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Contract win marks Tees refrigeration specialists 10th anniversary

ByJoan Grant

Oct 26, 2018

 A Tees-based family business specialising in cold storage is marking its tenth anniversary with news of a major contract win involving three countries.

Freezer Management Services Ltd (FMS) was started in 2008 by Derek Gascoigne, who decided to use his 40 years of experience in the commercial refrigeration sector to set up his own business.

Today the team that also includes his wife Sue, sons Michael and Andrew, both specialist engineers, and Michael’s wife Sara who co-ordinates the emergency response service and customers’ maintenance plans, is seeing a blue-chip client base continue to grow.

Freezer Management Services Ltd, based at Redcar, supplies and fits commercial refrigeration equipment including freezers, refrigerators, chillers, display cabinets, walk-in cold rooms and blast chillers.   Its nationwide 24-hour callout service operates 364 days of the year dealing with breakdowns, repairs and maintenance.

FMS’s specialist expertise and experience has led to the company completing major projects for car manufacturer Nissan; Lanchester Dairies, where a new cold room enabled the business to expand; tanker companies transporting hazardous and other liquids in bulk; food manufacturers and suppliers including Poskitt Carrots and Manor Farm as well as distribution centres and IT companies.

The latest contract will involve maintaining and servicing refrigerated containers transporting valuable gel packs used in batteries for electric cars as they make their way from the USA via Japan to the UK.

“We are delighted to have won this latest contract as it is a significant one for us and a great way to mark our 10th anniversary,” said Derek Gascoigne. “Demand is increasing across the UK and beyond including the USA and the Netherlands, which is currently proving to be a strong potential growth area for us.   Turnover has grown between 10 and 20% every year and virtually all our work comes from recommendation.”

“The site visits we make give us a close understanding of our clients’ operations and requirements. Our customers operate in sectors where seriously heavy losses, often hundreds of thousands of pounds, can be incurred in a very short space of time if equipment breaks down.   We aim to get to breakdowns within 3 to 4 hours and also stress the need for strong maintenance plans that are kept up to date,” he added.

Legislation also requires the owners of commercial equipment using fluorinated gas to employ specialist contractors such as Freezer Management Services to repair, maintain and dispose of their equipment.

“We have just re-developed our website (www.freezermanagementservices.com) as one of the improvements that will take us into the next decade,” said Derek Gascoigne “and are all looking forward to seeing the business continue to grow.”

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