Visible from the windows of planes approaching O.R. Tambo International Airport from the north is what is likely the largest roof in the southern hemisphere. 279 meters wide and 411 meters long, it spans the main hall of the distribution center, which was completed in 2023 in the Eastport Logistics Park on the outskirts of Johannesburg. If you add up all the sections of the building, the mega structure covers an area of 165,000 square meters.
For fans of South Africa’s national sport, that’s enough space for 16 rugby pitches. However, the elegantly curved roof conceals merchandise for the Pick n Pay supermarket chain, which is stored and distributed to stores from here. Founded in 1966, the company operates a total of 2,204 stores in eight African countries and employs 90,000 people. To ensure that the food doesn’t spoil and customers only receive fresh products, a 46,000 square meter area of the distribution center is refrigerated. The area is divided into two climate zones. One zone has a constant temperature of 14 degrees Celsius, the other is at 2 degrees Celsius. It is important that the temperature is constant and evenly distributed throughout.
Large area, big challenge
Total surface area:
165.000 m2
Actual cooling area:
46.000 m2
Engineering achievement from South Africa
AMC Engineers was commissioned to design the cooling system. The engineering firm from Cape Town specializes in cooling systems for food processing companies and is very familiar with the very high hygiene standards and requirements that apply with regard to fresh air, filtration, humidity and temperature. Reflecting on the project’s scale, Andrew Minnaar, the director at AMC responsible for the project, says: “The cooling principle itself is nothing new for us, but what was special were the huge dimensions of the facility.”
AMC was not only entrusted with the design of the system, but was also responsible for selecting the manufacturer and suppliers. For Minnaar, it was clear early on that EC fans should be used in the refrigerated blower coils. “The cooling runs day and night, so low energy consumption is crucial.”


ebm-papst in refrigeration technology
With its wide range of products, ebm-papst offers the ideal solution for every performance range and every refrigeration application.
Leading the pack in cooling technology
So Minnaar turned to Francois Schoombie, Technical Manager, and Stephen Friedmann, Sales Director at ebm-papst South Africa who often handled applications like this – albeit on a smaller scale. They quickly realized that AxiCool fans could be the right solution: “Our engineers developed these specifically for cooling in the food sector. The surfaces are designed to prevent dirt from settling on them so that hygiene standards can be maintained.”
The low noise level is an additional plus point, as one of the requirements was that employees should still be able to talk while the system was running. Since the cooling units are attached to the ceiling, weight was also a key criterion. This is another area where AxiCool scores highly thanks to its plastic construction and the associated low weight. But the clinching factor was the fans’ air throw because the dimensions of the hall meant that very long distances had to be covered.
“Originally, we planned three rows of blower coil units each, mounted evenly on the ceiling across the entire width of the hall. But as the AxiCool fans are so powerful, two rows were sufficient. Of course, this also meant that we saved on cable runs and a whole lot of cable,” says Minnaar. Thanks to integrated guide vanes, the ebm-papst fans can easily cover a distance of 43 to 45 meters. A total of 86 cooling units were installed on the ceiling, each with four AxiCool fans – making 344 fans altogether.
Easy installation and monitoring

HC Heat Exchangers built the systems itself, based on the appropriate refrigerant combinations and selections by AMC, glycol, as an environmentally friendly secondary refrigerant was selected for various reasons. HC, the leading provider of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration solutions in Africa has also been working with ebm-papst for many years. Gert van Rooyen, Lead Applications Engineer at HC, explains: “We really like the products. We are always looking to make things better and more efficient, because that is part of what we want to be as a company: solving problems for the future, not just for the present.” Besides efficiency, the manufacturer particularly appreciates the built-in MODBUS communications interfaces combined with the EC motors, which make it possible to conveniently monitor every single fan and control it as required.
“With such a large number of fans, it’s not immediately obvious if one is faulty. Especially when they are hanging at a height of up to 18 meters and are difficult to reach. It’s a big advantage if you can monitor their status in real time on a computer,” says Van Rooyen. Minnaar from AMC is also happy with the overall result: “The end customer is very satisfied with the system and the system works reliably.”
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