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Tag: cold chain

Thermo King presents broad refrigeration portfolio at Intermodal

Posted on by David Priestman

Thermo King, a leader in transport temperature control solutions and a brand of Trane Technologies, will welcome visitors at the booth J20 of the Intermodal Europe 2022 show in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to present the latest refrigeration solutions designed to lower customers’ energy consumption, carbon footprint and improve the capabilities of their reefer fleets.

“Thermo King is coming to Intermodal Europe to demonstrate the container industry’s broadest refrigeration solutions portfolio for shipping lines, intermodal and stationary use,” said Claudio Zanframundo, vice president Thermo King Global Marine, Rail and Air. “We are looking forward to discussing the close ties between the cold chain and global sustainability goals. This includes important topics like energy consumption, cold chain resiliency, food waste and technologies of the future. We want to demonstrate how we make an impact accompanying our customers through the entire lifecycle of their reefers, improving, and upgrading the capabilities and efficiency of their fleets.”

The highlights of the Thermo King booth J20 booth of Intermodal Europe held from 8th to 10th November will include:

New Container Fresh and Frozen (CFF) refrigeration unit with a game-changing technology offering up to 20% less energy consumption than the market average and best-in-class, precise temperature control of +/- 0.25°C in chilled mode and +/- 1°C in frozen mode. The CFF responds to customer needs to reduce energy cost, increase sustainability, comply with the IMO 2030 requirements and achieve low total cost of ownership. Up to 20% less energy consumption on most common shipments of fruit with set-point 10-15°C, can represent a net saving of up to $65 per trip per container (calculated with the cost of Bunker oil per kWh at $0.1937).

TK Fresh+ advanced fresh air management solution – a microprocessor controlled fresh air exchange system ensuring quick pull down, temperature control and perishable cargo protection. The sensors measure the O2 and CO2 levels inside the container allowing the microprocessor to automatically adjust to changing conditions if the levels exceed the pre-programmed range.  Featuring ‘ventilation on demand’, TK Fresh+ responses to continuing changes in respiratory gases, opening the vent automatically to allow fresh air in and closing it again when the desired gas levels are reached.

Thermo King SuperFreezer reaching -70°C, and SuperChiller units with setpoint between -60°C and +10°C, designed for ultra-low pharma, seafood, meat and sensitive materials applications. The showcase will also include a 10ft Cold Storage Solution (CSS) with Thermo King SuperFreezer responding to ultra-low temperature needs. The CSS can deliver complete coverage for vaccine and pharmaceutical storage at -70°C and can also be used with a genset making it suitable for transit and eliminating the need for dry ice.

Latest Thermo King SG-3500 genset available for sale and rent. The SG-3500 can power all ISO reefers thanks to its 24.4 horsepower engine and delivers noise and emissions reduction, which makes it one of the quietest and most sustainable gensets available on the market. Customers in North America, Europe and other regions can benefit from its cost efficiency and future proof their operations thanks to EPA Tier 4 Final, NRMM Stage V and 7-year CARB compliance. The unit also incorporates a stable voltage control to intelligently regulate power and keep it within limits set by ISO1496. Specifically for the North American market, Thermo King also offers the SG-5000 gensets that are CARB compliant for the lifetime of the product, protecting the customers’ investment and removing the need for retrofit or replacement.

Thermo King Advancer Intermodal refrigeration unit for containers offering market leading performance and fuel efficiency, temperature control, and fleet connectivity. The Thermo King Advancer Intermodal refrigeration unit offers unrivalled system efficiency and up to 40% quicker pull down and up to 30% better fuel-efficiency than the market average. The power-agnostic architecture of the Advancer units makes them future-ready and compatible with alternative power sources. This includes the Thermo King AxlePower smart energy generating system that harvests energy from the chassis’ axle and can enable fully electric, low or zero-emission and autonomous refrigeration.

