A 2024 Snapshot
It’s been a busy year at Occo Coolers in 2024 with our air blast oil, water and air coolers being sent across the globe.
As well as supplying customers the length and breadth of the UK, we’ve also exported our coolers to China, India, Germany, the USA, Canada and Spain.
The sectors we’ve served include the offshore and marine industry, the scientific sector, hydraulic engineering, x-ray and inspection equipment, material testing and food processing. We’ve also supplied a number of manufacturers producing everything from industrial tubes and pipes to bottle tops!
Managing Director Allan Cunningham said: “2024 has been very productive as we’ve continued to work with some long-term customers and welcomed some new ones. It’s always fascinating to know where Occo coolers end up geographically and the vast number of sectors where you’ll find them.
“We’re going into 2025 with a healthy order book and look forward to sending many more coolers to all corners of the world next year.”
Cooling in the Antarctic
How low can we go? Pretty low, it transpires after despatching an order that is destined for sub-zero Antarctic conditions.
Our customer, who we have been supplying coolers to for off-shore environments for many years, asked us to find an oil-blast air cooler that would operate in temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees.
With no off the shelf option, we had to create a bespoke solution. We sourced a motor and fan that would withstand the freezing temperatures, changing the standard hydraulic motor for a Parker F11 series and using a fan with non-standard blades. We then adapted our standard T8H cooler to fit the new fan and motor.
Managing Director Allan Cunningham said: “The Antarctic was the last place we were expecting to send a cooler as it is the coldest continent on Earth! Finding a bespoke solution is one of the things we do best so we were pleased not to leave our customer out in the cold.”
A new era for Occo
We are delighted to have a welcomed a new director to Occo Coolers (Telford). David Hunter has taken on the strategic lead for production following the retirement of former director Robert Withington.
David will work closely with our sales team to deliver heat exchange solutions to our client base across the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. The Occo range of air blast oil and water coolers can be found in diverse sectors from general hydraulics to offshore, scientific and automotive applications.
David said: “The Occo range has a stellar reputation in the industry with a rich pedigree that stretches back more than 50 years.
“One of our USPs is the flexibility we have to offer bespoke products and work to tight timescales, which has helped to establish our enviable reputation since we took over production 18 years ago. I am looking forward to building on that success going forward.”
Managing Director Allan Cunningham said: “David’s appointment signals a new era for Occo and I am very pleased to have him on board as an integral part of the team.”
Cheers to Fuelwood!
It was great to visit our client Fuelwood (Warwick) Ltd for their recent open day - we were really impressed with the standard of the firewood and forestry machinery they're designing and manufacturing in Warwick.
It was also interesting to hear that since incorporating Occo’s air blast coolers into their machinery, warranty claims at Fuelwood have significantly reduced. It just goes to show that by keeping hydraulic oil at the optimum temperature, it not only improves the longevity of the oil, but the longevity of the hydraulic components.
They also kindly provided us with some of their locally brewed ‘oil’ - it’s a tough job but someone’s got to try it!
New 'adventure' for Occo Coolers
From space exploration to off shore drilling, Occo coolers can appear in the most interesting of places – and now we can add a theme park to the list!
We recently supplied an NCPE51 from our range of offline pumped coolers to the Movie Park Germany, a theme park in Bottrop, which will be used at its Lost Temple adventure.
The 4D dinosaur attraction offers visitors the chance to explore the sights, sounds and smells of an archaeology expedition.
In the past 12 months, Occo coolers have made their way onto a recycled baler machine destined for Nigeria, X-ray inspection equipment manufactured in Spain and to a subsea services specialist in Australia.
Managing Director Allan Cunningham said: “It’s always interesting to hear where our range of air blast oil and water coolers end up. We have recently sent our first cooler into the Middle East so that was great to add another continent and country to our list.”
For more on the Occo range of online and offline coolers, click here.
Global reach for Occo coolers
While many manufacturing SMEs are gearing up to shift their export focus outside of Europe when Britain finally leaves the EU, here at Occo Coolers we’re way ahead of the game!
In the last six months, Occo coolers have been shipped to Ghana, Peru, the USA, Australia, Mexico and Dubai (via a customer in Texas) as well as other far-flung corners of the globe.
Although we’re making our mark across several continents, our air blast oil and water coolers also remain in demand at home and in Europe, says Joint Managing Director Allan Cunningham.
“The export market is a growing part of our business and, although we’ve been supplying Occo coolers across the world for many years, it’s always satisfying when we despatch a cooler to a new destination or are able to replace a worn out cooler that may have been supplied decades ago, as we did recently for a customer in South America.
“It’s also interesting to find out which sector our products are ending up in such as mining, offshore or even space exploration.”
Allan added: “Even post Brexit we anticipate a lot of continuing custom from Europe as we have long established relationships with our customers in the Eurozone.
“As an SME, we have the flexibility to offer bespoke products to meet our customers’ specific requirements and can work to tight timescales if necessary, which is part of our USP and why we get lots of repeat business from our worldwide customer base.”
Not your average customer:
It may look like a creation from a sci-fi movie but the Mantis is a real feat of British engineering that we are very proud to have been a part of.
The Mantis Hexapod Walking Machine is a 2.2 litre turbo diesel powered, 5m diameter walking machine that can be operated either on-board or remote via a WiFi link.
Matt Denton from Micromagic Systems Ltd, who spent four years developing Mantis, approached us to provide a cooling solution for the hydraulic system, which is crucial to the operation.
As 1,900kg walking machines aren’t the kind of thing we deal with every day, our Sales Manager Ron Sherred visited Matt and his team in Winchester to work out the best cooling solution for the Mantis.
We then took one of our standard T Range coolers and modified it so it could cope with the demands of the Mantis and provide an effective cooling solution.
Matt Denton: “Ron was a great help in specifying the cooler and whenever I needed technical assistance he was happy to oblige. We were glad to have Occo Coolers Telford on board.”
Occo’s Allan Cunningham: “We are delighted to have been able to help in the creation of the Mantis. It is a staggering feat of engineering and a sight to behold in operation.”
Occo is an official sponsor of the Mantis. For more information go to www.mantisrobot.com and Facebook.
The right formula for Formula 1:
More and more of the Formula 1 Teams are turning to Occo Coolers for their cooling solutions.
In the hush-hush world of Grand Prix racing, even we don't know where our products are being used although the phrase 'Kinetic Energy Recovery System' (KERS) might give us a clue.
But one by one the top teams have been in contact leaving us with a dilemma - who do we support on the track?
We're just be happy to be associated with them all and will remain firmly in neutral!