14 April 2025
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Summit Process Cooling welcomed industry professionals to its March open day with a clear focus on innovation, energy efficiency and sustainability. The event brought together experts and manufacturers to share insights on the latest in cooling water technologies, especially in support of the plastics and manufacturing sectors.
Matt Ross, Group Sales Director at Summit Systems, opened the day with a company overview, outlining its 35-year journey from plastics ancillary equipment to fully integrated engineering services. A highlight was the new 17,000 sq. ft. fabrication facility, designed to speed up production, offer next-day delivery, and support customer-led innovation.
Technical insight into closed loop systems
Colin Shipley, Managing Director at Rochester Midland Corporation, delivered a session on best practices in closed-loop cooling. He explained how closed systems help minimise water loss and maintain temperature control while meeting Legionella compliance. The talk covered corrosion, microbiological risks, and scale – and how to tackle them through system cleaning, passivation, dosing and monitoring.
Sustainability in plastics manufacturing
Lara Steinhobel from the British Plastics Federation shared key initiatives around Net Zero, circularity and pellet loss prevention. She introduced tools like PackScore, the Net Zero Hub, and Operation Clean Sweep – all aimed at improving environmental performance and industry collaboration across the supply chain.
Bespoke engineering in focus
Nigel Hallett of Summit Process Cooling introduced the firm’s modular pump skid systems, which are built to spec with a range of material and control options. He also previewed containerised plant rooms – complete systems that can be delivered to site ready to install, reducing time and simplifying ongoing maintenance.
Smart pumping for energy savings
Rhett Johns and Luke Gardener from Grundfos highlighted their IE5 and IES2 motor technology, which enables more efficient, demand-led pumping. A retrofit case study showed energy savings of over 50% and annual cost reductions of £34,000 for a UK chemical manufacturer.
Cleaning as preventative maintenance
Nathan Flanigan of Summit, in partnership with Kamco, spoke on the importance of regular cleaning using tools such as Scalebreaker descaling units. He explained that proactive maintenance helps maintain system efficiency, reduce product defects and extend equipment lifespan.
Dry and adiabatic cooling innovation
The final technical session came from Tristan McLaren at LU-VE Group, who presented dry and adiabatic cooling systems designed to lower water use while maintaining high heat exchange performance. New component designs and corrosion-resistant materials were also discussed, with benefits for both industrial and data centre environments.
Live demos and networking
Attendees toured Summit’s fabrication facility, viewing live demos of pump skids and gaining hands-on experience of the company’s engineering capabilities. The day wrapped up with lunch and networking.
Summit’s open day reinforced the importance of collaboration, innovation and efficiency in achieving future goals for sustainability and system performance.
