Claims that nearly $20 billion in wasted natural gas could be used to generate reliable, affordable electricity

According to a study released by GE, titled ‘Flare gas reduction: recent global trends and policy considerations’, five per cent of the world’s natural gas production is wasted by burning or ‘flaring’ unused gas each year – an amount equivalent to 2.4 million barrels of oil per day.

The study says that gas flaring emits 400 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually, the same as 77 million automobiles and two per cent of global CO2 emissions from energy sources, without producing useful heat or electricity. Worldwide, billions of cubic metres of natural gas are wasted annually, typically as a by-product of oil extraction, it adds.

The study reports that flaring levels in the Middle East are relatively high, with the amount of gas flared increasing from 17.1 billion cubic metres (Bcm) per year in 2000 to 34.6 Bcm per year in 2008. The CO2 emissions from gas flaring, however, reportedly decreased from 98 million metric tonnes per year in 2004 to 87 million metric tonnes per year in 2008, and the flaring share of energy sector CO2 emissions also decreasing from 7 to 5.1 per cent during the same period.

The report records a notable achievement by Saudi Arabia in managing gas flaring. The Kingdom’s master gas system mega-project, which was online in 1982, today gathers almost 100 Bcm per year and is the world’s largest single hydrocarbon network. It claims that approximately half of the gas supply for the system comes from associated gas that was previously flared.

Elaborating on the subject, Joe Anis, GE Energy’s President and CEO for the Middle East, said: “The success achieved by Saudi Arabia is one example in the long journey for the Middle East region towards managing gas flaring more effectively, which has long-term environmental and energy sector impact. Eliminating wasteful gas flaring has the potential to be the next big energy and environmental success story, and through better management, the region can benefit not only from direct costs in terms of resource use, but also in social and environmental costs.”

The GE study says that the technologies required for a solution exist today. Depending on the region, these may include power generation, gas re-injection (for enhanced oil recovery, gathering and processing), pipeline development and distributed energy solutions. It believes that nearly $20 billion in wasted natural gas could be used to generate reliable, affordable electricity and yield billions of dollars per year in increased global economic output.

The study highlights the following recommendations to reduce gas flaring:

Strengthen international commitments: The next phase of flare gas eradication requires a coordinated effort from central and regional governments, oil and gas producers, technology providers and the international community. These efforts must include both proper punitive actions and incentives to encourage investment.

Advance local solutions: Local efforts are critical to flare gas reduction. Governments, producers and technology providers across the globe must cooperate to communicate the value of gas, including greater efficiency; highlight the financial benefits associated with gas flaring reduction; secure local government support for monitoring and enforcing flaring regulations; and build capacity that helps local investors and contractors develop, operate and service distributed power generation.

Expand access to financing: Local efforts require capital support, including investments in pipeline, processing and storage, which make it economically efficient to gather and utilise flare gas. Various forms of credit enhancement, including partial risk guarantees, are one option to support investment while policy reforms are under way. Targeted technology funds and carbon partnerships also can facilitate projects, along with carbon financing and expanded eligibility for flare gas reduction within the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism.

International White T-grid, System, 150 and 130 clip-in and lay-in metal ceiling systems available

SAS International, manufacturer of interior building solutions, has announced launching of commodity products, available directly from its stock at its local depot in Dubai.

 Products now available include International White T-grid, as well as SAS International’s System 150 and 130 clip-in and lay-in metal ceiling systems, the announcement said.

The company has claimed that the development of the resources in Dubai will service its customer-base further, to meet the needs of contractors coordinating interior fit-out projects for the Middle East market. Contractors in the region will, therefore, be able to take advantage of specifying metal ceiling systems accredited to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards at competitive price points, the manufacturer added.

According to SAS International, it has a dedicated office and warehouse in the Dubai Investments Park and also operates an office in Abu Dhabi, apart from offices across the Middle East and Europe.