On 9th November at 11.00am in the Keynote Theatre of the Intermodal Europe Conference, Claudio Zanframundo will speak about the evolution of the end-to-end cold chain solutions. In his keynote presentation Claudio Zanframundo will show how Thermo King has created a bridge between the Truck and Trailer business and Marine, Rail and Air applications. He will also address how Thermo King and Trane Technologies have committed to reducing carbon emissions with the Trane Technologies’ bold  2030 Sustainability Commitments, including the Gigaton Challenge to reduce customer greenhouse gas emissions by 1 billion tonnes.

 

Zencargo partners with Tive

Posted on by David Priestman

Zencargo, the London-based digital freight forwarder helping organisations make smarter decisions through a real-time overview of their supply chain, has recently entered into a partnership with Tive, the visibility solution provider delivering critical shipment location and condition data via its real-time, best-in-class sensors.

The supply chain industry has experienced disruption over the past two years, which has led to increased costs and longer lead times from origin to destination. Shipments are at risk of delays that can affect the quality of goods, especially perishables, which are required to be kept at certain temperatures and conditions.

By partnering with Tive, Zencargo will offer customers deeper insight into the location and condition of critical goods. Tive works with trusted brands globally to track their shipments in real-time to eliminate cargo delays and damages. Through its industry-leading, hyper-accurate location and condition monitoring trackers, Tive enables businesses to monitor inventory throughout its journey, meet quality and compliance requirements, and improve delivery satisfaction with customers. Tive’s Solo5G sensor also offers geofencing capabilities, provides alerts on arrival and departure times, and sends notifications in the event of route deviations.

Zencargo’s digital platform connects all stakeholders across the inbound supply chain. The platform is designed to help stakeholders access information across the supply chain to optimise performance. Businesses will have a precise overview of their shipments’ location and access data and insights through a real-time collaborative platform to prevent issues before they arise and minimise lost sales from damaged or delayed goods.

Alex Hersham, CEO and Co-Founder of Zencargo, comments: “With this partnership, we’re able to add greater visibility to our customers’ supply chains on top of the existing services we offer. By ensuring they have all the information they need to make agile decisions, delays and damage to goods can be prevented and customers will receive goods in the most efficient and timely way.”

“Tive’s complementary supply chain visibility services enable Zencargo to deliver even deeper value to their customers,” said Krenar Komoni (pictured), CEO & Founder of Tive. “The ability to view hyper-accurate location and condition tracking – in real time – from within the Zencargo platform helps ensure that products arrive on time and in full, preventing issues before they arise.”

Zencargo serves many industries in which shippers are moving high-value, high-risk cargo- such as fashion, luxury goods and beauty products,” said Krenar Komoni, CEO & Founder of Tive. “The higher the value of the cargo, the greater the risk. Real-time, in-transit visibility is invaluable for these shippers, ensuring that products arrive on time and in full.

Complete solution for pharma industry

Further to the announcement of its partnership with Zencargo, Tivehas unveiled a portfolio of real-time cold chain management logistics solutions for pharmaceutical, biologicals, and cell gene therapy companies. Tive’s multi-sensor Solo 5G trackers capture and transmit hyper-accurate location and temperature data of shipments in real time -enabling customers to actively monitor in-transit shipments, take action when deviations occur, and identify areas for supply chain improvements.

With this announcement, Tive now covers the full range of temperatures required to protect all critical cold chain shipments – including dry ice and cryogenic shipments. In addition to lithium and non-lithium Solo 5G trackers (TT-7000/TT-7100) already covering the temperature range of -30°C to +60°C, Tive is adding new trackers with probes that will reach -200°C to monitor dry ice and cryogenic shipments.

“Tive dedicated a tremendous amount of energy to create hardware and software offerings that give biotech, pharmaceutical, and cell gene therapy companies a complete cold chain solution – as well as a tremendous competitive advantage,” says Komoni. “As the demand for low and ultra-low temperature shipments increases, it becomes even more critical for companies across the globe to have complete in-transit visibility – so they can deliver high-quality products that assure patient safety.”

“Biocair wants the best of the best, and that’s why we use Tive: they offer a full cold chain solution that enables us to be proactive rather than reactive at every point in the supply chain,” says Robert Pagan, Packaging Solutions Engineer at Biocair. “We are an extremely customer-centric company, and by using Tive we demonstrate to our clients that we are on the cutting edge of technology and medicine to better serve them, and to set ourselves apart from the competition.”

