Institution news
Tim explained his role and involvement with regards to the seminar, critical engineering challenges and why it is important for engineers to attend.
Q: Please could you briefly explain your role, involvement and experience with regards to the cold chain?
Tim Fox (TF): My prime role in relation to cold chains is as a thought leader and advocate for more sustainable approaches to their design, use and decommissioning. This includes not only cooling equipment and technologies, but also their operation and interaction with other systems, for example energy. In this work I am involved with a wide range of sector stakeholders, including national governments, international bodies, NGOs, industrial companies, financiers, policy influence groups, universities, research organisations and, of course, engineers and the engineering Institutions.
Q: What are your main challenges when it comes to the current cold chain?
TF: We have two prime engineering challenges in relation to current cold chains: firstly, how to retrofit those that are already installed and in service to make them more sustainable; and secondly, to urgently address cold chain design, implementation and operation to ensure that new deployments are sustainable and fully optimised as systems within systems.
Q: How important is rethinking engineering of the cold chain to the task of achieving the net-zero carbon target?
TF: Engineering is at the core of delivering net-zero and absolutely critical to achieving it in the case of cold chains, which are heavily dependent on engineered equipment, technology and infrastructure for their use. Cold chains largely rely on active mechanical components that are energy dependent for their operation and use materials in their manufacture, construction and use that have implications for greenhouse gas emissions. There is only limited practical scope for passive approaches to cold chain cooling provision, as well as behavioural related interventions to reduce their carbon footprint, so rethinking our engineering of cold chains is essential for a successful net-zero outcome.
Q: Regarding new cold chain technologies, what would you say are the ones to watch for the future?
TF: There is a vast range of engineering innovation taking place in cold chain technologies, not only in the design of equipment, but importantly in its integration with the energy and other systems, as well as in its operation, maintenance, decommissioning and the use of data management therein. There are many developments that are moving the sector towards a decarbonised and more sustainable future to watch in all of these areas, and key approaches for me are those that are integrating cold chains more effectively within broader systems, but by attending the event on 2 March 2021 engineers will be able to determine for themselves which ones they need to watch in their work.
Q: Why is it important for engineers to join this event?
TF: Staying up to date with the latest developments in design, deployment, operation and decommissioning of equipment and engineered systems, as well as leading edge thinking and future trends that could impact on their work, is fundamental to being a professional engineer. For those in the cold chain sector, there has never been a time in which doing this has been so important. Much is changing fast in the world in which cold chains sit and the implication for engineers from net-zero and broader environmental, social and economic demands is that their focus on efficiency and sustainability will need to intensify, fast. What better way to help achieve that than by joining the Institution’s event on 2 March 2021?
The 'Engineering an efficient and sustainable cold chain' online seminar will be taking place on 2 March 2021.
Join this seminar to:
- Hear from leaders in cold chain management including Asda, University of Birmingham, Unilever, Cold Chain Federation, Hulsteins, Star Technical Solutions, WAVE Refrigeration and others
- Understand the cold chain challenge posed by COVID-19 vaccines and how this is being addressed globally
- Tackle new F-gas regulations with an understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of alternative refrigerants
- Make the most of innovations including aerofoils and the Internet of Things (IoT) to improve the efficiency existing cold chain systems
- Discover how your organisation can benefit from the latest developments in cooling technology for the transportation link of the cold chain
To book your place, please visit www.imeche.org/coldchain.