Archive For The “In-Transit Issues” Category
By Carrier Transicold
HAMBURG, Germany – Carrier Transicold has added to its growing suite of digital solutions to boost container refrigeration operations with the introduction of the TripLINK™ digital tool, which remotely connects customers with vital shipment information and intelligence to improve visibility and efficiency of both reefer and the cargo. The system securely monitors and analyzes refrigeration machinery and cargo health globally 24 hours a day. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier, a leading global provider of innovative heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies.
The TripLINK software module is hosted in a secure cloud infrastructure that can be accessed via smart phone, PC or tablet. The TripLINK tool receives information that is wirelessly transmitted from a telematics hardware module sitting inside the refrigerated container unit and connected to the micro controller.
“The TripLINK tool empowers customers to make more informed decisions for fleet operations based on key operational parameters and its in-built data analytics capabilities, which provides a time and cost saving benefit,” said Willy Yeo, director of marketing, Carrier Transicold.
Information provided to TripLINK tool users includes key parameters such as set temperature, box temperature, in-range status, reefer operating mode and ambient temperature. The TripLINK tool also provides critical and non-critical alarm codes, their descriptions and specific calls to action. In addition, container status data can be exported into PDF or Excel files for analysis.
An optional feature of the TripLINK digital tool is the TripWise™ system that performs critical run-time diagnostics in the background while the refrigeration unit is in operation, reducing the need for Pre-Trip Inspection (PTI) tests, thus bringing savings to refrigerated container owners through lower terminal operating expenses, higher throughput and decreased idle time.
The TripLINK digital tool can be factory installed and is also compatible with existing units in service, providing they have the Micro-Link® 3 controller. For more information, visit www.transicold.carrier.com.
About Carrier Transicold
Carrier Transicold helps improve transport and shipping of temperature-controlled cargoes with a complete line of equipment and services for refrigerated transport and cold chain visibility. For more than 45 years, Carrier Transicold has been an industry leader, providing customers around the world with advanced, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable container refrigeration systems and generator sets, direct-drive and diesel truck units, and trailer refrigeration systems.
ATHENS, GA — The new Carrier Transicold Vector® 1550 domestic intermodal refrigeration system features a thin profile enabling greater capacity utilization within a standard 53-foot North American intermodal container. As a result, up to 7 percent more cargo can be carried for greater shipping efficiency over rail and highway.
“With the Vector 1550 unit, Carrier Transicold engineered a space-efficient transport refrigeration system that fits within a trim envelope that is a third thinner than a traditional transport refrigeration unit in the U.S.,” said Patrick McDonald, trailer product manager, Carrier Transicold.
The Vector 1550 unit allows a domestic intermodal refrigerated container to accommodate an extra row of pallets, resulting in cube loads similar to 53-foot over-the-road trailers. The thin-profile Vector 1550 unit also reduces total weight by as much as 570 pounds compared to competitive standard-size refrigeration systems, and by 200 pounds compared to competitive slim-profile designs.
“Compared to its competitive counterpart, the Vector 1550 unit is thinner and lighter, while also being a high-efficiency performer with lower engine run speeds producing as much as 27 percent more cooling per hour per RPM,” McDonald said.
As part of Carrier Transicold’s Vector family, the Vector 1550 unit takes advantage of E-Drive™ technology. Unlike conventional mechanical transport refrigeration units, those with E-Drive technology use a high-output generator direct-coupled to a diesel engine to power a uniquely all-electric refrigeration system. Using intelligent controls, the system can automatically turn on and off individual components, such as the compressor and fans, running only what it needs, precisely when needed. As a result, components run fewer hours and last longer than traditional counterparts.
The simplified, clean refrigeration architecture eliminates most of the serviceable items found in conventional mechanical transport refrigeration systems – traditional parts, such as vibrasorbers, clutches, shaft seals, alternators, drive belts and pulleys that require routine maintenance.
As with other units in Carrier Transicold’s Vector platform, the Vector 1550 unit offers integrated electric standby, enabling the unit to be plugged into a power source when parked. This eliminates emissions and noise from the refrigeration unit engine, conserves fuel and reduces operating costs.
The Vector system provides the unit’s full rated refrigeration capacity when on standby, unlike some add-on standby systems that add weight and complexity, without delivering full capacity. The Vector 1550 system also can be coupled with Carrier Transicold’s eSolutions™ telematics system for remote monitoring of system operation and container temperatures, generation of automatic “proof of temperature” compliance reports to maintain food safety standards, and providing enhanced control features, such as remote software updates and data downloads.
