Refrigeration units (Russian market)

2020

The Russian market of auto-refrigerators decreased by 23% in kind

On April 8, 2021, it became known that Russian the car refrigeration market decreased in 2020 by 23% in kind relative to 2019. In total, a little more than 8100 transport facilities with HEC (refrigeration and heating units) of various types were commissioned: direct drive, autonomous, vertical. cars Mostly registered legal persons, individuals accounted for 18% of the total number. This was reported by SIV Transcholod, distributor transport and commercial refrigeration equipment, based on its own data, information from marketing car agencies, state and data from authorities.

The Russian car refrigeration market decreased in 2020 by 23% in kind. Photo: zen.ati.su.

As explained, most of the direct drive units were purchased - 4900 units, 2910 units were purchased for vertical HPUs. Autonomous installations for trucks - a total of 290.

Among the manufacturers, the leaders in sales in 2020 in Russia were: CARRIER (USA), DonginThermo (Korea), H-Thermo (Korea), TerraFrigo (Russia), ThermoKing (USA), Zanotti (Italy), Elinge (Russia). A kind of "Big Seven" among the manufacturers of refrigeration equipment present on the Russian market.

The main factors that influenced the refrigerator market in 2020: a pandemic, a change in the exchange rate, sanctions against a group of Russian vehicle manufacturers and a ban on the supply of equipment to them, a shortage of chassis, a reduction in restaurant and hotel business, primarily small and medium-sized enterprises. Perhaps the key factor that led to other events was the coronavirus pandemic.

Already in the middle of the first quarter of 2020, the reduction began, sales they reached the bottom point in April-May. Then the recovery trend began, remaining for April 2021.

Among road refrigerators, direct drive units (DirectDrive) are most in demand, they are used for transporting temperature cargo inside the city, as a rule, on light commercial transport. Units do not have their own engine. Compressor or generator drive is connected via belt drive with automobile engine. Structurally, the units are a split system - a condenser is installed outside, and an evaporator is installed inside the body. Used to transport both fresh and frozen products in vans from 2 to 50 m3.

The leaders in commissioning cars with installed direct drive units were the Central, Volga and Ural Federal Districts. Almost half fell on the Central District, including Moscow and the region.

According to SIV Transcholod, a distributor of refrigeration equipment, the TOP-5 brands of direct drive units sold in 2020 included CARRIER, Zanotti, ThermoKing, Elinge, TerraFrigo.

When installing HOU direct drive, the most popular in 2020 were cars of Russian brands VIS, GAZ and foreign FORD, HINO, HYUNDAI, ISUZU, JAC, MITSUBISHI FUSO.

Autonomous units have their own diesel engine to ensure the operation of the compressor of the refrigeration unit and other HPP systems. Used for city delivery and intercity transportation in freight cars with vans from 20 to 89 m3. Independent HPCs immediately from the plant are filled with coolant (R404A or R452A), oil, antifreeze, ready for installation and start-up. They have their own power system 12B, and fuel is obtained from the fuel tank of the automobile chassis on which the van is installed, or from their own fuel tank, if the refrigerating unit is installed on a trailer or semi-trailer.

The feature of autonomous units is the possibility of installation both in the upper part of the van and in the lower part, under the van. There are also special versions, Oasis and Nordic, for regions with a very hot climate and very cold.

Sales of autonomous units for trucks decreased by more than 65% compared to 2019. The leaders in the percentage decline among other districts were Central and Ural. The leaders in sales were the Central, Ural and Volga districts, taking a total of 60% of sales in all regions.

If direct drive units can be called conditionally a mass device - they are acquired by companies of various sizes and areas of activity, piece by piece and in batches, then autonomous HECs, as a rule, enter the parks of large retail food chains and this market segment largely depends on the life of already operated plants and plans to renew or expand the refrigerated fleet of retailers.

Vertical units are installed mainly on semi-trailers with insulated vans of standard volume - 88 m3 and increased - up to 126 m3. Such road trains are used for large long-distance and international transportation of temperature cargo.

In the Russian market of vertical units, as well as in the world, two manufacturers dominate - CARRIER and Thermo King. In 2020, most of these units were mounted on semi-trailers manufactured by SchmitzCargobull, Krone and the Russian company Tonar. A significant proportion of the total number of semi-trailers with refrigeration units comes from abroad in the form of fully ready-to-work car fractionators. The other part is equipped, assembled in Russia from a chassis, an insulated van, a refrigeration unit. Vertical HECs have their own diesel engine and are assembled in one piece with an evaporator on the principle of a monoblock.

