FEATURE
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
the same time as they have a large display
freezers which are already quite energy-
area, but they are bulky and take up a lot
efficient due to their modern construction
of floor space,” says Kotsiros.
technology, design and mode of operation.
Other trends include the supply of
These too do have their limitations as they
new units where clients can keep their
are not applicable in every setting.
stockholdings – rather than keeping
Further, future trends are moving towards
stock in the typical back-storage like it is
more wall fridges/freezers in order to save
traditionally done. Through this solution,
floor space and have a better payback
retailers can continually stock their front-
per square metre. In South Africa, we still
of-shop freezers allowing them to operate
have the luxury of lots of space available,
effectively with smaller equipment in their
so the trend still leans towards products like
stores, as you would see in the European
glass top island freezers, however the future
trends where their stores are not as big as
trends will be more focused on costs and a
those in South Africa.
wall freezer is a better solution because the
Ready to eat (RTE) or ‘warm-up’ meals
volume is similar to the island options but the
that have seen substantial growth around
footprint is that much less.
the world have also found a place in
South Africa in both cabinets and island
products. “The decision lies purely with the
retailer to choose how they want to store,
package or display their RTE products
depending on the type of meal, food
item or beverage on offer, and recent
months have shown that there has been
a number of developments in this area
– particularly related to Covid-19, that
has had an impact on many retailers
or supermarkets offering these meals.
Some are opting for serve-over, but there
appears to be a trend towards self-service
– for obvious hygienic reasons,” adds
Faustmann.
Food retailers are also seeking out ways
to retain customers through unique look
and feel as well as overall experience when
shopping. Improvements and new designs
are continually being sought out as it often
happens that many different clients all have
their own ‘unique’ ideas around what they
think looks impressive.
On islands, the trend has been moving
towards the glass-top static options. There
is still a place for island freezers as they
cater for specific produce, but many
retailers are opting for plug-in glass top type
Retrofits of any
kind on the other
hand, pose the
challenge of
refrigeration system
sizing and being
over-specified
when making
changes such as
adding doors.
DEVELOPMENT IN CABINETS
AND ISLANDS
Some companies have their own internal
research and development departments
and some companies partner with
specialists and continue to come up with
innovative ways to present their products,
not only from a functional design
perspective, but aesthetically too.
Colcab
An integrated upright unit.
With remote upright cabinets there has
been a lot of development in the newgeneration
products and they are said
to be 30% more efficient than they were
a few years ago. Similarly if you consider
a cabinet three or four years ago, and
compare that to what is available today,
and you combine the new-generation
technology together with doors that were
mentioned previously, you are looking at
an overall energy saving of 70% against
previous years.
Faustmann notes, “Cabinet designs
themselves have also undergone substantial
improvements over the past few years,
so whether they are open or closed they
too give you approximately a 30% saving
compared to older generation cabinets.”
“Development in energy efficiency
is obviously a big, and ongoing factor,
especially for the South African markets,
because as we all know and can be
certain that electricity is not going to get
any cheaper any time soon – so this area
of development will likely receive more and
more attention as companies seek out new
solutions,” says Kotsiros.
FINAL THOUGHT
“Companies in this field need to be
set up to be able to react very quickly
around technology changes and
client requirements. One of the biggest
challenges for suppliers and manufacturers
is that retailers have become increasingly
attracted to the ‘look and feel’ element
of cabinets – which have essentially
become tools to retain customers in-store.
So, the demands of the customer keeps
increasing in order to compete against their
competitors. This need for ‘good looking
stores’ forces manufacturers and suppliers
to ensure that they can offer a diverse
range of solutions that at the same time
work efficiently and tick all of boxes,” says
Faustmann.
CLA
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