, part of Geodis Wilson’s e-Services package. Nilsson is quick to point out that adaptability and determination are key, because even the best organization and planning can come up against obstacles. In Tokyo, access issues forced the team to use a crane to bring the ice to its final destination, and a temporary bar of ice project during the Torino Winter Olympics required special vehicle permits for an otherwise vehicle-free zone.
A high profile account
“The client is very pleased with our results,” says Nilsson. “This may not be the biggest account Geodis Wilson has, but it certainly is exciting and high profile, and it is great for creating brand awareness.”
ICEHOTEL and Absolut Vodka are planning more ABSOLUT ICEBARs in the near future. It looks like Mats Nilsson and his team are going to be kept busy shipping ice south for some time to come.
