A project born to life in Co Galway to reduce its customers’ carbon footprint by one gigaton by 2030 has been awarded the prestigious title of Engineering Endeavour of 2020 by Engineers Ireland and ESB.

The ADVANCER project, developed by Galway-based Thermo King and their parent company Trane Technologies, was awarded the prestigious accolade having featured in Engineers Ireland’s Engineering Excellence Digital Series, held in association with ESB, and was chosen by the public and members of Engineers Ireland as the top engineering project of 2020 following an online vote. 

Sustainable climate innovation

Trane Technologies, with global headquarters in Swords, Co Dublin, is a global leader in efficient and sustainable climate innovation for buildings, homes and transportation, employing close to 1,000 people in Ireland, and 36,000 employees globally.

The ADVANCER project, which includes an innovative trailer refrigeration unit and manufacturing line in Galway, was developed by Thermo King in response to their parent company’s 2030 sustainability aspirations, and the commitment to reduce their customers’ CO₂ emissions by one gigaton by 2030 – equivalent to 2% of the world's annual emissions or, the annual emissions of France, Italy and the UK combined.

Built with ambitious sustainability goals at its core, the ADVANCER trailer refrigeration unit has been developed using all-new Mild Hybrid electrified architecture, creating a new standard for performance, fuel efficiency, temperature control and environmental sustainability for trailer refrigeration units. 

First carbon-neutral assembly line

The Thermo King team also developed a world class sustainable assembly line in Galway which utilises 100% renewable energy and is now on track to become the first carbon-neutral assembly line in the sector.

“The engineering initiatives recognised in our Engineering Excellence Digital Series showcase Ireland’s talented and creative engineers and I would like to offer my congratulations to each of the project teams and engineering leaders who featured in our series and were shortlisted for the accolade of Engineering Endeavour of 2020," said Caroline Spillane, director general of Engineers Ireland..

"I would like to thank out title sponsors ESB and supporters, Accenture and Geoscience Ireland for their dedication and commitment to recognising engineering excellence in 2020.

"Engineers have a key role to play in the transition to a sustainable, carbon-free society and the ADVANCER project is a wonderful example of how engineers are achieving this transition for customers and communities across Ireland and globally. I would like to congratulate the Thermo King and Trane Technologies team and wish them continued success.”

Exceptional engineering skills

Pat O’ Doherty, ESB chief executive, said: “Engineering excellence involves thinking beyond the conventional to tackle the biggest challenges facing society. Engineers Ireland’s Engineering Excellence Digital Series has highlighted the outstanding and diverse achievements of engineers across Ireland who have demonstrated exceptional engineering skills through their work. 

"The projects showcased throughout the series align with ESB’s vision for a brighter, more sustainable future, and highlight the importance of engineers in making this a reality. I would like to offer my congratulations to Thermo King and Trane Technologies on the ADVANCER project and commend all of the project teams shortlisted for this prestigious title.”

“Engineers were at the heart of the of the vision and the development of the ADVANCER,” said, Bernd Lipp, engineering leader Thermo King EMEA, from Trane Technologies. 

Unmatched fuel efficiency

“Our vision was to design a refrigeration unit with unrivalled performance, feature ground-breaking temperature control and superior load protection with unmatched fuel efficiency.

"Also, of great importance was unrivalled connectivity and significant improvements in fleet uptime, quality and total cost of ownership, all whilst being the most environmentally friendly refrigeration unit in the market with the lowest carbon footprint.

“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.

"Thermo King is a leader in electrification in the transport climate control industry. We have the largest range of zero / low-emissions solutions in all segments of the market.  Thermo King has proven to be an innovator of solutions and ADVANCER is the latest of many milestones in the 80+ years of Thermo King’s history.” 

In relation to the distribution and storage of the COVID-19 vaccine, he added: “Our products play a key role in protecting sensitive cargo from the food we eat to pharmaceuticals, flowers, electronics, and are playing a significant role globally in the distribution and storage of the COVID-19 vaccine.

"Some of the vaccines must be kept at ultra-low temperatures: up to -70 degrees Celsius, which is about the average temperature on Mars. Temperature control and traceability are essential as a vaccine moves through the cold chain and is stored at points along the way, before it reaches its final destination arriving with the patient.

"If temperatures drop below requirements for too long, the vaccine material could degrade – Thermo King’s temperature controlled refrigerated transport, storage and monitoring solutions can prevent that from happening.”

To find out more about the ADVANCER project and to view the six-part Engineering Excellence Digital Series, held in association with ESB and supported by Accenture and Geoscience Ireland, visit: https://www.engineersireland.ie/Professionals/Events/Featured-events/Excellence-Awards/Engineering-Excellence-Digital-Series