Going The Extra Mile - Summer 2018

EXTRA MILE

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EXTRA MILE AT A GLANCE SUMMER ISSUE / coolkit.co.uk

FOREWORD: Welcome to our new magazine! CoolKit has changed a lot in the last few years with continual product development, more choice for customers and additional services.

4 Endless Opportunities

This magazine aims to give you an exclusive look behind-the-scenes at CoolKit’s quality conversions and the different components used within our vehicles. You will also hear from some of our team who go the extra mile for our customers.

Rupert Gatty, MD at CoolKit, tells us about how he got to where he is today, and what he has planned for the future.

We hope you enjoy ‘Extra Mile’.

Rupert Gatty.

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TELL US WHAT YOU THINK Tell us what you think of EXTRA MILE at: lore.emmerson@coolkit.co.uk Loredana Emmerson Marketing Manager

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Specialist Conversion Company Of The Year

2016 CoolKit

10 Manufacturing 12 of the Future

Space Age Technology

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Perfect Cure For Pharma

Mature student Chris shows it’s never too late to follow your dreams.

What do the aerospace, automotive and refrigerated vehicle sectors have in common? Steve Wilkinson tells all…

Find out how CoolKit has ensured AAH Pharmaceuticals meets all the guidelines for the new GDP legislation.

16 Alicia - Our

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Alicia runs through a typical day in the life of being a production planning manager at a rapidly growing business.

Meet Drew Everett, who has been with CoolKit since day one. He talks about how the company has managed to increase output while retaining exceptionally high standards.

Find out what testing products in Death Valley, California, has to do with CoolKit’s composite panels.

24 Thinking

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28 Heart of the

James tells us why he was pleased to go back to the drawing board when designing CoolKit’s new box van.

Fine out how CoolKit’s unique conversions helped Alpine Fine Foods double their business in the last four years.

Rising Star

Inside the Box

Cutting it Fine

Customer Focus

Roll With It

Community

It’s not all work and no play at CoolKit. Find out what the team have been doing to help their local community and charities close to their heart.

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EXTRA MILE | BUSINESS FOCUS

Endless

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RUPERT GATTY: PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

Opportunities Who would have thought that his first company car would have been the catalyst Rupert Gatty needed to find his entrepreneurial spirit? Managing Director of CoolKit, Rupert tells us about how he got to where he is today – and what he has planned for the future.

“I was a wayward teenager until my first steady job, working for an amusement machine company.

Seeing rows of shiny executive cars at this company, I made it my goal to get a managerial role and my own company car within 24 months.

Achieving that goal made me realise that hard work brings recognition, and success.”

Within three months, Rupert was promoted to Supervisor, then promoted again to Installation Manager. Within another 12 months he picked up the keys to his first company car, a new Ford Orion in 1992 for his next role as Account Manager. He can even remember his registration number!

After a couple of years, Rupert moved into car rental, then van rental, followed by refrigerated van rental.

“An opportunity came in 2005, when the company I was working for became insolvent – and that’s where the CoolKit story starts.”

Rupert took out a loan, re-mortgaged his house, and - with the invaluable help of his fiancée Jenny and together with just three colleagues – they opened the doors of the newly incorporated CoolKit. By halving the rent bill, cutting executive pay by two thirds, and improving gross margin by bringing certain manufacturing processes in-house, this new company had a fighting chance of success.

One of the first contracts was with the UK’s Renault distributor, who needed support for a large number of vehicles converted by Rupert’s

former insolvent employer. From that low-key start, business was steady and the company’s turnover increased modestly until 2008 when the financial crisis hit.

“I was a wayward teenager until my first steady job, working for an amusement machine company. Seeing rows of shiny executive cars at this company, I made it my goal to get a managerial role and my own company car within 24 months. Achieving that goal made me realise that hard work brings recognition, and success.”

“It decimated many industries – and especially the light commercial vehicle market. At one point, year-on-year demand for new light vans was down by two thirds on the previous year, so we ended up going backwards for a while,” remembers Rupert. “We reorganised, brought processes that we would previously have outsourced in-house, and hunkered down. After two years of depressed output, we started to see the signs of recovery and growth.

“In 2009, it became clear that the market was changing significantly as the outcome of the crisis. To cut their own costs, a number of former van-dealing customers had started to build their own conversions, which left us high and dry. We had to respond - and came up with our own readyconverted van offer.” Since then, CoolKit has averaged 37% yearon-year growth in sales. In 2017 the company sold nearly 400 converted vans, completed more than 700 conversions for fleet customers, and exported more than 100 conversions in kit form, for assembly overseas.

“A further major turning point came in 2013 with the introduction of mandatory European legislation, known as Whole Vehicle Type Approval. It meant that for the first time companies modifying brand new unregistered vehicles needed to have this accreditation.

The whole idea filled us with dread because there was so much we didn’t know. Could we achieve this standard?

How expensive would it be? Would it drive us out of business? There were huge administrative, managerial and technical hurdles, but, once we made improvements, we started to gain the necessary approvals.

“By committing to the legislation, the successful outcome was that we gained a new level of recognition from our customers, and attracted many new customers. We were now acknowledged as a company that did things properly and our rate of growth started to accelerate, faster than many of our competitors.

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EXTRA MILE | BUSINESS FOCUS

Throughout 2013 and 2015, CoolKit continued to experience rapid growth, particularly in the fleet sector, with companies like Lex Autolease, Enterprise and Petit Forestier becoming major customers.”

One of the strategic aims for CoolKit over the years has been to focus on improving vehicle productivity for their customers by maximising usable vehicle payload.

“But every few years there is a new, tighter standard for vehicle emissions. The current standard is known as Euro 6, but requiring additional equipment to meet it, the unladen weight of the vehicle can increase by up to 60kg, which means that a

The CoolKit journey so far...

2005 Rupert forms CoolKit and leases 7,500sq ft. site in Padiham

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2008 Financial crisis hits

2010 CoolKit respond to market with complete van offer CoolKit employee numbers at 10 CoolKit receive £20,000 investment from Rosebud Fund from Lancashire County Council

2013 CoolKit achieved Whole Vehicle Type Approval accreditation CoolKit experience rapid growth

2014 CoolKit employee numbers rise to 26 Start to develop box vehicle offering

typical refrigerated vehicle will be around 5% less productive in terms of its usable payload than prior to Euro 6.

“We always knew that achieving the highest usable payload is a significant factor for fleet operators – but the extra weight of the vehicle to meet the new standard was an exceptional hurdle.

To tackle this, we started evaluating different body compositions and we realised that by adopting methods used in our established panel van conversions we could produce a freestanding insulated box body structures of much lower weight than those available elsewhere.”

