Cronos diversifies refrigerated container lease fleet with new Daikin ZESTIA technology
News Release
Daikin US Corporation (Corporate Office)
January 27, 2012
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<P><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><I>Global
container leasing company Cronos invests in Daikin ZESTIA and
LXE </I><I style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">refrigeration machines to further
expand customer choice</I></SPAN></STRONG></P></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; COLOR: #404040"><STRONG><SPAN
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<P><FONT size=2 face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><BR>OSAKA &SAN
FRANCISCO, 25 January 2012 – The Cronos Group has become the first
customer worldwide for ZESTIATM, the new low-power, high-performance
container refrigeration machine from Daikin Reefer. The global container
leasing company took delivery of 500 ZESTIA units during November in
Qingdao, China, for installation on a batch of new 40ft hi-cube
refrigerated containers destined for Japanese shipping line MOL. The units
were produced at Daikin’s manufacturing plant in Suzhou,
China.<BR><BR>“MOL had carried out extensive trials and research on the
ZESTIA design and we were very pleased to support them with the first
commercial order for this innovative new technology,” said Matt Dowling,
Vice President Operations for Cronos. Officially unveiled in November,
ZESTIA uses patented Daikin DC-inverter technology and other advanced
features to meet today’s carrier and shipper demands for ultra-low energy
consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, while providing high cooling
capacity and precise temperature control for chilled and frozen cargoes.
Designed as a premium unit for global refrigerated container operations,
ZESTIA also features new user-friendly control interfaces for ease of
operation and maintenance.<BR><BR>With a fleet valued at over $1.5
billion, and more than 1.1 million CEU* of dry, refrigerated, tank and
other specialised equipment under its control, Cronos is one of the
world’s largest container owners and lessors. The company’s 35,000 TEU
refrigerated container fleet averages three years old, reflecting recent
substantial investment. The landmark ZESTIA deal follows additional
purchases by Cronos last year of the LXE10E, Daikin’s market-leading
scroll-compressor refrigeration machine.<BR><BR>“We have seen over recent
times that customers want a greater choice of machines to match their own
specific requirements,” said Dowling. “We have therefore taken a strategic
decision to diversify into two machine types, adding Daikin to our
portfolio, to better support market needs. The decision to invest in
Daikin technology was based on our clients’ high level of comfort with the
company and its equipment, especially in Asia.”<BR><BR>“Just as Cronos has
chosen to provide more choice for its customers, so we at Daikin Reefer
launched ZESTIA, the most energy efficient reefer machine on the market,
to provide a wider range of solutions to our clients,” said Shin Furuta,
Daikin Reefer President. “We are very pleased to welcome Cronos as an
important new client in the container leasing industry, the very first
customer for our brand new ZESTIA design and the first user of both the
ZESTIA and LXE models. We look forward to building a long
relationship with them.”<BR><BR>*CEU = cost equivalent
unit<BR><BR></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<P><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><I>Global
container leasing company Cronos invests in Daikin ZESTIA and
LXE </I><I style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">refrigeration machines to further
expand customer choice</I></SPAN></STRONG></P></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; COLOR: #404040"><STRONG><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></STRONG></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></TD></TR>
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<TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT size=2
face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"></FONT>
<P><FONT size=2 face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><BR>OSAKA &SAN
FRANCISCO, 25 January 2012 – The Cronos Group has become the first
customer worldwide for ZESTIATM, the new low-power, high-performance
container refrigeration machine from Daikin Reefer. The global container
leasing company took delivery of 500 ZESTIA units during November in
Qingdao, China, for installation on a batch of new 40ft hi-cube
refrigerated containers destined for Japanese shipping line MOL. The units
were produced at Daikin’s manufacturing plant in Suzhou,
China.<BR><BR>“MOL had carried out extensive trials and research on the
ZESTIA design and we were very pleased to support them with the first
commercial order for this innovative new technology,” said Matt Dowling,
Vice President Operations for Cronos. Officially unveiled in November,
ZESTIA uses patented Daikin DC-inverter technology and other advanced
features to meet today’s carrier and shipper demands for ultra-low energy
consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, while providing high cooling
capacity and precise temperature control for chilled and frozen cargoes.
Designed as a premium unit for global refrigerated container operations,
ZESTIA also features new user-friendly control interfaces for ease of
operation and maintenance.<BR><BR>With a fleet valued at over $1.5
billion, and more than 1.1 million CEU* of dry, refrigerated, tank and
other specialised equipment under its control, Cronos is one of the
world’s largest container owners and lessors. The company’s 35,000 TEU
refrigerated container fleet averages three years old, reflecting recent
substantial investment. The landmark ZESTIA deal follows additional
purchases by Cronos last year of the LXE10E, Daikin’s market-leading
scroll-compressor refrigeration machine.<BR><BR>“We have seen over recent
times that customers want a greater choice of machines to match their own
specific requirements,” said Dowling. “We have therefore taken a strategic
decision to diversify into two machine types, adding Daikin to our
portfolio, to better support market needs. The decision to invest in
Daikin technology was based on our clients’ high level of comfort with the
company and its equipment, especially in Asia.”<BR><BR>“Just as Cronos has
chosen to provide more choice for its customers, so we at Daikin Reefer
launched ZESTIA, the most energy efficient reefer machine on the market,
to provide a wider range of solutions to our clients,” said Shin Furuta,
Daikin Reefer President. “We are very pleased to welcome Cronos as an
important new client in the container leasing industry, the very first
customer for our brand new ZESTIA design and the first user of both the
ZESTIA and LXE models. We look forward to building a long
relationship with them.”<BR><BR>*CEU = cost equivalent
unit<BR><BR></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV></BODY></HTML>