The Australian Defence Force has finalised training on its new refrigerated container systems from Klinge Corporation.
The final part of the $US10 million contract was completed last year at the end of two training courses that introduced into service 185 new 20-foot and 10-foot units to the
ADF’s cook/operators and maintainers.
A total of 23 members from the Australia Army Catering Corps and one member of the Royal Australian Air Force attended the operators’ training course at Bonegilla, just outside of Wodonga, Victoria. Klinge production and service supervisor, Tony Strine, led the training with the assistance of senior project manager, Allan Klinge.
All 24 trainees were assessed on their ability to complete a system start-up and shut-down and received instruction in basic operator maintenance such as oil and air filter changes, refueling and equipment inspection. Lastly, each trainee underwent a written assessment which tested their knowledge of the Klinge refrigerated container systems.
Given that the outdated refrigeration equip-ment dated back to the 1960s, the operators were excited about the new equipment. “The Australian Defence Force and Klinge Corp have worked hard and long together to ensure these systems could be understood and serviced by the operators in a simple and straightforward way in order to ensure minimal downtime during critical combat operations,” Klinge says. “I think the training proves this was a very successful cooperation.”
Fourteen technicians undertook system maintenance training and got their hands dirty learning how to put the units to work and servicing the on-board generator sets, Strine says.
“They are well-versed in both refrigeration and power generation, so this was really
only about them getting to know our product and how the components have been integrated,” he says. “Based on what we have seen during training and the work that has been done on the technical documentation beforehand, we are confident this equipment will be in good hands.”
Options for purchase of further quantities of this equipment extend through 2013.
The training led by Klinge Corporation represents the culmination of a long process which included a detailed design review, critical design review, stringent military acceptance testing, a provisioning preparedness review, a production readiness review and a training review; all of which had to be completed prior to allowing the refrigerated container systems to be distributed to their respective locations around the country.
Founded in 1984, Klinge is a spin-off from York International. The company’s customised designs offer commercial and military customers robust alternatives to standard, mass-produced refrigerated containers which often cannot meet the requirements of harsh environments or stringent testing.
Klinge Corporation also manufactures dual refrigerated containers, explosion-proof refrigerated containers, refrigerated tank containers, ultra-low temperature units, quick thaw units, integral and external generator sets and collapsible food storage bins.