Cooling fits the bill for food firm

Seventeen J & E Hall commercial condensing units are helping a long-established Cumbrian company to enhance its reputation for providing high-quality, locally-sourced food. The units are at the heart of Pioneer Foods’ new store at the Rosehill Industrial Estate in Carlisle. The company, founded in 1878, has three stores in Cumbria. 

Rosehill offers an extensive range of freshly-prepared meats and hand-made pies; fresh fruit, other groceries and frozen foods. Grab and go products include sandwiches, wraps and salad boxes. There is also a hot counter with ready-made food and upstairs a coffee lounge offers snacks and cakes.

For the system design and installation of the cooling equipment, Pioneer Foods turned to local firm Carlisle Refrigeration. “The refrigeration equipment played a big part in the final lay-out and look of the store,” explained Carlisle Refrigeration Contracts Manager Paul Ferguson. 

J & E Hall commercial condensing units have a wide variety of roles in a complex cooling operation, including supporting multi-deck display, freezer, meat serve-over and fish cabinets. They are also supporting freezer rooms, cold rooms and a large dry-aged beef display case behind the butchery section. There is a bakery and, on the floor above the main food hall, a café has refrigerated display cabinets for sandwiches and drinks.

‘Reliable and efficient’
Of the 17 units chosen, 16 were from the Fusion Scroll range and the other was a Fusion unit. The 11 units selected for medium temperature roles comprised two Fusion Scroll twin-fan units, five Single Scroll and four Reciprocating Fusion units. Six Fusion Single Scroll low temperature units were also chosen. The units were supplied by FSW. 
The scale of the job and the demands of working at height provided a test for the Carlisle Refrigeration team, with Senior Engineer Tom Carruthers playing a key role.

Ferguson explained: "We faced the challenge of getting the interconnecting pipework up on to the roof of a two-storey building where the condensing units were mounted on a purpose-built framework on a plinth. It was a bit of a jigsaw making things fit into place correctly, and ensuring that we could get the pipework spread, but we managed to do so successfully.” 

Regarding the units, he said: "They are reliable, efficient, easy to work with and parts are easy to get should you ever need them."

Fusion Scroll and Reciprocating CCUs deliver a compact yet efficient solution for commercial refrigeration sectors where noise, size and reliability are paramount. Housed in a cabinet made of electro-galvanised mild steel with an anti-corrosion treatment and coated in baked polyester powder paint, the units are able to withstand the most demanding weather conditions.

The integral IP54 rated control panel provides further protection for all essential electrical components. All units are acoustically lined. The Fusion Scroll units house the efficient Copeland scroll compressor. All components are fitted during manufacture to save the installer time and money and are available for medium and low temperature applications. 

Carlisle Refrigeration employs 16 engineers working within an 80-mile radius of their home city and with the Pioneer Foods installation the company was on familiar territory, as Ferguson explained: "It was a big job but we have completed similar projects in the past and it's not unusual for us to undertake something of this size – we also work for the NHS, nuclear industry, pubs, clubs, hotels and restaurants.”