FSW, the specialist nationwide air conditioning distributor, has opened a new purpose-built, 6,000sq ft branch in Hull.

An open day was held to mark the event, which was well attended by customers, and there was an exhibition by manufacturers.

The new branch, which features a large warehouse, a much expanded trade counter, offices and staff facilities, is heated and cooled by four Fujitsu outdoor units, serving two 5kW cassettes in the office/trade counter area and two 2.5kW Fujitsu wall-mounts for the canteen and utility rooms. All the units are connected using Reflok aluminium piping.

The previous Hull branch was opened in 1997 by NRW as a 1,200sq ft warehouse, but it soon needed to double its size by expanding into the adjacent unit.

Regional director Paul Fisher said: 'When the branch became part of FSW it was obvious we needed bigger premises. When land became available nearby, we decided to acquire it and build a unit to our own specifications.'

'At the old site we were very restricted in the amount of stock we could hold and the ancillaries we could offer. Here we have a large one-stop-shop facility, so engineers don't have to spend time shopping around for tools and materials.'

The new trade counter sells a wide range of pipes, tool boxes, tools, ladders and many more ancillaries.

Mr Fisher said: 'Historically we have sold Fujitsu for more than 20 years. It is a very popular brand. We call it the fit and forget range, because it is so reliable.

'That was one of the reasons we chose Fujitsu for this installation, the other is to have working units that we can show to our own customers.'

The companies supporting the FSW open day included Fujitsu, Beacon Engineering, Yellow Jacket, DiversiTech, Pump House, J&E Hall, Searle, Advanced Engineering, Mitsubishi Electric and Sauermann.