BRE relaunches Cold Core range with improved features

For quite some time, Bruce Rock Engineering (BRE) has found triumph with its specialty in Performance-Based Standards (PBS) and tipper combinations for the bulk commodity logistics sector.

Although, as the sole Australian distributor of Wabash National’s dry and refrigerated trailers from the United States, the company has shown that when new opportunities arise, it’s able to not only adapt but excel.

BRE has been partnering with Wabash for over 10 years now. The collaboration initially involved bringing its completed Arctic Lite refrigerated trailers down under through roll-on, roll-off (RORO) and to Australian specifications, but it has since expanded into a whole new range of reefers and further innovation.

“We originally partnered with Wabash for market supply between 2010 to 2014 after the global financial crisis boom, which provided us the extra capacity to complement our own locally made product,” says BRE Managing Director, Damion Verhoogt. “Using Wabash’s R&D projects, we identified that their composite van panel resource would be a huge potential for our market with tare weight and thermal efficiency improvements.”

Since Wabash first developed its innovative Cold Core Moulded Structural Composite (MSC) van panel technology in 2019, BRE has been importing the material in flat pack form to assemble onto its chassis in Western Australia for dry and refrigerated trailers.

Now known as Cold Core EcoNex, the reefer range includes full-length chassis for road train compatibility which are engineered and manufactured to BRE’s exacting standards.

“We get an EcoNex panel that is built to our dimensional specifications which we put on our local built full-length chassis,” Damion says. “We then build the box up and complete it to customer requirements.

“This has allowed us to have another string to our bow in our product range. We are very active in the bulk tipper market with side and end tippers, so venturing into refrigerated trailers has allowed us to expand our market and industry while still maintaining our road train focus.”

The Cold Core EcoNex reefer range is made up of two primary models, the Acutherm Refrigerated Freight Body and Acutherm Refrigerated Van, which are available in a variety of sizes and configurations and are worthy choices when it comes to protecting products and maximising operating efficiency.

“We’re on our second generation of Cold Core composite vans using the latest of Wabash’s composite panel technology and a lot of small improvements and learnings over the first series,” Damion says. “Our largest volumes are 45’ road train freezer vans, but we also do 12-pallet rollback A trailers and 48’ to 53’ singles. We’ve got some Performance-Based Standards (PBS) super B and B-triple combinations as well, so we basically do anything we can cater for.”

The Acutherm Refrigerated Freight Body, BRE claims, is setting ‘breakthrough performance standards’ with up to 30 per cent more thermal efficiency in a body that is up to 15 per cent lighter compared to conventional reefers.

Its standard features include a seamless exterior which enables smooth, full-wall decaling; stainless steel rear frame for added durability; one piece header system which eliminates corner caps and increases front wall strength and a smooth, seamless interior liner for a consistently flat and brighter food grade surface.

Meanwhile, BRE says the Acutherm Refrigerated Van also sets standards while helping fleets meet ambitious sustainability goals, thanks to its unique longer lasting and lightweight properties that were designed to increase revenues from first to final mile.

“The original Cold Core MSC has been a game-changer with 25 per cent better thermal efficiency than the Wabash conventional Arctic Lite reefer,” Damion says. “This gain is increased to 50 per cent better than some rivals, which is based on field test data, not just theory.”

The new and improved Cold Core EcoNex product builds on the already established series with improved door seal arrangements which are more ergonomic and user-friendly and allow for better operator comfort, as well as a new internal scuff package that is more durable.

The EcoNex material was designed and tested to operate under the harshest of conditions – typified by mid-summer temperatures in excess of 50°C – and is made of a foam-insulated core with a polymer fibre-reinforced shell and a protective gel coat surface.

The internal wall and ceiling line of materials have also been upgraded to be more resistant to punctures and abrasions, and on top of that, Damion says BRE has introduced additional options for polished base rail extrusions as well as some “other bling for operators who want the shiny bits”.

“The build quality is exceptional, but the biggest thing is thermal efficiency and tare weight,” he says. “That all leads to a lower carbon footprint, less reefer hours, more payload when loaded, less diesel burnt in the truck when empty and less rolling resistance carting around dead weight.

“So, thermal performance and tare weight are probably our main points of difference in market, and there’s more of a focus on this with the green carbon push that’s happening.”

Wabash and BRE’s joint-project is now in full-effect, with the updated versions currently in production at BRE’s WA facilities. As Damion details, a new 45’ road train unit has just been built and is being rolled out to a customer, with others following suit.

“The trailer that we’ve just finished building incorporates all of the upgrades and improvements over the Cold Core MSC product,” he says. “We’ve got some more of them in production now, and they will be our primary refrigerated reefer offering going forward.”

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