Approved for use on more than 130 air carriers, Tive’s solutions are GxP compliant and all the components (hardware and software) are developed and tested following the Good Automated Manufacturing Practice 5 (GAMP 5) model. A 3-Point NIST-traceable Certificate of Calibration is included with every Tive Solo 5G tracker, and both trackers and probes are fully calibrated by an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory. In addition, the Tive cloud-based application complies with both FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and EU Annex 11 requirements. Tive is SOC 2  Type 2 and ISO 27001 compliant.

Peli BioThermal launches cold chain shipping solution

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Peli BioThermal, the life science industry’s partner from discovery to distribution, has revealed its newest reusable, flexible temperature controlled shipping solution. Crēdo Go is designed to adapt to unique customer programmes, as well as to help pharmaceutical companies reach environmental, social and governance goals, cost reduction targets and operational performance indicators.

“The number of commercially approved pharmaceutical products that require strict temperature control is growing rapidly. And we understand that discovery, clinical trials and commercialisation require different solutions,” said Phil Gyori, CEO of Pelican Products, Inc. parent company of Peli BioThermal. “Crēdo Go brings together Peli BioThermal’s long-trusted technology and modern design innovation to improve payload protection, increase component longevity and minimise a programme’s carbon footprint.”

Peli BioThermal’s newest shipping solution combines customer collaboration and data-driven optimisation to propose a portfolio of shipper options that meet unique business and programme requirements. Each shipper is supplied with 2-, 4- or 6-TIC configurations to dial thermal duration up or down and switch between open and tight temperature control to meet typical and complex shipping lane profiles.

New box build automation technology offers increased throughput and capacity potential with greatly reduced lead times for new shipper configurations while a simple, repeatable and accurate pack-out process reduces packing time, increases daily throughput and minimises assembly error. Additionally, TIC BridgeGuard technology distributes the phase change material coolant to where it is most needed to reduce the impact of thermal bridging without sacrificing payload space or increasing chargeable shipper weight.

Crēdo Go users begin their product journey by working with a dedicated product specialist to identify opportunities for improvement and cost reduction by collecting customer-specific data points to input into Peli BioThermal’s Trufit optimisation software. This analysis tool utilises customer data to build an optimal solution portfolio that meets the needs, goals and performance metrics of any programme. Once a programme is up and running, Crēdo ProEnvision software provides order, shipment and maintenance support to measure and continually improve programme performance.

Crēdo Go reusable shippers accommodate payload sizes from 2.5 litres to 83 litres and temperature ranges from frozen to controlled room temperature. Shipping durations span 24 – 120+ hours. All sizes are available through Peli BioThermal’s Crēdo on Reserve rental programme, which provides an easy-to-follow process for return to the organisation’s high-volume service centres, where the majority of the shipper is reused and the rest is recycled.

 

Thermo King launches three breakthrough refrigeration systems

Posted on by David Priestman

Thermo King, a leader in transport temperature control solutions, has unveiled three new breakthrough models of the Advancer trailer refrigeration solutions: the multi-temperature Advancer Spectrum (pictured), the Advancer AxlePower energy recovery system and the electric, engineless Advancer-e.

“From the outset, Thermo King’s ambition behind Advancer has been to move beyond incremental enhancements and to create trailer refrigeration systems that feature innovation never before seen on the market,” said Colm O’Grady, trailer product leader at Thermo King. “Our goal has been to develop even more sustainable refrigeration technologies, enable our products to fit alternative power sources, reduce energy consumption to the lowest possible levels, and to use this innovation to reduce the total cost of ownership of our products for our customers. The technology behind the expanded Advancer portfolio makes these goals a reality.”

The three new trailer refrigeration systems expand the market-leading Thermo King Advancer A-Series portfolio, renowned for its performance, temperature control, unrivalled system efficiency and fleet connectivity.

Advancer Spectrum

Advancer Spectrum: new level of performance in multi-zone temperature configurations, with precise temperature management and reduced fuel and operational costs.

