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What is happening in the UK? Thermal insulation methods were the topic of discussion in the most recent edition of the Global Chain News digital magazine in the UK. Thermal insulation keeps the cold temperatures in and the hot temperatures out. In this article the preservation method of bananas is discussed and the need to reduce banana wastage by preventing them from ripening too quickly. The latest designs of UK based company Seymour Manufacturing International’s Tempro thermal roll cage liners were tried and tested by Co-Op. Co-Op Food is a brand used for the food retail business of The Co-operative Group in the United Kingdom. In the article Jill Seymor, director SMI states that the Tempro thermal roll cage covers, and liners offers enormous savings and benefits when transporting frozen, chilled or ambient products. Follow link for more info: https://bit.ly/348p7Mn “Products, such as the Co-Op liners, are tailor-made to specific customer requirements, and we have been working hard on refining our designs and trial tests for this project over many months.”   But Thermal insulation pallet covers are now also available in South Africa. The thermal pallet and Rolltainer covers are custom-made for use when transporting temperature sensitive goods to prevent temperature fluctuations and thus minimize losses and spoilage.  They are made from 4 layers of material that includes 2 outer protective layers as well as inner specialized foil and insulating layers. As they are custom-made, any pallet size and load heights can be accommodated with ease.  The covers are hygienic, lightweight to handle, easy to clean, re-usable and durable.  They have been successfully tried and tested in the marketplace with clients like Spar, Shoprite, Vector Logistics, Fresenius Kabi, Biovac, ZZ2, and SG Convenience, amongst others, who use them in their cold chains. SPECIFICATIONS: 4 Layer Thermal Pallet Covers 1.25m x 1.05m with 20/40 mm insulation. 2 splits and priced according to the height from the top of the pallet to the top of the load For more information kindly contact Maxine at Jhbadmin@barpro.co.za I 011 392 1702 I www.barprostorage.co.za

In the cold storage industry, total product volume increases as the business grows, requiring more storage space. Soutpansberg Koelkamers in Louis Trichardt identified that their warehouse storage capacity must increase to support operational requirements. Barpro Storage designed a solution with this in mind. Barpro spoke to Riaan Smit and Inus Steyn from Soutpansberg Koelkamers about the journey to a bigger freezer store. Background: Soutpansberg Koelkamers was established November 2nd in 1992 and has been trading for 30 years. It is based near the Soutpansberg Mountain range in Limpopo.  Soutpansberg Koelkamers are part of the BJ GROUP that, amongst other business interests, operates 9 other freezer stores. Interview: You made a large investment in a cold store. Where did the need for this come from? We had outgrown our previous facility and needed to expand holding capacities. Once you knew you required a new freezer store. How did you decide on the type of racking system? We needed to think about our expansion not only for our immediate needs but also for future requirements. Mobile racking and the design of our cold room played a big role in this decision. Was your decision to invest in rails and mobile ready static racking your biggest decision? Yes, we invested in a single cold room as opposed to multiple smaller cold-rooms. The option of adding mobiles in the future made sense. Rails & mobile ready racking was the best we option for our new cold room. When we eventually add the mobile racking, we will increase the holding capacity by +- 80%. How did you know about Barpro? What was your reason for selecting Barpro as your Mobile Racking Service Provider for this project? Pongola Cold Storage, one of the 9 freezer stores in the group did a similar upgrade of their facilities 4 years ago. Based on their experience, after sales service, and benefits; it only made business sense to partner up with a company we already have dealt with. Did the project go the way you expected? As with all projects of this scale you would always have a snag here and there, but overall, we are very satisfied. What is the next stage for the freezer store? The next phase is to add the mobile racking in the near future. Were you happy with the service you received from Barpro? Yes, the service and overall interaction was very professional. You are using some interesting technology on your cold store, solar panels, real time digital temperature data from your heater mat / soil subfloor directly to your mobile and more. Do you care to share some of this with our readers? Yes, we started our infrastructure upgrade in October 2020 with a 200 kw Solar roof top installation. We took necessary precautions with the design of the floor. We wanted to ensure that we do not encounter any loss of efficiency challenges in the long run. One of the precautions was to install a heater mat below the floor insulation to avoid any chance of frost heave. In closing. No doubt there are challenges, but what is your feeling around the Cold Storage Supply Chain in your region. To our knowledge, Soutpansberg is the only commercially sized Cold store so far north in Limpopo. Special thanks to Soutpansberg Koelkamers for the interview. If you wish to know more about the freezer store and the establishment, you can contact: Riaan Smit Soutpansberg Koelkamers -18 Joubert Street Louis Trichardt 015 516 1087 riaan@spbk.co.za