For additional details on the new thin-profile Vector 1550 domestic intermodal refrigeration system, turn to the experts in Carrier Transicold’s North America dealer network.
About Carrier Transicold Carrier Transicold helps improve transport and shipping of temperature-controlled cargoes with a complete line of equipment and services for refrigerated transport and cold chain visibility. For more than 45 years, Carrier Transicold has been an industry leader, providing customers around the world with advanced, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable container refrigeration systems and generator sets, direct-drive and diesel truck units, and trailer refrigeration systems. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier, a leading global provider of innovative HVAC, refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies. For more information, visit www.transicold.carrier.com.
Pleasanton, CA — DeltaTrak® recently introduced two new FlashLink Real-Time Prime In-Transit Loggers.
With these two new models of real-time monitors (loggers), DeltaTrak has expanded its already existing line of real-time loggers with cost effective and feature rich solutions. Both newFlashLink Real=Time Prime 2G and 3G In-Transit Loggers offer a 12 month battery shelf life and a new flight mode feature. With these new capabilities along with backup PDF trip reports via USB, these new loggers are hard to beat for the price.
Reliable and cost-effective, these real-time loggers provide temperature and location information utilizing GSM cellular technology. Shipments are tracked worldwide using DeltaTrak’s ColdTrak 24/7 cloud service. Up-to-the-minute information can be accessed securely with user login security from a standard web browser using a PC or any internet-ready device.
With the FlashLink Real-Time Prime 3G In-Transit Logger’s global coverage, customers can now ship to countries where 3G is the best solution including Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Italy and the UK.
“Not only do both loggers offer the benefits of a 2-in-1 logger with real-time reporting and a PDF backup report when there’s no cellular service available, each includes a longer battery shelf life and the ability to turn off the logger during use on aircraft,” according to Frederick Wu, President and CEO of DeltaTrak. “And for the RTL Prime 3G In-Transit Logger, the light sensor offers an extra layer of security during your shipments.”
DeltaTrak offers models for both loggers that include a 60-day logging duration with data sampled every 10 minutes, ideal for export shipments.
The ColdTrak cloud solution provides enhanced features and allows growers and shippers the option to upload additional documentation used in meeting the requirements of the FSMA, HACCP and regulatory compliance.
These loggers are mounted on a highly visible shipping card which makes the units easy to locate inside a trailer, container or airplane. Each unit comes charged and ready-to-use. Shippers can simply start the logger with the one-button activation and place it in their loads.
DeltaTrak’s new FlashLink RTL Prime 2G and 3G In-Transit Loggers are a great solution for anyone that needs up-to-the-minute information on the temperature and location of their products.
About DeltaTrak®
DeltaTrak® is a leading innovator of cold chain management, environmental monitoring and food safety solutions for the food, produce, life science, and chemical industries. Contact DeltaTrak® by phone at 1-800-962-6776 or by email at marketing@deltatrak.com. Additional information can be found at www.deltatrak.com.
By University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A 1987 handbook published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s division of Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA-AMS) received a 21st-century update thanks to a team led by University of Florida researchers.
“Many people in the food transportation industry had been asking for a revised handbook for years, to include all of the developments in technology, best practices and food safety that have occurred since then,” said Jeffrey Brecht, a professor of horticultural sciences in the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Brecht assembled the team of subject matter experts and led the revision of USDA-AMS Handbook No. 669, “Protecting Perishable Foods During Transport by Truck and Rail.” The document is now available at no charge through the UF/IFAS Extension’s online collection, EDIS, while it awaits the USDA’s extensive review process to be officially accepted as the new Handbook No. 669.
Although a few revisions were made to the guide since its original publication, it had also been at least a decade since the handbook was reprinted. Previous revisions were minor, Brecht said, and included things like updating references to the Congressional Record and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations.
The new handbook, created under contract to USDA-AMS, provides comprehensive information for shippers, loaders, carriers and receivers regarding the equipment used to transport fresh and frozen perishable foods, Brecht added. It also offers recommendations for handling different perishable food items to reduce losses in quality while maintaining sanitary conditions.
“The original guide was printed and sized to be put in the glove compartment, so that truck drivers could reference it as needed,” Brecht said. “The idea was for it to be carried around everywhere. Now, that’s like our smartphones. Part of our proposal to USDA-AMS was to create a smart PDF, to be easily navigated and searchable.”
Brecht explained that among the major changes in the content of the revised guide is the addition of many commodities that have become more popular in the years since its last publication.
“Tropical fruits were not as common when the previous edition was released,” Brecht said. “Fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, like packaged salads and baby carrots, were almost unknown at that time. Other products are also prepackaged as a standard now, like beef, among many other examples.”
