Shetland Transport Orders First Carrier Transicold Vector™ 1550 Units
10 May 2013 - Warrington, UK
Lerwick-based Shetland Transport has taken delivery of its first Carrier Transicold Vector™ 1550 trailer refrigeration units. They will be used for temperature-controlled deliveries to and from the Shetland Isles, located 110 miles north of mainland Scotland. Carrier Transicold helps improve global transport and shipping temperature control with a complete line of equipment for refrigerated trucks, trailers and containers, and is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).
Each of the nine Vector 1550 units have been mounted to tri-axle reefers manufactured by Gray & Adams and join a fleet of 30 trucks and 96 trailers. They will be predominantly used to transport farmed salmon, mussels and white fish from Shetland to destinations across the UK and mainland Europe, returning to the islands with a range of fresh, chilled and frozen produce.
By specifying the Vector 1550 systems, Shetland Transport will benefit from Carrier’s patented E-Drive™all-electric technology, which removes a large number of serviceable parts from the refrigeration cycle, substantially reducing maintenance and downtime compared with conventional belt-driven systems. It also allows for extremely precise temperature control of +/- 0.3 degrees Celsius.
“We’ve chosen Carrier units on a number of our trailers in the past, and they’ve always proven to be incredibly durable and reliable, regardless of the long hours our vehicles spend on the road. We might be one of the remotest hauliers in the UK, but it’s just as important for us to run the latest specification equipment and to keep up-to-speed with legislation. These new trailers and fridges represent significant investment in the fleet,” said Hamish Balfour, managing director, Shetland Transport.
With a demanding workload, Shetland Transport’s distinctive blue, red and white fleet is on the road seven days a week and Balfour is counting on the units’ longevity to provide the service life he desires.
“We will aim to keep these trailers and fridges in service for at least the next 15 years, if not a little longer. After about 10 years of frontline service handling long-distance work, we can switch them over to short-haul distribution to and from our depots in Aberdeen and Glasgow. This ensures we get the most out of every asset in the fleet,” said Balfour.
The Vector 1550 unit builds on the success of the Vector 1850 system – previously specified by Shetland Transport – to combine a reduced capacity of 14,800 watts with low fuel consumption. This helps to reduce the total cost of ownership whilst also cutting overall carbon impact by up to 35 per cent compared to conventional systems. At 739kg, it is also one of the lightest trailer refrigeration units on the market.
For more information on the Vector 1550 and other products and services from Carrier Transicold, visit www.transicold.carrier.com or www.coolbycarrier.com.
Carrier Transicold Introduces New Branding Design on Vector™ and Supra™ Refrigeration Units
Carrier Transicold has unveiled a new branding design for its Vector™ and Supra™ refrigeration units, now featuring the Carrier blue oval logo surrounded by a slim silver oval background. Carrier Transicold helps improve global transport and shipping temperature control with a complete line of equipment for refrigerated trucks, trailers and containers and is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).
The new branding replaces the traditional CARRIER white-lettered labelling on truck and trailer refrigeration units throughout Europe. The new logo treatment and placement is designed to enhance the visibility of the Carrier brand on the road, serving as a focal point to express Carrier’s core values of innovation, quality and performance for the cold chain to ensure refrigerated goods are delivered in optimum condition to customers, anytime, anywhere.
“The new branding design on our truck and trailer equipment aims to express Carrier’s longstanding commitment to support refrigerated transport companies in maintaining the highest standard of cold chain protection while minimising the cost of operation and environmental impact,” said David Appel, president, Carrier Transicold.
The logo will be applied to the Vector and Supra ranges, including the latest Vector 1950 unit.
For more information on Carrier Transicold, please visit www.carriertransicold.eu or www.coolbycarrier.com.
Cooler than an Ice Road Trucker: Carrier Transicold Warms the Heart of Europe’s Largest Ice Manufacturer with Vector™ 1550 Technology
Confidence is running high for the storage and logistics arm of The Ice Co°, one of Europe’s largest ice manufacturers, following the specification of its first four Carrier Transicold Vector™ 1550 transport refrigeration units with E-Drive™ all-electric technology. Carrier Transicold helps improve global transport and shipping temperature control with a complete line of equipment for refrigerated trucks, trailers and containers, and is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).
The Vector 1550 units, which are all fitted to bespoke tri-axle trailers from Schmitz Cargobull and sporting the familiar catchy slogans of The Ice Co°, came as a result of an initial meeting with Carrier Transicold at the IAA Show in Hannover in September 2012.
“The right technology is clearly essential, but you can never underestimate the value of good service and the confidence you need to have in the service provider,” said Trevor Hudson, managing director, The Ice Co° Storage & Logistics. “It was clear when we met the Carrier Transicold team, and subsequently its service partner in Maltby, which will maintain the units, that they were passionate about both their technology and working with our company. In short, they bowled us over, and that kind of enthusiasm goes a long way to instilling trust.”
