THE HISTORY, EVOLUTION AND FUTURE OF COLD STORAGE & FREEZER DESIGN

BARPRO STORAGE IN THE NEWS PUBLISHED IN COLD LINK AFRICA

As businesses and retailers strive to meet stricter environmental regulations and enhance energy efficiency, the adoption of HC gases is becoming a gamechanger. Cold rooms, essential for preserving perishable goods, and display freezers, crucial for showcasing products, are both benefiting from this shift. HC gases not only offer a more sustainable alternative with lower global warming potential but also contribute to improved operational efficiency. As the industry embraces this transformation, the future of refrigeration looks both greener and more efficient.

1: James Cunningham, Managing Director speaking on ” Innovative cold storage solutions with racking systems”

The following presentation was delivered at the 2024 Cold Chain Refrigeration, Logistics and Technology Summit, by James Cunningham, MD of Barpro on the topic ‘Innovative cold storage solutions with racking systems’. “Twenty-eight years ago, I gave a speech on mobile racking at a conference in South Africa, where it was generally described as being unsuitable for South Africa. At the end of the speech, one American cold store owner, affiliated with the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA), told me I really needed to get a ‘real’ job as I wouldn’t make any money from mobile racking. Contrary to that early skepticism, that American is today installing mobile racking in his cold stores in the US, demonstrating a significant shift in industry attitudes. “Barpro has since installed over 400 mobile racking systems mostly in South Africa, each tailored for the conditions with various racking types. I would describe it as a ‘good, qualified success’,” says Cunningham.

“IF YOU WANT TO LEARN COLD STORAGE, VISIT AUSTRALIA”

Cunningham took a moment to honour past innovators in cold storage, particularly Fred Tudor (born 1783). Tudor, from the east coast of the US, harvested ice from New England ponds, storing it in special houses and selling it to cities like Baltimore and Philadelphia where the people had a major problem with preserving fresh meat and fruit. He even exported ice to India, achieving the first commercial success with refrigeration.

2: Barpro Storage team

He also mentioned Cape Town’s first commercial cold store – the Imperial Cold Store and Supply Company building – built by David de Villiers Graaff. This was the first successful shipment of frozen mutton between Australia and England (as well as the first mention of Australia which will be mentioned again). “This marked the beginning of South Africa’s frozen beef exports – today a huge industry. De Villiers Graaff also built Cape Town’s first electricity generator, highlighting the close relationship between cold storage and electricity.” The modern cold store has been shaped by numerous innovations, with Cunningham pointing out the development of pallets, which evolved from simple skips. “Pallets became essential during World War II, facilitating the movement of military equipment.

Following that, surplus pallets in Australia led to the formation of the Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool (CHEP), which started renting them out standardising pallet sizes. This standardisation became crucial in designing cold storage spaces – and is the building block of racking we all still follow.” “Thereafter, Dexion steel racking was invented by Demetrio Comino in Australia in the late 1940s. This innovation allowed for vertical stacking of pallets, increasing storage capacity in cold stores.

The reach truck, invented in the 1960s, further enhanced this capability by enabling the lifting of pallets to greater heights in narrower aisles.” Cunningham noted how often wars spur innovation, citing the Vietnam War’s role in advancing containerisation. Then in the early 1960s Michael Rudnev, an innovator in cold storage in Brisbane, Australia, developed an insulated sandwich panel using chromadek sheeting glued on either side of a polystyrene core.

These panels had better insulation properties than cork and were lightweight yet strong enough to support lengths exceeding 10 metres. “This panel, made from expanded polystyrene, replaced cork as an insulator in cold stores. The chromadek panel improved insulation and structural integrity, paving the way for modern cold storage construction.” The advent of barcodes in 1974 marked the beginning of computerisation in cold storage. Cunningham shared anecdotes from his early career, including the challenges of real-time stock updates and the use of floppy disks for data transfer physically transported around by motorcycles. Stressing the importance of affordable energy for cold storage facilities, he acknowledged the role of innovators like Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse in the development of electrical systems that power these facilities. “Energy efficiency remains a critical issue in the industry, compounded by the dramatic rise in electricity costs in South Africa, which have increased by 500% from 2014 to 2024, and I believe will increase by another 500%. Carbon taxes further complicate the situation, with a need for reliable and affordable energy sources to power cold storage facilities.”

He praised Frank Vale, who integrated various innovations into a model cold store in Dandenong, just outside Melbourne in Australia, in the early 1970s. “That was the first modern cold store.” Peter Spears, of the UK based Barpro Group was then one of the earlier innovators of mobile racking, along with Dexion.

Cunningham explained why mobile racking has been successful: “It maximises storage capacity while maintaining accessibility, is cost-effective and energy efficient. For instance, one British cold store manager reported that doubling storage capacity with mobile racking reduced electricity costs per pallet. “However, energy costs and reliability remain significant challenges given the high operational costs of running generators during power outages and the critical role of maintaining efficient door operations in cold stores. The industry consequently needs to adopt basic energy-saving measures and leverage available technologies to mitigate these challenges – and the biggest problem in cold storage is the doors, which when left open can typically cost R300 000 a year in energy costs.”

ENERGY INNOVATIONS AND EFFICIENT CASE PICKING IN COLD STORAGE

Cunningham discussed a promising innovation for maintaining cold storage temperatures during power outages: phase change materials. “These materials can be installed under the ceiling of cold storage facilities without taking up valuable space. During normal operations, they freeze and store cold energy. When there’s a power outage, they absorb heat, maintaining stable product temperatures until power is restored. This method could reduce the reliance on diesel generators, which are costly and inefficient. The US company Viking Cold Solutions has been a leader in this area, reporting energy cost savings of about 35%. However, I believe the savings could be even more significant The Barpro stand at the conference. when compared to generator fuel costs and fast movers on the bottom. Workers can pick items from pallets on the mezzanine, using warehouse management systems to track inventory locations. Once picked, pallets are moved to the floor level to assemble loads, ensuring the cold chain remains intact until the products are loaded onto trucks. This method offers significant advantages over traditional systems where picking occurs in ambient temperatures on loading docks, risking temperature breaches.” He notes that although an early attempt in Durban 28 years ago didn’t succeed due to its heavy-duty concrete construction and high costs, modern designs are more efficient and cost-effective, making mezzanine picking systems a viable option for today’s cold storage facilities.