Hultsteins secures service deal with Longhurst Refrigeration

UK: Kent-based Longhurst Refrigeration has been appointed UK national after-sales service partner for Swedish refrigerated transport company Hultsteins.

Although having been in business since 1959, Hultsteins has been in business since 1959, but only brought its diesel-free transport refrigeration units to the UK during 2019.

 Aware that having an established repair and maintenance provider join their mission would be vital, Hultsteins have appointed Kent-based Longhurst Refrigeration as their UK national aftersales service partner. 

Established in 2014 by Denise and Jason Longhurst, the company offers 24-hour provision to operators across the south of England and was recognised as Transport Refrigeration Service Provider of the Year at the TCS&D Awards in 2016 and 2018.

“As a fully independent company, this is potentially a gamechanger for us,” says operations director Fred Allen. As well as providing hands-on service to Hultsteins customers in their usual catchment area, Longhurst will also have responsibility for co-ordinating all repair and maintenance work carried out on Hultsteins’ behalf, nationwide.

 “For customers further afield, we will take responsibility for vetting all third-party providers, ensuring they are trained and competent to the same level as our own engineers,” Allen added. “We will also look after all invoicing and technical enquiries, keeping everything clean, tidy and efficient. This means operators will only need to deal with one trusted point of contact, no matter when or where they might need us.”

 Hultsteins offers two main products, both of which enable a TRU to be powered by the truck’s engine via a PTO. For rigid-bodied vehicles up to 26-tonnes, the Ecofridge Slimline is a fully hydraulic solution, replacing the traditional top-mounted unit with a slimmer, lighter version which also allows vehicle height to be kept to a minimum.

 For tractor units and trailers there is the Ecogen, an easily accessible bridging technology. Ecogen uses the same technology to generate the 400v electricity needed to run an existing diesel TRU using its integral stand-by electrical motor.