Waitrose has 273 Carrier Transicold Vector™ 1850 MT and 1950 MT units in operation, representing approximately half of its temperature-controlled trailer fleet. Following the impressive performance of its Vector units, the retailer ordered an additional 80 Vector 1950 MT units for delivery during 2014.
Carrier Transicold’s Vector 1950 MT units offer impressive uptime through its patented E-Drive™ all-electric technology, which removes the mechanical transmission found in conventional belt-driven refrigeration systems and transforms engine power into electricity through a generator.
The latest generation Vector 1950 MT units use a microchannel condenser coil that contributes to reducing fuel consumption by approximately 10 per cent per watt delivered; further increasing the efficiency of the Waitrose fleet. These coils also enable a compact design that results in a 17 per cent reduction in the unit’s refrigerant charge.
The results
“Vehicle uptime is critical to our business and Carrier Transicold’s Vector units have been performing well yearround.
Waitrose achieved an impressive 99.65 per cent availability rate across its Vector trailer units during the first quarter of 2015. This follows a near-perfect availability record of 99.72 per cent across the whole of 2014, demonstrating consistently high levels of service form its Carrier Transicold technology.
Simon Gray, vehicle engineering manager at Waitrose says: “Vehicle uptime is critical to our business and Carrier Transicold’s Vector units have been performing well year-round, even on days when the ambient temperature has been particularly high.” The latest Vector units to join the fleet feature Carrier’s DataCOLD™ 500T temperature recorders and are backed by a 10-year everCOLD™ repair and maintenance agreement, which includes on-site scheduled servicing and repairs carried out by manufacturer-trained technicians from the Carrier Transicold network.
About Waitrose
Established in 1904, supermarket chain Waitrose has 339 branches and employs approximately 61,000 people. It aims to combine the convenience of a supermarket chain with the expertise and service of a specialist shop. The company was named 2015 Which? Favourite Supermarket and won in five categories of the Drinks Retailing Awards 2015, including Supermarket Drinks Retailer of the Year and Online Drinks Retailer of the Year. It was also awarded top marks in the Global Benchmark on Animal Welfare report 2015.