Category Archives: Refrigeration

The Energy Event

The energy event is coming closer and closer! It is being held on the 11th and 12th of September at the NEC in Birmingham.

The organisers are claiming that the event will help organisations with managing their energy usage as the pressures are growing on businesses to be more environmentally friendly.

Those who are attending the event will hear in depth talks from a variety of companies and learn first-hand knowledge how companies reduced their energy bill. EcoCooling are a global supplier of evaporative coolers and they helped Net-A-Porter.com save there refrigeration costs by 90 per cent within their warehouses.

As well as EcoCooling, all major energy companies will have a stand on the show floor to answer any questions.

There will be four theatres holding many conferences including information on the latest technologies, case studies and concepts. Within the sessions there will be solutions based on energy management, energy efficiency and even types of products and services to use.

Belimo will also have a stand at the show. They are leading worldwide when it comes to actuator and valve technology for heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. They will be offering their products and they have a great reputation for value for money. Their valve measures, controls and balances systems so this means that the systems that it is used within can be optimised and therefore will improve energy efficiency. This in turn will also lower the costs of operating the systems.

IceBlue Refrigeration Offshore Celebrates a Successful First Year

The newest company to the Ferguson Group, IceBlue Refrigeration Offshore is celebrating their first successful year in business.

The business was launched in June 2011 as a result of the growing demand for offshore refrigeration and freezing containers for storing and transporting food. After a very successful first year there are already plans to expand the product range at the end of this year.

The Chairman and CEO of the Ferguson Group, Steven Ferguson has said, “It has been a successful first year for IceBlue Refrigeration, with its fleet increasing substantially in the first 12 months. I am delighted that plans are in place to grow the fleet even further over the coming year. Having stock based at each of our international bases is critical towards ensuring that IceBlue Refrigeration Offshore is well placed to mobilise its fleet as quickly as its customers require the.”

Over the course of the last month there have been new containers sent to Singapore, Trinidad, the Middle East and Ghana. They are currently working on products that are specifically targeted for the Australian and New Zealand markets. The Norway base is the busiest as they supply refrigeration containers to the North Sea clients.

The Ferguson Group employs over 170 people across the world and is based in Aberdeenshire.

It’s great news to hear that a company in our industry is doing well, especially with most of us feeling the pinch in these hard economic times.

Owner of City Refrigeration Holdings to be Knighted

Willie Haughey, started a refrigeration company with his wife, Susan back in 1985. They started off with just four employees and now they have 11,000 and they are global giants. He has now found out that he is being knighted for business and philanthropy services.

He built City Refrigeration Holdings into a hugely successful business and he has also started the City Charitable Trust. Since he has set up the Charity it has donated more than £5 million most of which has been donated to local charities.

Mr Haughey said, 2Obviously I feel very honoured but I also feel privileged, humbled and overwhelmed, I was absolutely thrilled to receive the letter. It’s amazing, you never expect for a minute it could happen to you and when it does it’s a shock.”

Mr Haughey was born in Glasgow and moved the headquarters of his company to where his childhood home once was.

Hopefully the weather will pick up soon and we can all enjoy the weather and turn our air conditioning back on. Remember to have you unit checked to ensure it is working properly.

Food Retailers Benefit from Cold Weather as Sales Increase

The annual growth of food sales increased by 2.3% in February as consumers began stocking up on food in the cold weather. The latest report from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) state sales picked up after negative growth in January.

As the temperature shows no sign of getting warmer, people have been driven to buy increased amounts of cupboard foods such as tinned goods, pasta and soups. Winter vegetables, frozen goods and comfort foods have also been popular, such as pies, pizzas and puddings.

With this boost in consumer spending, food retailers have the increased pressure of ensuring they have a consistent supply of these popular goods. Just as important, is the requirement for the frozen and refrigerated produce to remain fresh and stored at the right temperature. Therefore it is important for all retailers, ranging from large nationwide companies to small local shops, to maintain their refrigeration equipment. In order to benefit from this increase in demand, the products provided need to meet consumer expectations as well as health and safety standards.

Eventually when the weather changes with the seasons to summer, demand for chilled foods and frozen desserts is likely to increase. Once again, the need for top quality refrigeration equipment will arise. It is recommended that providers of this specialist equipment pay attention to the weather and stay alert to the changing demands food retailers experience, as they will require refrigeration services on an regular basis.

Scottish Hospitals Helped by Glasgow Refrigeration Company to Meet Demand

ClydeInverclyde Royal Hospital (IRH) and Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH) has had state of the art refrigeration facilities at the Greenock and Paisley premises by ACE Refrigeration, to help cope with the increased catering demands.

ACE Refrigeration has provided the IRH and RAH with a cooking and freeze production facility, working directly with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and BAM Construction.

The new facilities enable the catering teams at IRH and RAH to produce in excess of 4,000 meals per day and meet patients’ catering need for the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area. The brand new state of the art sites have helped GGC centralise its production, saving money, reaping large economies of scale and increasing the consistency and quality of the food created.

The Paisley equipment includes seven chill rooms, four rolling blast freezers, seven freezer rooms and three chilled production rooms and the facilities have a combined floor space of 1200 cubic metres.

Both of the jobs were finished on time.

