July 26, 2024
Thermo King Arecibo Celebrates 50 Years by Giving Back
Innovating sustainable transport refrigeration solutions since 1974, company executives and local food bank representatives join more than 700 employees to celebrate and give back to the community.
Minneapolis – July 29, 2024 – Thermo King, a Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT) brand and leader in sustainable transport temperature control solutions, celebrated 50 years of innovation and manufacturing excellence at its Arecibo, Puerto Rico facility. Staying true to its uplifting culture, the company marked the milestone with a $10,000 donation to The Food Bank of Puerto Rico.
Since opening in 1974, Thermo King’s Arecibo facility has played an instrumental role in delivering industry-leading technology to its customers, manufacturing more than 1 million trailer units used to safely transport fresh food and medicine across North America. The operation has become synonymous with resiliency as the Arecibo team has helped advance the refrigerated transport industry and their community despite major challenges throughout the years.
“Our people are the reason behind Thermo King Arecibo’s long success. They never quit, and they are devoted to taking care of our customers and their community, no matter the obstacle. Their expertise, dedication, and creative actions are a positive force of momentum. This team has helped move the industry — and the world — forward with advanced technologies and an inspirational, passionate spirit,” said Adam Wittwer, president, Thermo King Americas.
Giving back to the community
Community outreach is core to the culture at Thermo King Arecibo. Employees volunteer regularly for nonprofit organizations that benefit the elderly, children, and young mothers.
The $10,000 donation to The Food Bank of Puerto Rico was made possible by Thermo King’s We Move Food program. Launched in 2018, the program is designed to increase access to fresh, healthy food by reducing waste and supporting nutrition education for families and communities that struggle with hunger and food instability.
The team also contributes regularly to other local causes including a $13,000 donation to the United Way of Puerto Rico and the CAP Foundation for young oncology patients in 2023. They also donate and serve Thanksgiving meals to people experiencing homelessness each year.
“The Thermo King Arecibo team is special. We take pride in having produced more than 1 million refrigeration units in these 50 years, which ensure the delivery of important goods such as ice cream and medicine across North America. But that is nothing compared to the pride we have in making a difference here in our community,” said Marco Miranda Orta, plant manager. “We are resilient, committed and excited to continue making an impact for years to come.”
Sustainable practices
The facility’s commitment to sustainability has resulted in many achievements that are protecting the environment both on the island and globally. Examples include:
- Earning the Puerto Rico EPA award for five consecutive years due to compliance with Wastewater Treatment Plant permit parameters
- Achieved goal of reducing energy use by 10% by 2030 in 2023 — 7 years ahead of schedule
- Reduced CO2 emissions by 2,673 metric tons since 2020
- Transitioned trailer unit refrigerant use to lower global warming potential refrigerant in 2022, reducing the carbon footprint of refrigerants used by customers’ long-haul fleets by nearly 50%
- Since 2020, the facility has reduced its non-hazardous waste to landfill by 239 tons, converting it to energy instead
Groundbreaking technology
Thermo King Arecibo has played an instrumental role in delivering the industry-leading Precedent® trailer transport refrigeration unit (TRU) to customers since it was introduced in 2013.
The first TRU in the industry to achieve Evergreen California Air Resources Board (CARB) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier 4 engine compliance, the Precedent’s success set the bar for the industry in meeting the strictest environmental standards.
The team’s dedication has ensured the product’s long-term success by keeping quality and reliability at the heart of every unit, which they build to customer specification with thousands of configurations and more than 100 different options including Smart Power for electric standby.
Leading by example
Thermo King Arecibo’s most recent challenge was a historic EF-1 rated tornado that severely damaged its main assembly building in May 2022.
To limit disruption to customers, the team divided trailer unit assembly into multiple buildings on its campus to assure manufacturing continuum of more than 40,000 trailer units throughout the 17 months it took to rebuild the original structure.
With a commitment to a more sustainable future and ongoing improvement, the team created a new mixed-model production line featuring the first continuously moving line within Trane Technologies. The new line achieves close to $0.75M in productivity per year and opens opportunities for further productivity in the future. The improvements will help deliver more electrified products to the cold chain and contribute to Thermo King’s sustainability goals.
About Thermo King
Thermo King — by Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT), a global climate innovator — is a worldwide leader in sustainable transport climate control solutions.
Thermo King has been providing transport temperature control solutions for a variety of applications, including trailers, truck bodies, buses, air, shipboard containers and railway cars since 1938. For more information, visit www.thermoking.com or www.europe.thermoking.com.
