CambridgeHOK forms industrial fridge division
10th February 2024
UK: Yorkshire-based horticultural engineering specialist CambridgeHOK has launched an industrial refrigeration business, headed by former directors of the now defunct JD Cooling Systems.
In a statement on its website, CambridgeHOK says that the new business will specialise in the design, installation, service and maintenance of bespoke refrigeration and HVAC systems for process cooling facilities, cold stores, packhouses and clean rooms for businesses operating in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries.
CambridgeHOK is part of Atrium Agri, described as the largest horticultural engineering group in the world.
A team of 21 people have already been recruited for CambridgeHOK Refrigeration, including three former directors of JD Cooling Systems which went into administration last year.
Former JD Cooling group commercial director Hayley Jackson has been appointed general manager of the new business, with former colleagues Tom Marshall and Tony Grayson as head of technical & projects and head of service and maintenance, respectively.
The new management team is said to have taken a shareholding in the new business.
Hayley Jackson said that the new business would also place a focus on the use of renewable energy and heat pumps, offering sustainable solutions to clients, whilst also providing software engineering and automation controls services.
“Whilst as a business we will obviously support CambridgeHOK on its large-scale horticultural projects which require refrigeration facilities, we will very much operate as a standalone business, with our own specific client base given the range of work we do,” she said.
“The experience we have in our team means we are able to offer bespoke refrigeration designs to meet our customers specific needs, with a focus on using natural refrigerants and renewable energy to provide truly sustainable solutions.”
Reflecting on the expansion, CambridgeHOK’s joint MD Patrick Harte said: “We see some great synergies with our core business and as our projects get larger and more complex, bringing this skill in house was an important next step; however we also very much see this as a business which will grow and develop its own substantial client base across the UK.”
