Emerson forms group to support cold chain

USA: Emerson has formed a new organisation focused on supporting all types of temperature-sensitive commercial goods throughout the cold chain.

Emerson says it will offer customers a total-channel approach to protect foods and other critical cargo every step along the cold chain — from grower and processor, to distributor and retailer.

The move follows the company’s acquisitions in cargo monitoring – it acquired US temperature monitoring firms Locus Traxx and PakSense last year – and building on its years of experience in food retail and foodservice.

Emerson maintains that $990bn is lost in food waste globally each year and keeping food fresh is a $32bn global investment in energy. It also argues that energy management and maintenance intensity are major concerns of operators from the standpoint of profitability as well as their carbon footprint. With an increasing world population, it quotes estimates that 40% of all foods require refrigeration and 15% of world fossil fuel energy used in food transport refrigeration.

“There are big challenges to solve with the amount of food wasted, revenues lost and energy consumed globally, and this is why we are expanding our role in safeguarding the cold chain,” said John Rhodes, newly named group president of cold chain for Emerson Commercial and Residential Solutions.

“Organising our expertise and resources to focus on the cold chain and deliver unique solutions that help improve food quality, reduce energy use and optimise business effectiveness, will allow us to bring more value to our customers while making a positive impact on the environment.”

The new cold chain organisation is led by a team of long-time Emerson executives, including Rhodes who previously managed Emerson’s refrigeration business. Within the cold chain organisation are four market-focused teams to solve challenges and develop industry-specific offerings for food retail, foodservice, transportation and aftermarket distribution customers. These teams are led by Ed McKiernan in his new position of president of the cold chain business.

To accelerate development of new cold chain technologies and services, group president Mark Dunson, leads the company’s global Electronics & Solutions business.  “The digital solutions and IoT approach Emerson brings to the industry are the next wave of tools that our customers can utilise to further enhance their brands, advance their management of food quality and waste, and boost their optimisation of critical infrastructure,” Dunson said.

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