Home>Blog

Tailored chiller hire preserves fruit for UK’s largest farming and dairy company

Posted on 21/08/2017

When rising summer temperatures left one of the UK’s largest farming and dairy companies exposed to the risk of losing all of their fruit produce, Andrews Chiller Hire were contacted and asked to resolve the issue immediately.

A local Andrews technician visited the premises to conduct a site survey and recommended an appropriate chiller hire solution off the back of his findings. It was decided that three 100kW fluid chillers and air handling units would provide the required cooling duty to salvage our customer’s hand-picked fruits.

The units were positioned outside the warehouses being used to store the organic produce, with two air handling units being strategically placed in each of the storerooms to ensure that a constant flow of cool air reached the most affected areas.

The short-term cooling solution worked perfectly while seasonal temperatures were high, ensuring all fruit was kept unspoiled. Our client was extremely satisfied with our practical solution, indicating that this would be a recurring job for the next few years.

View full case study

Posted in: Tagged ,,,,

Rally team drop in to meet Andrews staff in London

Posted on 18/08/2017

Last week, the European Rally Championship leaders took time out of their busy schedule to come and meet company employees at our flagship depot in Charlton.

Chris Ingram travelled south from Manchester via Milton Keynes, where co-driver Elliott Edmondson is based, and the pair arrived in an Opel Adam similar to the car they use on the rallying circuit.

UK Operations Director, David Himsworth, was on hand to give both men a tour of the premises, offering them an insight into our day-to-day operations. This also enabled a broad spectrum of employees to finally meet Chris and Elliott almost eighteen months after their involvement with Andrews Heat for Hire began.

An informal discussion then followed which allowed the marketing team, senior directors and of course Chris and Elliott themselves to review the past few months and look ahead to future opportunities.

It had previously been decided that we would display a signed picture of the branded rally car in each depot, and so the two rally fanatics were busy practicing their autographs during the afternoon!

As expected, their visit was extremely well-received by staff and enabled us to plan for upcoming rallies – the next of which takes place in the Czech Republic over the bank holiday weekend.

At the halfway stage of the European Rally Championships, Chris and Elliott have an eight-point lead over their nearest rivals. Naturally, we would like to wish them all the best in the pursuit of glory and hope that their quest to retain the ERC U27 title is successful!

Posted in: Tagged ,,,,

Need marquee heating? Leave it to us!

Posted on 17/08/2017

At this time of year especially, when the nights are drawing in, it is becoming more and more common for heaters to be used to warm marquee interiors. Whether our clients are hosting a wedding, charity ball, conference or one-off party, there has been a growing demand for a dependable heat source due to the dramatic drop in temperature when night falls.

However, despite a noticeable spike in enquiries for marquee heating, there are undoubtedly still some misconceptions surrounding the viability of this process. Some people wrongly believe that such a project may be too complicated – when in reality, it’s extremely simple. On other occasions, the wrong type of unit has been utilised which could have potential safety ramifications.

In order to controvert this myth, Andrews Heat for Hire are currently editing a short video to highlight the ease with which we can tailor heating arrangements for marquees and similar applications.

Our team visited one of Kent’s most picturesque locations – Nurstead Court in Meopham – and captured footage which demonstrates how a safe yet effective heating solution can be commissioned to warm a marquee or large tent.

The video will be available shortly, so keep an eye out for its release on our Twitter page and blog. In the meantime, you can visit our dedicated marquee heater hire page which features two special packages. Click here to view these. We would like to thank Nurstead Court for accommodating our request and allowing us to spend some time on site filming various scenes.

Posted in: Tagged ,,,,

Andrews continue sponsoring league winners Stratford Town Colts

Posted on 16/08/2017

Andrews Sykes are delighted to announce an extension to the sponsorship of Stratford Town Colts FC following a barnstorming 2016/17 campaign. A 5-1 victory in their final fixture saw the Colts – captained by Cameron Ford – seal the Division B Coventry and Warwickshire Youth League title.

Cameron is the son of our former Chief Financial Officer, Kevin, and as such the club is very close to the hearts of many people in the company. Kevin gave more than 35 years’ service to Andrews Sykes before he tragically passed in 2015, so we’re very happy to continue honouring his memory by strengthening our association with Stratford Town Colts FC.

Naturally, we’re also extremely proud of the steps the side have taken and look forward to seeing them progress further in Division A as from September.

Speaking ahead of the new campaign, Patrick Halton, club secretary, commented: “We had a great season last time out and we’re really looking forward to 2017/18. The company’s generous financial support to the lads has been a great help towards our success on the field.”

Posted in: Tagged ,,

Bespoke air conditioning hire keeps famous food festival cool

Posted on 11/08/2017

At Andrews Air Conditioning Hire, we know that when entertaining guests, everything has to be exactly right if the event is to be a memorable one. So when our client was set to host the biggest food festival in the Midlands, our experts were on hand to provide them with a constant circulation of fresh and cool air.

Event organisers were under a significant amount of pressure to provide their guests with an enjoyable experience which had come under threat due to the hot, unbearable weather.

As a result, an Andrews engineer was sent to conduct a site survey and recommend an appropriate cooling arrangement. It was decided that a high capacity HPAC90 air conditioning rental would be adequate for reducing marquee temperatures and combating heat generated from live cookery lessons.

