Since 1980, SRC Refrigeration has manufactured and sold the most reliable walk in coolers, walk in freezers, refrigeration, reach in coolers, floral display coolers, beverage coolers, keg coolers, beer caves, and more—over 16,000 units total! For over thirty years, quality and innovation have been our touchstones. Above all else, we are a customer driven company, and we will always be focused on providing you the best value for your money. As a custom manufacturer, we have become the preferred choice of contractors, resellers, convenience stores, food service establishments, gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, floral shops, and industrial warehouses across the nation.
Maturity: A simple word for a big process. It’s a hard thing to define as it touches many different areas.
For me, it is all about observation. I have noticed over the last several years that I am much more aware and sensitive to the interactions of those around me. I don’t remember this awareness as a young man, everything then was internalized.
My wife is director at a popular local preschool. This is not something in my skill-set, and it is a very high stress position. She is regularly dealing with state and city regulators, a large staff of teachers and assistants, the children in her care, and their parents. Her day involves all of this, but in-between, she is showered with hugs from the kids, moms, & dads. I get why she does it now when I visit her school.
The same lady has been cutting my hair for a long time. I have followed her from shop to shop; now she owns her own. This is another area that crosses interpersonal boundaries. Most everyone greets each other with hugs and smiles. It would be a fun profession working in such an environment.
I’m a much better tipper than when I was young. I have worked in enough service positions to realize what a tough job it can be dealing directly with the public at large. Behaviors and expectations have changed with society as a whole (not necessarily for the better). When I see an employee really going out of their way to help me, I make sure to reward this with a generous tip if appropriate, or a good word to their supervisor.
Now, considering SRC’s business: I don’t get many hugs when I nail a box load calculation, or design a walk in cooler system that meets a tough application… But I get the same great feeling when I know I have made someone else’s day.
Recently, SRC Refrigeration developed and supplied warehouse freezers for 1st Stop, Inc. and Wholesale Distributing to expand their distribution capabilities in the Midwest. The units are 20 feet tall and will keep frozen products at -10 degrees F. The freezers are 100’x54’ and 50’x54’. The installation was done by 1st Stop themselves and they did a fantastic job. Expertise and quality can be seen in every detail from the concrete work and panel installation to the piping and electrical runs. Take a look at the pictures:
COMING SOON! Base Mound Field is launching their Composite Pitchers Training Mound!*
Base Mound Field and SRC Refrigeration teamed up to create a new design for these training mounds. They are built using composite panel construction. They are lighter and more durable than anything available today. The two piece construction is easy to transport and assemble wherever it is needed. All materials used in the mounds are corrosion resistant and lightweight. Pictures below!
There are several important areas to evaluate when looking at purchasing a used walk-in cooler or freezer…
The first thing I will do is rap the walls to see if they are solid. If there is any give or hollowness, then don’t waste your money. The insulation used was poor quality and will be broken down or waterlogged. There should be vinyl bulb gaskets between all the panel seams. You should not see sponge rubber or silicone caulk in use.
Look at the entry door. It should be square in the frame, not sagged. The hardware should feel solid, not lightweight, and the door gasket made of vinyl. The door gasket should be pliable and in good condition. Higher end doors will have internal magnetic strips for a positive seal; economy doors use sponge rubber or bulb gaskets. The door should self close without the need of assistance.
What metal was used in the construction? Generally smooth metal would indicate a lower end panel (except stainless steel). Embossed or stucco finishes take an extra step in production so they cost more. These treatments will hide surface imperfections better than smooth, and add strength to the metal. If the finish is rusted, pitted, or badly corroded, then it is probably low grade galvanized steel. If the metal is more oxidized, with a whitish residue, it is most likely aluminum. Aluminum is softer and more easily marred in lighter gauge. Better panels will have either a clear or painted finish coat for long life and clean-ability.
Step inside the walk-in. There should be a working door light. By code, the outside switch for the light should have an indicator lamp showing if the light has been left on. The door should have a functioning inside release. The door panel should have two approval stickers on it, usually under the light fixture:
1) UL approval for the door light and electrical
Plus either:
2) NSF approval for closed food and bottled products
3) Or NSF-7 approval for open foods as well as all other products
How are the panels fastened together? Large round or square metal covers on one side of a panel joint provide manual access for lag bolts. This is a primitive form of attachment, which requires wood framing. Wood framing is best avoided if possible. It retains moisture, promotes mold growth, and has little to no insulating value. Modern construction uses internal fasteners which are accessed through small holes, usually up to an inch in diameter. You will see plugs covering these holes. Pry one of them off; sometimes you can get an idea of the internal panel construction. You may be able to tell if wood rails are present. Foam will indicate more modern construction.