In addition to the refrigeration units and Golden Cold®maintenance contracts, Carrier Transicold is providing The Ice Co° with its dual view trailer bulkhead-mounted digital temperature display, which features a reverse image option to enable drivers to view temperature readings through their rear view mirror whilst on the road. This equipment also provides an instant cooling cycle status and warning alarm notifications.
Based in West Yorkshire, The Ice Co° Storage & Logistics operates a third party logistics service from three cold stores across the UK, predominantly managing deliveries into major retail distribution centres nationwide as well as groupage work for wholesalers and catering companies.
The mono-temperature Vector 1550 units present the ideal solution for the company by delivering faster temperature pull-down, reaching the desired set point up to 25 per cent faster compared to conventional technology, and also offering low fuel consumption – reducing the unit’s overall carbon impact by up to 35 per cent compared to more traditional systems.
The new Vector 1550 units represent the first order from Carrier Transicold to join The Ice Co°’s fleet of 24 trucks and 46 refrigerated trailers. According to Hudson, in addition to the robust technology, the provision of a strong service network and good customer service are what really helped make the sale.
“With previous suppliers, we have experienced issues with service; however, having looked at the network and level of expertise Carrier Transicold has in place, we have confidence that the Golden Cold repair and maintenance contracts will restore our faith,” added Hudson.
Counting on longevity, The Ice Co° plans to operate its new trailers for an initial five-year period before carrying out planned chassis and bodywork refurbishment and sending them back into frontline operation for a similar length of time.
Scott Dargan, operations director, Carrier Transicold, commented, “In combination with Golden Cold maintenance contracts, we are providing The Ice Co° with access to our online management service, My Fleet, which provides real-time support.
“We will also perform temperature calibrations to the customer’s precise requirements and carry out operator training to ensure equipment efficiency and reliability levels are optimised,” added Dargan. “It was pointed out to us from day one by
the customer that the purchase of refrigeration equipment is heavily driven by service support so, clearly, our overriding objective is to ensure that the package selected is the best possible fit for their operations.”
For more information on Carrier Transicold and its products and services, visit www.transicold.carrier.com.
In it for the Long Haul: Freshlinc Specifies Carrier Vector® 1850 Technology for its First Extended Length Semitrailers
WARRINGTON, United Kingdom, January 2, 2013
Freshlinc is expanding its fleet and chilled load capacity with the introduction of its first four 14.6m refrigerated semitrailers fitted with Vector®1850 multi-temperature technology from Carrier Transicold. Carrier Transicold helps improve global transport and shipping temperature control with a complete line of equipment for refrigerated trucks, trailers and containers, and is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).
According to Freshlinc’s fleet engineer, Andy Marchant, Carrier Transicold is “always at the forefront of the industry,” and the Vector 1850 unit is the natural choice to complement the four new extended length trailers joining the fleet.
“In our ambition to drive down road miles, we were keen to take part in the trial of extended length trailers and, naturally, it was Carrier we turned to ensure the temperature integrity of the additional load space this offers,” said Marchant. “When you are seeking further efficiencies in transport operations you have to look closely at the equipment you are running and assess the long-term value and potential to deliver those all-important savings – be it fuel consumption, CO2emissions or road miles.
“Carrier never fails to impress with consistently reliable, leading-edge technology, backed-up by competitive service contracts. It is therefore no coincidence that 80 per cent of our fleet is already operating with Carrier Transicold refrigeration units,” he added.
The new extended length trailers – which are licenced as part of a government trial – are expected to help fleets cut vehicle movements by transporting more goods per trailer load. This will, in turn, take vehicles off the road, reducing fuel usage and minimising exhaust emissions.
To accommodate the additional trailer length, Carrier Transicold UK installed an extended wiring loom that connects the nose-mounted unit to a series of evaporators and temperature sensors.
All four Vector 1850 MT units have been supplied with Carrier’s Golden Cold®repair and maintenance agreements, which provide nationwide breakdown cover for total peace of mind. All scheduled maintenance will be carried out by Carrier Transicold Lincolnshire, based in Spalding, which has supported the Freshlinc operation for many years.
“Avoiding unexpected downtime is key for us and, particularly when we are looking at consolidating larger loads onto higher volume trailers, this is clearly more important than ever before,” said Marchant. “The assistance we get from Carrier Transicold Lincolnshire working alongside our operation is exceptional – long may it continue.”
The four new extended length trailers, supplied by Gray & Adams, are expected to remain on the Freshlinc fleet for six years.
Carrier reports that an additional 50 Vector 1850 units are also being provided for new standard length refrigerated trailers joining the Freshlinc fleet of 300 semitrailers and 180 tractor units in the coming weeks. These will also be supplied with Golden Cold contracts.
For more information on the Vector 1850 unit and other products and services from Carrier Transicold, visit www.transicold.carrier.com