Retail giants share top accolades at 2011 Cooling Industry Awards

But while Asda walked away with the coveted End User of the Year award for its radical and collaborative approach to leak reduction and new technology, it was Sainsbury’s that picked up the most honours from the judges.

The supermarket’s “world-first” closed loop ground-hole boring system at its Crayford store won both Low Carbon Achievement of the Year and the new Air Conditioning/Heat Pump project of the Year, together with “Highly Commended” citations for Refrigeration Innovation of the Year and Retail Project of the Year.

Marks and Spencer took the top prize for Retail Project of the Year for carbon reduction and heat recovery advances at its Eccleshall Road Simply Food store, while the John Lewis Partnership received well-deserved recognition for its efforts with its leak reduction programme featuring mystery sniffers, scented refrigerants and supply chain audits, scooping the sought-after Environmental Collaboration of the Year title.

Contractors large and small were also fêted at the event. Space Engineering Services was awarded Contractor of the Year for its broad portfolio and ambitious expansion into Eastern Europe, while Armagh-based Shilliday Refrigeration picked up Industrial/Commercial Project of the Year for its exemplary work with client Hewitt Meats.

The Gold Award, presented for a significant impact on the industry’s environmental progress went to Ray Gluckman, who has had a major influence on the industry’s response to climate change, most latterly with F-Gas implementation. As Mr Gluckman chairs the Cooling Awards judges panel, the nomination process had to take place without his knowledge.

Other individual awards went to Mike Creamer of Business Edge, who was named Environmental Pioneer of the Year, and David Gillett, recently retired from GEA Searle, who received the inaugural Fred Jamieson Award for Industry Achievement.

The National Student of the Year Award went to Scott Berry of JD Cooling, who trained at the Grimsby Institute. Mr Berry’s boss praised his input, saying: “He has developed into a real leader and asset to the company.”

The product award winners demonstrated the variety of innovation at work in the industry, with winners including a novel multideck design, a refrigerant pump, a high-performance VRF,
an ammonia heat pump and a hydrocarbon chiller.

As RAC went to press, the Awards had set a new benchmark for industry attendance, with 610 signed up for the event at the Hilton Park Lane in London.

For details and photos of winners CLICK HERE

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