The acquisition allows Airedale to extend its product portfolio to include a range of air handling units which offer data centres, offices and industrial facilities a highly energy-efficient cooling system which uses indirect fresh air as the primary cooling medium. Work is already underway, with production launch of the new AireFlow range set for this Spring.

Barkell, which has been based in the North East of England since 1981, has established a reputation for high quality products and services which has seen it acquire leading market share within this segment in the UK.

“Acquiring Barkell helps us expand both our product line and our sales channel in the UK,” said Matt McBurney, Modine’s Vice President, Commercial Products Group. “In addition, this acquisition will help us build on Modine’s success in the growing data centre air conditioning market by providing innovative solutions, including adiabatic cooling.”

“Everyone at Modine is excited about the opportunities Barkell and Airedale can bring to each other,” said Clive Parkman, Airedale Managing Director. “We have been working together for a number of years and are pleased we have moved forward with this next step. With a focus on the air handling market, Barkell offers Airedale – and thus Modine – an excellent opportunity to expand both our product and service solutions to new and current customers.”

Airedale has 40 years’ experience of designing and integrating business-critical cooling solutions from precision air conditioning and IT cooling systems to chillers, condensers and dry coolers. The business has manufacturing bases in three continents and customers in over 60 countries and has recently established offices in Moscow and Dubai where a local presence is seen as key to developing business in the regions.