WITH the dark clouds of recession hanging over the air conditioning industry, customers have become hard to find and suppliers are said to be witnessing a downturn in sales of around 20% this year.
This is despite the fact that, in theory, more business should be being created by companies needing to replace old R22 equipment. The fact that it isn't suggests that end-users are persevering with old equipment rather than replacing which would account for the increase in spare parts sales being experienced by specialist distributor Heronhill.
'People are definitely repairing rather than replacing,' says Heronhill md Nigel Manning. 'We sold more spares in February this year than last year's traditional peak in June and July.'
This is welcome business for the Somerset-based company in these generally depressed times as spare part sales account for around a third of its business.
Heronhill is a specialist stockist and supplier of spares for a number of well-known brands including Toshiba and Marstair. 'We have spares that you can't get anywhere else,' boasts Nigel Manning, proud of his extensive stocks of spares that he has accumulated for long forgotten units.
'We have some parts, particularly Marstair, which is for equipment 20-30 years old,' he revealed. Manufacturers and distributors under estimate how important spares are. We frequently get equipment sales off the back of a repair.'
Some spares are made to order so that Heronhill can maintain its high level of customer service.
Major part
Nigel Manning's involvement with air conditioning dates back to the early 1970s and his family's contracting business, Barnet Refrigeration. He spent five years with the Carrier distributor Weathermaker and a further 17 years as a director of distributor BRD and then HRP before leaving to form Heronhill in 1997.
Spare parts have always been a major part of Heronhill's business, starting off with spares for IMI Marstair, Airking, Cellarking, Deltaclima/Calder, CD3 series and Myson-Qualitair. The company later added spares for Swiss humidifier manufacturer Nordmann and last year was appointed by Toshiba as a specialist spare parts distributor.
It is in area away from spares, through its involvement in niche applications, especially in low temperature ac, where Heronhill's reputation is growing. This involvement comes through its additional role as a specialist equipment supplier, selling Marstair, Carrier, Quartz chilled water products, Cellarking cellar coolers/low temperature cassettes and CD3 close control systems.
With a diverse portfolio of products to choose from, Heronhill claims to be able to offer an 'ac solution for a refrigeration problem'.
Amongst these are the use of air conditioning to chill a wine storage cabinet and to provide the right environment for frog breeding. Another growing area for low temperature ac is in hospital bereavement suites.
Wine cooler
A Marstair DXD ducted air handler was twinned with a condensing unit sized to suit such a low temperature application, together with a Nordmann DC3000/222 humidifier, were used to provide the right temperature and humidity for the wine cellar of a house in Mayfair.
The client was concerned not to have a whole line of noisy, ill-fitting, glass cabinet, wine display units, demanding a bespoke system to maintain his wine at the appropriate temperature and humidity.
So impressed was the client that he has since had a larger version installed at his wine cellar in his Oxfordshire manor house. The equipment was selected by Heronhill on behalf of installer Puma Building Services.
Froggy went a-courting
There is no expense spared when it comes to ensuring a comfortable sex life for rare frogs it would seem. Heronhill was recently called in by Jersey based contractor, IS Air Conditioning, to advise on low temperature air conditioning for Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. They needed to achieve 28ºC in the daytime and 6ºC at night in two areas for their endangered breeding programme for rare frogs and toads. This was to simulate the conditions in their native habitat - as far away as Vietnam and Madagascar.
Heronhill achieved this by using modified Marstair equipment and a control panel for each system which had two time clocks with a time lag in between the day and night temperatures so that the room could cool down or heat up to the required temperature over a specified period.
Such has been the success of the system that they are looking at involvement in similar projects in zoos in Bristol and Frankfurt.
'We are very focused on service,' says Nigel Manning. 'Our friendly and efficient staff are supported by sophisticated computerised stock control and reliable deliveries.'
Heronhill
01823 665660