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Golden Mile: Setting a high standard for refrigeration
The Golden Mile near Groblersdal in Limpopo, is the region where some of the country’s best export-quality citrus fruit and grapes are grown. This is also where new standards are set for the cultivation and storage of export-grade produce. It is therefore little wonder that the demand for state-of-the-art refrigeration solutions is higher here than anywhere else in the country.
T
he solutions developed specifically for the food producers in the Golden Mile is an example for any organisation that cannot compromise on the quality of their refrigeration. The Golden Mile is essentially the one-mile radius around the highest point in the Groblersdal area, the N11 between Groblersdal and Marble Hall. It has its own microclimate, which makes it ideal for production of outstanding quality fruit in the country. The demand for export-quality produce from this small region is so high that property prices soared in recent years. The farmers who invest their time and capital into these operations sell a highquality product -that is why they expect refrigeration systems that are up to the task. Therefor it is difficult to find a farm there that uses older technology. Refrigeration is central to the production flow on these farms. The produce has to be cooled overnight to the right temperature by the time that the trucks arrive to ensure that they can make it to their destination without spoiling. This requires that the cooling rooms run at peak efficiency, with no downtime. It also means that there is an intensive maintenance component that accompanies any refrigeration system that operates in this region. If there is a problem of any kind, a maintenance crew have less than
an hour to arrive on site and fix it. These people have to be on standby for 24 hours of the day. When a producer demands seamless operation, the obvious answer is to offer him a fully outsourced refrigeration solution, where the service provider owns and operates the system while only selling refrigeration to the client as a utility. However, because these facilities stand idle for just about three quarters of the year, and then they have to ramp up to 24-hour operation for about three months, outsourcing is more complex. Fully outsourced solutions are most viable if the facility operates for at least eight months of the year. The farmers therefore own all of the refrigeration systems on their sites, while a refrigeration expert has to be contracted to conduct 24-hour live monitoring and maintenance. There are companies now that developed their own monitoring tools, which observe the operation of the refrigeration equipment in real-time. This is a crucial part of their service, as the monitoring equipment picks up problems and temperature fluctuations the moment that they start to present, so action can be taken well before the quality of the produce is put in jeopardy. This also means maintenance teams need access to all the refrigeration system’s replacement components. One cannot
have a compressor break in the middle of the night, and have to wait a week for one to be dispatched. The team needs it on hand so that they can do a swap in the minimum amount of turnaround time. Geographical distance is one of the main challenges faced by service providers. Firstly, maintenance crews need to be on-site quickly, meaning that they have to be set up and ready to be dispatched within minutes of getting a call. Secondly, the far distance of these farms from infrastructure such as grid power is a major issue. The further that these facilities are located from town, the weaker their power supply is. At the moment there are facilities that simply cannot function with the low voltage that they sometimes get from the grid. As a result, most of these facilities have now started to incorporate solar power and batteries with their refrigeration systems. It is actually an ideal match in the end according to refrigeration experts. It is reckoned that Golden Mile is truly the golden standard that displays the full capabilities of state-of-the-art refrigeration service providers. The systems and proce dures employed there are standard for all operations across South Africa, but Groblersdal is definitely where solutions are tested to their absolute limit. EPMD
Undercover farming I
September/October 2020
I Volume 17 No 5 17
