Cold Link Africa March April 2026 | Page 25

INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN

PROJECT

• Component scarcity: reinforced the importance of early procurement and diversified supplier bases

• Design adaptability: the ability to absorb and implement specification changes proved crucial

• Team culture: the dedication of HC Engineering’ s technical staff and management was the defining success factor

“ At the end of the day, we delivered a technically complex facility under extremely tough conditions, and we did it without compromising performance. The real success was seeing fruit move through the system on schedule – proof that all the effort paid off," says MacDonald.

OPEN DAY INSPECTION

Maersk Belcon cold store operations manager Franco Lovember led a tour of the facility following the inauguration ceremony, detailing how innovative temperature control, pallet management systems and intermodal logistics solutions represent the cutting edge of temperature control.

Each pallet entering the facility is scanned and tracked from the moment it arrives, ensuring full visibility and traceability throughout the cold chain. Everything that comes in is verified and logged into the system immediately.

For sensitive fruit such as table grapes, Belcon targets a 48-hour cooling window using soft cooling techniques that preserve texture and shelf life. The Belcon Cold Store integrates automated pallet handling systems that provide real-time monitoring of pallet positions, temperatures and movements. These systems deliver major productivity gains, allowing operators to load 130 – 140 pallets per hour and handle up to 40 – 50 containers daily, with occasional peaks exceeding 900 pallets per day.

Automation also enables specialised staging for market inspections, such as phytosanitary checks required for exports to the US, EU or China. By combining technology with skilled personnel, the facility maintains consistent productivity even during high-volume periods.

“ Our teams work like machines – they maintain consistent productivity across multiple shifts. It’ s this combination of technology and skilled personnel that ensures efficiency and reliability,” says Lovember.

With over 240 plug-in points, the facility can accommodate large volumes of refrigerated containers during peak season. Its design allows for simultaneous handling of multiple fruit types, with pre-staging rooms maintained at 2 – 5 ° C for grapes and adjusted temperatures for citrus. Dedicated steri and pre-cooling spaces allow for parallel processing across export categories.

A key feature of the Belcon Cold Store is its integration with rail transport, which helps reduce road congestion and carbon emissions. During the grape season, containers can be plugged directly into trains, bypassing port delays caused by weather or gate closures.“ If the wind closes the port gates, the train ensures containers are moved efficiently. We can plan for two trains per day, and sometimes three, depending on volume,” Lovember explains. CLA

March / April 2026 www. coldlinkafrica. co. za COLD LINK AFRICA