At 58,000 TR, its projects in the country, the company claims, constitute the largest water conserving closed-loop cooling system

Güntner has revealed that it has recently been involved in HVAC supermarket projects in Turkey, such as Carrefour and Metro. The cooling load for the projects is estimated at 58,000 TR, making it the largest water conserving closed‐loop cooling system, especially applicable to land‐locked areas, said Güntner, and added that each chiller was designed with a Güntner GFD dry cooler re‐designed to suit the climate.

The company explained that due to the location of the project, sound was an important factor to consider, as traditional units would have probably been noise pollutants. The issue was addressed by special measures taken during the initial planning and design stages, so that it would supply specially customised units, Güntner said, adding that the dry cooler was designed with special low-noise fans, with a noise output level of only 87 dB (A).

Speaking to Climate Control Middle East on another issue, Güntner revealed that Microox technology was its latest condenser system in which only aluminium was used to ensure that the unit was effectively protected against galvanic corrosion. Elucidating on the subject, Adel Kamel, Managing Director, Güntner, said: “You can use a Microox coil in all applications where aluminium fins have been used up to now. The company’s GVHX unit, which utilises the Microox coil, is being actively promoted currently.”

Changing tracks, Kamel said that the company ensured it obtained HACCP certification on most of its coolers, with special emphasis on the food market. Also, all its products and services were certified and supported by the Eurovent standards of certification.

Kamel highlighted that the company had a policy that its equipment was 100% customised and ran on the exact requirement, thus reducing the through‐currents and voltage peaks to ensure a reliable system operation. “This essentially means that the maximum cooling power is harnessed with minimum cooling energy output,” he said.

B Surendar

A recent GE report has claimed that five per cent of the world’s natural gas production is wasted by flaring unused gas each year, which is an amount equivalent to 2.4 million barrels per day of crude oil.

During the 2010 MEGAS Summit, which Climate Control Middle East had the privilege of attending, delegates heard with concern about an estimated 30 bcm of gas being flared a year in the Middle East. This, said the presenter from the Gobal Gas Flaring Reduction (GGFR) initiative, was enough to feed a 20 MT LNG plant or six medium-size LNG trains. While, a lot of ground needs to be covered, countries like Oman and Saudi Arabia have already taken steps to reduce flaring. During the same MEGAS Summit, a representative of the Ministry of Oil and Gas in Oman said that the country had cut down on flares by 88%. And the GE report described how Saudi Arabia’s master gas system mega-project gathers almost 100 bcm a year of the gas and, effectively, prevents its emission into the atmosphere.

All the same, much more needs to be done, so a greater volume of gas is trapped. On one side is the tremendous potential to generate electricity. To put things in perspective, Saudi Arabia uses three million barrels of oil a day out of the reported eight million it generates in a day, for domestic consumption, a majority of which is used to generate electricity. (There are alternative reports that say the country produces in excess of 10 million barrels a day.) In that context, intensifying efforts to trap larger volumes of flare gas will help generate electricity, thereby freeing more crude oil for export. Plus, gas is needed for re-injection for enhanced oil recovery, gathering and processing in crude oil production.

In addition, the benefits from minimising the flaring of gas will mean a reduction in carbon emissions. According to the GE report, gas flaring at current volumes emits 400 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually. This, the report adds, is two per cent of global CO2 emissions from energy sources, without producing useful heat or electricity. In the context of heightening climate change concerns, any reduction in carbon emissions is a welcome development.

District cooling and co-generation systems have demonstrated similar benefits. Indeed, it has been well profiled how district cooling, if approached in the right manner, and cogeneration systems, can shave megawatts off the grid and by trapping waste heat and, as a result of reducing the need for power generation, can contribute to reducing carbon emissions.

It’s a pretty good case for a concerted effort, about how different industries can in their own ways, help in the drive towards energy security and safeguarding the environment.

B Surendar

Claims that nearly $20 billion in wasted natural gas could be used to generate reliable, affordable electricity

According to a study released by  GE, titled ‘Flare gas reduction: recent global trends and policy considerations’, five per cent of the world’s natural gas production is wasted by burning or “flaring” unused gas each year – an amount equivalent to 2.4 million barrels of oil per day.

