The New President Of Ingersoll Rand Climate Control - Thermo King

Thermo King hits the right note with
the Welsh National Opera
When it comes to normal operation,
the Welsh National Opera usually has no
need for temperature controlled vehicles.
However, for some time now, the Company
has felt that if its orchestra trailer could
provide a temperature controlled environment
this would better preserve instruments and
equipment whilst on tour. This is particularly
important when travelling through the more
extreme environmental conditions abroad,
and when overnight storage is required and
temperature fluctuations become an issue.
The Company has now addressed this problem
by taking delivery of a 4 metre, low-line, 45'
insulated semi-trailer fitted with a Thermo
King Sterling temperature controlled unit.
WNO purchased the Sterling unit from
Marshall Thermo King with the help of
salesman Steve McCue.
Alan Parr, WNO's Technical Administrator, says:
“We chose Thermo King because of the
respected, legendary quality and reliability of
their products demonstrated with thousands of
Q2 2006 APRIL
units working under and within extreme
conditions, year-in, year-out. Maintenance
requirements are straightforward, and fairly
minimal, and WNO will include this aspect as
part of the planned preventative maintenance
scheme it operates for its vehicle fleet.”
He continues to add “Anything designed and
constructed by man necessarily exists with the
potential for failure. Thermo King has both a
national and international back-up/breakdown/
emergency service which gives particular comfort
should the worst scenario occur.”
The Thermo King Sterling, available only in the
UK, boasts a superior airflow, with specially
designed fans circulating the air without
restriction. When the doors are closed,
this provides an air velocity far better than
competitors can offer and it ensures an
exceptional cooling performance with
temperature variance throughout the load
kept to an absolute minimum.
The Sterling is up to thirteen percent more
efficient than its closest rival which translates
into significant fuel savings. It is also up to
160kg lighter than its nearest rival which means
less wear and tear on the tractor or trailer, and
again leads to cost savings through reduced fuel
consumption and, of course, better payloads.
Welsh National Opera is the national opera
company for Wales.
It tours extensively throughout Wales and is the
largest provider of opera to regional England.
WNO presents over 110 main scale opera
performances annually, performing to almost
140,000 people in some of the most densely
populated urban areas in Britain, serving major
cities such as Liverpool, Birmingham,
Southampton, Oxford and Bristol.
In December 2004, WNO moved into its first
home theatre, the new Wales Millennium Centre
in Cardiff Bay. The move has given the company
a firmer base from which to tour throughout the
UK and internationally.
Apart from its small commercial vehicles, WNO
has a heavy truck fleet comprising 14 trailers.
On top of this, the Company hires in or subcontracts
where necessary, depending on the
particular requirements of any given tour.