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10 September 2019

BLM coil tube bender helps beer pump manufacturer meet new challenges

Preston-based beer pump and cooler specialists K Coolers was founded in 1979 to refurbish electric beer motors (pumps), working as second tier suppliers to the brewing industry. It’s success, which saw it deliver an 85% repair yield on pumps, saw it being approached directly by the big brewers to look at providing a similar level of service for beer coolers located in pub cellars, as the repair yield on those from competitors was as low as 50%.

Applying the same processes to refurbishing beer coolers as it used on the pumps, K Coolers raised the repair yield up to 85% and the result was a significant increase in business that facilitated its relocation to its current 24 000 ft2 premises in 2006. Now established as a tier one supplier for refurbished products, K Coolers had to manage two major changes within the drinks industry, the first being environmental with the phasing out of certain refrigerants; along with the rise in popularity of ‘ice-cold’ beers and lagers. Both these required changes to the stainless steel coils that sit within the cooler, which in turn placed greater demands on K Coolers’ existing tube bending capacity.

To meet demand the decision was taken to invest in a BLM 4-Runner tube bending system fitted with a motorised coil feed.Lee Worden, Managing Director, K Coolers, says, “Without investing in the BLM 4-Runner we would struggle to maintain throughput. The assistance we got, and continue to receive, from BLM both in the UK and in Italy, has been superb which meant that we were bending tube within a couple of days of the machine being put on the floor. The BLM 4-Runner will be used to produce the evaporator coils and other pipework for the refrigeration system on the new coolers, handling the increased demand with ease.”

 


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