The new Advancer Spectrum features a 48V DC mild-hybrid technology now available for temperature configurations of two distinct zones during the same journey, with precise temperature management and set point control.

Advancer Spectrum introduces a new level of performance to the multi-temperature trailer Advancer A-Series, fastest temperature recovery and pulldown, and highest refrigeration capacity on the market. Advancer Spectrum delivers up to 30% savings on fuel costs compared to the market average. The units’ architecture also lowers service interval rate of up to 30% and reduces unscheduled maintenance by up to 60%.

The new, custom-designed remote evaporators bring additional capacity to the remote zone, maximising the flexibility and efficiency of customers’ operations. Combined with the all-new Advancer multi-temp controller, customers are able to precisely manage the temperature while gaining real-time insight into how the unit is running, how the temperature zones are performing and how much fuel the unit is using.

Advancer Spectrum is the first multi-temperature trailer unit on the market offering complete transparency of fuel levels and consumption. Customers can access the fuel consumption and other data both on the unit and remotely via telematics, enabling them to optimise their fleet more innovatively.  Fleet intelligence is standard, as Advancer Spectrum comes included with 2 years of full, two-way telematics connectivity service.

The Advancer Spectrum’s unrivalled system efficiency significantly lowers customers’ CO2 footprint with engine emissions substantially lower than the maximum allowed by latest NRMM Stage V emission standards. The Whisper Pro version offers sound levels meeting the PIEK enforced standards, thus complying with the most stringent noise-regulations for quiet, inner-city deliveries at any time of day and night. Advancer Spectrum units are also compatible with alternative power source solutions like the AxlePower or Envirodrive.

Advancer AxlePower

Advancer AxlePower: capturing lost energy from the axle into a low or zero-emission, autonomous power source for the refrigeration unit.

Advancer AxlePower’s smart energy generating system delivers the power needed to run the trailer refrigeration unit by converting energy recovered by the trailer’s axle during the vehicle’s routine operation. Developed in partnership with BPW, a leader in running gears and mobility services for transport, the Advancer AxlePower is a fully integrated, tractor independent system that combines BPW’s ePower axle with Thermo King refrigeration unit and battery storage technology.

The system stores the energy generated while the vehicle is rolling or braking in a high voltage battery and reuses it to power the refrigeration unit – enabling fully electric, low or zero-emission and autonomous trailer refrigeration. The battery pack, depending on the configuration, provides an average of five hours of refrigeration unit autonomy to cover stationary operations. Featuring smart power management that controls the engagement and disengagement of the generators, Advancer AxlePower also minimises the resistance on the tractor and provides the driver and fleet manager with real-time performance visibility to avoid ‘charge anxiety’.

The possibility to capture and reuse energy makes the Advancer AxlePower system an ideal solution to future-proof and increase the sustainability of all types of trailer journeys. With silent running and no CO2 emissions from the refrigeration unit when operating from the battery-pack, this technology allows customers to sustainably run long-haul and inner-city deliveries, including in Ultra-low Emission Zones (ULEZs) and low noise urban areas.

Advancer-e

Advancer-e: the all-electric, engineless, emission-free trailer refrigeration unit.

Designed to accelerate the realization of carbon neutral trailer fleets, the Thermo King Advancer-e incorporates an engineless and electric architecture with all the features that make the Advancer A-Series the most efficient trailer refrigeration systems in the market. Advancer-e is power-agnostic and compatible with all major engine-alternative power sources including the Advancer AxlePower, Frigoblock’s Envirodrive alternator and inverter technology, Thermo King’s battery EnergyPack, and shore-power when stationed at the depot.

With its fully electric architecture, one Advancer-e unit can reduce a trailer fleet’s carbon footprint by up to 10 tonnes of CO2 per year. Advancer-e is compatible with any tractor for inner-city deliveries or for long-haul assignments when combined with the right power technology solution available from Thermo King. The flexibility of the Advancer-e enables transport companies to be more than a step ahead of changing low-emission legislation. Combined with the same A-Series controller and intuitive telematics, the Advancer-e delivers sustainability advantages and temperature control efficiency – top strategic priorities for many transport companies making the move toward full electrification.

