AIR CONDITIONING
With the emergence of R32-based VRF, for example, there is a whole host of legislation and standards to consider, and we have put in place structured training to ensure regulatory compliance and safety for all concerned. This was first rolled out internally to staff, which now enables us to support customers with design, selection and application on site. Unlike R410A, R32 has very strict requirements on leak detection, to comply with IEC60335- 2-40 and EN378. It isn’t as simple as selecting equipment against a heat load: we need to take into account room volume and refrigerant charge to give clear guidance to the client. With the help of Toshiba, we are keeping ahead of the curve on this and made sure our staff are fully up-to-speed to support customers.
And training for staff? What’s your approach? All staff are encouraged to join customer training sessions, and we host internal staff training on products and external services to help them appreciate the wider implications of our products in terms of buildings, logistics and the environment. We are currently supporting two staff members
through college, and employ external agencies for additional staff training.
How have staff numbers grown over the years, and what do you look for when recruiting? Our initial small team of six has expanded to 42 employees, and – happily – all the founders are still with us. From the beginning, we decided that all new staff must have engineering knowledge. We didn’t want to become just a sales company, but have the deep knowledge required among the whole team to understand and support customers in the challenges they face. This has been a key to our success.
Regarding products, how important are the brands you supply in your journey? They have been – and continue to be – paramount. We have been lucky to be associated with such outstanding manufacturers as Toshiba and Fujitsu, and more recently Carrier and CIAT. Our original core offering of splits and VRF has grown significantly in recent years to include larger applied equipment, such as chillers, heat pumps and air handling units, with the addition of the Carrier and CIAT brands. This has opened up new areas and helped us grow. We have great relationships with our suppliers, and work hand-in-glove to make sure we can support our customers. The whole industry has experienced supply challenges in recent times, and being close to both suppliers and customers
Chris Oldroyd training installers on the requirements for R-32 system design.
enables us to keep information flowing so people can make informed decisions. We manage this on a daily and, indeed, hour-by-hour basis, so everyone has visibility and can plan ahead.
The decarbonisation project by AbbeyMAT school Trust in North Yorkshire is using CDL-supplied CIAT heat pumps.
Bank House, Newcastle: CDL supplied the Toshiba VRF system for this major new-build project.
CDL’s Warrington branch logistics team.
Where do you see growth coming from in future?
You have staked out a reputation as being something of an environmental champion over the years. Was this a conscious decision? A guiding light has been to grow responsibly. We have expanded significantly, but it was never 'growth at all costs'. At each step, we have taken time to consider how our actions impacted the local area, and the opportunities and costs for everyone involved. Critically, this includes the impact of our business on the environment. We are proud that, before it became fashionable to support the 'green agenda' and legislation was introduced, CDL was the first distributor to put measures in place to prevent sales of air conditioning to companies not qualified to handle refrigerants. We are also proud that CDL was the first UK supplier to become a certified carbon neutral company. This was a major challenge and achieved in 2011, several years before other suppliers embarked on this journey.
Download the ACR News app today
In addition to further developing of our core DX and applied offer, heat pumps are obviously a major growth area for the industry, and we see great potential for the future. This is a particular focus for us, and we are gearing up the business to support the drive towards decarbonisation. We are currently supporting some major heat pump projects and there are more in the pipeline for this year.
For example, the pioneering decarbonisation
project by AbbeyMAT school Trust in North Yorkshire is using CDL-supplied CIAT heat pumps to help reduce carbon emissions by more than 9,000 tonnes over the lifetime of the scheme, saving £84,000 a year in energy costs. We worked closely with the consultant and schools from the get-go. It’s a great illustration of what collaboration and a team approach can achieve, and a superb example of how heat pumps can deliver when applied with skill and knowledge.
www.acr-news.com • February 2023 19
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
