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FONTERRA DARFIELD » Active Refrigeration
Business South / November 2013
New system meets Fonterra needs Jo Bailey Completing stage two refrigeration works at Fonterra’s Darfield factory has put Christchurch firm Active Refrigeration’s “name on the board”, says director Craig Duff. The industrial refrigeration and air conditioning specialists have just completed the design, installation and commissioning of a new 2.5 megawatt chilled water system which also had to be integrated with the existing plant installed during stage one works. The system uses the natural refrigerant, ammonia, which is among the latest environmentally friendly and energy-efficient refrigeration technologies now available, says Duff. “Fonterra is one of many clients with whom we are assisting to phase out ozone depleting refrigerants with more natural alternatives that are not subject to the stringent legislative controls around traditional products.” Active Refrigeration worked closely with Fonterra and its consultants on the Darfield project and exceeded its Coefficient of Performance (COP) measure of efficiency and performance over the lifetime of the plant by around 20 percent. “We were very pleased with this result. It is important to a client such as Fonterra that those performance guarantees are there for the lifetime of the plant, and that whole-of-life costs are closely considered. “Asset care is another key requirement. ‘We have a heavily planned, scheduled maintenance programme in place at the plant over the next five years.” This includes regular preventative maintenance for all the refrigeration and air conditioning services at the plant which are provided by Active Refrigeration staff who are dedicated to servicing Fonterra projects, and who have been trained to meet the dairy company’s stringent health and safety requirements. “A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to even be allowed to bid for Fonterra projects, given its strict healthy and safety, and quality requirements,” says Duff. “It is a testament to our project manager Jared Bright and our management team that we were among the top ranked small- to medium-suppliers in New Zealand under Fonterra’s contractors’ prequalification (CPNZ) standard.” Duff says Active Refrigeration won the Darfield contract on the back of its work at Fonterra’s Kauri plant, north of Whangarei, where it installed
and commissioned a new 4.8 megawatt chilled water system. “This project highlighted the benefits of installing a New Zealand custom design-and-build option as opposed to a standard OEM package brought in from offshore. “We can offer far greater flexibility in the design and configuration of the plant, which can be engineered to suit the specific needs of the client.” Active Refrigeration has also provided designand-build services to Fonterra’s new cheese distribution facility in Mosgiel and milk plant at Whareora. It is now poised to provide enhanced service to Fonterra’s North Island projects following Active Refrigeration’s merger with Industrial Refrigeration Services (IRS) in Auckland. The new company, Active Refrigeration North Island Limited, started on October 1 and now has 18 staff providing full service and contracting out of its Auckland office. “We are now the only nationwide industrial refrigeration and air conditioning company that can provide full blown service and contracting. “This is a huge advantage when it comes to supporting the plant we have designed and installed, as we can apply our own high quality standards and systems throughout the life of the plant.” Duff hopes this will see the company align even closer with Fonterra on upcoming projects, and is excited about the opportunities to expand further into the North Island market. He and fellow director Graeme Green founded the company nearly 14 years ago and they now lead over 75 staff across the whole operation, which includes a group operation in Whangarei, and service divisions covering Nelson/ Marlborough and South Canterbury in addition to its Christchurch head office and Auckland division. “We are really proud of the progress of the company. “Although there is room for more carefully planned, sustainable growth, we will never do this at the expense of service, which is what the success of the company has been built around.”
Active Refrigeration 03 339 2617 www.activerefrigeration.co.nz
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Rory Comer Clinton Stagg
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Active Refrigeration has completed the design, installation and commissioning of a new 2.5 megawatt chilled water system at Fonterra’s new Darfield plant.
• System design • Preventative Maintenance • Asset Care Strategy • Plant Audits • Equipment Supply
REFRIGERATION & AIR CONDITIONING
• Turn Key Projects • 24 Hour Service • Air Conditioning • Heat Pumps • Commissioning
Active Refrigeration Ltd 11 Lunns Road, Christchurch Phone: (03) 339 2617 Email: info@activerefrig.co.nz www.activerefrigeration.co.nz