Van den Bosch recently introduced its latest innovation in liquid bulk transport: the High Volume Temperature Controlled Tank Container.
“With this state-of-the-art model, we are taking the next step in temperature controlled transport,” said Emiel van Haren, operations director for Van den Bosch’s liquid food division.
The new tank container has a capacity of 29,000 liters (7,660 gallons) and has been specifically developed for the intermodal transport of liquid foodstuffs with a high product density, such as chocolate, glucose and fruit juices. “By using this new tank container with a capacity of 29,000 liters, we can transport up to 30 tonnes (33 tons),” Van Haren said. “This will increase payloads and reduce the number of shipments. The container is also highly insulated, which helps maintain product temperature along the way.
“That makes the container ideal for temperature-controlled transport, both heated and cooled.”
The new container is equipped with GPS and advanced temperature sensors through which the current location, product temperature and outside temperature can be monitored. Based on this information, it can be decided whether the product should be cooled or heated on the way.
“We use cooling and heating units at strategic locations in our network,” Van Haren said. “The big advantage is that these units are no longer mounted on the container itself, which reduces its weight to 3,420 kilos (7,540 pounds) while increasing the load capacity to 30 tonnes. Customers can also access the available information—such as the container’s location, product temperature and the condition of the sealing—in real time using our FreightInsight customer portal.”
While temperature-controlled transport of perishable goods still is often done by road, the new container is speeding up the transition to intermodal transport. This has a beneficial effect not only on payload levels and logistics costs, but also reduces CO2 emissions.
“Together with juice producer Refresco, we have recently been able to achieve CO2 savings of no less than 50% by switching to intermodal transport,” Van Haren maintained. “Thanks to the new container, this will be 60%.
“In this way, we’re working together with our partners on greener supply chains.”
Like the High Volume Ultra Light Tank Container introduced by Van den Bosch in October 2020, the High Volume Temperature Controlled Tank Container also is equipped with a ground-level control mechanism. Not only the air line, but also the sealing are both operated easily from a tap in the outlet box.
“The development of ground-level controlled equipment is a new step to prevent unnecessary working at height and all the associated risks,” Van Haren said. “We’re also optimizing sealability by going from two to just one sealing point on the container. We never stand still when it comes to equipment innovation. We continue to develop, putting smart innovations into practice, serving our customers even better and shifting the ‘status quo’ in bulk transport.”
The High Volume Temperature Controlled Tank Containers were expected to be delivered by manufacturer Van Hool at the end of 2020 in an initial series of 10 units. The second series of 50 units is expected this year.