But it wasn’t until 2016 when CoolKit lost one of their clients, a fleet operator with more than 150 vehicles, that they committed to building the CoolKit ultra-light box body. This customer had previously purchased panel vans from CoolKit, delivering a payload of 950kg, but Rupert and the team lost out on a substantial order to a competitor who delivered vehicles with a payload improvement of some 80kg.

2015 CoolKit moves to 45,000 sq. ft. site in Farrington Place CoolKit invests in state of the art CNC machine to increase efficiencies

“Our box body vehicle had been an idea for a long time but it wasn’t until we lost that customer that we knew we needed to do something different.

We had space, having just relocated, so we put a great deal of research and development into finalising a prototype ultra-light box body.

“By applying our known principles, and sourcing new lightweight materials, we developed ways of reducing the weight of the bodywork to an absolute minimum - and the outcome is that we have now produced an insulated 3.5 tonne gross weight van with an industry -leading 1,201kg usable payload – that’s an improvement of almost one third over our old product.

“We improved the aerodynamics to improve the looks and the fuel consumption, and minimised the overall height so the vehicle can access areas that would be otherwise height restricted, and improved the aesthetics of the conversion by concealing the externally mounted refrigeration

2016 CoolKit wins major fleet contract with AAH Pharmaceuticals CoolKit employees rise to 77 people CoolKit’s Pharma Vehicle wins Technical Excellence Award at Motor Transport Awards CoolKit is nominated Specialist Conversion Company of The Year by major customer Lex Autolease

equipment. We also saw to it that it was straightforward to re-use the box body on a subsequent chassis, enjoying the economy of using it over the life of more than one chassis.

“By switching to our new bodywork format, this operator can carry the same amount of goods daily with a reduction in his fleet size of more than a fifth (that’s 31 fewer vans in his case) together with a commensurate reduction on all the daily running costs, such as fuel, driver, maintenance etc.

“Our customer returned - ordering ten of our new ultra-light bodies, but the crowning glory was winning the Best Van Innovation Award for 2018 at the Vans A2Z and Van Fleetworld Awards ceremony – a fantastic endorsement, reassuring us that our innovations will always be significant drivers of future growth.”

2017 CoolKit launch temperature controlled box body with market leading payload

2018 CoolKit launch new service division providing in life refrigeration unit maintenance

CoolKit purchase neighboring industrial unit – providing an additional 25,000sq ft.

CoolKit achieve 100% pass in the ISO9001 inspection for Quality and ISO 14001 for Environment CoolKit receive accreditations from Toyota, Renault Trucks, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Ford Motor Company.

CoolKit win Manufacturing Business of the Year and Business of the Year at the BIBA Awards, Manufacturing Excellence Award at the Burnley Business Awards, and Refrigerated Panel Van of the Year Award at the TCS&D Awards

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EXTRA MILE | BUSINESS FOCUS

Growing Markets Although the food and drink sector is a large market for CoolKit, their biggest contracts are now in the pharmaceutical field – with clients including ALS Global, AAH Pharmaceuticals and Prinwest.

Another growing market for CoolKit is sampling and laboratory testing – due to the need for temperature controlled vehicles to transport items such as food and water samples for testing.

“In the last few years there has been a great deal of legislation introduced by the MHRA, who govern everything medicinal.

“New rules have come in to ensure better temperature control whilst products are in transit. Because they are handling very high value loads, companies have gone to great lengths to ensure compliance with the legislation.

“We received a phone call from a Ford dealer in the Midlands looking 8

for a conversion for one of their clients – AAH, the distributor for Lloyds pharmacy. They placed a significant order with us for their fleet to ensure it was compliant.

“Since then, CoolKit has worked hard to maintain its sole supplier status and has won a Technical Excellence Award for its work with AAH.” In the last three years, CoolKit has increased its premises from 7,500sq ft to – to fulfil customer orders, and in late 2015, moved to a 45,000 sq ft site.

Rupert says: “When we won the first batch of AAH conversions, our premises weren’t big enough. We needed extra room to convert the vans as each vehicle with the doors open occupies about 150sq ft.”

Since then, CoolKit has also completed the purchase of a neighbouring industrial unit – providing an additional 25,000sq ft, enabling the company to bring all their vehicles on to one site.

Although the market has seen a

contraction of around 5% in 2017, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), Rupert anticipates continued growth in each of the sectors CoolKit has identified.

“We’re in a contracting market place and it would be foolish to come up with unfeasible growth expectations.

Our plan is to optimise productivity from our new premises, ready for when the market is resurgent again.”

CoolKit is also creating a more customer-friendly zone for clients to see the products available. The company will also have stock of some readily available conversions for companies who need a van quickly or don’t have a strategy for fleet replacement.

CoolKit plans for the future CoolKit now employs around 80 staff.

But Rupert admits there have been challenges.

“The biggest obstacle for me was coming to terms with the idea that I’m not the best guy to do everything any more.

“I had to learn the art of empowerment and delegation and encourage others to take responsibility, while guiding them on the principles of commercial logic. It’s the land of opportunity for those who demonstrate prowess.”

And, building on past lessons, the business continues to focus heavily on differentiating itself from competitors by seeking accreditations from relevant, applicable authorities.

Last year, the manufacturer achieved a 100% pass in the ISO 9001 inspection for Quality and ISO 14001 for Environment.

It has also subscribed to the Investors in People standard and has achieved technical accolades for its products.

Many of CoolKit’s products now exceed the ATP Class C international standard for goods being transported below -20°C. For customers peace of mind, the company has also secured accreditations from numerous world-class manufacturers including Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Ford Motor Company, Vauxhall, Renault UK, Toyota and Renault Trucks.

“These are world class brands who put their trust in the work we do.”

But Rupert admits that it’s not an option to sit back and relax.

“I can’t imagine standing still, but I’m determined not to lose control by doing

too much too quickly. We have nudged the limits of our resourcefulness and capability this year.

“We’re not hell bent on a relentless 40% year-on -year increase. We’d rather continue to meet all the quality and other accreditation criteria that we have recently earned.”

Last year CoolKit secured prestigious industry awards including Manufacturing Business of the Year and Business of the Year at the BIBA Awards - celebrating business excellence in Lancashire, and the Manufacturing Excellence Award at the Burnley Business Awards. Their product won the Refrigerated Panel Van of the Year Award, nominated by their industry peers.

He says: “I think the judges have recognised that we have continued to grow rapidly, whilst also innovating and upholding quality.”

At the end of 2017, CoolKit integrated a new department providing aftersales support to offer customers reliable fridge van maintenance – while also allowing the company to maintain contact so they are considered for potential future purchases.

CoolKit is now investigating other avenues for potential sales – including other types of insulated structures.

