According to some analysts, by 2025 the growth of e-commerce will boost the use of automatic parcel terminals to hitherto unheard of levels. Among the sectors that will see the greatest boost is the food sector, and it is here that the figure of intelligent refrigerated lockers appears.

This is a solution that is increasingly being used by shopping centres, supermarkets and municipal markets to provide an alternative for the collection of all kinds of fresh and frozen products. This type of solution also facilitates the collection of products with the least possible contact during extended opening hours. Smart ticketing is also being successfully applied in the pharmaceutical sector.

At RFL Cargo, which offers refrigerated solutions for all types of industry, we are already talking here about the forecast growth in refrigerated container traffic in a context marked by the negative effects of the pandemic on consumption and the economy. However, the figures for this sector remain positive: 7.2 million tonnes of fruit and vegetables have been exported up in Spain to June this year.

By region, the European Union remains the main destination of these sales (65.7% of the total), which means an increase of 2%. North America and Asia (excluding the Middle East) account for 34.3% of exports to third countries, an increase of 1.3%. The pandemic has affected exports less than imports, which has made it possible to reduce our country’s trade deficit.

Three temperature zones

Typically, collection stations include three temperature zones: ambient, chilled and frozen. They are usually made to withstand harsh conditions, in fact, all interior metal surfaces are made of high quality stainless steel while the exterior ones are made of galvanised and coated steel. The intelligent refrigerated lockers are tested at temperatures between -300 and +400 degrees.

Christmas campaign

The Christmas period this year will be marked by two main factors: the increase in e-commerce and health restrictions. Precisely at one of the times of the year when consumption is highest, forecasts indicate that there will be an increase in highly specialised supply in the management of the logistics of goods at controlled temperatures. The large increase in e-commerce will also be reflected in the statistics of perishables.