ISSN 2412-7779
REGULARS
CONTENTS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
VOL. 04 - NO. 06 | JUNE 2019
23
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35
REGULARS INTERNATIONAL NEWS EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
3 9 World Refrigeration Day – everything you need to know 21 June RAC technical workshop programme announced
11 Flammable refrigerant limit increase approved in recount 23 Kingspan looks to mitigate fire risk in cold stores
26 Transfrig (Valeo) launches local R&D centre
30 New home (and management) for Eurocool
32 Ammonia emergency response workshop – essential for
all plant owners
Editor’s column
44 Products
47
Word search
NEWS
4 Refrigerant recycling within reach of smallest contractors
5 New MD for Bitzer SA and Nigeria
7 Serco helps further driver training at Coca-Cola
7 Innovation Award launched to celebrate cold chain
PROJECTS
1
High-tech new banana ripening rooms for Springs Market
ASSOCIATIONS
19
SAIRAC Dreosti Memorial Lectures – book your spot!
FEATURES
35
Refrigerated transport – a matter of life and death
excellence
EDITOR’S COLUMN
An industry on the move
I
recently had another one of those phone calls (this time
from Greece) enquiring into the size of a specific market.
This time the lady wanted to know how many refrigerated
vehicles are sold in South Africa annually. Like so many
researchers before her, her investigation would
unfortunately be a largely fruitless one, as these figures
simply do not exist.
The timing was, however, impeccable as I was busy
writing my feature on the ins and outs of refrigerated
transport. Although the exact numbers are unattainable,
I could at least manage to get a bit of a picture of what
the local industry looks like and where we are heading.
The refrigerated transport sector is always on the move
(excuse the inevitable pun), ensuring that perishable
products arrive at their destination without breaking the
cold chain. The roads are filled with these refrigerated
vehicles of a multitude of sizes, carrying anything from ice
cream to organs and everything in between. But all trucks
aren’t created equal and unfortunately, often entire loads
have to be disposed of due to inadequate cold chain
management (amongst other failures).
From poor maintenance to opening the doors too
often, you can’t simply load a truck and hope for the
best. Refrigerated transport is a fine science and clear
guidelines, regulations and standards govern this industry
to ensure that product isn’t unnecessarily wasted or worse
— that people don’t get sick from spoilt products. We
chat to various professionals to see how things should be
done, including local manufacturers of the refrigeration
units, truck body builders and even insulation specialists.
Are you doing enough to protect the cold chain? Read
the feature on page 35.
Speaking of refrigerated transport, we’ve done a
number of follow up articles regarding the GIZ test
chamber at the South African Bureau of Standards
(SABS), meant to test refrigerated trucks and ensure
a uniform standard on our roads. There have been a
number of challenges with this (read John Ackermann’s
article in March or Clinton Holcroft of Serco’s letter to the
editor in last month’s edition).
That doesn’t mean that testing has to go out of the
window, though. Transfrig (a Valeo brand) has just opened
its impressive R&D centre at its Linbro Office Park premises,
boasting its own calorimeter to test trucks and bodies. Read
more about this exciting launch and other changes within
the company on page 26.
Another exciting launch was that of Kingspan, which
announced its entry into the local market with a well-
attended event in Johannesburg. There was even a live
demonstration to show how various insulation panels
perform in the face of fire. Read more on page 23.
A lot is happening in the industry. Eurocool moved
offices and had a few staff changes (page 30) while a
New Zealand speaker led an informative ammonia seminar
in Cape Town (page 32). Don’t forget about this month’s
upcoming RAC workshop in Cape Town (page 21) nor
the SAIRAC Dreosti memorial lectures happening at four
centres across the country (page 19).
Our cover story this month features the new banana
ripening rooms at the Springs Fresh Produce Market where
control is everything. Read more about this state-of-the-
art installation on page 13. We’re always looking for new
projects to feature, so hit me up if you’ve recently finished
something interesting.
As the year quickly whirls past in endless deadlines and
projects, make sure to take some time to take stock of this
year. Look back at your January goals for the year and
assess your progress to see where you are at. Realign your
goals for the remainder of the year and get your head right
to ensure a productive next six months. It’s not too late to
have a good year.
What is happening in your world?
Let us know! CLA
Ilana Koegelenberg
Editor | [email protected]
COLD LINK AFRICA • June 2019
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
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