The study says that gas flaring emits 400 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually, the same as 77 million automobiles and two per cent of global CO2 emissions from energy sources, without producing useful heat or electricity. Worldwide, billions of cubic metres of natural gas are wasted annually, typically as a by-product of oil extraction, it adds.

The study reports that flaring levels in the Middle East are relatively high, with the amount of gas flared increasing from 17.1 billion cubic metres (Bcm) per year in 2000 to 34.6 Bcm per year in 2008. The CO2 emissions from gas flaring, however, reportedly decreased from 98 million metric tonnes per year in 2004 to 87 million metric tonnes per year in 2008, and the flaring share of energy sector CO2 emissions also decreasing from 7 to 5.1 per cent during the same period.

The report records a notable achievement by Saudi Arabia in managing gas flaring. The Kingdom’s master gas system mega-project, which was online in 1982, today gathers almost 100 Bcm per year and is the world’s largest single hydrocarbon network. It claims that approximately half of the gas supply for the system comes from associated gas that was previously flared.

Elaborating on the subject, Joe Anis, GE Energy’s President and CEO for the Middle East said: “The success achieved by Saudi Arabia is one example in the long journey for the Middle East region towards managing gas flaring more effectively, which has long-term environmental and energy sector impact. Eliminating wasteful gas flaring has the potential to be the next big energy and environmental success story, and through better management, the region can benefit not only from direct costs in terms of resource use, but also in social and environmental costs.”

The GE study says that the technologies required for a solution exist today. Depending on the region, these may include power generation, gas re-injection (for enhanced oil recovery, gathering and processing), pipeline development and distributed energy solutions. It believes that nearly $20 billion in wasted natural gas could be used to generate reliable, affordable electricity and yield billions of dollars per year in increased global economic output.

The study highlights the following recommendations to reduce gas flaring:

Strengthen international commitments: The next phase of flare gas eradication requires a coordinated effort from central and regional governments, oil and gas producers, technology providers and the international community. These efforts must include both proper punitive actions and incentives to encourage investment.

Advance local solutions: Local efforts are critical to flare gas reduction. Governments, producers and technology providers across the globe must cooperate to communicate the value of gas, including greater efficiency; highlight the financial benefits associated with gas flaring reduction; secure local government support for monitoring and enforcing flaring regulations; and build capacity that helps local investors and contractors develop, operate and service distributed power generation.

Expand access to financing: Local efforts require capital support, including investments in pipeline, processing and storage, which make it economically efficient to gather and utilise flare gas. Various forms of credit enhancement, including partial risk guarantees, are one option to support investment while policy reforms are under way. Targeted technology funds and carbon partnerships also can facilitate projects, along with carbon financing and expanded eligibility for flare gas reduction within the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism.

Etihad’s special sturgeon fish cargo shipment goes swimmingly from Frankfurt to Abu Dhabi.

In an interesting announcement, Etihad, the Abu Dhabi-based airline has revealed that its Crystal Cargo’s latest shipment of precious goods transported live reared sturgeon for the world’s biggest caviar factory, which is being built in Abu Dhabi.

The 22 adult sturgeon fish were flown from Frankfurt Hahn Airport to Abu Dhabi, and then transported to a new 60,000- square-metre farm recently, commissioned for rearing sturgeons and production of caviar in the UAE, the Airline said. It added that Etihad’s clients in the project were the UAE-based Bin Salem Holding and United Food Technologies AG, a German company. Bin Salem and UFT are reportedly working together on the development of the caviar factory.

According to the announcement, each sturgeon was transported in a specially designed container in a temperature- controlled environment, which was set to be constantly between 100 and 150C. At each stage of the process, the pallets were loaded and unloaded within minutes, Etihad claimed, and revealed that the airlines utilised one of its new A330-200 freighter aircraft, which provides temperature- control technology to transport endangered species.

