cooler sizes

Do they offer the full range of cold and freezer rooms? Every food related business has slightly different needs in terms of temperature ranges required, quantity of stock to be catered for and size of packages to be stored.

Only manufacturers who provide the full range of possible solutions can help you select exactly the right type and size of cold room to meet your needs. Look for suppliers who provide all three typical temperature ranges:

Chiller (+2 to +12C), Medium (-2 to +5C) and Freezer (-18 to -22C). Also look for suppliers who can provide all sizes and types of product including Modular (single temperature zone walk in rooms), Combi (two zone room with internal separation) and Industrial (larger rooms capable of storing pallets and giving forklift truck access).

For instance, if you require both freezer and chiller storage, a Combi room will take up far less space than separate cold and freezer room.

A manufacturer who does not supply Combi rooms may end up costing you money and space.

3.Do they use primarily modular designs? Modular designs based on standard elements helps to keep down costs.

Having a good range of standard modular options which can be easily customised, will mean a better chance of getting solution that is tailored to your needs but without paying a bespoke price.

Do they build in safety compliance cooler sizes as standard? Having a cold room is about a lot more than keeping food chilled – it is an essential part of keeping your business compliant with food safety regulations (e.g. 2006 HACCP regulations).

You also want to be sure that personnel using the room will not be accidentally trapped inside.

Manufacturers who build in compliance features such as monitoring, recording and user safety features as standard should be top of your list.

5.Have they paid attention to everyday ease of use? The best manufacturers pay as much attention to how the room will be used day to day as they do to the insulation and refrigeration system.

Look for good shelving design which makes it easy to get stock in and out, to move stock around inside for stock rotation and to keep clean easily.

Also look for easy to use control panels and monitoring systems allowing you to see at a glance that everything is running correctly and that correct temperatures are being maintained.

It is also helpful to be able to link the control unit to a PC (for monitoring and storing records) and to your own alarm system if desired.

If you use trolleys as part of your operation, ensure that trolley access is possible and that you will have the choice of a floorless room if you prefer.