All Thermo King Advancer units are manufactured in the Thermo King’s state-of-the-art and carbon-neutral (ISO 14064-1) production line in Galway, Ireland.

Thermo King introduces powerful refrigeration unit

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Thermo King, a leader in transport temperature control solutions, announced – and will feature at the IAA Transportation 2022 show in Hannover, Germany – the T-1200R Whisper Pro, its latest, ultra-quiet addition to the T-Series truck refrigeration systems portfolio.

The new single and multi-temperature T-1200R Whisper Pro models meet the most stringent noise regulations including upcoming PIEK[1] requirements. This allows transporters to operate inner-city deliveries at any time of day and night and with less impact on communities.

Thermo King T-Series units are available as diesel-powered or hybrid models. In the hybrid version available as an option, the unit can seamlessly switch between diesel and electric mode to enter cities’ low emission zones. The new T-1200R Whisper Pro offers the same reliability and performance as the T-Series with sound levels below the latest PIEK standard requirements.

“Improving inner-city living conditions and eliminating the levels of noise emissions are among European cities’ top priorities. Transporters operating in urban areas must ensure their refrigeration units meet the strictest noise regulations set by municipalities and regulators,” said Davide Previsdomini, product manager Truck at Thermo King. “Noise attenuation across all our products to lower the impact on communities and drivers has always been a priority for Thermo King. By introducing the Whisper Pro model of our highest cooling capacity truck unit, we give our customers a solution to keep effectively operating in the cities.”

The T-1200R Whisper Pro features telematics mounted as standard and is using geo-fencing to automatically switch into quiet mode when entering a pre-defined low noise-emission zone. This allows the transporters to operate unrestricted day and night schedules with the peace of mind that the unit complies with the noise regulations in the given area. In case of the Hybrid model, when the power from the truck is available, the unit switches to electric drive to further reduce emissions.

The PIEK certified T-1200R Whisper Pro units deliver class leading performance in accordance with ATP (Accord Transport Perrisable) standards, offering customers the quickest pull-down during pre-trip preparations with low-noise and no compromise on capacity in high-speed mode.

 

UPS acquires healthcare logistics provider

Posted on by Keith McKinley

UPS is to acquire Bomi Group, an industry-leading multinational healthcare logistics provider. The transaction will add temperature-controlled facilities in 14 countries and nearly 3,000 highly-skilled Bomi Group team members to the UPS Healthcare network in Europe and Latin America.

“As a leading global healthcare logistics company, Bomi enhances our portfolio of services and accelerates our journey to become the number one provider of complex healthcare logistics,” said EVP and President of UPS International, Healthcare and Supply Chain Solutions Kate Gutmann. “UPS Healthcare and Bomi Group employees share similar values and our cultures are firmly rooted in a relentless focus on quality. The combination of our two teams will significantly improve our healthcare customers’ ability to continue to develop and deliver life-saving innovations.”

Since 1985, Bomi Group has provided high value-added services for the Medtech and Pharma sectors with a customised and tailored approach. It is a quality-focused company devoted to healthcare that has built solid and long-lasting business relationships with more than 150 multinational customers worldwide.

Key Bomi Group leaders, including CEO Marco Ruini, will continue in their roles to provide seamless service to Bomi Group customers after the transaction closes. Bomi Group’s employees will also continue to play vital roles in the combined organisation.

“With over 35 years in the healthcare logistics industry, our team has developed best-in-class services designed to meet and exceed the needs of our medical technology and pharmaceutical customers,” said Ruini. “Joining the UPS team will expand those capabilities and create an even more integrated and smart global network for our customers.”

The acquisition will add more than 350 temperature-controlled vehicles and 391,000 sq m to the UPS Healthcare global footprint, offering customers access to faster shipping times, greater production flexibility, and offerings to help them attract new business. The acquisition will play a key role in the delivery of next-generation pharmaceutical and biologic treatments that increasingly require time-critical and temperature-sensitive logistics.