Once installed, our temporary air conditioning rental worked perfectly by providing effective cooling for the event, leaving our client extremely impressed with the results and our service.

View full case study

Posted in: Tagged ,,,

Tailored air conditioning hire keeps seminar on schedule

Posted on 09/08/2017

At Andrews Air Conditioning Hire, we know how frustrating a failed cooling system can be – especially when breakdown occurs less than 24 hours before a major event you’re hosting.

So when our client suffered a chiller failure the day before they were expected to accommodate a highly publicised seminar, they contacted our specialists in search of an emergency cooling arrangement that would successfully provide adequate cooling for up to 1,000 guests.

Our experts provided practical advice to cool the area in question – deciding that the best course of action was to install six PAC22 split-type air conditioners. These units would have the internal unit inside the seminar hall while connected to the external heat exchangers on the balcony via small opening windows.

Once commissioned, our temporary cooling hire solution was successful in ensuring temperatures were comfortable for the attendees. Our customer was extremely pleased with our swift response and our out of hours service, keeping the units on hire for the duration of the event.

View full case study

Posted in: Tagged ,,,,

Luxury hotel seeks drying arrangement for newly built swimming pool and spa area

Posted on 04/08/2017

A leading construction company recently contacted Andrews Dehumidification Hire in search of an effective drying solution to assist with a building project. The client was attempting to dry concrete works in a newly built swimming pool and spa area.

Our experts surveyed the project, proposing a dehumidifier hire package that would fulfil the needs of a major client. A KT2000 desiccant dehumidifier was agreed upon, along with a FV300 fan which ensured the airflow of dry air was maintained at 2000m³/h.

Because access to the basement was very limited, we could not install the rental unit in the pool area. Therefore we positioned the equipment on the ground floor and used ducting to get the dry air from the dehumidifier down into the pool area.

Once operational, our drying solution ensured a stable temperature was constantly maintained, allowing the concrete works to dry. The customer was extremely pleased with the speed in which our specialists implemented a resolution, allowing the project to be comfortably completed ahead of the deadline.

View full case study

Posted in: Tagged ,,,

Ingram heads to Poland for round 3 of the FIA European Rally Championship bid

Posted on 03/08/2017

England’s number one rally driver Chris Ingram is looking to make it 3 out of 3 victories as the European Rally Championship continues this week at Rallye Rzeszow in Poland.

Chris’ latest challenge in Poland is made up of over 11 stages covering over 214 competitive Kilometres. This will be the 2nd time Rallye Rzeszow is featuring in the ERC Junior under 27 campaign since debuting in 2016, for many of the emerging talents competing, this will be uncharted territory with narrow winding roads in the Carpathian Mountains featuring steep climbs and tricky descents.

The Andrews Heat for Hire backed Mancunian heads the ERC Junior Under 27 standings – looking to build on his impressive record in the second part of the championship showdown.

Naturally everyone at the company would like to wish Chris the very best of luck and hope he returns to the UK with another victory to add to his already fantastic campaign! To ensure you don’t miss out, you can monitor Chris’ progress by following his Twitter page for updates.

Posted in: Tagged ,,,,

Andrews Sykes provide emergency cooling solution during exam season

Posted on 27/07/2017

An uncomfortably hot working environment at school can negatively impact the concentration levels, productivity and comfort of the students. This is most evident during examination season when increased temperatures cause halls to become hot and stuffy very quickly.

Fortunately for our customers, Andrews Air Conditioning have many years of experience providing temporary air conditioning to a wide variety of applications within schools, universities and colleges, including lecture theatres, classrooms and exam/sports halls.

Our specialists were contacted and asked to provide a practical cooling solution for a large sports hall that our client was using as a temporary exam area for the students. Following a site survey, our experts proposed and agreed on a HPAC90 portable air conditioning unit, which they positioned outside the building, ducting the cold air into the hall.

The facilities manager involved in conducting the hire was extremely pleased with the short-term cooling arrangement. The HPAC has succeeded in reducing the temperatures in the exam hall making it far more comfortable for the students to work in.

View full case study

Posted in: Tagged ,,,,

Andrews Sykes uncover original centenary brochure

Posted on 25/07/2017

In 1957, the company – under the name Henry Sykes Ltd – celebrated our first one hundred years of business. In order to mark this milestone, a commemorative centenary brochure was produced to document our incredible growth during that period.

The build-up to this anniversary prompted a lot of research about our history and led to a lot of previously unknown information being uncovered by our marketing team. While conducting their research, the team came across old copies of the original Henry Sykes 100th anniversary book. Further investigation uncovered the fact that an ex-employee still owned one of the original copies in pristine condition – and this can now be viewed here.


This unique booklet traces the business’ journey from its origins in 1857, where it was established as a small engineering firm in London before going on to become a global hire company.

Drawing from the company’s extensive historical archive, the article celebrates the people most responsible for contributing to our proud story, as well as giving readers a detailed perception of how we evolved during those first ten decades.

With over 25 pages of exclusive insight and breath-taking original imagery of company personnel, products and innovations, this commemorative brochure is an invaluable memento of a significant phase in our history.

Posted in: Tagged ,,,