ISSN 2412-7779
REGULARS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
Continued on
18 24
CONTENTS
VOL. 05 - NO. 5 | SEPTEMBER 2020
32 38
REGULARS
3 Editors Column
39 Products
41 Buyer’s guides
43 Wordsearch
NEWS
4 Wider interest in World Refrigeration Day
7 Energy test case study proves long-term savings
8 New trucks for expanding online order delivery
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
9 Cold chain identified for high-impact solutions in GHG emissions
10 Renewable energy model offers endless potential
11 UNIDO: Guidance to build better fridges
13 REAL alternatives for LIFE achievements
15 CaaS pushed in India by Smart Joules with BASE support
ASSOCIATIONS
16 Latest updates from the CGA
17 GCCA Africa select cold chain advisory council
PROJECTS
18 Dairy producer continues to grow and service SA
22 Maersk’s new 50 000-ton cold store facility in Russia
EVENTS
23 Frigair postponed to June 2022
23 Chillventa organisers opt to continue 2020 event with
virtual experience
FEATURES
24 Cabinets and islands – technology saves SA many megawatt-hours
29 Bitzer refrigerant report: Part 2
CONTRIBUTORS
32 Food supply chain not in lockdown
35 Covid-19 has changed the playing arena
36 Telematics and the cold chain
38 Motors and variable speed drives contribute to sustainability goals
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Greater potential for
EDITOR’S COLUMN
cold chain post Covid-19
Economists have embarked on an
ambitious outlook for South Africa over
the next 12 to 18 months. This was
highlighted at the recent virtual SAIRAC
Johannesburg AGM with Guest Speaker
Mike Schussler, where the state of the cold
chain was brought to the fore.
As the pandemic has affected the
way individuals, companies and countries
think about their supply chains and use of
perishable goods, the cold chain continues
to be in the spotlight as systems and
procedures will no doubt be changed, for
the short-term anyway, to accommodate
more volume, but less frequency.
This essentially means that the expansion
of our cold stores and logistics will be
affected. Cold stores and distribution
centres will need to be increased or
expanded, and logistics will also need to
be revised to cater to the new demand
cycles, and of course to work on
associated efficiency.
In South Africa, a developing country,
our technology in the cold chain space is
already world-class in many aspects. Now
is the time to think smart and for public and
private sectors to get one critical element
right. The country’s economy requires
significant improvement, but not with the
crippling scenarios we have experienced
over recent months – for goods to stand
in a port for weeks or even months in
high-season is just not the way to do it,
irrespective of ‘circumstance’.
There is always a way to produce results,
to find solutions, and even more so today
as the world is in ‘shock’ as an economist
would put it, both with regard to production
and consumption. Looking at some industry
trend graphs, you would note that the only
industry not currently in decline over this
period is in fact pharmaceuticals, which
also uses the cold chain.
The cold chain remains essential and as
Mr John Ackerman refers to it in one of his
articles, “has not gone into lockdown”. The
supply of much-needed perishable goods
both locally and for export has continued,
as much of the South African fruits are
sought-after throughout the world. Global
logistics has continued to deliver, albeit via
different routes.
Another particular element of the
cold chain that was brought up at the
virtual event was the use of air freight. As
most countries still maintain lockdown on
international flights (including South Africa),
suppliers have to seek alternative ways of
innovation and delivery of air-freight goods
as it is expected that South Africa may only
open up international air travel as late as
after the 1st quarter of 2021 – a long time
for products that can typically reach their
destination within a couple of hours.
The next phase for the country will come
as the world gets closer to the vaccine for
Covid-19 and one must ask oneself; are the
South African medical infrastructure and
conditions ready?
In this issue we look at world news,
including a new and free open source
software to determine alternate energy
needs, which is a big factor for rural areas
and Africa in general. We take a look at
reports from both UNIDO and UNEP on
refrigeration and the role of the cold link. This
month’s feature is on cabinets and islands
and their function in efficiency as larger
retailers can save big on their bottom lines.
Our projects highlight the Douglasdale Dairy
operations and looks at the equipment
involved in their distribution centres as well
as the new Maersk cold store in Russia,
where South African produce was one of
the first to arrive for distribution. We cover
the second part of the Bitzer refrigerant
report and also look at telematics and other
efficiencies for an operation in the cold
chain that goes beyond refrigeration.
As always, I trust you will enjoy this
issue, and look forward to interacting with
you in future as the lockdowns ease, and
we can get back to the ‘new normal’.
Follow our social media with LinkedIn,
Twitter and Facebook. You can also
contact me directly: CLA
Ben
Please contact me via any of the following
channels:
Email: [email protected]
Office: +27 11 579 4940
Cell: +27 82 940 0701 (Call/Text/WhatsApp)
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