Japan’s Daikin Industries [6367:JP], the world’s top air-conditioner developer, will start selling cold-storage containers that could save 20% fuel consumption by 20% through inverters technology, as reported by Nikkei Asia on January 5. Prices for the Daikin containers will be about 10% higher than competing products, most of which don’t include inverters to reduce cost. Dakin will first introduce its containers into the EU market, where stringent rules are implemented to cut carbon emissions throughout the supply chain. As of now, the Japanese company has received orders from a trucking company in France and another in Germany. It will branch out the business outside Europe, aiming for JPY20bn (USD173m) of revenue from container sales in FY25.

The inverters deployed in the air-conditioning compressors adjust the voltage and frequency of electricity fed into motors to increase energy efficiency and lower carbon emissions. Moreover, inverters could diminish wear and tear on cooling components, providing twice the inspection cycle compared to traditional containers. Daikin rolled out the carbon-cutting containers amid the rebounded sea transport following the COVID-19 epidemic. According to Fitch Ratings, shipping emits 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) by transporting 80% of global trade volumes. Daikin anticipates the market for frozen and refrigerated transportation to hit JPY800bn (USD6.89bn) in 2025, an almost 50% rise from 2021.

Sources:

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Environment/Climate-Change/Daikin-to-roll-out-carbon-cutting-cold-containers-for-land-transport

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Environment/Climate-Change/Daikin-leads-efforts-to-save-electricity-in-factories-and-offices

https://www.fitchratings.com/research/corporate-finance/shipping-emission-rules-to-gradually-tighten-weakening-profits-04-05-2021