The Australian Defence Force awarded Klinge Corp a contract to provide 185 refrigerated containers (single and multi-temperature) and 1,500 food storage bins. The containers will replace their current fleet and will serve as their new cold chain solution.
Tasked with providing an unbroken cold chain for containers packed with perishable goods travelling from the vessel and ultimately to the field, Klinge’s refrigerated containers and food storage bins (FSB) will provide a rugged and reliable solution that meets the technical, physical and testing requirements specified by the Australian Defence Force. After more than three years of design and testing, Klinge Corporation has started production of a field refrigeration storage and distribution capability for the Australian Defence Force’s defence material organisation.
Klinge Corp’s 10ft military refrigerated container with shelving offers single temperature refrigeration and can serve as a fridge or a freezer. As the container with shelving was required to pass the Ministry of Defence’s M14 vibration test, Klinge Corp designed a heavy-duty, removable, full bumper “floating” shelving system.
The 20ft military refrigerated container offers multi-temperature refrigeration with separate fridge and freezer sections. With a moveable bulkhead and two temperature control systems, the 20ft refrigerated container will accommodate frozen and refrigerated food. Alternately,the bulkhead can be stowed enabling either refrigeration or freezing of an entire 20ft container filled with food.
Both the 10ft and 20ft systems are equipped with an integral diesel generator set that powers the refrigeration unit during transport or food distribution in the field. The systems are also capable of being powered by external power supplies.
Perishable food will be packed into Klinge’s food storage bins, optimized for maximum storage space in ISO containers, and loaded into the refrigerated container. The 20ft refrigerated container will be used to distribute perishable foods to the 10ft refrigerated container in the field.
The food storage bins may be transferred to the 10ft refrigerated container for storage. Alternatively, the food may be unpacked and placed on the shelving or in the bain-maries. As required by the Australian Defence Force, the FSBs allow for side accessibility for food transfer. They feature fold-down flaps on each side, enabling easy access to food and ergonomic loading / unloading.
When food distribution from the 20ft refrigerated containers is complete, any empty food storage Bins may be collapsed and placed in the Container for transport back to the base. The Food Storage Bins collapse to a height of 12in (309mm), allowing nearly three of the collapsed FSBs on a return trip to be transported in the space of one fully erect FSB. Although the food storage bin can be fully collapsed, sturdiness was not comprised as six may be stacked fully loaded.