Flexible Power Systems (FPS) is delighted to be a member of the Cold Chain Federation, the sole UK trade body that focuses on representing and supporting businesses involved in the temperature-controlled supply chain. The Federation plays a significant role in bringing all players in the temperature-controlled supply chain together, providing education and support, and elevating their voices as they transition towards a future where the industry emits zero emissions.
Michael Ayres, Managing Director of FPS said, “The Cold Chain Federation plays a crucial role in supporting the cold supply chain’s journey to Net Zero emissions.
“At FPS, we recognise that planning and managing the journey to fleet electrification is a daunting prospect, but an urgent requirement for most businesses. For the temperature-controlled supply chain it’s more complex, as transition of both the motive engine and transport refrigeration unit must be considered. Commercial criticality goes beyond delivering goods on time to delivering goods in the right condition.
“Our Operate software platform integrates into existing fleet management tools to provide at-a-glance analytics to deliver a smooth transition for EV integration. From purchasing considerations to fulfilment systems, FPS Operate ensures stakeholders across the business have the data they need at their fingertips to optimise operations. FPS can play a demonstrably key role in the electrification journey, and we can get involved to help at any stage of the process.”
‘FPS Operate’ – Automation to Improve EV RoI and Uptime
The platform has been built bottom-up for commercial vehicle operations and so is highly integrated with the systems that fleets use to manage their vehicles. The platform couples with EV charge points, vehicle telematics, building metering and a range of Transport Management Systems to provide a ‘whole system’ solution.
The benefits of this approach are:
- Clarity – all relevant data in one place enabling automated reporting and alerts
- Efficiency – with automated vehicle task matching, charger selection and smart charging
- Resilience – remote and automated monitoring of vehicle and charger condition enables maximum operational uptime, visibility, and performance monitoring.
The platform has already been applied successfully to van and transport refrigeration fleets. FPS has been working closely with Waitrose and the wider John Lewis Partnership.
FPS Smart Plugs for Transport Refrigeration Unit (TRU)
TRUs use a lot of energy, accounting for 10-15% of fuel consumption in HGV fleets. Up to 2/3 of this usage can occur in depots where energy intensive activities like pull-downs and waiting take place. FPS has developed proprietary smart plugs that reduce costs (using electricity rather than diesel), noise, and emissions. Many existing diesel TRUs can be plugged in whilst loading/ unloading without any additional adaptations required.
