Paul Harrison, MD of Polar Thermal, found himself and company mascot Marco Polo in demand at the Temperature Controlled Storage & Distribution Exhibition in Peterborough this week.
Media, trade visitors and exhibitors focused in on Polar’s green credentials with PolarDotBox™, PolarPod™ and PolarLD3 all creating a stir.
The 35th Air Cargo News Awards
Over 240 industry figures came together on Friday 26th April at the Runnymede on Thames Hotel near Heathrow to honour and celebrate those companies who have invested in providing great customer service, operational excellence and innovative technologies.
Polar Thermal were well represented, showcasing their PolarPod modular system for the first time.
Both the conference and awards were organised by Air Cargo News.
Established in 1983, Air Cargo News is the leading source of news, information, interviews, analyses and reports to the global airfreight industry. Our leading portfolio includes print, digital (website, E-Newsletters, apps & social media) as well as events that give businesses in the airfreight industry the ability to connect with decision-makers in this sector.
Air Cargo News is published monthly. Editorial focuses on in-depth data, analyses, features, interviews and reports while our highly successful digital products bring breaking news and immediate information to our large global audience.
The Polar Pod range of pallet shippers has been introduced to complement our reusable pallet shipper range for cold chain logistics. The range has been developed to reflect customer demand for a single use modular system that provides excellent performance. The systems combine a number of technologies ensuring safe transport, by land and air, of perishable products in 3 categories:
The systems come in 3 sizes:
The tri-wall cardboard shell combines with a liner made from insulated foil wrapped Polartherm™ fibre and appropriate coolants/gel packs/phase change packs to deliver fantastic results over 30, 48 and 72 hours.
Thermo King and Frigoblock recently introduced a series of truck and trailer innovations using electricity, data and clean technology presenting their vision of a city of the future – Thermotopia.
“Thermotopia is a city where the transport refrigeration industry ensures the safety of transported foods and goods for rising populations while eliminating smog, congestion and excessive noise. Thermotopia is where technologies help transport companies stay ahead of the regulations and grow their businesses with increasingly cost effective and environmentally sustainable solutions,” Thermo King and Frigoblock say.
Thermo King and Frigoblock use proven technologies ranging from hybrid units, CryoTech, electric alternator driven Frigoblock units also working with CNG or LNG engines to fully electric independent units for small and large vans for last mile delivery.
“This portfolio addresses the needs of transport companies in the UK and Europe, who are looking for ways to future-proof their operations as cities explore and implement low-emission zones and European Union sets strict targets for carbon emissions and reduction of major air pollutants,” the companies says.
At the Freight in the City Expo, Thermo King and Frigoblock will showcase the E-200, full-electric refrigeration unit, one of their “market first” technologies that lead with electricity, connectivity and sustainability to revolutionize the way transport companies operate.
The new E-200, designed both electric and engine-powered vans and trucks below 3.5 tons, can provide constant capacity and performance independently of the vehicle’s operation.
Thermo King partnered with Petit Forestier to show a Renault Master ZE 3.1 ton electric van with the Thermo King E-200
Thermo King partnered with Petit Forestier to showcase an all-electric, zero-emission and low-noise refrigerated van at the IAA Commercial Vehicle show in Hannover, Germany in September. Petit Forestier’s Renault Master ZE, a 3.1 ton electric van with the Thermo King E-200 unit.
“At the IAA in September, Thermo King entered a new era of transport refrigeration showing its vision of the future, where foods and goods can be transported safely with zero-emission, no noise and maximum convenience for urban populations,” said Pauli Johannesen, vice president and general manager for Truck, Trailer and Bus at Thermo King in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
“Together with Petit Forestier we prove that such a future is already here and thanks to the technologies leading with electricity, intelligence and sustainability we have pioneered, we can revolutionize the way the refrigerated transport operates.”
“It is important for us to ensure that our customers can rely on us to provide zero-emission means of transport refrigeration to make their urban operations more eco-friendly and stay ahead of urban transport regulations,” said Géraldine Forestier de Cespedes, group chief executive, Petit Forestier. “Working with partners, who are committed to sustainable development is one of our fundamental requirements. Thermo King helped us to create a highly efficient, reliable and eco-friendly solution, which is in line with our goal to be at the forefront of the greener and cleaner and more sustainable transportation in our cities.”
The E-200 uses components never seen before in the refrigerated transport industry. Chief among these is a new controller that allows the refrigeration unit to adapt the capacity based on the actual need and available power. With the unit fitted with the optional TK battery, the controller manages different power sources at the same time, to get hold over capacity during stops for deliveries or breaks.
All major components of the E-200 are integrated making it a plug-and-play solution that requires no vehicle modifications to function and eliminates the issues and costs associated with installation.
Thermo King worked with Northgate to create a zero-emission and zero-noise refrigerated van and test it in real life operational environment. The new Thermo King B-100 ECO refrigeration unit, specifically developed to meet the extreme low energy consumption required by small electric vehicles, was fitted on an electric Citroën Berlingo making a zero-emission and fully electric powered refrigeration vehicle, which was then entered into daily service in Spain by Northgate.
The new Polartherm insulating blanket owes its origins to the US space programme.
Independent trials at Cambridge Refrigeration Technology’s proving labs have shown that Polartherm material has the best thermal insulating profile in its class, revealing a thermal conduction value of 1.19W/m 2 K.
For the air freight industry, the company supplies high integrity liners for LD3, LD7 and LD9 configurations that are collapsible and reusable. These passive liners offer an alternative to other more bulky, battery-powered systems.
Currently, supermarket clients are shipping fresh produce to Dubai and Hong Kong from the UK without additional temperature controls. Cold blocks may be used for extended thermal performance, but typically a LD3 container will maintain 2-4⁰C for 32 hours in ambient temperatures of up to 35⁰C.
For pallet loads, the Tranzcube is a versatile cover offering a lightweight insulation jacket and a high density, lightweight rugged, poly pallet base, bringing immediate benefits to the storage and transportation of frozen, chilled, hot or ambient products. In tests with the Royal Navy, such covers have kept a pallet of –22⁰C frozen foods at a stable temperature, with minimal loss of 4⁰C over a ten hour journey at an ambient 30⁰C.