“We are focused on building healthcare logistics capabilities and services that allow our customers to deliver the newest healthcare innovations,” said UPS Healthcare President Wes Wheeler. “We are excited to combine Bomi’s talent, expertise and capabilities with UPS Healthcare – together, we will provide unmatched solutions to our customers, powered by UPS’s integrated, global smart logistics network.”

The acquisition of Bomi is part of UPS Healthcare’s continued expansion of its network and services to meet growing demand – including Bomi, UPS Healthcare has doubled its global footprint since 2020. Recent expansions include newly constructed and soon-to-be-opened dedicated state-of-the-art healthcare logistics facilities in Germany and Australia, and expanded campuses in Hungary and the Netherlands.

UPS Healthcare also recently enhanced UPS Premier, a technology-led service that can prioritise and track critical shipments within about three meters of their location anywhere in UPS’s global network. UPS Premier brings worldwide visibility, control, reliability and product recovery capabilities to UPS Healthcare customers.

These expansions and new services meet the complex and varied needs of UPS Healthcare’s customers, helping them turn logistics into a competitive advantage.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2022, subject to customary regulatory review and approval. The value and terms of the transaction are not being disclosed at this time.

 

Cold Chains can Save Lives

Posted on by David Priestman

The launch of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in December 2020 led to great relief around the world and was greeted with hope after the virus had affected almost all aspects of life for most of the year. While public discourse focused on the lack of production capacity, another major challenge came into play: the safe transport and storage of vaccines at very low temperatures. Unfortunately, this issue is still highly topical in 2022. The summer wave combined with the extreme heat and an upcoming fourth vaccination in autumn continue to require increased vigilance and reliable refrigerated transport.

Despite the adverse conditions, Trane Technologies, with its strategic Thermo King® brand, and Danfoss have joined forces to play a critical role in maintaining the cold chain and delivering life-saving vaccines. Thermo King has long been a global leader in refrigerated transport and storage of food, medicines and other sensitive, perishable goods. This often involves the use of the powerful, adaptable SuperFreezer solution, which has been co-designed and built with Danfoss since 1996 to achieve ultra-low temperatures and optimal preservation.

The SuperFreezer is typically used for sea transport of sushi-grade tuna, but also for biopharmaceutical products such as blood plasma and other pharmaceutical agents, as well as biological samples. It ensures consistent temperature control, prevention of microbial decay and efficient storage and transport – even under challenging conditions such as high ambient temperatures, frequent door openings or long operating times.

The SuperFreezer is a cascade system with two refrigeration circuits, each with its own compressor, refrigerant and inline components, both controlled by a common advanced controller. Each SuperFreezer unit relies on Danfoss inline components such as expansion valves, solenoid valves, regulators, dehydrators, sight glasses, pressure switches, contractors, etc. to ensure smooth and reliable operation of the refrigerant and to maintain the correct cryogenic temperature.

The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, with their unique ultra-cold temperature specifications – down to -70 degrees Celsius – are ideal for the SuperFreezer. However, the equipment had to be slightly modified to reach and maintain the extremely cold temperatures. Danfoss components played a crucial role in this process.

Many rural hospitals, doctors’ surgeries or clinics do not have access to suitable temperature-controlled storage facilities. Rural regions often do not have a suitable infrastructure to ensure the required cold chain. The situation is also particularly critical in third world countries, where vaccination rates are still far too low, even one and a half years after the first vaccines were approved.

To reduce the spoilage of life-saving vaccines, active refrigeration like the Thermo King SuperFreezer is the ideal solution. “To meet the demands of shipping and storing vaccines worldwide, we had to customise the units and produce them quickly,” says Francesco Incalza, president of Thermo King EMEA at Trane Technologies. “This meant we had to source additional components supplied by Danfoss in an extremely short time.”

Danfoss received its first component order from Thermo King in late 2020, and production was immediately up and running. As the components are manufactured in several factories around the world – in Denmark, Poland, China, Mexico and India – each factory had to follow the same strict production schedule to meet the demand for the SuperFreezer.