Rupert said: “We are already preparing for our next phase of growth. We’re no longer solely a van converter and we plan to identify wider opportunities within the temperature controlled supply chain.

“Everyone who has a refrigerated van requires a refrigeration unit.

We have recently signed a two-year exclusivity deal to distribute Melform, a flexible refrigerated box product which offers an alternative solution for a range of sectors including food and drink, and the pharmaceutical market.”

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EXTRA MILE | MANUFACTURING

Manufacturing of the future CoolKit has well-established links with Burnley College, bringing the engineering talent of tomorrow onto their shop floor. One of the latest recruits to come from the College has had an interesting journey so far.

We meet Chris Bromley, Junior Design Engineer, to discover what made him completely change direction in his career, find out what he gets up to at CoolKit and how he’s making a real difference.

29-year-old Chris is a musician by trade and had been performing lead guitar for a number of years while having a day job at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) – but it wasn’t where his true passion lay.

“I’ve always been interested in the manufacturing field, especially motoring engineering like Formula One racing. I’m also an aero modeller, so I build model aeroplanes and go flying with them – all the technical elements of it really interest me,” explains Chris.

James (fellow design engineer) that I’m sitting here now – he got me the job. I think he struggled making his own brews!”

Starting initially with three months of full time work, Chris now combines part time work at CoolKit with his University studies.

Getting stuck in Chris’ first job at CoolKit involved the digitalisation of components, such as the aluminium footplates which are fitted inside each van to protect the edge of the flooring installed.

Getting a foot in the door of the engineering world without having the necessary experience is notoriously tough, so Chris knows how valuable his time at CoolKit is and continues to be while studying.

“There’s a whole rack of these footplates downstairs but they weren’t in any order – we needed them sorting by drawing format so every time we needed a new one, they wouldn’t have to be measured again by hand and re-drawn.

“Meeting up with CoolKit while studying was perfect timing for me and the rest is history as they say.”

“Experience is huge in this industry – you can have all the degrees in the world but it won’t compare to actually doing the work. I know I’ve got the potential to be a really good engineer, but I knew I’d struggle to get into a job straight from college and without experience.

“I used CAD to add them all to a digital library, so if a certain part is needed, they can just print off the drawing, saving loads of extra time.

They’re all bespoke for each van and each thickness of kit which we make, whether it’s chilled or frozen.”

Chris is currently in the final year of his Mechanical Engineering degree, which has followed on from his Higher National Diploma (HND) at Burnley College in the same subject – the point at which Chris was brought into the CoolKit team.

“Having the chance to be hands on is so beneficial for me. I’ve probably learned more practical skills in eight months here than I have in two years of college – I’m lucky enough to have the support, experience and guidance from my colleagues to help me progress much quicker here.”

“They took a chance on me and I really appreciate it. It was mostly down to 10

As the newly-introduced box bodies started to become increasingly popular, the need for a standardised range for customers to choose from became apparent – and the job landed on Chris’ desk to start designing a solution.

CoolKit’s education partnership:

3 links (Burnley College, University of Central Lancashire and Lancaster University) 1 apprentice in manufacturing (age 19) and Chris (age 29) 3 projects with Universities in 2017

“A lot of the box bodies we create are completely bespoke, but we also come across customers who request a variety of standardised sizes.”

“One of my jobs was working out which sizes we could offer in the standardised range and from there, I started building up a library of production drawings so we can offer a range of standard sizes, and these drawings are ready to go. The idea is to give our customers a shopping list in effect, so they can choose from what we already have if they don’t need something completely bespoke.”

Projecting himself As Chris has joined CoolKit whilst studying for his degree, he often has to complete mini studies in specific topic areas as part of his final ] submissions.

“The materials used in the first fleet of 10 box vehicles formed part of a study for my degree. I looked at all the materials we currently use and the ones we’d like to use to increase the payload.

“This involved looking at all the different properties of the composite materials we used for the panel vans and whether they could replace materials in a traditional box vehicle construction.

“We use a lot of plywood in this industry, but using composite materials means the amount of plywood is reduced and the performance of the boxes is improved.”

Chris’ current project is researching ways to cut the time it takes to manufacture a box body vehicle by half – so watch this space!

The long-term goal is to digitalise all the designs produced by the team at CoolKit, creating a digital library to improve efficiency for future customers, and Chris has stepped up to help make this happen.

“There’s a lot of skilled people here and we’re trying to collect all these skills and concepts from our team’s heads and put them into a computer so if somebody isn’t here or is busy, we can just print off a design that’s already good to go and start work on production.

“It’s all about self-sufficiency really.

We don’t want a job to stop because someone’s off ill or on holiday. We want to be able to keep moving.”

The challenges – and opportunities for learning and growth – are what gets Chris out of bed in the morning.

He says: “That’s what is so exciting – it’s all new here. There’s no wrong way of doing anything. We’re experimenting with new products to make them into what the customers want. We’ve got so much experience in the team, I learn something new every day.”

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EXTRA MILE | MANUFACTURING

Space age technology What makes CoolKit stands apart from the competition?

Two words… innovation and ambition. We speak to Head of Operations Steve Wilkinson about the secret behind CoolKit’s success.

“CoolKit will not accept the status quo when it comes to design and build techniques within this industry.

“We have listened to our customers and for those who are particularly payload sensitive, we have developed a solution.

“We have challenged ourselves not just to be on a par with the competition but to beat it by some distance. If we entered with another ‘me too’ product we’d be waiting a long time to gain market share.

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“By offering a payload that in some cases is 12% better than our competitors, it means customers can carry more in less journeys.

Our product means 12% less vehicles, less drivers, less man hours. It really changes the customers cost base and competitiveness – especially across a fleet.”

Cutting edge To achieve the impressive payload, CoolKit has taken inspiration from industries using cutting edge technology and turned traditional refrigerated panel van construction on its head.

“The biggest factor in our growth has been the use of new composite materials in our panels,” says Steve.

“We have tried to exploit ideas that we have seen in other industries such as automotive and aerospace and marry them into our industry.”

During his career the qualified engineer has worked in development, operations and consultancy roles.

“If I had come from a refrigerated van converter background, maybe I would have been a bit blinkered.

As a consultant across various industries, these sectors have given me many ideas and processes that are transferrable to this industry.

“We also try and do lots of factory tours wherever possible. We always pick up useful points from other companies that we can implement into our production.”

The experts Steve said the company has taken their panel van knowledge and experience and transferred it into the new box vehicle product, released in 2017. CoolKit has also employed box vehicle specialists with many years’ experience and harnessed the intellectual capabilities of two of the Lancashire’s universities – UCLan and Lancaster University to create the new offer.