Steven Sargent, a UF/IFAS professor of horticultural sciences who worked on the project, said that advancements in technology involving the transport of perishable goods also informed the new guidelines.
“A major area of technological advancement that has occurred is computerized refrigerated transport vehicles and telematics, which is the monitoring mechanism behind these systems,” Sargent said. “Telematics uses sensors to control refrigeration systems and collect information like product temperatures and vehicle location during transport. It also uses telecommunication systems to transmit the information to keep everyone informed, from the point of origin to destination.” The document can be viewed online or downloaded here. Its current version, however, is in the process of becoming more mobile-friendly, Sargent added.
“We’re working to develop an app,” Sargent said. “It’s still in the early stages, but the idea is to make it easier for users to jump to the individual commodity or topic they’re looking for on their phones.”
-30-
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS works to bring science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. Visit the UF/IFAS website at ifas.ufl.edu and follow us on social media at @UF_IFAS.
| Pleasanton, Calif., — DeltaTrak® has introduced the next generation FlashLink Mini PDF In-Transit Logger. According to Frederick Wu, President and CEO of DeltaTrak, “The FlashLink Mini PDF has been upgraded to include our patented Shadow Log® feature which sets it apart from other brands. Shadow Log® means that temperature data is recorded even if a shipper forgets to start the unit, so receivers will always be able to download trip data when a load arrives.” The reports also have a new look, including both F° and °C scales on one chart, making it user friendly for receivers worldwide. Reports are automatically generated when the logger is plugged into the USB port of a PC, tablet, or printer, where they can be saved and shared by email in PDF and CSV formats. The FlashLink Mini PDF has a compact, single use design that incorporates a USB connector and on-board software, making it quick and easy to access data without special reading devices or installing software. One model can be used for all domestic and export trips up to 85 days, so shippers don’t have to stock multiple brands with various recording periods. |
| These accurate, reliable temperature recorders are ideal for compliance with Food Safety, HACCP, FSMA, and global regulations, to verify if products have been kept within their proper temperature range. Each unit comes mounted on a bright green shipping card, making it easy to locate when a shipment arrives. A peel-away barcode label with the logger serial number can be attached to shipping documents and scanned into the shipper’s ERP system for complete traceability. The FlashLink Mini PDF In-Transit Logger is an essential tool to help shippers, third party logistics companies, importers and exporters ensure consumer safety and deliver high quality products that are safe to eat. About DeltaTrak® DeltaTrak® is a leading innovator of cold chain management, environmental monitoring and food safety solutions for the food, produce, life science, and chemical industries. |
| 9 |
| Pleasanton, Calif. — DeltaTrak® has introduced the next generation FlashLink Real-Time Mini Loggers. The next generation FlashLink In-Transit Real-Time Mini Logger offers an extended battery life and is a cost-effective real-time logger providing temperature, humidity, and location information utilizing GSM cellular technology. Shipments are tracked worldwide using DeltaTrak’s ColdTrak 24/7 cloud service. Reliable up-to-the-minute information can be accessed securely anywhere with user login and password on a standard web browser using a PC or any internet-ready device. Using the same cloud-based dashboard, the next generation FlashLink Reusable Real-Time Mini Data Logger monitors truck cool down. The logger alarm limits can be set to loading temperature and an alert will be sent so that dock supervisors know which trucks are ready, and improve efficiency by streamlining the loading process. “The FlashLink Real-Time Mini Loggers help our customers closely track temperature before it reaches a dangerous level,” according to Frederick Wu, President and CEO of DeltaTrak. “and, are cost-effective real-time data loggers that are easy to integrate into our customers’ existing SOPs (standard operating procedures). Equally important, the data and reporting are extremely valuable tools for traceability and audit purposes.” For the in-transit logger, DeltaTrak offers two models, one for most domestic shipments with a 15-day logging duration and data uploaded every 10 minutes, and a second model for longer trips with a 60-day logging duration and data uploaded every 60 minutes, ideal for export shipments. For the reusable logger, shippers can program their own trip duration and logging intervals. The ColdTrak web portal provides enhanced features and allows growers and shippers the option to upload documentation and archive data for FSMA, HACCP and regulatory compliance. Customers can customize high/low alarm settings, and alerts are automatically sent when out-of-range conditions occur. The FlashLink In-Transit Real-Time Mini Logger is mounted on a highly visible shipping card which makes the units easy to locate inside a trailer or container. Each unit comes charged and ready-to-use. Shippers can simply start the logger with the one-button activation and place it in their loads. The FlashLink Reusable Real-Time Mini Data Logger is configurable and customers can recharge it after each trip to allow unlimited uses. The FlashLink Real-Time Mini Loggers are a great solution for anyone that needs up-to-the-minute information on the temperature of their products. For a demonstration, please visit Stand 1-VV09 at THAIFEX 2019. About DeltaTrak® DeltaTrak® is a leading innovator of cold chain management, environmental monitoring and food safety solutions for the food, produce, life science, and chemical industries. |
MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company is expanding its fleet with a huge order of 5,000 refrigerated containers equipped with Carrier Transicold’s XtendFRESH atmosphere control technology.