Together with refrigeration units, it is possible to order and install equipment to achieve the maximum performance of the system and, as well as to monitor its parameters: door opening sensors, independent temperature data recorders, telematic systems for constant monitoring of cargo and HLC performance, etc. Usually, and 2020 was no exception, the maximum of additional equipment is ordered precisely with vertical units. The cost of temperature cargo transported in a semi-trailer can reach tens of millions of rubles and the question is no longer whether to install auxiliary equipment, but in choosing the optimal configuration.

At the same time, it is worth noting the positive trend for additional equipment and direct drive units - the demand for recorders with the ability to print data, door sensors increased by more than 24%. If an entrepreneur or company purchases a refrigerator to provide transportation services, then the recorder is an inexpensive and reliable solution for controlling a given temperature regime. For example, the transport of vaccine from COVID-19 is regulated by SP 3.1.3671-20, which obliges to maintain a temperature regime of minus 18 ° C and below for the entire transportation and storage time at any permissible loading degree.

"There is a growing need for monitoring systems with the ability to transmit data online. Carriers, food retail, pharmaceutical companies want to receive real-time service and operational data of the refrigeration plant, information about the driver's actions to maintain the temperature regime and its current values, "confirms Andrei Sidorov, project manager of Advantum.

The main volume of production and supply of insulated vans for further use with refrigeration units falls on Russian companies: Avtomash, Automechanical Plant, VIS-AVTO, Luidor-Tuning, SibEuroVan, Spetsmobil-NN, Tonar, Centrtranstekhmash and others. Exchange rate fluctuations, state support played a positive role in the development of domestic production. More than 85% of vans for refrigeration trucks with direct drive units were made by Russian manufacturers.

In addition to cars with refrigeration units, used cars were also purchased. The annual inflow of used cars with refrigeration units is several times higher than the number of put into operation. Regarding 2020, a little more than a third of them were produced more than 10 years ago, another third are cars aged 5-10 years, the rest are under 5 years. The fall did not affect the used car segment, on the contrary, the number of vehicles that changed owners increased by 16% year on year.

The global refrigerated vehicle market reached US $16.11 billion in 2020. In 2019, the market volume amounted to $15.1 billion, the research company IMARC notes. The assessment includes road, sea, rail and air transport.

Experts estimate that the global refrigerated vehicle market will grow moderately over the next five years.

One of the driving forces of the global refrigerated transport market is the increase in the consumption of frozen food products. Due to the growing popularity of healthy lifestyles, demand for frozen versions of various fresh products from consumers has intensified, along with growing demand for these services from catering operators. In addition, the production of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals and the expansion of trading opportunities worldwide will also have a favorable effect on market growth.

Fesco tested the temperature control system for freight transportation

Russia It tested one of the key elements of a unified food control system transportation. This was announced on November 9, 2020 by the company. National Telematic Systems (NTV) A test race with equipment was organized transport by the company with FESCO the participation of. " Digital Platform Development Centre (CDC) More. here

As of March, about 80-100 thousand "refs" are carried out in Russia.

Food retail and pharmaceuticals are industries that, along with food manufacturers, are the main customers of temperature transportation. The logistics of temperature-sensitive loads is distinguished by the presence of a special type of van and refrigeration unit to maintain the necessary temperature. As of March 2020, the structure of the REF-transportation market itself, the market for vehicles and equipment for such transportation, has formed. About what is the market for refrigeration units for transportation, March 13, 2020 TAdviser was told in the company "Advantum"

As reported, consumers choose refrigeration units (HECs), as a rule, based on two characteristics: price and reliability. At the price, Russian and Korean-made equipment usually wins - it is more budget, unlike units of international brands such as Carrier and ThermoKing. In terms of reliability, domestic and Korean HESs are less durable, with a service life within the warranty period of about 12 months. Large carriers and retail chains more often choose more powerful and reliable Carrier and ThermoKing installations, which by March 2020 occupy a dominant position in the market. At the same time, the share of sales of Russian HESs is steadily growing, this is due to the development of Russian production, their price policy and the increase in duties on the import of foreign analogues.

Carrier and ThermoKing have an advantage over other manufacturers - an extensive network of service centers in Russia. In particular, Carrier has one of the largest networks of authorized service centers, which ensures the presence of the brand in almost all major cities of the country. Thanks to this fact, there is a steady demand for the units of these brands.