“We have some great internal specialists but we don’t know everything. By tapping into the universities’ knowledge bank we can test and validate our thinking. The fact we have gone to these lengths proves that we have taken the time and care to eradicate or minimise any risk.”

Instead of using traditional wood and metal panels, CoolKit has drastically reduced use of these heavy materials and instead opted for strong yet lightweight GRP, foam and plywood.

“The floor is traditionally made up of lots of layers. We have managed to eliminate the wood altogether and reduce the metal – the heaviest components - but improved the key properties,” says Steve.

“It’s good to be progressive and challenge the norm - but we have to do it ambitiously but cautiously.

It’s easy to be gung ho, but you can grow chaotically. We have to be pragmatic about what we do, when we do it, and how much we do at once. We are taking ambitious baby steps.”

Panel Van v Box Van When buying a new refrigerated vehicle, Steve says customers need reassurance about the robustness of the conversion, longevity of the vehicle, and the payload. This is why CoolKit has sought partnerships with so many manufacturers – securing accreditations from Ford, Toyota, Renault and Volkswagen.

“Some customers will continue to buy panel vans, and our attractive new offer is appealing to new customers,” says Steve. “We also have a number of customers who have converted from panel vans to box vehicles for no other reason than it suits their business model. We also have some customers who run both.

“The main decision point for many customers is cost. For some, offsetting the cost of a box vehicle against a drastically improved payload makes sense. For others, it doesn’t.

“It has opened up a new market.

A lot of the home delivery vehicles are box vans because their business model is extremely payload sensitive.

If a vehicle is fully laden travelling hundreds of miles on a multi-drop trip the customer needs to squeeze every ounce of value out of that vehicle and one of the value points is payload.”

“The insulated boxes also have the ability of be ‘double-lifed’ – put on another chassis when the original vehicle reaches excessive mileage so it can run for longer.”

CoolKit’s main market is now the pharmaceutical sector, whereas previously it was food and drink.

In terms of volume, over 50% of their vehicles are for pharmaceutical clients.

Unusual requests Food and drink is still a large market for CoolKit, alongside the ‘specialist’ sector, such as forensics, and it gets some quite unusual requirements from time to time.

Steve explains: “We make vehicles that transport bodies – such as coroners’ vans. We have created hygienic load spaces for dog vans. We also make a lot of ‘scientific’ conversions for utility companies, animal fertility, storage of eggs, film for movies, and even high-end art that must be in a humidity and temperature controlled environment - it’s interesting.

“Some clients come to us with a very specific brief. We add a lot of value in this area because we care enough to find out what they truly need. We tease out the key points and features that they might want in their daily business to include them in the build. It’s vital that that detailed conversation happens in the first instance so we can glean what the customer is looking for.

“Some of our competitors build to a price and to a standard spec. For some people that may work, but for others it doesn’t hit the mark. Asking the right questions drives our design specification and enables the product to be incredibly useful for our customers.

“We appreciate that we can’t just rest on our laurels. We have to be continually considering ways to improve things – whether it’s existing designs or brand-new products.”

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EXTRA MILE | INDUSTRY FOCUS

Perfect Cure For Pharma When it comes to the transit of pharmaceuticals, public safety is of paramount importance. CoolKit explains how they helped client AAH Pharmaceuticals win an industry award for technical excellence.

In 2016 CoolKit secured a deal for 900 temperature controlled Ford Transit conversions for AAH. The conversion, named the PharmaVan II, won the Technical Excellence Award at the Motor Transport Awards that year.

With 3,800 employees and 20 locations across the UK over a range of subsidiaries and brands, AAH is the nation’s leading distributor of pharmaceutical and healthcare products and services to pharmacies, hospitals and doctors.

Directions for use The quality and the integrity of medicinal products can be affected by a lack of adequate control of temperature, hygiene and security.

In 2013 the European Commission published guidelines on Good Distribution Practice (GDP) of medicinal products for human use in the form of a Commission Guideline (2013/C 343/01).

CoolKit understands the importance of uniformity of the temperature in the load area and has vast experience dealing with the requirements 14

of these complex standards, which are managed in the UK by the MHRA (the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency).

“Our fleet will be the most technologically advanced pharmaceutical vans on the road, having been built exclusively for AAH by CoolKit to ensure products are delivered within GDP 2013 guidelines.”

Storage Instructions Each PharmaVan II van is fitted with a Seven Telematics Transcan unit linked to the Seven Eye portal, allowing drivers to constantly monitor the temperature of the fridge, which is maintained between 2 and 8 degrees, and the cargo area, between 8 and 25 degrees.

Steve Anderson, Operations Director at Celesio UK, AAH Pharmaceuticals’ parent company, said “The temperature controlled vans are born out of AAH’s commitment and determination to excel in delivering an exceptional first class, reliable service, providing customers with the best in pharmaceutical distribution so that they can meet the needs of their communities.”

The fridge and cargo area, which are independent of each other, continue to operate while the driver makes deliveries ensuring no deviation in temperature.

Each vehicle comes with a full reporting suite and key AAH personnel are able

CoolKit Delivers Meets GDP 2013 guidelines Fridge maintained between 2 and 8 degrees Cargo area maintained between 8 and 25 degrees Full reporting suite Automatic temperature log Real-time temperature recording to track the vehicle’s every movement as the driver is on the road.

Temperatures can automatically be logged with real time temperature recording, which is visible to the AAH Branch and Distribution network. An an audible alarm will be triggered, and group email alert generated if there is any deviation of temperature.

An alert notification has also been added which will signal when the doors to the cargo area are open.

The vehicle has additional security features comprising of six CCTV cameras which provide a safe and secure environment for the products, the drivers and the public, live GPS vehicle positioning and GSM connectivity.

Steve added: “Our AAH vans are where AAH is most visible on a daily basis and so it is important to have the very best fleet on the road.

However, a successful brand is based on more than an updated look.

“At AAH we strive to innovate and provide the best service we can to our customers. Our new state of the art AAH fleet of PharmaVans does

just that, enabling us to deliver an enhanced pharmaceutical distribution service without compromises.”

PharmaVan II has undergone independent vigorous climatic testing with temperature ranging from -20 and +40 degrees ensuring products can be delivered safely whatever the weather.

Active ingredient After discussing specific requirements with clients, CoolKit produce CAD visualisations of their products prior to production. This allows the customer to see the mass, dimension and overall specification to ensure optimum productivity.

CoolKit’s Sales Director Cameron Javed said: “We are immensely pleased to create this product for our valued customer.

“AAH understands the importance of putting customers first. Providing an exceptional pharmaceutical distribution service is therefore pivotal to AAH and we are very proud to have partnered with them to deliver the PharmaVan II.”

