box are filled with a patented insulating material that contains food-grade ingredients. Insulation keeps outside temperatures from affecting the cooling panels. A rigid outer shell protects the contents, and a sturdy top and base allow for stacking on top of each other. VACCINE CARRIERS GET A SHOT OF INNOVATION Ensuring vaccines make it to all regions of the globe, including communities in remote villages and neighborhoods that lack health facilities and modern refrigeration equipment, is a daunting challenge. To meet it, relief organizations such as UNICEF rely on vaccine carriers. The carriers, which look like coolers, are thermally insulated and lined with coolant packs to keep vaccines cushioned and within a specified temperature range during last-mile transportation. They are also designed to resist heat, vibrations, bumps and other environmental challenges. The Move to -15c Coalition While many products in the cold chain currently travel at -18c, or roughly 0 Fahrenheit, the Move to -15c Coalition is striving to change that. Shifting to negative 15°C, or about positive 5 Fahrenheit, could reduce global carbon emissions by roughly 19.5 million tons annually, without compromising food safety, says Mary Pollard, interim director with the Coalition. That’s the equivalent of removing 3.8 million cars from roads. The Move to -15°C Coalition has grown to include major players across the supply chain, such as Nomad Foods, Maersk, and Emergent Cold LatAm. Participation allows companies to share data, best practices, and insights with experts from the cold chain, academia, and other areas, Pollard notes.
TRU INNOVATION Carrier Transicold’s latest diesel-powered transport refrigeration units (TRUs) have cleaner, more efficient engines. Carrier also offers units with electric standby capability that can be plugged into an external power source. A more efficient electric vehicle can have a longer operating range, says Bill Maddox, senior manager, product management at Carrier. If more range isn’t necessary, it’s possible to shift to a smaller, lighter battery that charges faster. “In addition, telematics can help fleets manage their electric vehicle operations more efficiently and get the performance they expect,” Maddox says. The Vector eCool system from Carrier Transicold combines an all-electric trailer TRU with technology that uses motors in the wheel hub of the trailer to capture energy when the vehicle is in motion. Batteries under the trailer can store enough clean, regenerative energy to power the Vector TRU and reduce the vehicle’s overall fuel consumption and emissions. Carrier Transicold also offers a telematics service that’s incorporated within its TRUs. Among other capabilities, the Lynx Fleet system allows
shippers to activate and program their TRUs remotely, and to see how the TRU and its components are performing. They also can control conditions in the trailer without relying on a connection to a tractor. Because temperature- controlled trailers can sit untethered for long periods, the TRU telematics provide a real advantage, Maddox adds. CHILLING JUST THE CARGO Candor Expedite is currently working with clients to test a fully reusable cold packaging solution that allows pallet and box-sized frozen and refrigerated shipments to go by regular transport. “Shippers can chill the cargo and not the truck,” says Nicole Glenn, founder and CEO of Candor. Cargo can stay frozen or refrigerated for up to nine days. This solution also makes it possible to ship frozen, refrigerated, and dry cargo on the same truck, boosting flexibility and cutting costs. Probes provide live feeds of temperature readings and GPS tracking, showing the products’ temperature and location. In addition to reducing carbon and refrigerant emissions, the boxes are fully reusable. The reusable panels inside the
Candor Food Chain combines the company’s national shipping services with a unique technology—a fully reusable cold packaging solution that allows pallet and box-sized frozen and refrigerated shipments to go by regular transport and stay frozen or refrigerated for up to nine days.
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