trailer world issue Two 2011

Issue Two 2011 7HFKQRORJ\ > or French transport and logistics group STEF-TFE, which specialises in refrig- erated and frozen food, the word “cool chain” is almost sacred. It has the highest pri- ority in the company and not only because it is subject to stringent legal regulations, inspec- tions and controls. The company’s corporate customers in the food, retail and catering and hospitality industries expect the highest qual- ity from the delivered products and consumers want to be certain that the food not only tastes good, but is appealing and safe to eat as well. K]Yed]kkegfalgjaf_Yf\[gfljgd Any interruption in the cool chain shortens the shelf life and reduces the quality of the prod- uct, but it can also become a health hazard if ill- ness-ordisease-causinggermsandbacteriagrow duringtheacceleratednaturalageingorevende- caying process. Frozen food that has been par- tially thawed and then refrozen again is particu- larly dangerous. Often, you cannot even tell that the food you are eating is actually no longer safe to consume. That is precisely why legislation re- quiresmonitoringandverifieddocumentationof theentirecoolchain,fromthemanufacturerand processingcompanytothecarrierandwarehouse andrightthroughtodeliverytothesupermarket or restaurant. If health issues occur at the end of the chain, it must be possible to retrace each step of the product’s journey. =nYdmYlagfafj]Yd%lae] That means that all of the regularly record- ed monitoring data has to be documented and stored and be easily accessible if needed. Up until about two years ago at STEF-TFE, the temperature measured inside the refrig- erated lorries was logged by the electronic control module of the cooling unit and then read and saved by computer every few days. “Now, the data is monitored, transmitted and logged in real time via satellite”, explains Jean- Charles Fromage, Delegated General Director of STEF-TFE. “This gives us a better overview of what is happening on board our refrigerated lorries, and we can immediately provide our customers with real time, up-to-date informa- tion. This system, called “Masternaut”, consists of temperature sensors in the vehicle’s cooling chambers and a radio buoy that automatically transmits the measurements and other data via satellite. On the display screen, the department that is monitoring the vehicle can see the loca- tion, track the route, check the fuel consump- tion and ensure that the driver is complying with the legally required breaks, and moreover, can also see when and how long the doors of the refrigerated lorry were open and above all, how cold the it was in the individual cooling chambers at any given time. Almost all of the nearly 4,000 refrigerated vehicles used by STEF-TFE – 2,000 of its own and 2,000 operated by subcontractors – have a moveable partition that is usually kept under the roof and if required, can be folded down and locked into the floor at virtually any place inside the cargo bay. It divides the vehicle into two separate sections, and the respective cool- ing units can establish and maintain specific individual temperature conditions. For exam- ple, the company can transport frozen food at minus 18 to minus 25 degrees Celsius in the front section of the trailer, i.e. right behind the truck, and at the same time, use the rear section to keep fresh fish, meat or dairy products cold at plus 2 to plus 8 degrees Celsius. However, the partition is only used if it is required for the vehicle’s delivery run. Naturally, it is more 9[jala[Ydh`Yk]afl`][ggd[`Yaf2dgY\af_l`][Yj_g^jgel`]j]^ja_]jYl]\oYj]`gmk]aflg l`]afkmdYl]\ZgpljYad]j& 3KRWRV5DOI.OLQJVLHFN

trailer world issue Two 2011

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