Cape Town, South Africa —The Global Cold Chain Alliance’s South Africa regional office has successfully hosted a Virtual Cold Store Operations Short Course, 24-26 August 2020 with 36 students participating from South Africa, Ghana, Namibia, Kenya, Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

“The short course definitely added value and will add value to any company sending their employees to attend. I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction and group discussions. It was a well-organized, well presented training program with modules covering a wide variety of key industry topics and practical thoughts to help save money and improve operations,” says Jaco Ollewagen, Technical Manager of CCS Logistics.

Instructors and Subjects Taught Include:

• Brian Beazer, CEO, WCS Logistics & WFLO Chairman, United States – Introduction to Cold Store Operations
• Verona Ramsook, Group Food Safety Manager, Etlin International, South Africa – Food Safety/HACCP
• Professor Michael Jahncke, Chairman of the GCCA Scientific Advisory Council, United States – Food Handling & Temperature Management
• Colin Barker, Compliance Manager at Table Bay Cold Storage, South Africa – Regulatory Procedures
• Mesuli Mdluli, Maintenance Manager, CCS Logistics, South Africa – Energy Management
• Don Schoenl, President, Agile Cold Storage, United States – Innovations & Best Practices in Cold Storage Technology
• James Eason, GCCA Cold Chain Technical Advisor, Kenya – Promoting a Culture of Safety
• Paul Gibbons, Customer Director of Vector Logistics, South Africa – Customer Service 

The short course was a great success and provided information for both professional and personal development. The interaction and participation showed that students are eager to learn more on the specific topic of Cold Storage. “This is my passion, to help grow and strengthen the cold chain by providing training that strengthens and improves operations of our members,” says Lizelle van der Berg, Director of Global Cold Chain Alliance, South Africa.

Feedback from students shows how valuable the Short Course was to them. Some of the feedback included: “It gives you practical, relevant examples and information that you can actually use and implement immediately n your business”, “Efficient delivery and enlightening discussions”, “Very beneficial to all candidate from all levels of your business. A very informative and intriguing course” and “It was an exciting and fun short course and most of all very helpful. You get to interact with people from all around the world”.  

About the Global Cold Chain Alliance and GCCA South Africa

Comprised of its Core Partners, including the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW), the World Food Logistics Organization (WFLO), the International Refrigerated Transportation Association (IRTA), and the Controlled Environment Building Association (CEBA), the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) represents all major industries engaged in temperature-controlled logistics. GCCA unites all partners to be innovative leaders in the temperature-controlled products industry. GCCA works throughout Africa to strengthen the cold chain and maintain product integrity and quality between rural areas and more populous cities. Member services in the region range from post-harvest technical assistance to international connections for companies involved in the importing and exporting of temperature-controlled products. Visit www.gcca.org for more information.

South Africa Regional Director: Lizelle van der Berg. +27 72 225 9820 or Lvanderberg@gcca.org.
Media Contact: Marjorie Morgan, Manager, Marketing & Communications. +1 (703) 373-4300 or mmorgan@gcca.org.