FEATURE
value price (cheapest) which can bring
some immediate cash flow relief, but will
always end up in an inefficient recurring
cost when your maintenance or diesel
costs stay high in a competitive market.
Always look for good quality insulation
and proven technology offered in the
market, advises Swart. Also, be mindful
of low-priced and less expensive bodies.
Quality products can be costly but will
give you the result you require.
Good quality door seals and locking
equipment are very important. Gröss
agrees: “Make sure all door seals are in
good condition and seal well. A large
percentage of cold air is lost through
damaged or missing door seals.”
Swart also recommends proper load
positioning devices for airflow around and
underneath product, which will assist with
temperature control.
Then, insist on greener gasses, Swart
says. High Global Warming Potential
(GWP) and Ozone Depleting Potential
(ODP) gasses are still offered in the
market, so enquire and insist on new and
better equipment that uses refrigerants
with lower GWP levels. “It is important
that we all work towards using equipment
with latest technology conforming to
international standards with regards to
greener initiatives.”
Check to see if your body is certified
for frozen and fresh loads or only fresh
40
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
Maintenance is paramount to the life cycle of the truck, and is more important to the body.
loads, Gröss advises. There are many
companies that buy new or used bodies
on price when they should actually
be asking can I use this “chiller body”
to transport ice-cream? Also do some
homework on the manufacturer, see
what their quality is like and ask around in
the industry.
“The best tip is to use a reputable body
builder,” advises Martinelli. “The client
should visit the body builder’s premises
to ensure best practices are followed,
especially if it’s the client’s first time buying
a refrigerated body.”
If you’re buying second-hand, have
the truck weighed at a local weigh bridge
and compare the weights to its registered
weight, says Gröss. Many times as bodies
age they take on water within the walls
and insulation, which not only reduces
your load carrying capability, but also
creates an issue when trying to freeze
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
past zero in a short time span, due to the
eutectic phase of water as it freezes.
If possible, you can have the body
photographed with a Forward Looking
Infrared Red (FLIR) Camera, which will
immediately highlight any cracks within
the body walls as well as any water that
has ingressed into the insulation. The FLIR
cameras will also highlight any potential
heat bridges like aluminium cappings
used to finish off door edges as well
COLD LINK AFRICA • June 2019