ISSN 2412-7779
REGULARS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
Continued on
16 25
CONTENTS
VOL. 05 - NO. 6 | OCTOBER 2020
30 31
REGULARS
3 Editor’s Column
35 Products
37 Buyer’s guide
39 Wordsearch
NEWS
4 Ahead of the next generation
7 Freezers are the last refuge of Covid-19
7 Serco Trailer saving lives as mobile blood bank
8 In Memory of Cees Nijssen
8 Tragic loss of an an icon: Wayne Giles Refrigeration
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
9 Reducing food waste and vaccine spoilage through CaaS
9 Producing ammonia using less energy
10 Helping the global community to step up action to reduce food
loss
12 Scientific review shows coronavirus not transmitted by food
13 Revisting A3 refrigerant’s charge limits to promote wider
application
ASSOCIATIONS
14 Embracing the digital needs
15 CGA annual report now available
PROJECTS
16 Cape Fruit Cooler’s new facility in Richmond Park
EVENTS
21 OTTC celebrates with five new ammonia graduates
23 GCCA SA hosts successful virtual Cold Store Operations Short
Course
FEATURES
25 Refrigerated trucks: Not just a cooler box
29 Bitzer refrigerant report: Part 3
CONTRIBUTORS
30 Ethylene gas – The silent killer of produce and flowers
31 Solar: A power(full) alternative for the cold chain
33 Making roads in the cold chain with data logging
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A mixed delivery… of opinions
EDITOR’S COLUMN
Having done quite a bit of travelling
to see various industry role players
over the past month – including a
trip to Cape Town, it has been interesting
to see how companies have been
managing over this time of lockdown
(and its subsequent easing), and
although the cold chain – and suppliers
to the cold chain – are considered
essential services, some companies have
barely opened, operating with skeleton
staff, while others have done
exceptionally well.
Having spoken to many business
owners and management teams,
there have been varying degrees in
opinions, situations and forecasts with
many having had to revisit their business
models, structures and offerings to
the market. It is clear that the those
businesses performing well (under the
circumstances) are the ones that have
embraced the situation, as tough as
it is, to make things work, as well as
those business owners who continue to
find the positive elements and market
opportunities.
A repeated comment is, “There is a
lot of quoting happening but no orders
coming in.” In my humble opinion, this
is in fact good news because it means
that somewhere along the line, those
orders will come through because there
is interest in growing the sector in one
or other form. Those businesses showing
the most success are those driven by
continuing to put in the effort despite
having to work under challenging or
inconvenient parameters. This is the time
the ‘men are separated from the boys’,
or more correctly today, the ‘adults from
the children’.
Essentially, I have received very
different opinions and outlooks on the
sector, the economy and the country,
but as I mentioned in my last comment,
that I’m sticking with, is that there is still
greater potential for the cold chain
moving forward and having a look at
the already-changing trends that are
happening in online and e-commerce
activity. This is going to change the way
things are done, and change means
something new – and with it, the need
for new systems, storage, transportation
and service solutions, which all bring
with them opportunity for growth, over
and above the fact that the cold chain
in South Africa is already a growing
industry, albeit a bit slower than usual at
the moment.
If you look at the expansion and
upgrading of facilities in various firstworld
countries, you will see the trend
is towards massive investment in the
cold chain and with the imminent
release of the Covid-19 vaccine, this
too opens opportunity for betterment
of the systems and management of the
pharmaceutical cold chain, which in
South Africa as I understand is not yet at
the required level.
Interestingly, it has been noted by
scientists that the Covid-19 vaccine
needs to be maintained at -70°C, which
has already raised serious questions
about the readiness of the global cold
chains and storage facilities. It is also said
that the vaccine at around 0°C will only
remain effective for 24 hours – according
to a statement by Pfizer at the end of
August 2020.
In this issue we cover various industry
news, of which you too could be a part
of – all you need to do is get in touch;
you are the industry players after all –
and we look at some industry updates.
Our project is the new world-class facility
of Cape Fruit Coolers, and our feature
looks at refrigerated road transportation
with some interesting information and
views from role players. We cover various
contributors, including post-harvest
factors, data loggers and answers to
some questions around solar power.
We also continue with the series: Bitzer’s
Refrigerant Report.
Enjoy the issue and I welcome
your feedback whether compliment,
complaint or opinion as we too aim to
offer a world-class product to you, our
readers. CLA
Ben
Please contact me via any of the following
channels:
Email: benjamin@interactmedia.co.za
Office: +27 11 579 4940
Cell: +27 82 940 0701 (Call/Text/WhatsApp)
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