Commenting on the rare feat, Roy Kinnear, Senior Vice President Cargo, Etihad Airways, said: “Etihad is proud of its reputation for carrying precious cargo, and this now includes sturgeon fish which are on the list of global endangered species. The Etihad Crystal Cargo team, working closely with our ground handling colleagues and clients, demonstrated expertise and coordination skills to ensure the fish were shipped safely from Frankfurt to their new home in the UAE.”

In this era of globalisation, we no longer depend entirely on indigenous food products. What we eat, therefore, traverse great distances. Safeguarding it against contamination and disease is the onus of everybody involved in the process, at all stages, argues Ghaleb Abusaa.

The nature of modern life dictates that heavily populated cities and communities are dependent upon remote farms and rural communities that are usually far away from their locations, for their food supplies.

Refrigerated fleets with proper packing and packaging are absolutely necessary in order to transport such food items across long distances, while keeping them fresh and in good condition. It is, therefore, important to have cold storage facilities at both ends – the point of origin and at the consumers’ end – to meet the huge demand for seasonal food.

Fortunately, thanks to the availability of excellent air, sea and land cargo systems, not to mention a satellite view of the globe, it is now possible and easy to supply food stuff to far off communities that can afford the cost. Thus, most communities can now enjoy food they like, from anywhere in the world, all round the year, in as fresh and tender a condition as it was, in the country of origin or production.

Also, all kinds of meat (red meat, poultry and sea food) are available in fresh, refrigerated and frozen conditions, using refrigeration systems under tight and precise health regulations, to keep them edible and free from disease.

Following are a few examples:

Fruits and vegetables:

Nutrition in fruits and vegetables is subject to loss during their growth period and after maturity, even before they are harvested. But such losses are compensated for by the mother tree or plant. However, after being harvested, the fruit stays alive and the seed starts to feed on it, causing the fruit to ferment and deteriorate. There are other causes for the decay, too, such as the effect of ethylene at increased rates, due to stress, temperature and the presence of oxygen.

Reducing the ethylene level of a fruit or vegetable reduces the rate of fermentation, the temperature and the oxygen level, thus decreasing the germ or seed activity. This, in turn, keeps the rate of decay in check.

Also, as water contributes to a major part of the weight of fruits and vegetables, it is necessary to reduce their weight loss caused by evaporation of water. The evaporation rate increases under high temperature and dry air conditions.

It is evident that we need to reduce the temperature and oxygen content and raise the humidity level as much as possible, when we transport food stuff. This is exactly what a cold storage does.

GUIDELINES FOR STORAGE OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Store each type under the following recommended conditions:

» Do not store green-coloured vegetables with coloured fruits, as coloured fruits emit more ethylene and cause fermentation quickly.

» Do not ripen bananas except when they are ready to be sold and eaten in a few days.

» Chill fruits and vegetables as quickly as possible after harvesting. They lose most of their shelf-life and quality in the first few hours after harvesting, if not cooled quickly. (This is cold pre/fast cooling.)

Reduce the oxygen content in the room as quickly as possible for the long-term storage of some fruits, like grapes and apples, and keep the rooms gas-tight. This process is called Ultra-low Oxygen (ULO) atmosphere.

Inject nitrogen into the rooms instead of oxygen.

FREEZING

Freezing does not kill germs but forces them to sleep. Once the temperature rises, the germs become active, leading to the process of deterioration. This process is evident in nature, in cold countries, when the land turns green once winter is over, and spring starts. This is because all the germs and seeds in the ground start growing. Similarly, freezing meat, poultry and fish keeps them edible. Once they are defrosted, it is not advisable to freeze them again. They have to be cooked and eaten immediately. This is necessary, not only to preserve their taste but also to keep them edible. Thus, quick “fast” freezing is a must.

PASTEURISING, FUMIGATION AND STERILISATION

These three terms have a similar connotation but are usually applied to different products.

