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Swiss industrial cold industry

R. A . C. R i c h a r d s

L'industrie frigorifique Suisse Le niveau de vie #/ev# en Suisse continue ~ susciter une demande de matdriel frigorifique. La capacit# actuelle pourrait #tre augment#e si ndcessaire. Actuel/ement la moiti# des ailments des entrepSts frigorifiques est emba//#e pour/a vente en gros. Les

Suisses mettent /a qua/itd et /e service avant /e prix /orsqu'i/s ach#tent des aliments.

En Suisse /es temp#ratures ambiantes sont re/ative- ment basses, cependant 48% de/a population poss@de un r#frig#rateur, ce qui justifie le besoin de nouveaux entrep6ts.

The high standard of living in Switzer land continues to create a demand for refr igerat- ing equipment. The present capacity could be increased if necessary. A t present half the food in cold stores is as wholesale packs. The Swiss put quali ty and service before price

when buying food.

Relatively low environmental temperatures are indigenous to Switzer land. However , 48% of the populat ion own a refr igerator thus just i fying the need for cold stores,

As may be expected in a country which has the highest income per capita in the world, the Swiss refrigeration industry has high standards. Such equipment has been supplied as a necessity to this community for many decades now. In contCast with other countries where this is still a 'new' industry, Switzerland has a long tradition of supplying as a basic requirement, refrigeration equipment for its population of 6 298000, with a population density of 1 52.3 km 2, in a total land area of 41 293 km 2 - most of which has its own natural refrigeration system, due to the high altitude!

Some of the latest data supplied by the Union of Swiss Banks shows that income per head in Switzerland is now $13853 as compared with $13000 in Kuwait, $5542 in the United Kingdom, $1242 in South Korea and $1200 in Jamaica. So that it is obvious with this standard of living that there should be a wide demand for cold storage space.

According to the Schweizurisches Tiefkuhl Institut, the cold storage capacity in Switzerland is 700000 m 3, and assuming an average utilisation of 70% of that capacity, then the amount normally carried in store is 60963 t (60000 tons) of all types of goods.

The author is at Apartadooi 4.762, Madrid, Spain

In the event of a national emergency, it is stated that the total cold storage capacity could be raised to 20321 t (200000 tons) if all the national resources in this field could be utilised.

It is known that the consumption of frozen foods per head is 14 kg year ~ which when added to the ice creams consumed, brings this figure to some 30 kg year -1 per head. There is a large production of frozen foods in the form of wholesale size packets. Normally half, by value, of the products in the cold stores are this type of frozen food, often prepared.

Obviously Switzerland has to import her sea food. This amounts to a large quantity every year, because although commercial fishing is practised on the lakes to some extent, it is not sufficient to meet the high demand. As one expert stated, 'The Swiss are not overly concerned with the exact price of a product, but are far more interested in obtaining the best possible quality for their money, also having a really, reliable after service to call upon at whatever hour may be required'.

As 46% of Swiss territory is over 1200 m above sea level, it means that the extremes of temperature tend to be in the lower rather than the higher range, Thus in the higher areas, the average July temperature is 18°C, in the southern provinces of Tessin and Valais, the climate is Mediterranean in charact,er and in other parts, it can be colder. However, 48% of the Swiss have their own refrigerator, providing the outlet for the commercial, cold stores' products.

0140-7007/80/040235-04502.00 © 1980 IPC Business Press Ltd and IIR Volume 3 Num6ro 4 Juillet 1980 235