Hosted by Shane Brennan, VP of policy and strategy at the Global Cold Chain Alliance( GCCA), the session brought together perspectives from design engineering, insulation technology, operations management and structural consulting. Panellists included: • Petrie van der Merwe, senior mechanical engineer at Energy Partners Refrigeration
• Roy Weghorst, head of regulatory affairs – fire: Kingspan Group
• Richard Doyle, managing director of DDR Group
• Jan-Cornell van Ekris, Boltrics commercial director
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lifespans, this compound loss can become significant,” he warned.
Doyle reinforced this, emphasising that energy performance is a top consideration from project inception.“ The capital cost of construction is dwarfed by long-term opex. So, getting it right from the start, across all disciplines, is critical.”
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INSULATION INTEGRITY AND FUTURE-PROOFING BUILDINGS
Weghorst pointed out that thermal performance expectations often don ' t match reality – especially when building integrity is compromised over time.“ Forklift impacts or poor sealing can drastically reduce
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Roy Weghorst, head of regulatory affairs – fire: Kingspan Group. |
Shane Brennan, VP of policy and strategy at the Global Cold Chain Alliance( GCCA). |
All images by © Cold Link Africa |
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The discussion referenced the dual importance of intelligent system design and ongoing operational discipline to improve long-term energy efficiency and mitigate fire risk. |
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DESIGN AND MAINTENANCE: A 50-50 EQUATION
Van der Merwe opened the conversation by challenging the notion that good system design alone guarantees performance.“ A well-designed refrigeration plant gives you a head start, but if you don’ t maintain it, you lose 1 – 2 % efficiency annually. With refrigeration systems having decades-long
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Jan-Cornell van Ekris, Boltrics commercial director. |
Richard Doyle, managing director of DDR Group. |
Petrie van der Merwe, senior mechanical engineer at Energy Partners Refrigeration. |