As stated earlier, germs cannot be killed by dropping the temperature but can only be forced to sleep. To kill them, we must raise the temperature to a very high degree. This is called pasteurisation. Once the milk arrives at the dairy plant, it is pasteurised to kill the germs by raising the temperature to nearly boiling temperatures (below boiling). This is because it starts deteriorating after milking, if not cooled immediately, as bacteria grow very quickly under warm conditions. Thus, cooling the milk starts at milking parlours with CIP arrangements. The milk is, then, transported in cool containers to processing factories.

Fumigation is a term used to kill germs and seeds either by steam (high temperature) or by eliminating oxygen by N2 or CO2, thus killing the germs by inducing the absence of oxygen. This is used mainly in dates and potato cold stores.

Steriliation serves a similar purpose, but the process is used for packing and in containers that store/transport products, such as canned food and long-life dairy products. Such containers have to fulfill other conditions, too. For example, the material should not react with the products or deteriorate under varying storage temperatures.

CHICKEN EGGS

Chicken and eggs are two of the most widely used food products but the least understood by consumers. It is easy for consumers to examine the egg externally, to know the age and how good the egg is. But how good it had been at the time of storing and how it was handled till its arrival is a vast and interesting subject, and merits a separate article.

MILESTONES OF THE TRIP FROM THE SOURCE TO YOUR TABLE

It is important to spare a thought to the journey a food product makes from its source to the consumers, and the effect the journey has on the quality and shelf-life of the product. It is equally important to follow certain recommendations in order to preserve its quality and increase its shelf-life.

Regardless of whether it is fruit, vegetable, meat, eggs, canned food or a dairy product, the food we eat goes through a series of milestone events that need to be supervised professionally and correctly, to ensure that it arrives at our table in as good a condition as it is possible. Misuse of the product or inefficiency in handling it at any of these milestones along the journey, affect its quality. Following are the important milestones:

» If it is a plant product, the manner in which it was grown at the point of origin; whether the product was from a plant fed by organic or non-organic fertiliser; the quality of soil in which the plant was grown and the water used

» If it is livestock for meat, eggs and the like, the manner in which the livestock was raised

» The way in which a plant product was harvested, collected, treated, cooled or frozen and packed at the source

» The way it has been transported and the environments and temperatures which it was subjected to during transportation

» Sample cold store with dock shelters hugging the refrigerated truck

» The way in which it was handled at the wholesale storage facility before it was distributed to the outlets

» The way it was transported and distributed to the outlets

» The way in which the outlets stored it and the shops handled and displayed it at their facilities in preparation for the consumers to buy it

» Finally, how we handle it at our homes before we serve it, whether fresh or cooked

Educating and raising awareness of the public about the importance of such subjects is the key to cleaner and more hygienic food. The media could play an important role in this regard.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Although quality and taste play a big role in the food industry, from the perspective of the consumers, health and safety concerns are the two most important factors that govern the sector. The onus of ensuring them rests on the shoulders of the concerned authorities. By the nature of things, in the normal course, this is an area that the general public hardly gets a peek into.

Each country has its own set of regulations in place in order to safeguard its people against possible danger and diseases that food can cause, especially considering the fact that food crosses borders across countries every minute. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the consumers and those involved in the food chain business, to follow guidelines and instructions in this regard very strictly and meticulously. Raising awareness of everyone involved is also equally necessary.

The writer is the CEO of en3 Solutions (The Three Factors Company), Jordan. He can be contacted at g.abusaa@en3solutions.com.

A study was conducted to find out the efficiency and effectiveness of Airfree’s patented Thermodynamic Sterilising System (TSS) on fruit, vegetables and perishables. The result showed that the system had a proven advantage over ordinary cooling units.

The Thermodynamic Sterilising System patented by Airfree works on basic principles of physics. Hot air rises through the sterilising system. This creates a convection pull to bring new air into the system. This process is assisted further by airflow in commercial chiller units. Once inside, the TSS technology incinerates 100% of micro-organisms at an internal temperature of 200° Centigrade. The sterilised air is then cooled and returned to the room, without increasing the overall ambient temperature.

