Seven. That’s how many times the word refurbishment has been said and it’s only 11am. It seems that it’s a difficult word to avoid. Not only because it’s a sign of these hard times and at the heart of what Kingdom Coolers does – refurbishing and sanitising water coolers – but it’s also what has recently taken place on its site in Dunchurch.
Located close to Rugby, the new 24,000 sq ft facility came into being in August 2008 after the business was established in Daventry just 13 months earlier.
“We saw cooler refurbishment and cleaning as a window of opportunity; a real niche in the market,” says MD Dave Cupit. “After all, people aren’t replacing products as much these days. They prefer to extend the life of products so that they look better and are more up to date. Some coolers that have been in the marketplace for a few years look dated now.”
Never mind dated – a walk around the warehouse reveals that some of the coolers that are brought in have problems other than taps circa 2006. Some are covered in black soot after being used in industrial surroundings, others look like yellow shadows of their former bright white selves, and some have even been broken up into pieces, seemingly surplus to requirements.
I’m assured that they don’t stay like this for long, as operations director Lynn Jones talks me through the refurbishment process. As he speaks, machines are being subjected to testing, disassembly, repairing, part replacement, washing, ultrasonic cleaning, descaling, sanitising, drying and reassembly, before they’re packed up and ready to go back out as shiny as new. Well, almost.
So, is ‘making over’ the way to go when it comes to setting up shop in the cooler industry? Although the company has experienced growth since its relatively recent inception, it seems that it’s already setting its sights on other projects. Take, for example, designing, manufacturing and fitting its own replacement parts, which it believes will stand the test of time and benefit its customers, as well as its own business.
“By redesigning and making our own components, we could save around eight tonnes of plastic a year, improve our customers’ carbon footprints and pass on significant financial savings,” Cupit explains.
Despite the current widespread fixation with cutting costs, the managing director also believes that there’s a demand among high-end firms for cooler panels with bespoke artwork and marketing messages, which Kingdom could provide: “A small percentage of the market is willing to pay more for a high-quality look,” says Dave Cupit. “Companies offering premium services need desirable, aspirational-looking coolers in their showrooms and offices.”
Further ideas in the pipeline include using coatings to makeover cooler panels that have yellowed in the sun; rechargeable filters that would be collected from customers’ premises for carbon block replacement, with new ones delivered; sanitisation kits for cleaning reservoirs; and a hot tank collection, descale and delivery service.
The list of innovations culminates with the design and manufacture of, funnily enough, a brand new cooler. But what would characterise Kingdom’s own model?
“We would want to offer reliability, as well as flexibility from a design point of view, but with a similar price point to what’s already available. The same principle works with a Nokia mobile phone or a Hotpoint washing machine: you use the same base or interior across the range, but the cost fluctuates according to the different levels of design that you’re providing.”
Talk inevitably turns to the original concept behind the company – refurbishment, as Cupit concludes: “We’ve successfully found a gap in the market and a different way of approaching that market. It makes no difference if it’s a water cooler, photocopier, mobile phone or car dashboard. If there’s a demand for refurbishment, we can build a process to deal with it.”
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