Spotlight


www.heatingandventilating.net The VIP treatment Who is Valves Instruments Plus?


We started off in 1985 selling both valves and instruments plus associated pipeline products into the HVAC sector like most merchants representing branded manufacturers’ commodity items. Over the years we have evolved by helping promote new products. Now, as well as representing major brands, we have introduced our own VIP branded products under the slogan ‘Upgrade to VIP’. After initially servicing the North West only, we now serve all of the UK. In the future we hope to expand into Europe and globally.


Describe the range of products you supply?


The core range of VIP branded products for the HVAC industry is mainly DZR and CI isolation and commissioning valves. Our expansion products have become particularly popular following our 12-month CIBSE approved CPD programme delivered for both contractors and consultants. With a full PI covered design services it has seen us specified on many projects. Our portfolio of products is very wide and therefore every new development, whatever the


type, will require some of our products. Our aim of selling the right quality product, at the right price and on time is attracting and maintaining clients.


Which of your products/services are in demand?


As mentioned above because of the service given by our expansion division and the fact that many specifiers/contractors have been overlooking the problems unprotected systems can cause, the division has evolved very quickly. Division leader Keith Fryer has worked solely on expansion for 35 years and is passionate about delivering safe installations that work. The majority of products also have WRAS approval and because no premium is charged for this it does make us very competitive with a quality product.


What modern-day challenges do you face?


Apart from technical aspects, the major challenge we have seen is the short lead time contractors are given to deliver projects; from what used to be an expected three-year programme we have seen them dropped to six months.


BEEHIVE CREATES A BUZZ B


eehive was established by Frederick J Bartram on January 29, 1968 in Newmarket. As the company grew in size and customer


base, it relocated backwards and forwards between Newmarket and Mildenhall into larger facilities as the years went by, before reaching the current destination in Newmarket in the early 1990s. Since then, Beehive has expanded its manufacturing capabilities and capacity year on year and is able to design and manufacture a vast array of different tube sizes/configurations to suit any requirement from small water coils, to high pressure CO2 evaporators, right up to 8-9M condensers unit assemblies. Frederick sadly passed away in 2014, but left behind a strong and


capable company which he was a big part of creating. Beehive is primarily a family run/owned company and this remains at the core of our philosophy with Frederick’s son Robert currently the managing director (since the early 1980s). Beehive aims to ensure it provides a friendly,


reliable and knowledgeable service with competitive prices and high quality products, all of which are clearly present in the service we provide, indicated by the fact that we have just entered our sixth decade of trading. In our 51st year, Beehive is significantly investing in new and more advanced tooling, fin presses, bending machinery along with staff excellence training programmes to give them the capacity and experience to design and


Beehive Coils is a specialist in refrigeration and HVAC equipment design and manufacture which has been around for 50 years. HVR caught up with director Mark Bartram to get a sense of who this company is and where it is going


manufacture many different tube configurations in their products ranging from 7mm tube up to 5/8”.


Achievements/development


• Estimated coil products manufactured since incorporation = well over 3.5 million and counting • Continued investment in the latest technology means Beehive can now produce 7mm, 5/16”, 3/8”, 12 mm, ½” & 5/8” tube coils, each on a variety of tooling pitches to ensure a unit can be designed and manufactured to meet almost any criteria. Beehive can match European coil sizes, if required. • New European style 35mm x 35mm x 12mm OD tube pitch added to our range


12 January 2019


www.heatingandventilating.net


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