Feature: Thermo King sells first Precedent S-600

Sydney's Acacia Refrigerated Transport is the first Australian customer to purchase Thermo King's all-new Precedent S-600

Supermarket supply chain specialist Acacia Refrigerated Transport recently purchased Thermo King’s next-generation trailer refrigeration unit, the Precedent S-600, registering the first Australian sale of the all-new product.

First previewed last May at the 2013 Brisbane Truck Show, four customers have been trialling the new technology in recent months but Acacia Refrigerated Transport is the first customer to formally order and take delivery of the unit.

The Precedent line of Diesel Direct Electric (DDE) refrigeration systems will eventually replace Thermo King’s existing Legacy line of products, with more models set to join the Precedent S-600 in the not-too-distant future.

Thermo King says the Precedent S-600 comes packed with performance and durability-enhancing features, including dual-speed fans to maximise airflow at both high and low engine speeds, high-grade belts with a claimed 12,000-hour service life, an Exhaust Gas Recirculation Light (EGR Light) system, a Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) to minimise hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions, and filtration systems with 3000-hour service intervals.

Thermo King’s Regional Director – Australasia, Peter Lawrence, says the model represents a major step forward for the company and for trailer refrigeration in general.

“It’s a clean-sheet design compared to our older equipment,” he says.

“Obviously it has a similar function but it’s on a different platform with different architecture.”

Lawrence says the prime driver behind the new range is the requirement to meet US EPA Tier 4 final emissions targets.

“There are different ways you can go about meeting those targets,” he says.

“One path you can go down is the after-treatment route, when you get into things like Diesel Particulate Filters, Selective Catalytic Reduction and Exhaust Gas Recirculation, while the other methodology is to attack emissions at the source.

“We’ve chosen the more expensive way to go by introducing, for the first time in transport refrigeration equipment, electronically controlled, common-rail, high-pressure injected engines. Up until now, the injection for transport refrigeration engine units was purely mechanical.”

While Lawrence says there’s little change in weight between the old and new designs, the Precedent delivers a 10-fold reduction in particulates – from 0.3g/kWh to 0.03g/kWh – while significantly reducing the unit’s fuel consumption.

“Because of the combination of the engine efficiency and the efficiency of the new architecture, the claim is we’re getting a double-digit improvement in fuel consumption,” says Lawrence.

The founder, owner and Managing Director of Acacia Refrigerated Transport, Angelo Mezzomo, recently purchased a Precedent S-600 and installed it on a new FTE trailer. The Sydney-based firm, which does mainly supermarket work for Coles and Woolworths plus plenty of trans shipping for interstate carriers, runs a fleet of 26 vehicles and 20 trailers.

“We only use Thermo Kings,” says Mezzomo.

“It goes back to when we started out [in 1995]. Greg Woodley here in Sydney stuck by me in our early days and helped me out immensely, so we just built from there. We buy two to three fridges a year off him now; he’s fantastic to deal with.”

Mezzomo says he was impressed with Thermo King’s latest offering.

“It’s got fewer moving parts and fewer belts,” he says.

“It’s something new, too. It’s always good to try these things, and if it doesn’t work you go back to the old stuff.”

Mezzomo says the Precedent has been performing well since its arrival at Acacia.

“We got it in mid-December and it’s been great – I’ve no complaints thus far,” he said.

“My driver, Mike, says it’s nice and quiet and fuel efficient too – better than the SB-310, which we had before it. We’ve had some pretty hot weeks here this summer – I’m talking like 40-degree days – and the Precedent has done it with ease.”

Mezzomo says he’ll be putting on another new trailer in coming months, and another Precedent is looking likely.

“We’ve got a new trailer coming in August,” he says.

“We haven’t decided yet on what fridge we’ll use, but I’m pretty sure we’ll go with this new style of Thermo King again.”

The Acacia unit will soon be fitted with Thermo King’s optional Chrome Package and LED Lighting Kit, creating a stunning end result.

A further option available to customers is a SmartPower Electric Standby Package. Available in standard or high-output models, these allow the operator to plug the unit into mains power, if required.

Lawrence says the Precedent range attracts a price premium but the savings on offer should tempt plenty of both existing and new customers.

“We built a lot of expensive technology into the platform,” he said.

“Obviously when you build an electronically injected engine over a mechanically injected one, the price differential is significant, so that has an impact.

“However, the payback period when you’re saving 10 per cent or more in fuel shouldn’t be an impediment, we hope, to introducing this product over the existing Legacy models.”

Thermo King will have its Precedent S-600 on display at Melbourne’s upcoming 2014 International Truck, Trailer & Equipment Show.

For more information on Thermo King’s new Precedent S-600, visit www.thermoking.com.au.

Feature: Thermo King sells first Precedent S-600

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