“The entire supply chain had to be accelerated,” said Carlos Zamudio, senior director of global accounts at Danfoss. “Instead of a normal eight-week process, production became a three- to four-week process,” Zamudio said. “The entire supply chain worked together to produce the parts needed for the SuperFreezer. All Danfoss factories worked together to supply Thermo King and subcontractors with parts.”

Initially, the factories had to source sufficient raw materials, which was a challenge due to shortages in the market. “We were able to leverage our relationships with our suppliers,” says Jason Pederson, Global Key Account Manager at Danfoss. “We made sure we had enough manpower to complete production. When total customer demand exceeded our production capacity by 25%, we prioritised the products we made for the SuperFreezers.”

“We were able to respond quickly,” says Zamudio. “Everyone understood the importance of what we were doing. Thermo King relied on us to deliver the components on time. Throughout the supply chain, many companies worked together to ensure the vaccines could be delivered and stored.”

“It was critical that there were no delays in production or shipping,” Incalza stressed. “The support of Danfoss was instrumental in ensuring that we were able to transport this critical cargo through all the countries in Europe and to many remote locations around the world. The fact that we were able to respond quickly and efficiently to a crisis of this magnitude is a testament to the strength of partnerships like this.”

After all components were airlifted to Thermo King, the SuperFreezers were quickly assembled and ready for their life-saving cargo – becoming a vital part of the first mass immunisation and pop-up clinics. Due to the urgency, Thermo King transported the parts by air freight from Danfoss’ manufacturing and distribution sites in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific to Thermo King in China.

The last two years have been challenging, but also educational. Thermo King has decades of experience and played a role in safeguarding past vaccines such the one used during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and over the past two years has accumulated a wealth of experience that is vital as infections and variant formations continue to rise. The Corona pandemic is unfortunately more topical than ever and society must prepare for further follow-up vaccinations. Here, a fast and safe vaccine distribution must be guaranteed to help overcome this pandemic once and for all.

Tive launches temperature logging label

Posted on by David Priestman

Tive, a global leader in supply chain and logistics technology, has announced the release of the Tive Tag. The Tive Tag is a long-life cloud-enabled temperature logger in the form factor of a flexible shipping label. Designed to break price point barriers, the Tive Tag provides a solution for first- and last-mile deliveries, warehouse operations, as well as over the road, rail, air, and ocean cold chain management.

Imagine a cloud-enabled temperature logger, in the form of a thin, flexible shipping label, and at half the cost of a conventional logger. Now make it last for a year, design it to be reused trip after trip during that year, and then give it a non-Lithium earth-friendly battery. Introducing the Tive Tag. It’s like a shipping label, says Tive – just one that has an incredible amount of tech embedded inside.

Tive already has a portfolio of award-winning cold chain innovations. The Tive Tag is a simple solution for shippers, retailers, cold storage operators, and last-mile delivery. Customers have an audit trail for compliance, the tag is air freight safe, and supports your ESG initiatives with minimal electronic waste. Simply stick, tap it with your phone, and ship.

Powerful Cold Chain Visibility

Start and stop the Tive Tag to define individual trips. Stick the Tag on a reusable plastic container (RPC), a carton, or a box and now you have proof of delivery and proof the cold chain was maintained. Go across town, coast-to-coast, or continent-to-continent. The Tive Tag makes shipping and receiving safe and easy.

“I’m really excited to show the Tive Tag to the world. We are committed to pushing the limits of possible, to deliver cutting edge products and services to global supply chain managers. Seamless like a shipping label, the Tive Tag puts amazing tech in the palm of your hand at a price the market has never seen,” said Krenar Komoni, Founder & CEO of Tive. “Customers have been searching for a last-mile solution, and cost has always been the barrier. The Tive Tag is the answer.”

 

Thermo King opens R&D facility in Galway

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Thermo King has launched a new research and development (R&D) centre adjacent to its sustainable manufacturing operations in Galway, Ireland. The R&D centre, with capacity for up to 70 engineers, adds to the company’s electrification design and engineering capabilities in Europe, which includes an R&D centre in Essen, Germany. It is part of the company’s more than $100 million investment to deliver fully electric products in every segment of the cold chain in Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) by 2023 and in the Americas by 2025 over time.