Sales director of ACE Refrigeration, Shane McKenzie said, “When we were asked to undertake the work, we knew that it was going to be a big job.”

“In order to produce more than 4,000 meals a day, facilities like Inverclyde Royal Hospital and Royal Alexandra Hospital require robust refrigeration equipment because a hospital never sleeps.”

“Staff, patients, visitors you name it, they need looked after, which is why it was crucial for us to finish both jobs on time.”

“We had to import the blast freezers from Italy. The blast freezer we needed had to be able to produce 500 kilograms of frozen produce on two trolleys per hour, which not a lot of other manufacturers could match up to. The Italian equipment meant that we got the best value for money and production efficiency for the sites.”

The company used custom manufactured equipment to suit the unique requirements of IRH and RAH, for example the three specially manufactured compressor packs installed in the Greenock’s site basement, the design of which makes sure there is a maximum possible decrease in power usage.

Facilities Manager, David Macdonald at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said, “The experience brought by ACE Refrigeration was invaluable to the design of the facilities and they met our exact needs.

“They really are the specialists in the area and worked closely with us throughout the entire build to ensure we got what we wanted.”

The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Show 2012

It has been announced that top industry specialists will give their opinions on the future of air conditioning, cooling technology and important business issues at this year’s Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Show (ACR) 2012, which will be held at the NEC Birmingham between 13th -15th March.

The exhibition is the only national showcase for networking, innovation and knowledge transfer for the business.

The seminar programme will focus on key issues facing the industry, including training needs, changing legislations, new business opportunities and the latest technology solutions available.

Expert speakers will give insightful updates to allow businesses who rely on air conditioning and refrigeration equipment to run more profitably and effectively, while making sure they are falling in line with the most up to date legalisations.

The show will feature the latest products from over 100 top companies from the UK and abroad.
A few of the companies that have registered to attend include, Tesco, DHL, Boots, British Gas, Gatwick airport and John Lewis partnership.

The event is being sponsored by six big name companies including Climate Center, the Business Intelligence Theatre, LG, Panasonic, Mitsubishi and Gram and Hoshizaki.

The show’s sales manager says, “With a top-notch seminar programme addressing the industry’s burning issues, a comprehensive exhibitor list, and hands-on access to the latest design trends and
technology, the show is set to be a must-attend event for everyone whose livelihoods
depend on cooling, air conditioning or heat pumps,”

The sessions are free for visitors attending the show, but places are offered on a first com first served basis.
Will you be attending this year’s Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Show?

Summer makes motorists angry on the roads

We may not have had much of a summer in Britain this year but when we have had hot weather, everyone is cheery and happier. However, new research by Kia Motors shows that it somehow affects our driving skills.

The research shows that during the summer, over a third have had an accident whilst nearly 1 in 10 speed when the heat rises. With this report, it could be safer that we don’t get much hot weather in Britain!

The most common reason why motorists drive badly when the sun is shining is because they get too flustered and hot. 14% of drivers own up to driving worse in the heat and have had their anger levels rise as the heat does, as well as get a short temper when more cars are on the road.

Nearly half of UK motorists get distracted by other bad drivers on the roads during the summer months, according to the report. Another distraction for 1 in 5 people is singing along to music!

Communications director at Kia Motors UK, Steve Kitson, says, “Whilst the summer sun is guaranteed to life the mood of the natin it is clear that Brit’s can’t take the heat.”

Kitson explains that “Although hot weather in the UK is often rare, it has the effect of getting drivers flustered as there are more distractions on the road. Kia urges all drivers to show care and diligence at all times no matter what the weather or in fact whatever day of the week.”

24% of motorists confess to being distracted if they see an attractive person walking along, so it’s not just the excitement of speeding in the sunshine that makes people drive badly.

According to the report, 85% of the nation has experienced one or more accidents on the road in their lifetime and the average UK driver is distracted 1.84 each day.

The average bill is £635 to repair a car after damage caused in an accident and there’s also an increase of the driver’s next motor insurance quote premiums to think about, so getting behind the wheel and getting hot and bothered is the cost of an impact.

Make sure that you remember to turn up your cheap air con units or wind down the windows to keep cool, to avoid getting angry in the driving seat!

Don’t sweat!

Everyone knows that the weather in England can be unpredictable. At the end of April we experienced one of the hottest days of the year so far and it was also the hottest April day recorded since 1949! However, we have also witnessed thunder and lightning making it smoggy outside. It’s that time of year when we can’t decide whether we are hot or cold and just generally feel bothered and uncomfortable. Some of us may store a fan at home but there might be a wrestle for who gets to use it. Furthermore, having fans around is always a safety issue if you have kids. It could be time for you to think about getting air conditioning fitted in your house.

Most people think that air conditioning is just the cooling of the air, but it can also heat and clean the air making the home more comfortable to live in. Therefore, air conditioning is a year round solution. Nowadays, it’s not seen as a luxury having air conditioning – it’s a comfort, making your life as stress free as possible.

If you are thinking of getting air conditioning, make sure you do plenty of research first as there are different units and designs to suit specific requirements. You should take into consideration the effectiveness, energy consumption, technology, affordability and design. GT Solutions can offer a range of different air conditioning equipment including cassette, wall mounted, ducted, floor to ceiling, floor standing and multi split ranges available at competitive prices.