Leader Perspectives: Creating Customer Value and a Sustainable Future through Electrification

‘Restoring our Earth’ is the theme of Earth Day 2021, offering the perfect opportunity to reflect on the many ways we all can make a difference to ensure that our world is a safe, healthy, and sustainable environment for future generations. Here at Thermo King, this is an everyday challenge that we boldly embrace – and electrification is a driving force.

Building on our decades of industry expertise, we are innovating our product portfolios with smart, sustainable temperature-control solutions for the cold chain and transport industries through electrification. Our focus: to create value for our customers while helping to achieve our collective sustainability commitments.

Thermo King’s investments in an electrified portfolio began more than 10 years ago when we introduced electric technologies into our marine, bus and truck product lines. We continue to expand our electrified portfolio with new solutions including auxiliary power units, trailer products, portable containers, and more. In fact, 2021 marks our biggest investment year yet and builds on prior actions that will result in avoidance of 2.3M metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) from engine emissions. Our goal is to have launched electrified technology in each segment of our end-to-end cold chain solutions by 2030. As the adoption rate of our electrified and low emissions products increases, we could avoid up to 6M+ metric tons of CO2e annually – now that’s impactful!

To successfully create sustainable change that advances technology while providing value, we must stay connected to the voice of our customers and to fellow leaders in relevant spaces. We do this in many ways. Examples include launching a Truck Fleet Online Community, our very own customer council designed to listen and understand how electrification plays in their operations. We also consult with regulatory agencies and electric vehicle OEMS to test and further develop our collective technologies.

We are committed to advancing low and zero-emissions technology for a better world. I could not be prouder of our amazing Thermo King team who work passionately each day to ensure that our innovations continue to provide value to our customers, the industry, and our earth.  

Karin De Bondt is president of Thermo King Americas, a strategic brand of global climate innovator Trane Technologies.