“Our new R&D centre generates another space for innovation, creativity and learning,” said Francesco Incalza, president of Thermo King EMEA at Trane Technologies. “The technologies developed on-site will add to the more than 40,000-strong fleet of Thermo King electric and fuel-efficient transport refrigeration units delivering food, vaccines, medicines and other critical goods across Europe and beyond.”

“Yet again Galway is leading the way in technology research and development. The unveiling of this new dedicated electrification lab is symbolic of Thermo King’s confidence in Galway, and the West of Ireland, as a good place in which to expand and lead the charge in the development of zero emission technology solutions,” said Hildegarde Naughton, Irish Minister of State. “I would like to congratulate the entire team behind today’s announcement, and I look forward to seeing the fruits of Galway’s newest specialised Research and Development centre.”

The centre also helps advance Trane Technologies’ 2030 Sustainability Commitments including its Gigaton Challenge to reduce customer greenhouse gas emissions by one billion tonnes, while aligning with the European Union’s latest nearly zero-emission building (nZEB) standards.

“Today’s announcement from Trane Technologies follows the opening of its automation and robotics centre in Galway City last year, further aligning with IDA Ireland’s continued focus on sustainability and transformation,” said Martin Shanahan, CEO, IDA Ireland. “I wish Trane Technologies and Thermo King every success with this expansion.”

“Congratulations to the Trane Technologies team on this new Research and Development Centre for Thermo King,” said Leo Varadkar, Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland and Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment. “With its rich talent pool and world-class education institutions, this is the perfect location for this project. The best of luck to the entire team.”

 

Powerful refrigeration for Swedish fleet

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Varubud Åkeri AB, a storage and distribution company of Eskilstuna, Sweden, upgraded its fleet with the new V-1000 vehicle-powered units from Thermo King, a leader in transport temperature control solutions.

Conducting deliveries in close collaboration with local municipalities, schools and senior homes, one of Varubud’s paradigms is making its distribution fleet carbon neutral and efficient. For its new Volvo FL truck, it was looking for a powerful direct-drive unit as a sustainable alternative to diesel-powered refrigeration systems. Designed for larger rigid trucks up to 25 tonnes, the Thermo King V-1000 proved to be equally or more powerful as its nearest equivalent diesel units and met all Varubud’s requirements.

“Sustainability and environmental responsibility are very important for us, our operations, and our way of doing business,” said Daniel Johansson, owner of Varubud Åkeri AB. “Our warehouses use renewable energy, our vehicles run on HVO biofuel, and we have a history of successfully using Thermo King’s direct-drive refrigeration units. When we were looking for a solution to refrigerate the larger trucks, the new V-1000 units were a perfect fit for us.”

“Our relationship with Varubud goes years back as they operate a mixed fleet including different Thermo King units. We have been closely supporting them with our service, even in remote locations, and sharing our expertise to help Varubud deliver on their promise to customers,” said Anders Thyselius, application manager, Thermo King Sverige AB. “High cooling capacity and high airflow of the V-1000 will protect their load under the most arduous conditions. And it will do with no CO2 emissions from the unit and lower noise when in operation.”

The V-1000 uses a compressor exclusively developed for Thermo King that, when driven by the truck engine – including CNG, LNG or Biodiesel – produces performance previously unattainable in units of this type. This positively impacts the total cost of operation when it comes to fuel consumption, maintenance costs and productivity, making the V-1000 a competitive investment compared to diesel powered unit with equivalent performance.

“We have several of the Thermo King V-800 units in our fleet, and they have been performing at their maximum capacity to cool our larger trucks’ boxes – practically with no technical issues,” said Daniel Johansson. “As the new V-1000 leverages the same technology as the other units, we had no doubts it would meet our expectations. Also, when compared to the hydraulic refrigeration units, we experienced that the direct-drive technology from Thermo King offers us much lower total cost of ownership. It is quieter, has better efficiencies, less impact on the engine’s fuel consumption and easier maintenance.”

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