Cool energy savings
April 1st 2008 Portable insulated containers from Olivo offer a cost effective way to reduce energy consumption
The number of "green" consumers in
the UK is growing rapidly and they
are becoming very conscious of the
carbon footprint of the products they buy.
This, combined with the potential to
increase profitability, means the time is at
hand for the food sector to change its
operations and cut carbon emissions – if
only to stay ahead of competitors.
Many food manufacturers and processors
already have systems in place to ensure
that excessive (and expensive) quantities of
power are not used – temperatures of
refrigeration equipment are kept within the
correct levels for economic operation,
loading bay doors kept shut when not in
use and staff made aware of the cost of
wasting energy. However, this does not
always apply to the distribution system,
whether carried out by the manufacturer,
their customer or a third party logistics
provider.
Lower weight
There is an alternative to the obvious use of
refrigerated vehicles for temperature
sensitive goods in the form of portable,
insulated and/or refrigerated containers.
With this type of product the vehicles used
can have normal dry-freight bodywork
without the need for refrigeration systems,
which are costly both to buy and operate,
with many having an additional diesel
engine.
There is a saving in energy and reduced
running costs as a result of lower unladen
weight without refrigeration. Less energy is
also consumed in the manufacture of a
non-insulated body. It is also possible to
reduce the number of vehicles in a fleet, as
both ambient and temperature-controlled
goods can be carried in the same vehicle.
As the goods are delivered in their own
"mini cold stores" there is no need for
refrigerated stores at the delivery point. It is
also not necessary to have temperaturecontrolled
assembly areas or loading banks.
An added benefit is that the refrigeration
systems used by Olivo containers (eutectic
plates or injected CO2) are totally silent –
ideal for out of hours deliveries.
As Olivo containers have a very long life,
further energy requirements are not
needed to regularly replace old and worn
out equipment. By using eutectic plates for
refrigeration these can be frozen in the
freezing plant at the factory without the
need for additional equipment. The Siber
System of injected CO2 uses gas that is
predominantly obtained from chemical
processes in industry. This gas is usually
just vented to atmosphere if not used.
The Carbon Trust found that last summer
alone poor energy efficiency cost the UK's
food and drink businesses at least £26
million. By simply adopting a forwardthinking
approach to carbon emissions and
looking closely at their supply chain with
such simple solutions as annotated above,
companies have the potential to realise
significant carbon savings and develop new
profit opportunities. A wide range of food
and pharmaceutical distribution
organisations around the World have found
that by choosing Olivo containers for their
operations, large cost savings have been
combined with the added benefit of
considerable reductions in carbon
emissions. More articles from Olivo UK Ltd: | 