Audible alarm for temperature deviation Security features including CCTV, GPS vehicle positioning and GSM connectivity Independently tested with temperature ranging between -20 and +40 degrees Lightweight Durable Versatile

CoolKit’s refrigerated vehicle conversions are renowned for their lightweight, durability, versatility and strength, which provides customers with the highest payload and most reliable performance throughout the vehicle lifetime.

CoolKit conversions have also been validated by an unrivalled combination of ISO Standard Certifications and vehicle manufacturer approvals and accreditations.

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EXTRA MILE |

A DAY IN THE LIFE

Alicia Threlfall, 25, is one of the rising stars at CoolKit. After joining the company five years ago straight from University, Alicia has risen through the ranks, earning her stripes at the growing company. She has served her time in admin, sales and marketing and now, holding the title of Production Planning Manager, she is one of the main cogs in the organisation. We find out more about what her role involves…

Tell us a little bit about yourself: I’m from Wigan and joined CoolKit as a Sales and Marketing Trainee straight after gaining a Geography degree at Edge Hill University. I was interviewed by Rupert and I liked how passionate he was about the company.

When I started there were only about 30 people working here and now there’s more than double that.

What would you say are your strengths?

I like organising. It frustrates me when people forget things and don’t write things down. My aim is to continue to improve the way we think and work so things don’t get overlooked and customers get the best service possible.

Can you run us through a typical day?

Typically, I’ll come in at around 7.30am. The first job is to go through any emails and see if anything has changed overnight, and then take a look at the order of vehicles to go out.

We have a lot of jobs that are bespoke, so it’s my job to ensure the right people know the right information throughout the business. Basically, I make sure everything is planned, prepared and fitted on time.

There are obviously a lot of different stages to a conversion so if there’s a delay in one of those stages it’s going to have a knock-on effect for the whole production line. For example, I have to ensure the drawings are done, that everyone knows what they are doing from a technical point of view, and that suppliers know the correct specification and that the items are delivered on time.

We also send vehicles for sign writing so I’ll take a look if any sub-contractors are required. There’s a lot of organising!

I also oversee the monthly stock take which gives Rupert, the MD, his figures each month.

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How does it feel to be a woman in charge of a largely maledominated environment?

I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t challenging sometimes. At first, I didn’t think my voice would be heard, but everyone respects me because I do know what I’m talking about. I deal with everyone – from department heads to new starters. People know they can come to me and ask questions about a particular build and I’ll help them.

Can you give us an example of when your organisational skills have shone through?

There was one particular job with lots of sub-contractors involved.

It wasn’t just us doing the work, there were external contractors to coordinate too. They had to be organised in a particular sequence, and I had to manage and monitor the timing so the project didn’t slip.

It was quite a challenge, but it went smoothly.

What policies and procedures have you put in place?

I have been working with a software developer who has been helping me to improve our systems.

The main objective is to have more information on the shop floor – so all staff have a live status of all vehicles.

In the past, a lot of the information has just been in someone’s head, but that’s no good if they’re busy or off sick.

This new system will prevent any unnecessary delays and stop people having to be pulled off other jobs.

The end goal is to make sure the customer gets their vehicle on time, everything they have requested has been included, and it’s of the highest quality. All of our customers’ vehicles are treated with care – from a single order to a large fleet.

How do you plan the timeline for each vehicle?

Over the years we have been measuring how long each process takes so we have a realistic idea of how long each vehicle will take, depending on the configuration.

CoolKit don’t just build and deliver a vehicle - we also have to book all modified vehicles in to be tested at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, register the vehicle and sometimes deal with finance companies to ensure the van is ready to deliver to the customer on time.

If something happens and a vehicle is going to be late, I ensure everyone at CoolKit is updated, and most importantly, the customer.

A lot goes on behind the scenes.

What are the biggest challenges?

Each vehicle has a kit made in the manufacturing department, then goes into lining, followed by fridging and then a pre-delivery inspection. Its tricky making sure it’s all coordinated and completed on time.

We’ve recently expanded and added a plastic welding department and a box van manufacturing department.

The biggest challenge is prioritising everyone’s workload. We need to ensure the right kit is ready for the right vehicle, at the right time.

We also have to bear in mind that bespoke conversions take longer than the standard options.

It’s a juggling act.

What do you think the future holds?

I’d like to continue to be involved on the improvement side. I’ve recently been on a 10-week course with the Manufacturing Institute called Accelerated Route to Leading Manufacturing. It’s given me the skills to improve aspects of the business - and I’m now putting them into practice.

I’m going to be doing a Fellowship in Manufacturing – it’s a 6-month process with a mentor from the Manufacturing Institute. You have to show them a specific tool you’ve taken from the course, how you’ve implemented it in the company and what benefits it’s had – so watch this space.

A day in the life 17

EXTRA MILE | DEPARTMENT FOCUS

Cutting it fine

Drew Everett was one of the original four employees at CoolKit when it started trading back in 2005. He takes us through how the production department has changed, thanks to some hefty investment by the company in a new bit of kit.

“I have been here since day one. I was one of the original four along with Rupert Gatty, the MD, Mark Jepson and Paul McCaffrey.”

Mark, Paul and Drew originally met at Riley’s Snooker, where they worked together for over 20 years before the company went bust.

“We’re like a family. We have worked together since 1983.

“I was a polisher by trade and I used to work a lot of hours overtime to bring in a few quid. They always needed people to run the CNC machine so I would go in the machine shop and help out. I also got involved in some of the programming.”

The trio first met Rupert while working for a refrigerated van company around the turn of the century. In 2005 that company closed down so Rupert decided to open the doors on CoolKit and one of the first things he did was enlist the help of his former workmates.

“The old company was a similar process,” says Drew.

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“When we first started, it was easier to manage because it was so small but there was a lot of work to do to build our profile and attract customers.”

“Even in the early days, Rupert knew where he wanted to take the business and what needed to be done.”

Then With the help of a small CNC machine, the tiny team began production of their own insulated lining kits.

Drew explains: “We always had a CNC machine, but it was a lot smaller and wasn’t capable of doing many of the things we do today. How that little machine coped I don’t know. We had to cut floors in two stages and run two different programmes because it wasn’t big enough to do it in one. The old machine wouldn’t have been able to keep up with our current workload, even if we had run it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

Reflecting on how far the company has come, Drew says: “When CoolKit first started, I was running the machine and doing all the development for the van kits. I also used to do all the CNC programming and fitting. There were a lot of long hours! We played our part in getting the business to where we knew it needed to be.”

Now In 2015, CoolKit invested around £130,000 in a state-of-the-art CNC machine to increase production and efficiency within their new factory.

The high precision router made a huge difference to the production department at CoolKit – which all vehicles pass through.