Although the internal temperature is 200°C, thanks to cooling and the small scale on which the system operates, two units emit the equivalent kilojoules of heat as one person breathing, and the system does not increase the temperature in controlled facilities.

CASE STUDY

The study was conducted at Shokri Hassan Trading Company (SHTC), Dubai, from October 4 to 28, 2010.

Aim: The aim of the test was two-fold:

A) To formally assess the viability of installing the Thermodynamic Sterilising System throughout all SHTC chilled storage areas by measuring increase in shelf-life of Airfree in a fully functional commercial chiller.

B) Investigating the system’s potential to allow for an increase in chiller temperature settings and, thus, reducing cooling and utility bills.

THE TEST

Duration: 25 days

Subject: Peaches, Class II Grade AA-AAA

Origin: Turkey

Test chillers: Four – Berry Room (a special storage area where perishable and expensive produce is stored), installed with Airfree, and three chillers without Airfree installation

Chiller sizes: Berry Room: 118.485m³ (5.492m x 4.727m x Height 4.564m)

Chiller 1: 297.1m³ (13.815m x 4.712m x Height 4.564m)

Chiller 2: 162.89m³ (9.812m x 6.505m x Height 2.552m)

Chiller 3: 159.05m³ (9.807m x 6.335m x Height 2.552m)

Variables recorded:

1) Fruit temperature: degree Centigrade (measured using Raytemp 4 Laser thermometer)

2) Chiller temperature setting: degree Centigrade (recorded from the SHTC chiller computers)

3) Chiller ambient temperature: degree Centigrade (recorded from the SHTC chiller computers)

4) Chiller wall temperature: degree Centigrade (measured using Raytemp 4 laser thermometer)

Method:

Trays of peaches from SHTC’s regular stocks were used, selected from the same batch at random and placed in four test chillers on October 4, 2010. The Berry Room was Airfree-installed and Chillers 1, 2 and 3 were not installed with Airfree. Photographs and the aforementioned variables were taken initially every second day and, then, daily up until October 28, 2010.

Purpose:

SHTC had its Berry Room installed with 3 x Airfree WM50+ units in stainless steel (wall-mounted) in April 2010, and three chillers were without Airfree. A significant difference in terms of reduced spoilage was noted by the management, following the purchase and installation of Airfree units in an area where the most perishable and expensive produce is stored, namely, the Berry Room. A further study was requested to assess the viability of further investment and extended installation of the system.

CONCLUSIONS

Shelf life: The peaches in the Berry Room, the chiller with Airfree installed, remained in a saleable condition for the entire 25-day period, with no signs of mould or decomposition. Peaches in all three control chillers were affected by mould and were decomposed.

In Chiller 2, mould was visible by Day 6.

In Chiller 3, mould was visible by Day 8

In Chiller 1, mould was visible by Day 9.

It could be concluded that Airfree extended the shelf-life of fruit between 16 and 19 days in the 25-day study. The implication of this was that it extended the shelf-life of the peaches by more than four times in Chiller 2, more than three times in Chiller 3, and more than 2.5 times in Chiller 1, averaging more than three times increase in shelf-life.

Savings through reduced cooling and increased chiller temperatures:

It was noted that the average temperatures, as recorded in Chiller 1, were colder than the Berry Room and, thus, the peaches should have lasted longer. Airfree achieved shelf-life extension in warmer conditions in the Berry Room than in Chiller 1. Despite running at an average ambient chiller temperature of 2.65°C higher, the shelf-life was over 2.5 times longer. This figure is reconfirmed by the fruit temperature statistics – the peaches in the Berry Room were on an average 2.63°C higher than in Chiller 1.

It can, therefore, be concluded that using the Thermodynamic Sterilising System, a company storing fruit and vegetables can increase temperature settings in their chillers by at least 2.5°Centigrade and, still, achieve shelf-life extension of at least 2.5 times.

