INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
NEWS
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alternator. Another feature that reduces
maintenance levels on the unit.
The Advancer comes with a 24-month
free telematic communication package
to remotely connect, set, and track
operating parameters and performance.
The electronic feature of management
and control go far beyond setting
merely the temperature and include
operating hours at different fan speeds,
temperature variation, fuel consumption,
ambient temperatures and with
added door switches, door openings,
Geofencing, and so on.
Noise is at an ultra-low level of only
65dB(A) when operating on the diesel
engine. A feature to be welcomed by all
long-distance drivers and of value when
doing night deliveries to stores close to
residential areas.
Advancer is only available in single
temperature configurations, but current
planning is that Advancer will replace the
SLXi within the next two years. Trials with
a test unit of same design as the A-400,
have been conducted all over the EMEA
region including in South Africa since early
2020 and the first Advancer units will be
available in Q4 2020.
With the hybrid feature the driver can
change the operation of the Advancer to
all electric when low carbon emissions are
required, or noise levels are to be reduced.
“The launch of the Advancer could
not have come at a better time than
the present, when the economy is under
pressure and fleet owners are hard
pressed to reduce operating costs and
the environmental impact of refrigerated
transport and to be ahead of changes in
regulations, carbon tax and environmental
laws”, was commented by Arnold Botha,
GEA Africa. CLA
Freezers are the
last refuge of Covid-19
A
local supplier of Ozone-based
disinfectant technologies
cautions South African business
and consumers that the coronavirus
could potentially last forever in
untreated frozen commercial and
home environments.
This is according to Ian Wright,
founder of Biozone, one of the
country’s leading suppliers of Ozonebased
green technologies used
with great effect during the current
pandemic to disinfect indoor work
spaces such as cold storage facilities,
amongst many other commercial and
industrial disinfectant applications.
Wright points to recent news from
New Zealand that indicates an initial
tally of four new infections thought to
be related to a US-owned cold storage
In principle, the completely frozen virus
could in fact survive indefinitely.
Biozone
facility. The island nation had been
experiencing a 100-day period of zero
Covid-19 infections. China has banned
many categories of frozen food imports
in recent days further reinforcing
the need for effective Ozone-based
sanitising of cold storage facilities.
The warning that cold storage
areas are, in fact, potential hotbeds
of infection comes as South Africa’s
Covid-19 new infections graph
continues to plunge further downwards
while the risk of complacency increases.
“Ozone continues to be an effective
ally in the war against Covid-19 which
is not yet won. The New Zealand
experience demonstrates that pockets
of virus resistance can remain long after
a country believes it has eradicated this
enemy,” Wright says.
He explains that a 2010 study
used two viruses related to the
Covid-19 virus to look at the effects
of temperature and humidity on
viral survival. Researchers found that
both lower temperatures and lower
humidity helped viruses survive longer.
Furthermore, the study’s expectation is
that completely frozen viruses could in
fact survive indefinitely.
“In commercial environments, it is
important for employers to continue
to be fastidious about both employee
hand-washing and the disinfecting of
fresh produce. Sanitising indoor spaces
with Ozone gas is hugely effective at
eliminating the virus completely and
forever,” says Wright.
Ozone gas has been in high
demand over the past several
months because enclosed spaces
treated with this natural disinfectant
are immediately safe to reoccupy.
Ozone can also safely be used
to treat any surface that may be
suspected of harboring the Covid-19
virus such as those found in standard
and refrigerated shipping containers
and trucks used as part of the cold
chain.
“We’re experiencing
unprecedented demand for our
ozone-based room purifiers, in
particular. These units use ozone gas
to quickly disinfect air in an enclosed
space without having to use chlorine
and then wait until its safe to enter the
room,” explains Wright. HEPA filtration
and UV indoor air quality products
have also proven a successful tool
against the virus.
Ozone is 2.5 times stronger than
chlorine, a common disinfectant
notorious for leaving a long-lasting and
dangerous residue. Ozone is safe and
works 3 000 times faster than chlorine
because it kills pathogens on contact.
It is a naturally-occurring disinfectant
well-suited for home and work
treatment and was approved as far
back as 1999 as a disinfectant by the
American Food & Drug Administration.
“Ozone's strength is that it reverts
back to oxygen rapidly after it has
disinfected air and water. This makes
it well-suited to rapidly-disinfecting
enclosed spaces that need to be
almost immediately occupied again
like hotel rooms and airport lounges,”
says Wright. CLA
Serco Trailer saving lives
as mobile blood bank
A
Serco-built trailer has been
converted into a mobile blood
donation centre for use outdoors
at a variety of locations including big
events, shopping centres and in the
community.
The trailer was built with window
apertures and interior partitions for
Emergency Vehicle Conversion (EVC), the
company which did all the conversion
essentials and extras to make it userfriendly
for their client, the South African
National Blood Service (SANBS).
The vehicle has already been used at
a variety of events and was due to be
at the 2020 Rand Show in Johannesburg
and on the Durban beachfront during the
Easter holiday period but the Covid-19
lockdown scuppered those plans.
EVC, based in Boksburg in Gauteng,
converts vehicles to specification for use
as ambulances, emergency services
vehicles, mobile clinics, camper vans, and
mobile offices, among others.
EVC sales manager, Jonathan
Greenhill, says he was approached by
SANBS who were looking for a mobile unit
fitted out and equipped to ensure donors
enjoy and feel comfortable using the
facility – similar to the good experience
standards experienced at the blood
services’ fixed site centres.
“We called in Serco – they had been
close neighbours of ours in Boksburg
before they moved to their new premises
– and decided on the insulated trailer best
suited for our purposes. Working with the
basic vehicle they built for us, we added
the flooring, self-contained solar-powered
electrical system, air-conditioning,
plumbing, furniture, and other equipment.
The unit is also wheelchair-friendly and has
facilities for the disabled,’ said Greenhill.
It is the first time EVC has done business
with Serco and Greenhill said they were
pleased with the final product and there
was a possibility of more business in the
pipeline for the company.
The new Emergency Vehicle Conversion (EVC) that Serco built for the South African
National Blood Service.
COLD LINK AFRICA • October 2020 www.coldlinkafrica.co.za 7
CLA