MechChem Africa November 2018

⎪ Heating, cooling, ventilation and air conditioning ⎪

This article, by Dawie Kriel, head of EP Refrigeration, a division of Energy Partners and part of the PSG Group, discusses how refrigeration represents a substantial operational cost to companies that use these utilities, and argues the strong case to be made for outsourcing this function to a service provider that will own, operate and maintain the refrigeration infrastructure. Outsourcing refrigeration: The logical solution for Africa

B usinesses are prone to wasting a lot of money through additional electricity costs by using refrig- eration systems that have become inefficient. Newer, more efficient systems are available, but the capital outlay required to install a state-of-the-art refrigeration system often seems too high in the short term. Refrigeration represents a substantial operational cost to companies that use these utilities, and there is a strong case to bemade for outsourcing this function to a service provider that will own, operate and maintain the refrigeration infrastructure. The energy cost is by far the biggest single component (often more than 60%) of the life cycle cost of refrigeration and this is the one cost that is seldom controlled by businesses. The argument to be made for this is clear: in addition to the significant costs that a company spends on the operation and regularmaintenance ofmodern refrigeration systems, managing refrigerationoftendiverts precious resources and time away from a company’s core activities. In spite of this, we still see some of South Africa’s largest users of industrial refrigera- tion preferring to manage their refrigeration systems with in-house teams with no energy service level agreement. While the notion of outsourced refrigeration has seen some uptake in the country (especially in the retail industry), there is still a lot of roomfor growth in this space. The rest of Africa, however, is growing more receptive to the notion of outsourced refrigeration, and this is where the benefits of outsourcing really make the difference between failure and success. Oneof EPRefrigeration’s recent refrigera- tion contracts in Namibia is a prime example of this, where one of its major retailers has elected to outsource refrigeration for one of its plants as a test case. The two major chal- lenges to running these systems effectively and efficiently are the vast distances and the shortage of available skills to maintain all of theplantintheiroptimumoperatingcondition. The outsourcing solution that EP pro- vides includes an online monitoring system, state-of-the-art refrigeration units and a

maintenance team that can be on-call to travel between the locations as needed. In addition to energy cost-savings, the most important benefit that these clients will see is a significant improvement in temperature compliance. The biggest challenges in Africa are infra- structure and skills. Refrigeration systems cannot run without a reliable electricity supply and they can fall apart after a few years, especially if not well maintained. EnergyPartners can assist in innovativeways to reduce reliance on poor infrastructure through its integrated approach to energy. It is able to supply energy systems that are assisted by solar PV and generators to increase uptime. The company’s intelligent information systems allow local partners to maintain installed systems effectively with

technical support from an expert team. The challenges and solutions being pio- neered in the field of industrial and commer- cial refrigeration inAfrica should serve as the best arguments for the outsourcing model. Founded in 2008, Energy Partners pro- vides clients with innovative solutions – including fully outsourced steam and refrigeration supply contracts – to suit their needs. EnergyPartners has built ahighquality team of talented individuals and robust pro- cesses, which offer end-to-end solutions and integrate the different components of energy optimisation to deliver optimum results – including capital solutions that put clients in a positive cash flow positions from day one. Industries in which Energy Partners spe- cialties include: food retail, retail, healthcare, hospitality, food processing and logistics. q

New A-Gas MD part of global expansion plan A-Gas has announced that Carte Lubbe has joined the company asmanagingdirector for theSouthAfrican region. Lubbewill beheavily involved in the continuedgrowth, suc- cess, and development of the business across the region, as part of A-Gas’ wider global expansion plans.

“I am thrilled to be joining A-Gas at this exciting time,” Lubbe says. “A-Gas has a fantastic reputation in the industry and awealth of expertise. I’m looking forward to contribut- ing to the company’s ongoing success.”

Lubbe assumes the reins from Johnny Scott, who has taken up an operations executive role within the A-Gas Group. Lubbe is an experienced executivewith over 20 years’ industrial and speciality gas experience and with a successful track record in the industry. Lubbe joins A-Gas from the Linde Group, where he last held the position of head of marketing for industrial and speciality gases for the Africa region. Prior to his 14 years with Linde, he did a stint at Air Liquide and CH Chemicals. “It gives me great pleasure to welcome Lubbe to the A-Gas team,” says Ian Podmore, group chief operating officer, A-Gas. “He has a remarkable wealth of knowledge and experience that will contribute to A-Gas’ continued success, and is an excellent addition to the team.” A-Gas is a leader in the supply and lifecycle management of speciality chemicals. This includes: refrigerants, blowing agents, industrial gases, halon and fire protection agents, which are used in industries operating in the HVAC, refrigeration, insulation, solvent, manufacturing andmedical sectors. Having delivered innovative and sustainable solutions for environmentally sensitive gases and chemicals for more than 20 years, A-Gas offers a tailored ‘one-stop shop’ solution of products and services, helping its clients meet their regulatory obligations responsibly and sustainably. q

November 2018 • MechChem Africa ¦ 27