The Thermo King Advancer project, which includes the innovative Advancer A-Series trailer refrigeration unit and state-of-the-art production line in Galway, Ireland won the prestigious title of Engineering Endeavour of 2020 by Engineers Ireland.The members of Engineers Ireland and the public voted Thermo King from previously selected projects representing innovative and sustainable solutions delivered by engineers, and the positive impact those solutions have on communities around the world.
The Advancer project from Thermo King, a leader in transport temperature control solutions and a brand of Trane Technologies, was recognized as an example of how engineers are achieving the transition to a sustainable, carbon-free society for customers and communities across Ireland and globally.
The Advancer A-Series offers an all-new design architecture in trailer refrigeration and creates a bold new standard for performance, temperature control, and fleet connectivity. The units are up to 30 % more fuel-efficient than the market average. When on-the-road and in-use, the units offer a 30 % reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions compared to previous units – contributing significantly to the Trane Technologies’ Gigaton Challenge, commitment to reduce customers’ carbon emissions by one gigaton by 2030.
Advancer units are manufactured in the Thermo King’s zero waste to landfill plant in Galway, Ireland. The newly designed, state-of-the-art production line uses 65 % less energy than the production process of previous trailer products, and is now on track to become the first carbon neutral assembly line in the sector.
“Engineers were at the heart of the vision and the development of the Advancer,” said, Bernd Lipp, engineering leader at Thermo King. “Our vision was to design a refrigeration unit with unrivalled performance, featuring ground-breaking temperature control and superior load protection with unmatched fuel efficiency.”
“Following 275,000 engineering hours, 225,000 software and control hours, 10,000 meetings, nine patents, and Thermo King’s largest ever investment in R&D in Europe in Galway, we have achieved this ambition. Today, the Advancer is a truly unique, all-new design electrified architecture, infused with radical innovation and manufactured in Ireland on a carbon neutral assembly line,” said Lipp.