INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
FEATURE
Image supplied by Serco
Pietermaritzburg-based trucking company Yacoob ’ s Transport has added two new Serco-built dry freight interlinks to its refrigerated vehicle fleet .
The solar incentive is contained in section 12B of the Income Tax Act , being a 125 % deductible on business income tax by investing in solar .
This all means that at the moment , the bulk of NextDrive ’ s work consists of retrofitting . Consequently , the company specialises in augmenting various refrigeration systems , retrofitting solutions to serve as backups and eventually becoming the primary power source . Hurter says successful proof-of-concept trials with Food Lovers Market and in collaboration with Transfrig , showcasing the effectiveness of solar panels in powering three-phase ( diesel-electric-solar ) systems off the grid for a week without diesel usage . Traditional diesel refrigeration systems are primarily being replaced by silent nitrogen refrigeration systems . Hurter adds that these units have an operating life of up to 12 years with significantly reduced maintenance and operating costs .
A solar and heavy-duty lithium battery system has been designed specifically for the needs of Coca- Cola . The system allows for the double column tail lift to operate independently from the horse , with excess solar power available for pallet jack charging and optional security systems .
NextDrive ’ s in-house manufacturing processes involve design of batteries , assembly and handling all wiring components . While not producing specific solar panels , the company manages wiring components and ensures automotive-rated components for reliability in vehicular applications .
The company envisions a future where technology continues to evolve , making solar-powered solutions increasingly viable . NextDrive ’ s focus remains on expansion , not only within South Africa but also into Africa and potentially Australia . The company sees a promising horizon for growth beyond regional boundaries , especially as the popularity of sustainable solutions continues to rise .
Image supplied by Serco
THERMO KING OFFERS ADVANCED TRAILER CONNECTIVITY SOLUTION
Thermo King has recently entered a long-term supply agreement with ZF Commercial Vehicle Solutions , a systems supplier to the road transportation industry . As a result of the agreement , Thermo King will combine its expertise in transport refrigeration with ZF ’ s trailer system data to offer a comprehensive telematics solution covering the complete refrigerated trailer data within one platform .
“ By partnering with market leaders and experts in their fields , Thermo King creates unique value propositions for our customers ,” said Isil Dedeoglu , vice-president for services and aftermarket at Thermo King Europe , Middle East and Africa ( EMEA ). “ The collaboration with a key industry player like ZF will allow Thermo King to become a one-stop solution provider for customers looking to maximise their operational efficiency by digitising their trailer fleet . This co-operation will give our customers even easier and deeper insight into their fleets and the information they need to further improve their uptime and reliability .”
Hjalmar Van Raemdonck , Head of Digital Systems Solutions with ZF ’ s Commercial Vehicle Solutions division , says : “ We are delighted , Thermo King is using ZF technology to further strengthen its offerings to
Hino 500 1627 . its customers . For ZF , trusted industry collaborations , including the one with Thermo King , help create unique scalable value for a broader range of customers and are essential to ZF ’ s strategy with regards to SCALAR , our fleet orchestration platform .”
The new offering will enable customers to remotely monitor both refrigerated and dry fleets operating Thermo King refrigeration units and access all integrated trailer data through the Thermo King TracKing platform .
Thermo King will use ZF ’ s new SCALAR Fleet Orchestration Platform , throughout its trailer telematic solutions , to import data from ZF and all other makes of trailer-EBS systems and tyre pressure monitoring systems ( TPMS ). This new feature will allow Thermo King TracKing customers to leverage multi-brand EBS , odometer , axle-load and TPMS data and further optimise their trailers ’ uptime , maintenance and fuel efficiency . With easy access to comprehensive information about the status of their refrigerated trailers via TracKing , customers will be able to act and react to operate more efficiently , avoid unscheduled downtime , reduce fuel consumption and create more sustainable transport .
This new digital solution will also support fleets in complying with the Regulation No . 141 of the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations ( UN / ECE ), which requires all new registered trailers to be equipped with TPMS from July 2024 . CLA
While the system design is relatively simple – mirroring a residential setup – the challenge with a transportation system lies in intelligently packaging it in a vehicle with its inherent exposure to rough conditions on roads .
COLD LINK AFRICA • January / February 2024 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za 15