The XtendFRESH system manages oxygen and carbon dioxide levels within refrigerated containers and removes ethylene, thus slowing the ripening of produce, according to a news release.
The XtendFRESH-equipped containers are being leased through SeaCube Containers LLC.
“By adding atmosphere control for selected perishable cargoes, we are enhancing the care we provide for the valuable commodities we ship for our customers,” Giuseppe Prudente, chief logistics officer, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, said in a news release. “XtendFRESH technology enables MSC to transport fruit and other refrigerated cargo over longer distances, creating tremendous new opportunities for exporters and importers.”
The order is the largest for the XtendFRESH option since the system was introduced in 2013. It adds to the growing trend among shipping lines to provide controlled-atmosphere technology for the benefit of their customers, Willy Yeo, director, marketing, Global Container Refrigeration, Carrier Transicold.
“MSC is just one example of the very strong demand we’ve seen for controlled-atmosphere equipment,” SeaCube CEO Robert Sappio said in the release. He said controlled atmosphere is a way for shipping lines to assure their customers that they are carrying their products more safely.
The XtendFRESH system’s patented, self-regenerating activated-carbon scrubber assembly captures carbon dioxide and ethylene, a hormone given off by ripening produce that can accelerate ripening if left unchecked. As perishable cargo consumes oxygen, on-demand fresh-air ventilation automatically maintains the optimum level inside the container.
“The innovative XtendFRESH system allows shipping lines to optimize conditions for specific commodities,” Carrier Transicold’s Yeo said. “It is the only atmosphere control solution with an integrated ethylene removal capability.”
Carrier Transicold is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp.
The versatile new Vector™ 8611MT, a multi-temperature trailer refrigeration unit, enables a trailer to be divided lengthwise into two refrigerated compartments. Introduced recently by Carrier Transicold, the Vector 8611MT unit incorporates two evaporators and fans for two-zone cooling without requiring a separate remote evaporator.“The Vector 8611MT unit harnesses the innovative Vector platform to create a highly efficient, high-performance unit for center-divide trailers where the perishable and frozen compartments are side by side,” said Patrick McDonald, product manager, trailer products, Carrier Transicold. “The all-electric architecture of the Vector series enables the unit to independently manage the two zones more simply and efficiently than mechanically interconnected competitive units.”
“The Vector 8611MT unit will especially appeal to food service and grocery distribution operations for the flexibility it offers in creating center-divide configurations,” McDonald added. “Uniquely, our split evaporator design creates a 15-inch-wide area for center-wall placement, providing a more efficient accommodation of pallets that allows up to 17 percent more cargo than competitive systems requiring trailers to be divided precisely down the middle.”
As with other units in Carrier Transicold’s Vector platform, the new unit features E-Drive™ all-electric technology, in which the diesel engine runs a 21 kVA electric generator that powers the refrigeration system. Vector units have built-in electric standby capability, so when parked for loading, unloading or staging, they can be operated via an electric power source, providing full refrigeration capacity while eliminating refrigeration unit engine noise, emissions and fuel consumption.
The innovative Vector 8611MT unit architecture eliminates most refrigerant valves and significantly reduces the number of braze joints and potential refrigerant leak points compared to mechanically interconnected competitive models. Uniquely, the Vector 8611MT unit has independent air control, enabling it to optimize airflow and pulldown to both zones. If heating is required, it has the advantage of consistent electric heat, rather than hot gas heat. This reduces system complexity and enables the unit to shut down the compressor and other refrigeration components when heating is required, greatly reducing the power load on the engine, resulting in further fuel savings.
The Vector platform’s reduced system complexity also simplifies diagnostics and maintenance requirements for service technicians.
For additional details on the Vector 8611MT trailer refrigeration unit, which will be commercially available in the first quarter of 2019, turn to the experts in Carrier Transicold’s North America dealer network.
