Sustainable cold chain with CoolKit

Enhanced Sustainability

The pandemic has accelerated the trend for home delivery, in particular for food and pharmaceutical goods. During the first lockdown, some supermarkets reported a doubling in delivery demand, and the online grocery market is due to grow by more than a quarter in 2020 overall. a unique pay-as-yougo route optimisation platform developed by The Algorithm People. Through smarter planning of routes and schedules, My As the largest refrigerated van manufacturer in the UK, CoolKit plays a vital role in keeping temperaturecontrolled logistics moving during a pandemic. Now it is adding more value to the cold chain by identifying more ways for fleets to reduce their emissions. “My Transport Planner is an innovative tool that they can use to reduce emissions while also saving money.” CoolKit has pulled out all the stops for businesses Transport Planner can reduce exceptionally affected by the pandemic, including a national total fleet mileage by up to 20 per food charity as well as numerous van rental specialists who cent, cutting costs and have seen demand soar. Rupert Gatty, chief executive officer carbon emissions for fleets. at CoolKit, said: “We are morally bound to join the national effort during this unprecedented time. Arguably, some of the Gatty said: “At first glance, a partnership between a most important things needed around the country right now refrigerated van manufacturer and a software specialist might are medicines and food supplies - and we are helping our seem odd. However, many of our customers are involved customers increase the safe transportation of these products in home delivery or last-mile logistics, which is precisely with improved efficiency and reliability.” the type of operation that can benefit the most from route As one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of temperature- is an innovative tool that they can use to reduce emissions controlled vehicles, CoolKit also has a strong focus on while also saving money.” sustainability. It has developed a solution which eliminates the need for timber reinforcements that are traditionally used Colin Ferguson, CEO of The Algorithm People, which created My extensively in the vehicle conversion process. This alternative Transport Planner, said: “CoolKit is a trusted partner for many solution is lightweight and durable - increasing vehicle operators of refrigerated vans. The company has a strong ethos longevity and improving vehicle productivity by substantially of using innovation to tackle greenhouse gas emissions, which reducing unladen weight. of course is an objective we share. We both want to help fleets Cameron Javed, Head of Technical Development for CoolKit, said: “By continually incorporating new materials and Crucially, route optimisation can help refrigerated van methodologies into our designs, we have been able to create operators keep pace with other van users when it comes to refrigerated panel vans capable of transporting industry- cutting emissions. best panel van payloads in excess of 1,200kg. In practice this optimisation, though many don’t know it. My Transport Planner operate more efficiently and more sustainably.” means that fleet sizes can be significantly reduced, leading “All companies with home delivery operations are under pressure to a reduction in fleet operating costs, traffic congestion and to cut emissions,” added Ferguson. “Therefore, if fleets want to roadside emissions.” reduce emissions from their refrigerated vans, they have to think outside the box. CoolKit is already innovating with its pioneering Building on this success, Burnley-based CoolKit is offering its use of lighter materials, helping to increase payloads and take customers a further way to reduce fleet emissions, after signing surplus vehicles off our roads. The next logical step for its a partnership agreement with The Algorithm People. The deal customer base is route optimisation to reduce mileage, enabling enables CoolKit to introduce its clients to My Transport Planner, them to cut emissions and save money at the same time.”