At Aircon Group, we are extremely proud to announce that we have been shortlisted for the Chamber Business Awards 2022 for the category ‘Small business of the year’.
Having been trading for over 50 years, it’s safe to say that we have had many achievements over this time and it’s all down to our hardworking team of professionals who are dedicated to their roles and passionate about what they do.
Aircon Group originally started as Aircon Refrigeration but took the decision in 2018 to become a one-stop shop for all things HVAC and refrigeration.
Therefore, the decision was made to change the name to Aircon Group and introduce a heating department. The Managing Director has always been open to growth and development of the business and because of this we have been able to retain many staff for in excess of 10 years, all of which are valued by the wider team.
There is one particular achievement that stands out to us all at Aircon Group as a unanimous vote, which is one of the main reasons why we have been nominated for this incredible award.
Our Ascension Island project for Interserve Defence in 2018 has been by far the biggest achievement to date.
Aircon Group won the opportunity to build a Refrigerated Ration Store on the Ascension Islands. This project tested everyone but also brought everyone together to become a much stronger team.
One forty-foot container, six twenty-foot containers, and seven Reefers (refrigerated containers) had to be transported by ship to the island, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Travelling to and transporting goods by plane was not an option because only one flight landed every three months due to the runway being unusable at the time.
As a company we don’t usually get involved with logistics but members of our team were assigned this task, which included everything from the containers to the tools, employees, IT equipment, a wealth of parts, and refrigerant gases had to be accounted for.
The Ascension Islands don’t have a port like we are used to in the UK, so specialist services need to be drafted in to get the kit ashore. After a three-week journey, the team of nine endured 30-degree heat, worked from plans that had been devised beforehand in the UK, and considering no one had been able to carry out a usual site visit, they just got to work.
Ron Agar, Health and Safety Manager, had to ensure that the team were briefed properly, attended regular toolbox talk training, and all possible circumstances were accounted for.
The build of the Ration Store had to be completed on schedule due to a plan landing in three weeks time to lift the team off the Island and transport them to Florida so they could make their way home.
Our team worked tirelessly enduring long days in the heat with some putting in night shifts and anyone with any spare time helped the staff on the island.
The Ascension Island project has been one of the most successful, most profitable projects to date and the Aircon Group also received excellent feedback from Interserve Defence.
The development of AirSafe during the pandemic has also been a huge achievement and one that we are very proud of. Office-based employees and engineers have embraced this fantastic new product and adapted to the changes in maintenance procedures.
Our Sales and Contract Team have also designed and installed air conditioning and refrigeration for some very prestigious national and local brands including Wensleydale Cheese, PD Ports, well-known supermarkets, and global hotel chains.
Increasing the lifespan of food goods is very important to reduce food waste and staying ahead of refrigeration knowledge has been key to designing some of the most successful refrigeration systems to ensure that food manufacturing is sustainable.
James Farrell earned recognition as a Fellow of the Institute of Refrigeration for his achievements, following in his father’s footsteps, Managing Director Steve Farrell.
Locally we have also secured tenders for multiple contract periods with Redcar and Cleveland Council, Teesside University and Teesside International Airport.
Every single member of our team deserves this award as they have worked throughout the pandemic, provided excellent quality service, and embraced every HVAC and Refrigeration challenge put to them.
We are honoured to have been nominated for this award and we are really looking forward to Chamber Business Awards Dinner on Thursday 14th July at Sage Gateshead.
