Cold Link Africa Cold Link AfricaOctober 2018_digital | Page 5

NEWS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
holesaler Beijer Ref AB and
compressor specialist Bitzer
have renewed their partnership
agreement for the upcoming three
years. Their long-term cooperation
ensures the worldwide growth and
presence of both companies.
Beijer Ref and Bitzer have worked
together for many years. On 3 July 2018,
both companies signed a contract renewal
confirming this long-term cooperation.
Gianni Parlanti, board member and
chief sales and marketing officer at Bitzer,
states, “We are looking forward to the
next three successful years with Beijer Ref.
High-quality Bitzer products are in demand
around the world, and this cooperation
is beneficial for both companies due
to the Beijer Ref distribution network in
Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand.
Our partnership improves the availability
and choice of Bitzer products for Beijer Ref
customers beyond European borders.”
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The new contract covers 44 associated
Beijer Ref companies, six of which are
located outside Europe. At Beijer Ref,
experienced refrigeration engineers work
together as specialists for consultancy,
sales, storage, and dispatch to ensure
smooth distribution of refrigeration and
air-conditioning equipment and their
associated components.
In future, Beijer Ref will continue to offer
the complete range of Bitzer products
and will present them through a variety of
media channels as well as at trade fairs.
As part of the contract, Bitzer will continue
to support its partner with a number of
measures. CLA
Beijer Ref and Bitzer signed a three-year
agreement. From left: Erik Bucher (Bitzer
director sales refrigeration); Gianni Parlanti
(Bitzer board member and chief sales and
marketing officer); Per Bertland (CEO and
president at Beijer Ref AB); and Simon Karlin
(COO and executive vice-president at
Beijer Ref AB).
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Beijer Ref and Bitzer
renew partnership
New project to
reduce wasted harvest in SA
earman, a clean cold company,
has launched a new project in a
bid to reduce wasted harvest in
South Africa.
Food waste in South Africa is estimated
to be worth GBP4.7-billion (about R86-
billion) annually, half of which occurs
Dearman has launched a local cooling
project to reduce harvest loss.
in the fruit and vegetable sector. Low
farmer income makes access to cooling
technology difficult.
Dearman’s 24-month project seeks to
develop a mobile pre-cooling system,
using the company’s groundbreaking
liquid nitrogen engine. Pre-cooling rapidly
reduces the temperature of produce
immediately after harvest, to ensure
minimal post-harvest food loss.
Working with local partners Transfrig,
the cold chain operator, and Harvest
Fresh, a family-owned food producer
based in Gauteng, Dearman will develop
a mobile, off-grid, zero-emissions system
that allows small farmers to access
affordable pre-cooling.
The fruit and vegetables pre-cooling
market is estimated to be worth GBP730-
million (about R13.3-billion) in Africa.
Dearman’s project seeks to deliver a
successful technology demonstration,
including a six-month field trial, and set
out a viable route for wider commercial
deployment of the pre-cooling system.
The company estimates that deploying
just 250 Dearman pre-coolers in South
Africa would be enough to process the
350 000t of fruit and vegetable wasted
during post-harvest handling and storage.
The move would also save around 328
million cubic metres of water and 29 000
hectares of land also currently wasted, as
well as boost farmer incomes by 12%.
Dr Daniel Fennell, Dearman’s head
of new applications, says, “We are very
excited to be launching our new project in
South Africa. Small farmers in the country
want an affordable pre-cooling system,
but one that does the job cleanly. The
zero-emission system we are developing
can offer a real alternative to polluting
and expensive diesel systems and help to
reduce post-harvest food loss.”
The project is backed by grant funds
from the Department for International
Development. CLA
COLD LINK AFRICA • October 2018
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
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