Whilst Chiller Box is based near London, and we have many clients on our doorstep, we also work further afield including on international projects.

Our day could involve joining a global conference call followed by a visit to a site down the road or a trip to meet a potential new client somewhere else in the UK. Due to the size of our business, and the flexibility of our directors, we are able to adapt to different locations. We have worked on a huge variety of projects from schools and colleges to restaurants and bars, leisure venues, retail outlets, hotels and staff restaurants.

Going global

In recent years, we’ve worked on a project for a client in Nigeria who operates hotels under an international hotel brand. The different teams working on the project were based in London, Nigeria, South Africa and Lebanon which meant all our meetings had to be done online. There are some challenges to working on projects like this, but we were able to overcome them with a positive approach. As this was for a well-known hotel group, our designs needed to meet their international brand standards.

As we all know the technology surrounding online meetings can bring challenges, as can the different time zones the team members were working in. However, we learnt a lot from this project, showed how we can adapt and be flexible and the client was happy with the work we did. A lot of effort went into sourcing the right equipment, as whilst items are largely sourced from the UK, you need to ensure that the after sales support is in place in all the countries you are supplying to.

Another consideration on an international project is the different cuisines the country serves as this may require specific catering equipment especially as in this case, the hotel also included an event and banqueting venue serving local dishes. On projects like this, we will also consider the climate of the country and the impact of warmer temperatures when cooking. We’d need to look at ventilation as well as the amount of refrigeration space required when creating the design.

Working nationwide

Our work nationally has generally come through our existing client base, and we have travelled to meet the needs of the customer. Where necessary, we will do face to face meetings, especially at the start of a project to check out the sites, but we are also happy to do online meetings. This is always led by what our clients want us to do.

Our two directors build strong relationships with our project managers so they know we are on hand to support both on-site and from a distance and sometimes they will send us video updates so we can see the work. We have a network of installers who we work with across the UK so there are no limitations as to where we work.

Local projects

As we are based near London a large percentage of our work is in the city or on the outskirts. This does mean we can be very responsive to our clients’ needs. We’ve been known to get an enquiry in the morning and be on-site with a client in the afternoon to scope out the work. Our locality also helps from an aftersales point of view too if it’s needed.

There is something really satisfying about dining locally at a venue you have worked on and being able to follow its progress as it’s in your neighbourhood. We try and support local hospitality businesses wherever possible and have chosen to have staff events and meetings at sites we have worked on as this brings our work to life a little more.

Wherever you are based, the Chiller Box team is happy to help and advise on how we can work together. Find out more about some of the work we’ve done at www.chillerbox.com.