By Sudershan Ananth, Thermoking
In 1938 the transport refrigeration business was still in the proverbial ice age, a time when using ice and salt was the only practical way for hauliers to keep perishable shipments from spoiling. Visionary Joe Numero knew there had to be a better way. Numero commissioned Fred Jones to develop technology to keep perishable produce from spoiling during transport. Jones responded about 30 days later after having developed the first successful mechanical transport refrigeration unit, giving birth to a whole new industry.
Almost everything about the transport refrigeration industry has changed in the last 75 years, except its mission. Now, as then, refrigerated hauliers and refrigeration unit manufacturers, dealers and service providers are dedicated to moving temperature-sensitive shipments by truck, trailer, ship or rail from point A to point B safely, reliably and economically. Advanced mobile air-conditioning technologies have also been applied in the mass transportation industry where they maintain comfortable conditions for bus, coach and rail passengers wherever they travel.
Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, Thermo King, a manufacturer of transport temperature control systems for a variety of mobile applications and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, foresees a wide range of important innovations that will make refrigerated transport even more effective and efficient in the years to come.
Innovations, the driving force Slow global economy, highly volatile fuel prices, increasingly stringent environmental regulations and a worldwide focus on food safety and load security are putting enormous pressure on every link in the cold chain, from the producer to the consumer.
According to industry estimates, India wastes upwards of 30-40 per cent of its agricultural produce due to the absence of an effective cold chain infrastructure. A robust farm to fork cold chain infrastructure can help bring this waste down to about five per cent. Rural markets are the locations from where most of the country’s farm produce is transported to the trading centres and then onwards to the retailing centres. It is important that farm produce is quickly transported to the consumers to ensure that food remains as fresh as possible. However, considering the complexities of distance, from farm locations to consumer locations, the food that reaches the market generally deteriorates or gets wasted.
Thermo King believes innovation is critical for emerging economies. This is because the products and services resulting from research and development activities in emerging economies are expected to better address the needs of a large population that is defining the growth of the global economy.
Local innovation capturing global attention
Thermo King recently launched a refrigerated transportation solution that addresses this problem by preventing waste of perishable farm produce. Thermo King B 100 truck refrigeration units can be fitted in a container which can be modelled on a small reefer truck to negotiate narrow lanes for last mile delivery of temperature-controlled and refrigerated products. This is a particularly effective choice for food transportation, specifically for the hot weather conditions of India.
The B 100, with its battery-operated unit, is an ideal innovation for India where small trucks typically run on low hp engines and do not have the capacity to run a compressor directly. The B 100 is a battery-driven innovation which is powered by the vehicle’s engine. This unique technology is a great fuel saver and the first solution of its kind in the country.
The science of refrigerated transportation has advanced dramatically over the last 75 years with advancements such as nose-mounted units, diesel-powered units, start–stop temperature controls and advanced electronics with remote monitoring. The next 75 years will no doubt bring about customer-driven innovations in technology, service and operations that are just as impactful. Industry leaders like Thermo King are applying current and emerging technologies and practices to help their customers meet challenges and achieve higher levels of performance with lower total cost of ownership.
Here are some thoughts on what the future may hold for the refrigerated transport industry:
• Fuel economy will be a big driver of innovation, and with good reason. Fuel represents the largest component of total operating costs for most refrigerated fleet operators and fuel prices represent one of their least controllable expenses. Refrigeration equipment manufacturers will continue to look for ways to design and build more fuel-efficient systems and to use advanced electronic controls to improve engine performance and reliability while reducing fuel consumption. Their focus will be on developing technologies that pay for themselves many times over the life of the refrigeration system with better fuel economy and reliability.
• Sustainability will be the watchword for some time to come. New products have been introduced that use less fuel and therefore leave a smaller environmental footprint.
• Highly efficient diesel engines will continue to power most refrigeration and air-conditioning units on trucks, trailers and buses for the foreseeable future. But manufacturers are making advances with other engine concepts and alternative fuels. For example, fuel-saving hybrid-electric engines are common in the truck and trailer market. All-electric and natural gas engines are already available for buses. Thermo King has pioneered the almost silent zero emissions use of liquid carbondioxide in its ground-breaking CryoTech trailer and truck range.
• The need for safe, comfortable bus and light rail transportation will continue to grow in the coming years. The greatest areas for growth will likely be in the developing countries of the Asia-Pacific region, India and Latin America where the population is growing and becoming more urban, affluent and mobile.
• Advances in prognostic capabilities will enable continuous improvement in refrigeration unitreliability. The use of predictive software and embedded sensors will detect issues before they become serious problems and monitor mission-critical components to maximize their service life and predict when they might fail, so that a qualified dealer can intervene.
• Linkage between manufacturers and their dealer networks will become stronger as both parties work to ensure they are providing the best possible service to refrigerated fleet operators.
• Food safety and freshness have become priorities, driven both by government regulation and consumer pressure.
• Demand for safer food supplies will continue to grow in the developing regions such as Asia, India and Latin America, creating new opportunities for the refrigerated transport industry. Globalization of food supply will lead to the increasing use of intermodal transport for temperature-sensitive loads.
• Whether they are hauling food, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, cosmetics or some other temperature-sensitive load, operators are tapping into advanced tracking capabilities that use global positioning system data and advanced wireless communications technologies to provide operators with real-time and historical information about load temperature and asset location – for one trailer or an entire fleet – answering the operators’ need for better safety, security and efficiency.
• Operators can monitor temperatures and other variables, remotely change temperature set-points and control parameters, download reports, change operating modes and respond to alarms using any computer, tablet or smart phone that is connected to their secure network. These capabilities take pressure off drivers who now can focus totally on the operation of their vehicles, rather than the operation of the refrigeration unit.
• The new generation of drivers and other operator employees – including those born in the information age – has different expectations than their older colleagues. They expect to be able to interact with refrigeration systems using smart devices, which changes the way designers think about user interfaces.
• Intelligent solutions and advanced analytics give refrigerated fleet operators the opportunity to squeeze even more fuel economy from their refrigeration units. For example, fleet operators and their customers can work together using advanced analytics to determine the optimal set-point and control parameters for a particular load. Raising the set-point by a single degree can yield as much as a two per cent improvement in fuel efficiency, according to Thermo King Analysis. The ability to do “what-if” modelling using multiple variables gives shippers and operators the information they need to make data-supported decisions to improve efficiency and reduce fuel costs, without sacrificing cargo safety and freshness.
Demand to move food and other temperature-sensitive goods from the point of production to their point of consumption will continue to grow in the years ahead, with no end in sight. A slower than expected economic recovery, volatile fuel prices and more stringent environmental and food-safety requirements pose a big challenge for everyone in the cold chain, including owners and operators of refrigerated fleets. Mass transit, coach and light rail operators face the joint challenges of rising fuel prices and depressed passenger numbers.
With technology and sound operating practices, the refrigerated transportation industry stands ready to meet the needs of its customers and society for the next 75 years, and beyond. Thermo King has been a leading provider of transportation temperature control systems for mobile applications and is a brand of Ingersoll Rand. The company, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, has been dedicated to delivering safety, freshness and comfort in the field of transport refrigeration.