​When you visit a company called 'AirSource' in the heating and cooling industry, the immediate thought about what it does is heat pumps, as in air source heat pumps. Heat pumps are a big part of the solutions developed by AirSource, but the company works on a range of bespoke solutions to help its customers keep their employees comfortable.

AirSource operates in several sectors including schools, law courts and football stadiums, as well as office buildings. When Dave and his partners, Andrew and Alex Pinchbeck, started out in 2010, among them the team had a long history in the industry. Andrew focused on the engineering, Alex the sales and Dave managed the business, which matched their skills and experience. 

​Steve and Christina Taliadoros from LU-VE UK organised and sponsored the prize visit to this innovative manufacturer's heart on the outskirts of Milan, northern Italy. The group included winner, Joshua Lincoln from Adcock, and highly commended winners Peter Coupe from DD Cooling and Christopher Lake from JD Cooling Systems. Also, their employers came out, namely Stuart Dougal, Adcock and Dave Dobson, DD Cooling. Jacinta Caden from TECNAIR joined us too.

​Bitzer has invested around €7 million in its new training centre, which has a particular focus on new refrigerants. The new academy, on the outskirts of Rottenburg, is part of a brand new 3,500 sq m site, 1,500 sq m of which is the training centre. The academy sits next to the Bitzer compressor factory. Rottenburg is near Stuttgart, where Mercedes-Benz makes its cars. Engineering and manufacturing is built into the region's DNA.

 The Schaufler Academy building has underfloor heating and cooling, chilled beams, indoor air quality sensors, and heat recovery systems taking heat from condensing units. The infrastructure includes a 300,000 litre ice storage tank which stores latent energy, solar absorbers and a combined heat and power unit. 

Just over a year ago, I met Bradford-based Mansfield Pollard's Andrew Glen who had a recently started as the air movement solutions specialist's new sales and marketing director. I returned to see what had happened since first meeting him. 

It turns out that it has been quite a year for Mansfield Pollard, who design, build and install bespoke, air handling, kitchen ventilation, vibration and acoustic control solutions, Andrew told me. 

In fact, their kitchen ventilation business has almost doubled, they are “flat out” with air handling solution orders, and they are picking up new business from existing and new customers nicely.

What's changed? I asked. 

​With the recent news that industrial and commercial cooling experts EJM had bought Derby-based Cryotech, ACR Journal editor, Will Hawkins, spent some time with the company's top team, Matt Morton, Paul Cable and Ron Mearns to learn more about their business while shooting in the grounds of Ripley Castle.

Before Christmas, Matt Morton, chairman of EJM Engineered Systems announced that, after talks over a number of years with Cryotech majority shareholder, Ron Mearns, they had agreed terms for Matt to buy Cryotech’s business. The fit was natural. Both companies have extensive and varied experience in the refrigeration industry,  and each business needed to find a better way of growing their enterprises and serving their customers.

This month, Will Hawkins, went to see Jenny Boucher and Gary Hall at TQ Environmental, the leak detection experts in Wakefield, to learn about their history and their future.

TQ Environmental has been in business for 25 years designing, creating and installing its gas leak detection system onto ships, hotels, factories or retails stores. Anywhere, in fact, that uses systems containing refrigerants or other gases which could cause harm to humans or equipment if they leak and it went undetected. 

The business started out selling other company's products mainly into the marine sector. When customers starting asking them for solutions which didn't exist but were in demand, they started making their own products. The shipping sector tends to order five years ahead in US dollars which made for interesting challenges dealing with currency exchange changes. Furthermore, relying on the shipping industry entirely made the business vulnerable to downturns in the sector. 

Will Hawkins visits the air movement specialist,  Fläkt Woods, at its factory in Colchester to hear how the business is developing.

I met Ian Morehouse, the UK Managing Director, Operational Marketing Managers, James Griffiths and Andy Cardy who gave me a detailed insight into how they are adapting to a competitive market.

Fläkt Woods has been in Colchester since 1909 producing fans. It now turns over £66 million in the UK, with around 350 employees, and makes about 7,000 fans a month. The global business specialises in two market sectors, namely 'air comfort' and 'fire safety'. Their solutions go into all types of buildings including offices, factories, shops, schools, power plants and hospitals. One fact about Fläkt Woods is that about 85,000 buildings in the UK contains one of their fire safety or ventilation fans.

Perched on a hillside overlooking a landfill site and the city of Bradford are the office and factories of Mansfield Pollard, the bespoke air handling and refrigeration equipment manufacturer.

The company began in 1866 making ductwork for the woollen industry, of which Bradford was the world centre of that business for a time. In their reception area, there is a original sheet metal order from 1929 which reinforces the pedigree of the business when you arrive. 

Mansfield Pollard’soffice sits amongst the gritty landscape of the city, surrounded by a mix of homes,local football pitches and other industries.It is not glamorous but, who cares?  

As chiller manufacturer, Trane, begins its launch of five new commercial products into the European market, ACR Today editor, Will Hawkins, travelled to Charmes, site of the Trane’s factory in north-east France, to interview Jeff Moe, vice president of product management and marketing in Europe, Middle East and Africa, what is driving the developments.

​Trane has been a leader in chillers for a long time, making its first chiller in 1938. However, the company has been low-key in its marketing activity more recently, and admitted they had not run a press event for over 10 years to talk about new products and developments in the business.