“It was all singing, all dancing. We went from being able to cut two kits a day, to five or six. The old machine used to take around 4.5 hours to cut a kit, but the new machine only takes an hour. Some take a little longer depending on the complexity.

“Because it’s a multi tool CNC, you don’t have to keep changing the head.

The new machine is also a lot more accurate – and you can do more

When we first started, we only did one colour floor. Now we do different colours, different finishes, different materials. Some vans have shelving, others have racking. They all have different fridges.

get different problems and different issues that you have to deal with.

“All the plywood floors were 9mm thick, but now we can cut 12mm ply for vans that need heavy duty floors.

All these variations have to be factored into the panel design.

Drew says it has been a personal challenge to step back and manage the department.

“We do everything in house – we manufacture the panels, then cut and fit them into the vans. The only difference now is that it’s faster and we can offer a bigger range.” with it. It has a five-axis head, which means you can cut at an angle.”

Drew admits that CoolKit’s latest product, the box body vehicle, has brought new challenges.

Once an order is placed, the job is loaded on to the system and Drew’s team cut the materials, glue them into panels and cut them on the CNC machine before they are fitted into the vans.

“The majority of the process is the same as our panel vans, but with some slight changes. They are different sizes, thicknesses, configurations and materials.

“The new machine has given us scope to be more versatile, offer more products and respond to customers’ needs.

“You think that the bigger the company becomes, the easier it will get. But that’s not the case. You just

Fast facts:

OLD

V NEW

Cost

£40,000 £130,000

Kits cut

2 a day

6 a day

Time per kit

4.5 hours

1 hour

Max material thickness 9mm ply Heads

12mm ply

1 5

“When you go from making four vans a week to 40 vans a week you have a lot more to manage.”

“When you have been a worker for most of your life, it’s hard to take a step back. I have gone from doing the hands-on work to training people in the department.”

In fact, it is now his nephew, Scott Maden, who runs the machine.

“He’s been here 11 years. I took him under my wing and for the first 12 months I made sure he turned up every day.”

Drew’s team also includes newest recruit Jordan Balmforth, who has been there a year.

“It’s important that you have people who can do the job, and do it well.”

Recognition This year CoolKit won numerous local, regional and industry awards.

“It’s nice to get the recognition of how big the company has grown and the success it has achieved,” says Drew. “We do all this for the customers and we love to get positive feedback. That’s what it’s all about.

“The quality of the products is paramount and always will be. We have now got people who specifically manage that side of things to ensure that every van passes the CoolKit standard.”

19

EXTRA MILE | SUPPLIER FOCUS

Hot Off The Press Lamilux:

Established in 1909 Started producing fibreglass in 1953 Exports to 80 countries globally 2017 turnover of €250m Nick Guscott

20

Lamilux factory in Germany

CooliKit’s quest for quality extends to the parts we buy and the suppliers we use. In this edition of Extra Mile we talk to Nick Guscott, Director of GRP Marketing Limited, who provide us with Lamilux products used on our composite panels, about the lengths the company goes to test their products and why they’re exposed to average temperatures of 77 degrees Fahrenheit.

Death Valley, California, is one of the driest and hottest places on the planet.

In 1913 the town of Furnace Creek recorded a temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit.

It’s a unique place that’s been a magnet to adventurers and artists for years. It’s also the place where Lamilux products are taken for six months to undergo rigorous UV testing.

Multi-award winning Lamilux manufactures GRP, a fibreglass and resin thermoset plastic sheet, supplied in coils, much like carpet.

The German manufacturer supplies material measuring between 0.8mm and 5mm thick, and it’s primarily used in commercial vehicles, modular buildings and caravans.

Nick Guscott, Director of GRP Marketing Limited who look after the UK arm of Lamilux, says: “We want to give our customers the confidence that our products are right for their application, so testing is crucial.

In fact, Lamilux puts all of its products through extreme testing to ensure it does its job and performs as it should.

If you have an external product, you don’t want it to yellow. Every product that is going to be used externally is sent to Death Valley in California for six months for UV weathering and testing to ensure it doesn’t yellow.

“It also undergoes thermal testing.

This is where we expose it to high temperatures and then freeze it quickly.

We also replicate accelerated ageing, and all products are TUV certified – a German quality accreditation.”

The two companies started working together nine years ago after CoolKit MD Rupert Gatty was introduced to Lamilux at a trade show in Germany.

More recently CoolKit has been working in partnership with Lamilux to perfect a product that is thin, yet strong and lightweight. This product is used within its composite insulated panels in both its panel and box vans.

21

EXTRA MILE | SUPPLIER FOCUS

The company, which turned over €250m last year, has its own teams of researchers, applications engineers, sales team and product development engineers. They can develop products for customers, mirror customer’s production and suggest efficiencies and other uses.

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“Every customer is individual and we develop products to meet their needs by altering the formula and manufacturing technique to create different products with different qualities, using varying amounts of glass, resin and chemicals.

“We have worked with CoolKit to produce a product that gives them the unique benefits they are looking for. The product CoolKit purchases from us for the composite panels increases the strength of their conversions without increasing the thickness or the weight. It is also easy to clean and has good chemical resistance.

CoolKit also purchase a range of other products from our portfolio including anti-slip flooring.”

Consistently high quality

“It’s important for Rupert and the CoolKit team that when the doors are open on the back of the vans, the floors in the vehicles all look the same,” says Nick. “It’s also important to CoolKit that the material is strong, robust, and UV stable.

“We have been able to maintain the contract because of our excellent service, quality and consistency of product. Our product always looks the same, week after week. It’s the same colour, the same thickness, and the same finish. The vans are judged on how they look. CoolKit put their name on it, but it’s also about our reputation too.”

The GRP rolls are manufactured at Lamilux in northern Bavaria. Around

50 rolls at a time, each containing approximately 60m x 3.2m of product, are delivered directly to CoolKit from the factory within a couple of days of being manufactured.

“By bringing it in on coils, CoolKit can slice it as needed so they can reduce wastage,” says Nick.

Rupert had tried some of our competitors before but we are their supplier because of our consistency, quality and service. The package we put together goes beyond just the price.”

“We’re proud to be a supplier to CoolKit and we want to keep that relationship going.

We understand each other’s needs and share the same values.”

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EXTRA MILE | PRODUCT SUPPLIERSDEVELOPMENT FOCUS

Thinking inside the box CoolKit is renowned for its conversions of panel vans in the temperature controlled transport industry, but an increase in demand for box body vehicles has led to an expansion at the company.

We speak to Design Engineer, James Smith, to discover how CoolKit has managed the creative process to transform paper plans into a vehicle with an impressive payload.

