Displaying greener efficiency Bonnet Neve

DISPLAYING GREENER

EFFICIENCY EFFICIENCY

Bonnet Neve is a European leader in the design and manufacture of refrigerated display cabinets. Philip Yorke reports on its latest, energy-efficient products designed for the world’s fresh food and beverage hypermarket retailers and looks at the company’s strategy for future growth.

Bonnet Neve was created as the result of a merger between two prestigious French brands, Bonnet and Neve, more than 20 years ago. Since that time Bonnet Neve has built up an enviable reputation for its advanced range of energy-efficient refrigerated cabinets, technical products and dedicated customer services. The company is part of the EPTA Group, which was established by the Nocivelli family in 1986. Today the group is a global leader in its field and comprises many leading international brands, including the Italian company Costan Refrigerazione, Intercold of Austria, BKT of Germany, George Barker of the UK and Argentinian brand leader Costan Market.

Bonnet Neve’s core expertise lies in the design, production and installation of refrigerated display units, production units and cold rooms. All the company’s products offer maximum energy efficiency and display ratios, as well as optimising merchandising opportunities and ergonomics. The company’s eco-friendly and super-efficient products are backed by advanced design, the latest manufacturing processes, global technical support services and an unrivalled distribution network. Commitment to these core attributes has been the reason for the company’s ongoing global success. Currently Bonnet Neve has a 60 per cent share of the French market and its European sales represent around 20 per cent of the Epta Group’s global revenues, which in 2010 stood at more than €500 million.

Product innovation driving sales

Bonnet Neve has been continuously investing in new technology and the development of innovative, energy-efficient products. During the past decade the company has been responsible for developing some of the most successful refrigeration products ever launched in the industry. For example, in 2006 it unveiled its Effica 2000 and Effica 1500 models, both of which enjoyed record global sales for its ‘Compact Line’ series. These represented excellent value and provided unique display and storage solutions for small food retailers and service stations. Other successes followed shortly afterwards with the introduction of Bonnet Neve’s Cosmos 3ECO and the ‘Duetto’ refrigerated island, designed for the storage of cold meats, dairy products and other chilled cabinet merchandise.

The year 2010 was no exception with the launch of an all-new compressor pack offering significantly reduced environmental impact. This Eptagreen natural refrigerant compressor pack was specifically developed to minimise the direct emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The special properties inherent in the R744 (CO2) gas that is used in the new family of Eptagreen cascade compressor packs ensures numerous advantages for the customer. These include a significant reduction in carbon emissions and improved flexibility and operational system efficiency.

Increasing power and flexibility

In keeping with its strategy to offer even greater operational value and energy-saving features, Bonnet Neve recently launched another ‘first’ onto the market. The new product quickly attracted media interest and was announced as the all-new refrigerator compressor pack EptaBerg Power Unlimited model. This was developed especially by Bonnet Neve to offer energy savings and greater flexibility for large displays of food in supermarkets and hypermarkets. A major

advantage of this latest offering from Bonnet Neve is its ability to minimise leaks and greatly reduce the levels of vibration that can cause them. In addition, the new compressor pack manages both positive and negative temperature ranges independently, all within the same structure. By utilising 3+3 or 4+4 compressors, it is possible to significantly reduce the space that the cabinets take up.

These models also come with unlimited power, with up to 500kW available in the HT version and 125kW in the LT model. Uninterrupted continuity of service is guaranteed with these units due to their high performance specifications. Furthermore, thanks to their functional layouts, access is easier and maintenance is thereby simplified.

Pioneering eco-technology

At the heart of every product from Bonnet Neve is the dedicated research and development that has been devoted to ensuring that the final product is not only offering the best possible display solutions, but also

the best-in-class environmental outcomes. Bonnet Neve’s eco-production display cabinets are designed for use with foam insulation that contains no high GWP blowing agent. These units are manufactured at four factories distributed throughout western Europe in order to minimise transportation mileage and the resulting negative effects on the environment.

Supporting this eco-friendly culture, the company’s extensive innovation centre integrates the latest energy-saving technologies to meet the most stringent European eco-legislation. As the leader in zero HFC technology, the company has more than 50 C02 trans-critical systems installed in Europe. When buying components, Bonnet Neve also takes into consideration the life-cycle benefits of its products and favours the use of local suppliers whenever possible. In addition, as you would expect, Bonnet Neve is fully RoHS and WEEE compliant.

The company believes that Bonnet Neve’s success hinges on the quality of its innovative design and manufacturing processes and the well-defined distribution of its product ranges. The company’s future strategy is to continually out-perform the competition in terms of cost-effectiveness, eco-sustainability, product excellence and service reliability. n