Other products

Diversification is a key element in the Eberspächer UK philosophy. Apart from minibuses and coaches their other principal market is systems for trucks and vans. This embraces a whole raft of different uses from delivery vehicles, blue light vehicles, cash-in-transit vehicles, dog kennel vehicles and prisoner transfer vehicles. Some of these present their own problems. Systems for prisoner transfer vehicles for example, have to be designed in such a way that they are completely tamper-proof by those being transported.

For many of the vehicles, Eberspächer UK doesn’t just supply heating or air conditioning equipment, this is where there skill at finding other products to slot alongside their own comes into play. A typical example is their refrigeration units for delivering perishable loads. These are actually produced in Italy by Euroengel and Eberspächer UK have been the UK and Ireland distributors for their products since 2010. They manufacture self-contained freezer boxes with capacities from 22 to 330 cu litres. These will perform at a range of temperatures from -24 degrees C to +40 degrees C. The units are also demountable for transfer to another vehicle. Another product is a self-contained hot and cold hand washing system complete with water collection tank and heated blower type hand drier. These are widely supplied for fitting into mobile shops, clinical units, on-site maintenance and monitoring vehicles, a wide range of blue light vehicles and many other uses.

They also produce special systems like the Combitronic for use in motor homes and special systems for boats.

Not all of their work is concerned with smaller vehicles, they also produce heating and air conditioning systems for use on vehicles such as massive aircraft fire/crash tenders as well as producing specialist system packs for use on military vehicles and vehicles which are required to operate in the harshest climates and operating conditions in the World. These typically have the ability to operate through a temperature span of -46C to + 55C.

Whilst I was at Ringwood I saw some of these huge packs being put together. They are absolutely massive and about as far removed as you can get from a heater for a minibus but they still have just the same attention to detail, careful design and high quality manufacture.

Sütrak

Eberspächer bought the vehicle air conditioning business of Sütrak a couple of years. Although that continues to operate as a separate unit and still reports into the German parent business, there is also a close link into Eberspächer UK and the latter is now responsible for the supply of all parts for Sütrak systems operating in the UK and Ireland.