Pioneering refrigerated convection Snaigė

pioneering refrigerated convection

Snaigė is a European market leader in the design and manufacture of refrigerators, freezers, display coolers and wine coolers. This award winning, eco-friendly company has pioneered many ground-breaking innovations over the years, including a unique cooling system based on natural air convection. Philip Yorke reports.

AB Snaigė is based in Lithuania and has been making high quality, eco-friendly refrigerators since 1963. The company has unrivalled experience in the area and has accumulated extensive knowledge of refrigeration technologies and their practical, sustainable use.

Due to the company’s close relationship with its customers, the Snaigė product range has developed over time with some 300 variants across 30 key models currently in production. Over 750 Snaigė employees across Customer Services, Quality Control, Development, Production, Marketing, Finance and Legal are involved in everything the company produces. Its dedicated commitment to its products, the environment and to its employees is exemplified by the awarding and maintaining of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and BS OHSAS 18001.

These certificated processes are embedded in everything that the company does. More than 95 per cent of all Snaigė’s refrigeration components are recyclable. The current capacity of its Alytus facility is in excess of 600,000 appliances per year with around 95 per cent of its products sold in over 30 countries throughout Europe and Asia. Snaigė is a long-standing gold medal winner in the Lithuanian Product of the Year awards and winner of the Lithuanian Innovation Prize. Ordinary shares of SNAIGĖ AB are quoted on the OMX Vilnius Stock Exchange.

Air-cooled efficiency

The Snaigė company’s commitment to efficiency and to the environment has made it unique in more ways than one. In addition to being the only manufacturer of refrigeration systems in the Baltics, it is one of the worlds’ most innovative. The company’s unique, air-cooled technology is based on a natural air convection system. The air that is cooled at the back wall, travels down and later comes up after warming. Based on this principle, air circulation in the refrigerator is optimised, as well as making it possible to create separate temperature zones in order to store different types of food.

The main advantage of the system is the creation of an optimum humidity level in the refrigerator. Food is kept fresh and is prevented from drying out as it is able to preserve the necessary moisture levels within the refrigerator. Snaigė has been repeatedly named as the most innovative company in the region and has consistently received multiple ‘Product of the Year’ Awards.

Focus on ecology

One of the top priorities at Snaigė is its concern for the environment. All the company’s products meet stringent environmental requirements and it has been awarded may environmental protection awards and certifications to underscore this commitment. Environmental goals are set each year in an annual environmental protection measures programme. This helps the company to do better and be more effective in protecting the environment and to reducing operating costs.

When designing new products, Snaigė says that it always keeps in mind manufacturing techniques that save raw materials and resources, save transportation costs and waste disposal. The company is also aware of the need to use only materials that can be easily recycled. In addition, the company’s surface coating process is nonliquid and is dried by gas, which is completely ecologically clean.

What’s more, the insulation used in its refrigerators is cyclopentane which is a hydrocarbon compound the does not create any environmental issues whatsoever. In taking constant heed of consumer demands and their growing environmental concerns, Snaigė produces only safe, ecological and economical refrigerators. The electricity consumption of the company’s latest generation of refrigerators is less than half of those manufactured ten years ago.

All Snaigė refrigerators are produced without the use of any hazardous substances. In addition, none of the chemicals in the production process pose a danger to the ozone layer or have a detrimental eject on greenhouse gases. Its products are therefore recognised as being both ecologically friendly and kind to the environment in general. All of Snaigė’s appliances meet the requirements of the EU directive “Restriction of Hazardous Substances” (RoHS), EU regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH).

The company is proud of the fact that over 97 per cent of its components are recyclable. Its quality systems also fully comply with the requirements of ISO 9001 and are coordinated with and integrated into the company’s environmental safety control systems as required under ISO 14001. Built-in antibacterial systems

A few years ago, Snaigė invited leading scientists of the Kaunas Technology University of Lithuania to create the worlds’ most efficient and eco-friendly refrigerator. Together they created a refrigerator which conforms to the highest standards of sustainability and energy efficiency. As a result, the newest Ice Logic model has earned both the ‘Product of The Year’ award and the top prize for outstanding Innovation.

The new Snaigė refrigerators reflect the latest trends in domestic electrical appliances and do not have any components which could be harmful to people or the environment. Another major benefit is that it has a unique, built-in antibacterial system which protects the refrigerators from noxious bacterium, which can not only cause breakdowns, but also result in serious illness.

The inside panes of the Snaigė Ice Logical series are filled with a special harmless compound that is mixed with silver ions. This combination constantly “fights” harmful microorganisms inside the refrigerator and prevents them from multiplying. n

For further details of AB Snaigė’s innovative refrigeration products and services visit, www.Snaigė.lt