The Greenery unveils aerodynamic trailer
06 May 2010
Fresh produce company The Greenery, a supplier of fruit, vegetables and mushrooms to supermarkets and wholesalers across the UK – has unveiled aerodynamic trailers
The company says they could cut fuel consumption in the delivery of fresh produce. The aerodynamic semitrailer which is to be tested by The Greenery was formally launched in Delft by Dutch Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager.
The semitrailers are equipped with Ephicas SideWings – streamlined panels which can be mounted on the sides of a semitrailer and could reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 7 per cent.
The panels have been developed by Ephicas, a spin-off company of Delft University of Technology. In addition to generating substantial cost savings and environmental benefits, the SideWings improve traffic safety and reduce road noise.
Designed and tested in the wind tunnel of Delft University of Technology, the SideWings were designed using aviation and space technology. Basically, a wing profile is mounted to the inside of the first panel. This technology achieves twice the performance of conventional side panels.
Dijco, The Greenery’s transport company, is testing the SideWings on the road, including on long-distance routes to and from the UK.
Participating in this test reflects The Greenery’s policy of promoting socially responsible business practices through its ‘health is more’ sustainability policy. This comprises activities grouped under the headings ‘healthy growing’, ‘healthy variety’, ‘healthy innovation’, ‘healthy business practices’, ‘healthy employees’ and ‘healthy communications’
The Greenery employs a logistics fleet of 180 semitrailers. After the test period, the company will evaluate the energy and environmental savings achieved. Whether or not The Greenery’s semitrailers will be equipped with SideWings in the future depends on these results.
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