Size matters but refrigeration is the icing on the cake
The meteoric rise of Dutch container rental, sales and leasing company Unit 45 shows not only the wisdom of specialization but also the value of devising solutions precisely matched to client needs, in this case in partnership with refrigeration giant Thermo King.
 From its outset in 2003, Unit 45's focus was intermodal, for road, rail or water, but based on the 45-foot container, allowing 33 pallets on a single load. "There was far too much competition in standard units, with no hope of making profit in the segment," explains company director Jan Koolen.
Initial ambitions were modest: "Our objective was to move 400 containers in the first year, and 600 in the next. But things worked out a bit differently. In 2003, we moved 1,875, and a year later we had reached more than 5,000."
To expand the business, Unit 45 then researched the potential for refrigeration, but without compromising capacity. "We wanted to retain the internal cargo area of 13,275 metres at any price," says Koolen, "and we saw this was possible by building the cooling unit slightly outside, and keeping it just within the maximum vertical clearance. We compared different refrigeration-unit suppliers, and Thermo King won. Not only was their Magnum a smaller unit that fitted better, but the cooling capacity was clearly better, too."
More growth came with Unit 45's installation of a diesel-driven electrical refrigeration unit, making the 45-footers rail-capable as well. Koolen explains: "For our clients who are short-sea shippers, and only shipping over water and road, an electrical unit would be sufficient.
"But with a growing road-based client list we saw the demand for an even more versatile 45-foot container, incorporating a diesel-powered electrical refrigeration unit and allowing road shipments also to go by rail, where you have no electrical power available."
To meet the challenge posed by the value of the shipments and the associated risks, Unit 45 then took another step and implemented TracKing on many of its containers. "That was exactly what the customers wanted. The Thermo King system provides a solution whereby we can not only monitor the temperature and track the location of the container, but we can also see if the diesel electrical units still have enough fuel.
"With clients in pharmaceuticals, for example, needing products to be shipped at a temperature of between four and eight degrees Celsius, Thermo King's SL-400 units are tailormade for the task and we've just ordered 20," said Koolen.
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For further information please contact:
Ingersoll Rand Climate Control Technologies (European Served Area)
Bram Robichez,
Communications Manager
Tel: +32 2 714 57 59
www.thermoking.com |
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