Farming Monthly National September 2016 | Page 19

| Potatoes No cooling off - growth despite obstacles for JD Cooling Systems JD Cooling Systems has had another busy year of growth in all sectors of their extremely diverse business, says Group MD John Dye. here is no doubt that when it comes to big investments, Brexit has had a negative effect in terms of people’s confidence at the moment. However this is something we think that will be temporary whereas the constant price pressure being passed down through the major retail chain remains the biggest obstacle to getting people to invest in the long term.” “Despite this we have been successful in winning major orders this year right across the farming spectrum. We are in the middle of building a new high care vegetable production facility in Scotland and Scotland is also the scene of one of our larger storage projects this T www.farmingmonthly.co.uk season where we are just completing a major complex for East Lothian Produce.” “ELP are another client who have seen the benefits of using secondary glycol cooling systems to deliver a long term, efficient and sustainable solution to their cooling requirements. 4 large stores provide facility to hold crops such as potatoes, cabbage, broccoli and other similar produce for long periods and this flexibility is another key benefit of using secondary cooling.” In addition to these works in Scotland which are being managed from JD Cooling’s office near Edinburgh, the Group’s activities in the farming sector include new onion storage in Suffolk, potato storage in Norfolk, fruit storage Kent with projects as far south as Cornwall where they have recently completed a new facility for one of the region’s major brassica producers, again using secondary glycol cooling systems. Says Dye, “Whilst the other business activities within the Group are growing at a more rapid pace, farming and its connected businesses across the food sector remain a massive part of our overall turnover and historically our clients in this sector are extremely resilient and innovative and I am sure will deal with whatever Brexit, major retailers or mother nature throws at them!” September 2016 | Farming Monthly | 19