BRITISH ANSWER TO FRIDGE QUANDRY • Having just read Tim
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Blakemore's report on the recent Institute of Refrigeration/Institution of Mechanical Engineers London Seminar (Commercial Motor, April 26), I would like to assure Frank Cornock, and all other members of Transfrigoroute UK, that there is a British-owned Bodybuilder who has done a great deal to alleviate the problems he highlights.
Unusually among British bodybuilders, my company at its Solihull head office, designs and manufactures its own ref
rigerated body panels and doors. Included in that is our unique patented changeable door seal and heat brake system, whereby a circular seal is mounted in its own nylon runner, running continuously around the door edge. Apart from the prevention of seal icing, this means that, as no adhesives or fixings hold the seal. If it becomes damaged, it can be slid out and replaced in seconds by unskilled personnel, virtually eliminating downtime and minimising costs. We believe our door systems to have surpassed the efficiency of any imported unit.
This system was demonstrated by myself to your colleague, Bryan Jarvis, at the Temperature Controlled Storage and Distribution Exhibition; and it is perhaps unfortunate that no mention of our modern construction was made in his otherwise excellent report; especially when SO many imported panels and agents of importers were featured.
Moving on to Mr Cornock's point regarding loading temperatures, while he may be a most professional transport manager, many of his colleagues are not, and the felony is often compounded by hauliers who specify unsuitable bodies for certain operations, or who do not find out, or tell, bodybuilders all the necessary information. The current vogue for side-access vehicles is a case in point. Do they really maintain the required temperatures, especially if the refrigeration unit breaks down?
With few exceptions these days, there is really only one factor which determines which bodybuilders wins any business — assuming there to be no builder in the same group, as is the case with Birds Eye Wall's — and that is price. All the modern design and high thermal efficiency counts for nothing when the client learns that it all costs money. Can the operator complain when he gets poor quality bodywork and inappropriate designs — such as the meat hooks shown — when he is only prepared to pay a sum which makes the builder cut corners and costs? I concede that he is not helped by the unscrupulous attitudes of some bodybuilders' salesmen! Meanwhile we will continue to use our computeraided design system to give our customers modern, efficient, lightweight and totally British-built bodywork with the emphasis on doing a vital job correctly, not skimping; with customers not being forced to take the standard size.
I am, of course, employed to sell bodies, but not at the expense of the professionalism with which we pride ourselves, and the many examples of nonprofessionalism that I see grate badly.
Graham Lawman Sales manager Wilsdon and Co Ltd Enfield