About Carrier Transicold
Carrier Transicold helps improve transport and shipping of temperature-controlled cargoes with a complete line of equipment and services for refrigerated transport and cold chain visibility. For more than 45 years, Carrier Transicold has been an industry leader, providing customers around the world with advanced, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable container refrigeration systems and generator sets, direct-drive and diesel truck units, and trailer refrigeration systems. Carrier Transicold is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide. For more information, visit www.transicold.carrier.com. Follow Carrier on Twitter: @SmartColdChain.
DeltaTrak® of Pleasanton, CA has introduced two new FlashLink Real-Time Mini Loggers.
The new FlashLink In-Transit Real-Time Mini Logger is a cost-effective real-time logger providing temperature, humidity and location information utilizing GSM cellular technology. Shipments are tracked worldwide using DeltaTrak’s ColdTrak 24/7 cloud service. Reliable up-to-the-minute information can be accessed securely anywhere with user login and password on a standard web browser using a PC or any internet-ready device.
Using the same cloud-based dashboard, the new FlashLink Reusable Real-Time Mini Data Logger monitors crops in the field and truck cool down. It tracks temperature that crops are exposed to in the field and automated alerts notify personnel so they can take immediate measures to prevent freeze damage. For truck cool down, the logger alarm limits can be set to loading temperature and an alert will be sent so that dock supervisors know which trucks are ready, and improve efficiency by streamlining the loading process.
“The FlashLink Real-Time Mini Loggers help our customers closely track temperature before it reaches a dangerous level,” according to Frederick Wu, President and CEO of DeltaTrak. “and, are cost-effective real-time data loggers that are easy to integrate into our customers’ existing SOP’s (standard operating procedures).
For the in-transit logger, DeltaTrak offers two models, one for most domestic shipments with a 15-day logging duration and data uploaded every 10 minutes, and a second model for longer trips with a 60-day logging duration and data uploaded every 60 minutes, ideal for export shipments. For the reusable logger, shippers can program their own trip duration and logging intervals.
The ColdTrak web portal provides enhanced features and allows growers and shippers the option to upload documentation and archive data for FSMA, HACCP and regulatory compliance. Customers can customize high/low alarm settings, and alerts are automatically sent when out-of-range conditions occur.
The FlashLink In-Transit Real-Time Mini Logger is mounted on a highly visible shipping card which makes the units easy to locate inside a trailer or container. Each unit comes charged and ready-to-use. Shippers can simply start the logger with the one-button activation and place it in their loads. The FlashLink Reusable Real-Time Mini Data Logger is enclosed in a durable case which protects the logger from external elements either on the field or in a truck.
The FlashLink Real-Time Mini Loggers are a great solution for anyone that needs up-to-the-minute information on the temperature of their products.
About DeltaTrak®
DeltaTrak® is a leading innovator of cold chain management, environmental monitoring and food safety solutions for the food, produce, life science, and chemical industries.
Union Pacific will be acquiring 1,000 new high-tech refrigerated boxcars and may increase that total to 1,600 if needed. The purchase will result in the largest equipment acquisition in company history, costing $250,000 per car. The announcement was made recently at the Idaho Grower Shipper Association’s 90th annual convention in Sun Valley, ID.
It was pointed out the Idaho potato industry has historically relied heavily on rail transportation for shipments destined to major markets such as Chicago or the Northeast. For regions such as these, the additional reefers are greatly needed. Union Pacific has a fleet of aging, antiquated reefers that are woefully unable to meet existing demand. Current equipment is at least 40 years old, and Idaho potato shipments have increased dramatically in the past four decades.
Thrasher was one of seven panelists participating in the workshop that addressed some of the major transportation challenges faced by the Idaho potato industry. The panel was moderated by Derek Peterson of Wilcox Fresh, who is a member of the IGSA board of directors.
During the convention other companies aired concerns for serious problems facing the trucking industry and its inability to hire enough drivers. It was pointed out nationwide trucking industry is 50,000 drivers short. A major factor is drivers approaching retirement age. The average age of long-haul truck drivers is now 65 and the industry is not being successful in either attracting or retaining younger drivers.
Contributing to the decline is the current robust economy is providing more attractive options to younger drivers or to younger workers who might otherwise have considered long-haul trucking. There also are higher paying jobs in construction or in the oil fields, which often offer workers the advantage of going home to their families at night rather than being on the road for a week or more at a stretch.
A panel at the convention rehashed many age old ways to make truck driving a more attractive option for new drivers as well as ways to reduce turnover. It was pointed out shippers could make life easier for drivers hauling fresh produce by treating the drivers with more respect, providing clean, comfortable facilities for them while they are waiting to be loaded or unloaded, reducing wait times, compensating them for long waits and providing adequate truck parking.
It also was suggest that reducing the age for interstate commercial truck drivers to 18 would help.