The blank canvas “Because it’s a new product line for us, we’ve had to essentially start from scratch with the structure, even the basic drawings,” explains James. “Having the creative freedom to produce this product has been a rewarding challenge for me.”

James, who previously worked for a competitor, is used to working on large vehicle fleets and was particularly proud when CoolKit’s first large batch of box vehicles rolled off the production line in 2017.

He has been key to setting up new and improved production processes for CoolKit, helping the company establish themselves as a quality box body provider.

“It’s a blank canvas. I see it as a good thing because you’re not restricted to how things have been done previously.

At CoolKit, we’re experimenting more with the process because we have the freedom to try things out. If it works, fantastic, we’ll release it. If it doesn’t, we’ll change it.

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There’s a lot more scope for prototyping and getting things right instead of sticking with what you’ve already got because it’s how it’s always been done in the industry.”

What this means for customers Developing a specialist box vehicle has brought a wealth of customer benefits, most notably the increased payload and flexibility – something James is very pleased with.

“On our latest fleet of 10 box vehicles, we achieved an extra 150kg of load space per vehicle when compared to a competitor’s quote. The customer had originally been quoted a payload of 1050kg, but with a little bit of creativity and the use of innovative composite materials, we’ve delivered the magic 1200kg payload per vehicle.

“To do this, we’ve taken away some heavier elements of the construction without compromising on the strength or quality of the product. Over the fleet of 10 vehicles, that’s one and a half tonnes more that can be carried – in effect, we’ve given the customer an extra vehicle in terms of space.”

Fast facts Latest Mercedes Sprinter MWB box vehicle resulted in delivering a 1200kg payload, compared to 1050kg from competitors As a composite product, there’s nothing in the vehicle that can rot Can be built up to 2.6m wide and 4m tall – panel vans are fixed in size The inside is completely square – two pallets fit in side by side Box vehicles take 4 weeks to create from design to completion

Boxing clever for the future James believes the box body could take off in a big way for CoolKit, while complementing their existing panel van offer.

“We love looking after the businesses with panel van conversions that work for them and we will always help every single customer with their needs,” he says.

The additional payload has helped the customer to reduce outlay – effectively providing an extra vehicle without having to add an extra driver and the associated vehicle costs – plus two trips can become one, helping to cut down on CO2 emissions and the customer’s carbon footprint.

“The payload on box vehicles is massive and it’s definitely something I find really satisfying when they roll off the production line,” says James.

Why box vehicles stand out Unlike panel vans, which are confined to a specific size and height, the box body is a freestanding structure that can be customised.

With a box body, CoolKit can build anything up to 2.6m wide and 4m tall, making the vehicle bespoke to the client’s needs. This degree of flexibility is the ultimate tick in the box for the customer.

“On a box body, your only limitations are legal requirements. We can make them any size, with doors placed

wherever they need to be. Basically, whatever the customer wants from a refrigerated van, they can have with a box body.

“The sheer range of what we can do is huge – it’s never just a case of creating a box vehicle or converting a panel van. We often just get customers asking whether something is possible!”

“However, box bodies have the potential to overtake them in popularity.

“From a CoolKit perspective, it’s important that we find a balance for the company, which secures jobs and brings in business, rather than predicting a trend.

“I can see production numbers growing steadily for a few years while we decide whether to branch out into bigger vehicles – which there’s a massive market for – or stay within the up to 7.5 tonne market. We just need to perfect the core product, which I’m confident we will.”

“We’re here to help the customer create a vehicle that meets their needs.

25

EXTRA MILE | CUSTOMER FOCUS

Food for thought

Like CoolKit, Alpine Fine Foods provides high quality goods to a range of large and small clients, coupled with excellent customer service. Phil Davis, Managing Director of Alpine Fine Foods, talks to us about the £12million business based in Hull and how their vans have helped their business double in the last four years.

Alpine Fine Foods started working with CoolKit many years ago but lost commercial contact for a period as the recession took hold and Alpine changed ownership.

As part of Alpine’s ambitious growth plans in 2014 the company decided to return to the Burnley-based manufacturer.

Phil Davis explains: “We deliver six days a week to a range of customers including small sandwich shops, schools, restaurants, cafes, nursing homes – basically anyone who needs food.

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“We realised that we were not getting the full potential from our vans and believed that CoolKit could deliver a better payload than our existing fleet.

Their conversions are unique in terms of how they’re constructed.”

Traditional refrigerated van conversions use plywood to panel the inside of the vehicle, but CoolKit vans benefit from an innovative range of lighter and stronger composite materials to make the panels, allowing vehicles to carry greater weights.

“Our main priority was payload,” says Phil. “We didn’t want to compromise on how much we could carry.

Our orders with CoolKit absolutely gave us what we needed.”

In 2016, the introduction of Euro 6 emission standards resulted in a heavier unladen chassis of all vehicles.

To achieve the payload on the Euro 6 vans, CoolKit fitted CurtAir – an air curtain that prevents cool air escaping from the vehicle, which is much lighter than the industry -standard PVC strips. And, taking inspiration from the aerospace industry, they installed a different load restraint system.

CoolKit also chose aluminium for the protective skirting inside the load space, an alternative high impact GRP interior surface for the side and ceiling of the vehicle which was lighter and stronger, and, instead of the traditional fibreglass and resin gelcoat flooring, they used a lighter flooring solution. All of the above was achieved without making any modifications were made to the base of the vehicle.

In the last four years, Alpine has doubled in turnover, and this has been made possible with the assistance of their fleet.

Phil explains: “We are unique in that our vehicles are agile and nimble and, unlike some of our rivals, we can get into places that bigger vehicles can’t access. It’s a competitive market and we have to provide a good service first and foremost.

“People are very price conscious, but if the service levels are not what they should be your customer won’t return. Our vehicles are of a high quality and so are the goods we sell.

Our vans look smart and they’re kitted out to a high specification.”

“The heavier chassis meant we would lose 60kg of payload per vehicle,” says Phil.

How CoolKit achieved the payload on the Euro 6 vans: Fitted CurtAir instead of the PVC strip curtains – lighter and more effective.

Used aluminium as an alternative material for the protective skirting inside the load space - Alternative high impact GRP interior surface for the side and ceiling of the load space – lighter but stronger.

Alternative flooring solution – lighter than traditional fibreglass and resin gelcoat finish Sourced a different load restraint system, currently being used in the aircraft industry.

No modifications were made to the base of the vehicle

“We challenged CoolKit to come up with innovative ideas to make the vehicle lighter. They managed it by creating an even lighter conversion.”

Since 2015, Alpine have placed an order for 28 Renault Masters 3.5 ton vans to help distribute high quality food across East Yorkshire.