The selection of the refrigeration unit model is determined by the selection of the vehicle and the logistical tasks for which it is planned to be used. Depending on the type of transportation, this can be delivery of the "last mile" or transportation between distribution centers. So, in the conditions of the city, when delivering to the store, low-capacity vehicles and less powerful HECs are more suitable, and when transporting between distribution centers, large-capacity transport with powerful and reliable installations is used.

In turn, the Plato system is an important factor influencing the choice of a vehicle that indirectly influences the type of ECP. It is meant that buyers who decide to purchase a vehicle for commercial transport more precisely choose tonnage in order to reduce the upcoming costs of payments in favor of the system, namely, they prefer transport of lower carrying capacity.

When choosing a HEC, the availability of additional services, for example, telematics, is also an important factor. Such services can serve as a full-fledged information system and provide not only remote temperature control in the body, but also allow you to obtain service and operational data on the operation of the refrigeration unit. And also receive operational information about the movement of the vehicle and its condition. The introduction of such solutions into operational activities allows companies to grow: scale their business and develop. The information system acts as a tool to increase the level of process manageability. The availability of this functionality can be one of the criteria for choosing a cold plant for a large buyer.

There are several types of refrigeration units: direct-drive, autonomous HEC and installation with eutectic plates. It is not entirely correct to be guided by the type of unit when buying. To select the HEC model, it is necessary to determine the type of planned transportation, the geography of the delivery and the vehicle itself: the volume and type of its van, chassis, engine type, onboard voltage. If the transport company "has a load" on the truck and trunk transportation, then it will be more profitable to use an autonomous vertical unit. If transportation will be carried out in the city, then less transport is needed, then a direct drive unit will be better.

The buyer shall select the vehicle and the refrigeration unit to it on the basis of economic feasibility. Most often, the price of the transported ton is calculated for the vehicle, or in the case of low-tonnage goods, it considers the transportation price to be 100 kilograms of goods. Some consider litre-hours (fuel consumption). For example, the average fuel consumption per truck is 20 tons with a REF installation of 2.2 liters per hour.

During the purchase and operation of refrigeration units, mistakes are usually made only by beginners. For example, transport companies that decide to purchase a vehicle for the transport of temperature-sensitive cargo. If before they did not encounter such transportation, then they may try to save money and choose a van with increased heat dissipation. Buy an unreliable or weak refrigeration unit and as a result get increased fuel consumption to maintain temperature. At the same time, the quality of transportation will suffer. If you choose inexpensive HPUs, then in 2-3 years the installation will need to be changed, it may fail. In addition, the problem of the lack of authorized service centers in the region, for example, for Russian, Korean and Chinese units, this situation is quite relevant.

By purchasing an inexpensive refrigeration unit, you can encounter its frequent breakdowns, which will lead to constant visits to service stations. The latter, in turn, can turn out to be artisanal and only aggravate the situation with an unprofessional approach to repair. Each entrepreneur must decide for himself what he chooses: a cheaper option with a large number of problems that entail additional costs, or a more expensive, but reliable unit.

In addition, as with any expensive equipment, timely service, original spare parts and proper operation are important for refrigeration plants. Additional telematic services give more freedom and process manageability, for example, when using them, you can plan time to the upcoming scheduled service, see and analyze errors that are notified to the user from the refrigeration plant, and arrive in the service in a timely manner, without bringing the situation to critical. Therefore, the data transfer function for March 2020 has become one of the most popular.

The number of REF vans and refrigerated semi-trailers determines the sales of HCVs. In 2019, about 10 thousand vehicles marked REF were registered - these are semi-trailers and vans. According to the data for March 2020, in total, temperature-sensitive cargoes of the order of 80 000 - 100 000 "refs" are transported in the country. Of these, about 3-3.5 are semi-trailers, the rest are vans and "small-tonnage." Almost 50% of the market for refiner vans is Gazelles, and this ratio has remained for the past 5 years.

It was noted from the peculiarities of the market that over the past 5 years, several large factories for the production of semi-trailers and bodies for the transportation of REF-goods have appeared on the territory of the country. Earlier, Russian manufacturers accounted for about 10-20% of the total market. As of March 2020, about 50-60% of "commissioned refs" are produced - with Russian vans and semi-trailers. At the same time, import decreased due to an increase in duties and the rapid development of production in the RFU. In turn, the main imported brands are Schmitz and Krone.