Peaches from Chillers 1, 2 and 3 were discarded on Day 25 at the end of the study. Peaches from the Berry Room were retained for the purposes of further research into the full shelf- life extension possible, using the system. These peaches were inadvertently discarded on Day 32. But it was noted that they were still mould-free when pictures were taken earlier that day. Therefore, it can be concluded further that the Thermodynamic Sterilising System extended the shelf-life produce by between 23 and 26 days, indicating more than 3.5 to five times of extended shelf-life over produce stored without the system.

A head of a Dubai-based company talks of refrigeration challenges he encountered at his facility and their impact on business.

Strike 1

At the time of my joining the company, two years ago, we were producing frozen snacks. The personnel involved were not aware you had to blast-freeze the snacks and were using a normal freezer to do the job. This was, of course, counterproductive. Let’s say, you have to produce 500 spring rolls. To freeze it to -18C, it will take 48 hours if you were to use a normal freezer.

So in effect, it took two days from the time the customer placed the order, to deliver the snacks. The turnaround was very slow and, needless to say, was unacceptable. We lost business, because customers were not willing to wait that long.

It was not just a case of a poor turnaround time. Owing to the slowness of the freezing process, water particles in the spring rolls formed into ice, which caused the snacks to lose their taste. A further issue was that the slowness of the process meant more freezing space taken.

In the case of the 500 spring rolls, a blast freezer would have helped accomplish the job in two to three hours. Also, it would have helped retain the texture and taste of the snacks and the nutrients in them.

We eventually did buy a blast freezer – that was about a year ago – and installed it. Today, I am happy to say, we have a quick turnaround and are able to stock up larger quantities and sell more. And the quality of the products has improved.

Strike 2

Another issue I confronted after joining the company was a heat build-up in the space between the ceiling and the roof, especially during the hot summer months. The people who had designed the facility had somehow contrived to install the condensing units of all the walk-in freezers and walk-in chillers in the space above the ceiling and below the roof. This type of arrangement allowed for no air venting, which caused all the freezers and chillers to heat up and break down, especially during the hot summer months. Naturally, this in turn, caused us to lose business, because we were not able to deliver the products on time. We eventually resolved the problem by relocating the condensing units to outside the facility. This had an immediate effect on the freezers and the chillers in the sense that the temperatures started to improve.

Strike 3

At the time of my joining, I was confronted with yet another legacy issue – in the form of four freezer vehicles. They were of inferior make, and the company had bought them new at a price of Dh 55,000 each. The engine capacity of the vehicles was so small you couldn’t keep them running for long. Also, they couldn’t travel at a satisfactory speed, and they broke down almost once every month.

I guess it will suffice to say that we suffered owing to high temperatures, because the vehicles, with their small engine capacity, could be only good as chillers and not as freezers. I say this, because to be a freezer, you need a high-capacity engine. Our temperatures were so bad customers had to return the products we delivered.

We eventually sold the four vehicles off and bought two new 2.7-litre pickups, and the freezer units were retrofitted by a leading refrigeration company. Today, I am a happy man. The vehicles are powerful and, to date, have not been the cause for a single complaint. And I am able to deliver my products to the satisfaction of my customers.

I learnt many facts from the three episodes. You would if you lost Dh 200,000 in business, as we did. Firstly, the region could do with better expertise. Of course, there are good consultants in the region, but, keeping in mind that you always get what you pay for, you have to be careful in identifying the good from the bad, which are the type that are intent on only making money and walking away. Secondly, it is important for food companies to increase their knowledge base on refrigeration – that way, they will be able to demand better service from consultants, equipment suppliers, contractors and maintenance companies. We lost business, because we were victims of poor installation and maintenance services. From a food-safety point of view, we were delivering products at higher temperatures, which were being rejected by clients. So the moral of the story is buy high-quality products and go through proper refrigeration experts to accomplish your goals.

(As told to B Surendar)

 The writer has been associated with the food industry in the Middle East for 20 years.