“We have invested heavily in the company, particularly in our fleet, and we have been delighted with the quality and consistency of the conversion.’

“If you can carry an extra 100kg in a 1 tonne vehicle that’s a big saving.

If we’re delivering to Scarborough, which is a 50-mile journey from here, we try to load the vehicle with as much as possible. That 100kg allows us to carry 10% more, or equates to a significant saving on overheads, vehicle running costs and driver costs.

All the Alpine Fine Food vans have both a chilled and frozen section.

Within the vehicle, the dimensions of each of these sections can be reconfigured for maximum flexibility.

The vehicles also have a temperature recording device for those customers requiring temperature evidence. The vehicles can also be plugged in and left overnight so that they can go straight out for deliveries in the morning.

Alpine is currently investing £500,000 in a new cold storage and warehouse facilities, which will be operational this spring, with further plans for growth.

Phil adds: “We will always have a fleet of this size of vehicle and we will be looking at increasing the size of our vehicles as we start to distribute further afield – and, of course, when we do we will be speaking to CoolKit.”

“CoolKit has really tried to listen to their customers and they have evolved significantly.”

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The heart of the CoolKit has firmly planted itself at the heart of its community.

Not only does it offer employment opportunities for people in the local area and contribute significantly to the manufacturing economy within Lancashire, the whole workforce strongly believes in supporting good causes wherever possible.

Throughout the business there’s a real community spirit, with all employees encouraged to take part in charity events, volunteering for causes they feel passionately about, and help train young people and develop skills that will help them gain employment.

Last year, CoolKit took part in several charity events and donated their time to a number of worthy causes.

EPILEPSY ACTION

Five members of the team, including Managing Director Rupert Gatty, took part in a 5k obstacle race to help raise money for Epilepsy Action, raising £150.

PRETTY MUDDY FUN FOR 5K EVENT A team of six women from the company took part in Pretty Muddy – a 5k muddy obstacle race to help raise money and awareness for Cancer Research UK. All the women had personal reasons for taking part and raised £730 for the charity, thanks to sponsorship from colleagues, suppliers and customers.

DAVID AND DAUGHTER PLAY THEIR PART CoolKit’s non-executive Director, David Roberts, got his hands dirty when he and his teenage daughter Maddie travelled to Uganda.

The visit was in support of the Bumba Foundation where they helped to renovate a school.

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TASTE LANCASHIRE

CoolKit were one of the companies to financially back the Taste Lancashire event – which aims to challenge, inspire and celebrate Lancashire’s food economy, bringing together retailers, buyers, chefs, hoteliers, entrepreneurs and exporters in a hot pot of ideas.

community...

THEMIS SKILLS EVENT AT BURNLEY COLLEGE But it’s not just about fundraising.

CoolKit has joined forces with other companies across the North West, helping to promote skills and employment in the region. The firm was represented at an open day at Burnley College, showcasing their products and apprenticeship opportunities to Themis Advanced Engineering Apprentices and Advanced Sixth Form Students in the Centre of Engineering Excellence department.

During the visit, CoolKit’s team of refrigerated engineers demonstrated how to install the insulated lining kits.

Students were able to get involved in the installation process, and learn about the leading technology being used at CoolKit for the design and manufacture of the insulated lining kits used to convert a vehicle into a refrigerated van.

DIAMONDS ARE A GIRLS BEST FRIEND Loredana Emmerson, Marketing Manager at CoolKit, attended the Oysters and Pearls event held at Blackpool and the Fylde College.

Loredana was one of 30 mentors offering inspiration to 30 young women from the college, while having fun and learning. The event aimed to give the women information about careers available in the county, confidence and belief in themselves and a more positive mind-set.

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The heart of the com STUDENTS MENTORED FOR MANUFACTURING COMPETITION CoolKit mentored students from Tauheedul Islam Girls School in Blackburn as part of the Make It In Manufacturing competition, hosted by the Manufacturing Institute. The Blackburn girls’ school was crowned

Other participating schools included Beamont Collegiate Academy in Cheshire, Broadgreen International School in Merseyside, Manchester Academy in Manchester, St George’s School in Lancashire, St Michaels’ C of E School in Cheshire, West Lakes Academy in Cumbria, Whalley Range 11-18 High School in Manchester, and Whitehaven Academy in Cumbria.

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North West champions after going head-to-head with more than 80 other budding manufacturers from across the North of England for the coveted title.

Each group had to set up their own

mini-manufacturing businesses and come up with the design, cost and marketing for a new product.

CoolKit were one of the sponsors of the event, providing mentors to the Tauheedul team.

COMMUNITY KITCHEN CoolKit is also supporting the new Burnley Community Kitchen project in conjunction with Burnley FC in the Community. More on that in the next edition.

mmunity “As well as the warm and fuzzy benefits, CoolKit employees believe that taking part in CSR activity demonstrates the extra mile their company is willing to go for its community.”

Loredana Emmerson, Marketing Manager, said: “There are a number of ways you can help to integrate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into your business.

So, whether it’s hosting a fundraising event, donating time to a charity, pro bono work for a good cause or simply reducing waste in your office, there’s plenty you can do to make a difference.”

INSULATED CONTAINERS UK Distributor of Melform product range

Catering

PRODUCT RANGE WITH 20 LITRES TO 1,350 LITRE CAPACITY Can be utilised within the catering & banqueting industry.

Top tips on how to integrate CSR into your business:

Logistics

Choose a charity of the year. By having an end goal, and a reason to go above and beyond, it will help to focus the team’s enthusiasm.

TEMPERATURE RANGE -30ºc TO +40ºc

Be passionate about the cause. Choose a cause that you care about. If you have personal reasons for getting involved, you are more likely to succeed.

Get everyone involved. For CSR to truly work, it needs the involvement of many and not just a few. Discuss what the team would like to do to incorporate more community thinking into the business.

Let employees take the lead. By making them part of the project they will help to drive the initiative.

Do, don’t just give. By getting your hands dirty and truly getting involved in a cause the whole team will gain more from the experience. Giving cash is great, but you will gain a better understanding of the cause if you get involved.

Report back. After any activity, event or progress, share what happened with your team. Your enthusiasm will help to keep everyone else excited about future tasks and activity.

Aim high. Set yourself a goal and keep pushing towards it.

Ideal for logistical movements of perishable goods in the food industry.

Biomedical

COMPLIANT WITH COLD CHAIN AT ALL STAGES Suitable for the storage & transporation of pharma products.

ONE PRODUCT - ENDLESS SOLUTIONS www.coolkit.co.uk 0845 459 5418

CoolKit Limited Unit 6 Farrington Place, Burnley, Lancashire, BB11 5TY Tel: 0845 459 5418 www.coolkit.co.uk