The purpose of the new lift recently installed by Melinda in the Rio Maggiore mines where the famous underground units are located - i.e. the natural warehouses dedicated to the storage of apples - is efficient handling while further reducing environmental impact. This important innovation, which forms part of a larger project, was presented at Fruit Logistica.
To fully understand the project, we need to consider the underground units, which are used to store fruits in a dry and controlled environment employing less energy (approx. -30%) than traditional warehouses thanks to their low temperature and impermeability.
Over the years, Melinda worked to increase their capacity, which has gone from the initial 30 thousand tons to the current 40 thousand. New units had to be built a few dozen meters on top of the original ones, and that is why the elevator became necessary.
"The elevator transfers apples to the second floor along a 26 meter vertical gallery with an overall capacity of around 100 tons/hour," explains Fabrizio Conforti, manager of the underground site. "Without this solution, we would have to use trucks, so the elevator means we can avoid road transport and thus reduce emissions."
This objective is also why the "apple cable car" was set up, i.e. the Melinda project that was presented to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry last November. The plan entails the an automatic coupling monocable system with 11 pylons (6 of which in galleries) covering 1,300 meters and an elevation of 87 meters, capable of transporting 460 bins every hour at a speed of 5 meters/second. It will start from the Predaia processing facility and reach the first level of the underground units. Estimates believe that it will save around 6,000 of truck transfers, i.e. 12,000 km a year.
"The cable car is an original and innovative solutions that will make our territory proud," stated the Councilor for Agriculture of the Trento province Giulia Zanotelli. "Solutions of this kind are developed to improve efficiency as well as to reduce emissions and environmental impact and also represent a tourist attraction for domestic and international guests visiting our valleys."
"The cable car and interventions carried out within the Rio Maggiore mines involving the opening of new units and the installation of the elevator form part of our efforts towards environmental and economic sustainability, to the benefit of the territory and the entire chain. They will also enable us to increase our safety levels and the ease of management of produce, guaranteeing a dedicated access to the site. This way, we will be able to continue offering high-quality products while reducing their ecological footprint and containing costs and also further value the underground units, which will become one of the points of strength of the tourist offer as they open to visitors in the future," stressed Melinda President Ernesto Seppi.
For further information www.melinda.it