If the walk-in is broken down, all the above checklist items can still be evaluated. The panel edges show the insulating material unless there are wood rails hiding it. With wood, you can’t really tell what insulation was used in the construction. White foam board averages about 16R-value, and is no longer in wide use since the mid to late 2000s—but it can still be a good value in a used panel. Blue or pink board (extruded polystyrene) is used in modern construction, and averages close to 29R. Yellow board which will turn dingy brown as it ages would indicate urethane. It has an initial 32R, but drops down to that of the blue and pink insulation as it turns brown. All three of these panels are good choices if present.
It’s a big thing to actually make something to sell to others. You have to invest part of yourself into the enterprise. You have to have a vision, long term goals, and a driving mission.
You have to find the right people, hire them and provide the opportunity and resources so they can grow the business.
You have to build a product that speaks for itself. The quality has to be built in, not just promised. Think repeat sales and word of mouth if you are to survive and grow.
You have to create a terrific marketing program, since very few products actually do speak for themselves! You have to not only build a superior product but also communicate to potential clients why your features and benefits set you apart.
You have to be smart in everything you do, since it all trickles down to your final retail cost, and today you must be competitive to get attention.
When you do get the package right and start selling, it makes all the hard work worth it. You watch your team grow right along with your business, which is what really drives our country’s success. The drive to create, invent new products, and reinvent old ones are all extremely important—think about how many products you regularly use that would otherwise not exist.
Are you in a manufacturing business? If so, what kind and what would life be like without your product? … Manufacturing is crucial to everyday processes.
I am very excited to present this video to you! John Javery filmed both the construction and the packaging of an SRC walk in cooler with his fancy camera (if you’ll notice, you can even view it in 1080p) and tripod on Wednesday, 11/16. Following this, he edited it to create a cool time-lapse.
We always assemble all the panels of a walk in cooler BEFORE shipping so we can insure the panels correctly fit together (sometimes when needing to walk through the factory, if a cooler is particularly large, I have to find alternate routes around certain areas… I usually end up with a funny determined look on my face, it’s great). Then, we make sure to package them with styrofoam so they will arrive at the job site safely.
***We’re going to add audio to it! We’re thinking ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ seems appropriate; we just need to download a long enough version of it. Check back next week and we’ll have the audio up!
Some people that come across this blog may not have any background in technical refrigeration, and we’re always striving to try to concisely explain facets of coolers, refrigeration, etc. you may not have known! So, Allan Jett, SRC Sales Executive, writes our blog today–beverage coolers are the topic of discussion!
Often I see buyers judging the quality of a refrigeration design by how many fans are in each coil. Sometimes this is the first question I get sometimes when I make a proposal.
As an engineer, my goal is to provide the least amount of fans in the application which will satisfy the demand, and the correct balance of coil capacity to condensing unit capacity to provide the ideal humidity level in the cooler.
Less number of fans equate to less upfront costs (especially with today’s high cost – high efficiency fan motors) as well as less utility operating expense. Remember that these fans run 24/7 regardless of how many there are.
A given beverage cooler system with more fans will cost more to purchase, cost more to operate, and will not remove as much humidity from the display, which can lead to damp packaging and mold issues long term.
That old phrase “less is more” applies here!
What other questions do you have about beverage coolers (or any kind of cooler, for that matter)? We can certainly help!
One way businesses gain success is by promoting and working with other businesses, of course. In the manufacturing business, we work closely with refrigeration contractors. Allan Jett, SRC Sales Executive, writes our blog today:
Great refrigeration contractors are a special breed. I can’t tell you how important those contacts are that I know I can call and get on the first try. It is such a pleasure to have a need, make a call and get an answer. These become go-to people, and in a way, become part of my business.
They not only are the first I turn to when I have a need, but they are part of the group I think of when I get an opportunity.
Refrigeration contractors typically serve long internships before venturing off on their own. They have a love for mechanics, electronics, and problem solving. The great ones have a discipline to their techniques, take immense pride in their skills, and are honest in direct interaction with their customers.
They can best be found through word of mouth reference. We love to promote those who have helped us. They deserve to be treated as professionals, of course, and the good ones are easy to spot: They arrive, communicate, work their trade, and solve the problem. Most importantly, we focus also on maintaining good relationships with these contractors, as well as other companies… not only does it create additional business, but it’s fun. I spoke specifically of refrigeration contractors for this blog, but the above message more than applies to all businesses!
