This is South Africa ’ s only venue bringing together the cold chain industry to discuss opportunities and innovations of this essential sector and offering leadership experience , knowledge , and exclusive networking with decision makers from across South Africa and beyond , in a relaxed yet professional atmosphere .

The conference started on 3 August with Council and Committee Meetings as well as the South African Refrigerated Transportation industry meeting . Daniel Kaplan , chairman of the World Food Logistics Organisation commended the Food Safety and Compliance Committee for all their efforts and what they have achieved over the past year . Penny Campbell , director of Food Control of the National Department of Health also attended the Food Safety & Compliance Committee Meeting and noted that it is great to see industry leaders working together to strengthen and develop our cold chain industry in South Africa .

It was the first time since opening office in South Africa in 2019 that GCCA got the transportation industry together to discuss challenges , opportunities , innovations , and the future of the refrigerated transport industry in South Africa .

GCCA SOUTH AFRICA STRATEGIC PRIORITIES On 4 August 2022 , Paul Gibbons , customer director of Vector Logistics and chairman of the GCCA South Africa advisory council opened the conference with GCCA South Africa ’ s strategic priorities as well as insights into the roles of the council and committees and achievements of the past year .

INTERNATIONAL COLD CHAIN CHALLENGES & TRENDS Adam Thocher , senior vice president of global programs & insights of GCCA presented GCCA ’ s global priorities , growing international presence and also gave a closer look at what our association has learned about the state of the cold chain industry through regional and global trends . Thocher also gave insight into 2020- 2022 capacity increase by percentage . We are seeing the global cold chain industry grow . Cold chain challenges discussed included environmental challenges , imports / exports , port congestion , geopolitics and changing consumer habits .

BUILDING THE COLD CHAIN IN AFRICA James Eason , a cold chain Expert in Kenya and GCCA technical advisor explained the current challenges including post-harvest loss being 35 % average throughout Africa , the lack of infrastructure ( roads , internet , water , public services ), security , cultural barriers and defining fresh food .

He also spoke about large solutions , both private and public including Arch Capital with their 100-million-dollar investment in East Africa , IFC ( East Africa , West Africa , and North Africa ), Maersk , DP World etc . Smaller Solutions are more affordable and used in remote locations and includes different portable / rentable , solar solutions .

A model expanding in MENA is the multiservice model where companies are offering a one-stop-shop , including shipping , freight forwarding , storage , e-commerce , distribution etc . Also included , Eason covered investment needs for profitability as well as reasons why stakeholders should invest in Africa .

WFLO INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Daniel Kaplan did a great job in explaining the function of WFLO and the project work that we do globally . WFLO serves as the technical assistance arm of the Global Cold Chain Alliance , providing training , education , and research services to companies concerned with producing , processing , shipping , transporting , and storing goods requiring temperature control .

It is through the WFLO that GCCA members participate on international cold chain development projects .

WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION IN SOUTH AFRICA Malcolm Fuller , operations manager of Merlog Foods shared their incredible automated facility through photos and even a video . He spoke in detail about the performance of the

facility , from guaranteed system uptime and pallets per hour to accuracy on outbound including case picking and automatic repositioning of pallets .

Fuller then described the process undertaken in selecting automation over traditional racking and how they purchased an existing building and needed the best fit for the building . On benefits and return on investment , Fuller mentioned guaranteed productivity and uptime , visibility , and access to any pallet at any time , 98 % reduction in stock losses , reduction in energy costs , no damaged equipment etc .

Challenges included the rate of exchange for set up and spare parts , initial capital costs that are 2-3 times the cost of traditional racking and WMS setup , impact on staff and training before go-live .

AN UPDATE FROM DALRRD Dr Edson Goremucheche from DALRRD gave an update from DALRRD and included the importance of the cold chain from farm-to-fork . Legislation and standards in place are there to ensure safety , quality , efficacy , and integrity . He then spoke about the SPS agreement which applies to all sanitary and phytosanitary measures which may , directly or indirectly affect international trade and covered general export and import procedures .

COMPARATIVE FIRE TEST BLOW TORCH SIMULATION ISO 11325 PART 3 The audience then moved to the Square , right across the conference centre for a live