Global impact
The concept of refrigerated containers evolved from the
late 1960s and represented a major evolution for the shipping industry. Before
the advent of reefer containers, temperature-sensitive products were very
popular but difficult to transport. This limited consumption and resulted in
high prices for consumers.
The
development of reefer containers launched a revolution for consumers around the
world. As reefers were adopted by shipping companies in large numbers, shoppers
found themselves able to buy their favourite fruits and vegetables any time of
the year at affordable prices. At the same time, producers were in a position
to access global markets that had previously been out of range. Before reefers,
the perishable nature of such goods meant that sales were restricted to local
markets. This not only deprived producers of lucrative global trade but also left
them vulnerable to regional market fluctuations. Reefers changed this dynamic
virtually overnight.
“Having achieved our initial technical and
functional goals, our engineers pushed on to pioneer further innovations. The
result was the launch of the Star Cool Integrated concept. This saw the refrigeration unit being directly integrated into the
container box to create a reefer that provides greater cargo care, weighs
less, carries more and consumes less energy than comparable products, without
compromising strength and durability”,
said Fitzgerald.
New innovations, new
markets
Another major
innovation saw the introduction of the controlled atmosphere system Star Cool
CA. This significantly increased the transportation window for high-respiration
soft fruits and opened up new markets for producers and consumers alike. MCI
also introduced the use of environmentally friendly refrigerants and became the
first manufacturer to offer its own real-time data capture and tracking
technology.
“Along with its front-end user interface,
our Sekstant system provides operators with real-time information on the GPS
location of each individual container, as well as the precise internal
temperature in relation to set point. This enables maximised cargo quality and
consequently less food loss, as well as being able to keep track of the unit’s
physical location to guard against theft or tampering”, Fitzgerald concluded.