In addition, if a business is to utilize the benefits of social media, it is very important to make and maintain relationships with other companies. Talk to them! Talk to them as real people, not as simply a company you gain reciprocal business from. And this goes for all platforms, certainly not just social media… on the phone, in person if you can, through emails—everyone appreciates sincerity and kindness.
So today, take a minute to really appreciate the success you have gained from your reciprocal relationships, and thank the businesses you work closely with. After all, maintaining your relationships is just as important in your work life as it is in your personal life!
So, we’ve talked a bit about appealing to consumers’ senses in advertising in the past, and Allan Jett SRC Sales Executive, wanted to expound on a certain feature in detail… Allan writes,
Savvy retailers know how important it is to “face-off” a sales aisle (not “face-off” as in a hockey face-off, and also not as in the movie Face/Off). By pulling the product up front and filling vacant spots, it gives the aisle a full clean appearance. Let an aisle go, and it looks shopworn, picked-over, and turns off your customers—which in turn generates less sales.
Typically this is an exercise which is done before closing, to start off fresh each morning. It should be a routine.
In our industry, we have a silent salesman: Gravity feed shelving. Anthony International started carrying gravity feed shelving back in 1974, and provides several different options to choose from. “Facing-off” a refrigerated display is time-consuming (after all, the product is behind glass doors), and expensive (one has to hold open the glass doors to face-off, which wastes energy). Convenience stores, markets, grocery shops, etc. could really make use of these…
Gravity feed shelving is self-feeding, which makes re-stocking the product from behind easier since low lanes are evident. You get a full shelf appearance throughout the day with no payroll expense. They do cost more up-front, but these are some of the hidden benefits worth consideration.
… Personally, when I hear the words “gravity feed”, I immediately think of bouncing in zero gravity space. Maybe the shelves aren’t as cool as that (I mean, bouncing in space is pretty hard to beat), but they’re still pretty cool, don’t you think?
As a manufacturer, I produce something that hopefully will sell itself. Imagine that: Starting a business, creating a good product, selling at a fair price, and without advertising, consumers magically flock to your product and automatically want to buy it without hesitation or further research. Ha! Obviously, this is rarely the case in reality. First of all, I must produce something of superior quality, sell it at a better cost than others, and get my message across to potential customers (we discussed advertising here). We know that consumers do their research when it comes to big purchases—and they should!
Consumers hold something that always sells itself: Money. Our challenge is to create a good product and sell it at the right price to convince a consumer to trade cash for it. They have to want my product more than the cash they hold, or realize the cash they exchange is a fair investment in future profits for their own business. Here’s where we can look at how consumers do their research on big purchases! (And also, if you take a look below, people are paying increasingly more attention to blogs for product information. Interesting…)
Steve Burlingame, SRC Sales Executive, also thought about this… he writes:
For instance, when a consumer is evaluating whether or not to make a big purchase such as a walk in cooler, they have several important things to consider—one of them is certainly the quality of the item they are buying. For instance, most people will thoroughly research a new computer to make sure the motherboard they’re buying won’t fail in two months. All consumers should think: What if problems occur with the item in the future? How long will it take to be repaired? What loss will I encounter when it happens? How well will people work with me to help correct the problem (if you’ve never experienced how angry someone can become at a computer company that doesn’t replace the failed motherboard in a timely manner, you’ll just have to trust me on this one—people can get quite angry)? This way, they evaluate not only how the product will work the day they buy it, but also in five, ten, and fifteen years down the line. It is extremely important to consider the value of the item (the quality you’re receiving for the price offered), especially when making a big purchase, such as a walk in cooler.
Rules that I have learned to follow:
1. Know your source. Never be afraid to call, speak with others, or research using the internet.
2. Understand your product as much as possible.
3. Read your warranties and rights to have issues corrected in an orderly manner.
4. Understand that the cheapest cooler or any other product is that for a reason.
The fact that the greater percentage of our new business is repeat customers and referrals tells me we are doing something right. The trade balance is working in the favor of our consumers.
SRC REFRIGERATION
6615 Nineteen Mile Road
Sterling Heights, MI 48314-2117
Thinking of buying a walk in cooler? Call us today! We can answer all of your questions and provide you with a straightforward quote on custom equipment—complete with detailed specifications and drawings.
Posted on March 21st, 2011 by srcblog
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