Airedale International Air Conditioning Director of engineering retires and looks back on 38 years in the industry and 25 years steering commercial air conditioning product development
Leeds, UK, July 6, 2010 -
Airedale International Air Conditioning director of engineering, Bill Coates is retiring after 25 years with the British air conditioning manufacturer. Since joining Airedale in 1985, Bill has played a key role in putting Airedale at the forefront of close control and chiller development through the application of innovative technology. In doing so, he has been instrumental in positioning Airedale globally as a leading and respected player in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry.
A founder member of Eurovent Certification and member of the Institute of Refrigeration, Bill’s career in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry has spanned 38 years.
Starting out in life as a 16 year old apprentice in electrical / electronic engineering with the National Coal Board, Bill’s fascination for the multi-faceted subject of air conditioning blossomed during the 10 years he was involved in Ministry of Defence projects. Bill designed cooling and air conditioning for both armoured and communication vehicles used in many different applications including ground to air missile systems.
Bill, who hails from the North-East and is a staunch Newcastle FC supporter, says: “By 1976 I had my first experience of cooling computers in what was then an emerging industry. In my next job I was developing VAV systems - huge air handling units. It was a superb location, overlooking the River Tyne and St James Park!”
Looking back to Airedale International Air Conditioning in 1985, Bill says: “Technology then was basic compared to our sophisticated approach now. It was all very mechanical; there were no electronic controls even with close control products which were complex but primitive. Close control units and roof mounted systems were our main business; the few chillers there were, tended to be modified condensing units. Our test centre was just a room with an air loop, not the £2.5 million world class facility it is today.
“In 1992, the industry refrigerant R22 was under threat from non-ozone depleting refrigerants, but we saw this as an opportunity and went from nowhere to being a leading chiller manufacturer and the first company in the world to design systems with R407C.”
In 1999 Airedale launched its first major chiller range, the Ultima 200 – 650kW, developed by Bill and his team. He says: “The Ultima range put Airedale on the map with chillers and demonstrated how good Airedale could be in product development.”
The Ultima Chiller range includes:
Ultima Compact Chiller - 30-450kW
Ultima Compact Free-cool Chiller - 75-45-kW
Ultima Free-cool Chiller - 200-750kW
Ultima Water Cooled Chiller - 75-450kW
Ultima Water Cooled Chiller (UWC) & Ultima Remote Air Cooled Chiller (URAC) - 75-45-kW
Following Airedale’s acquisition by US-based Modine in 2005, Bill has seen significant investment in Airedale product development reflected in recruitment of increasing numbers of graduate design engineers. Bill reflects: “The air conditioning industry has so much potential and Modine has the vision to recognise the benefits of technology and planning in product development.”
Bill leaves behind at Airedale a vast pool of engineering expertise which will continue pushing technology boundaries. Heading Airedale’s new product development will be former development manager George Hannah who now takes on the role of product development director.
Following his retirement, Bill will continue to provide input to Airedale on a consultancy basis, advising on research projects and training new engineers. Married with four children, Bill is looking forward to spending time travelling and enjoying gardening and DIY.
Related article links -
Eurovent Certification - air-conditioning and refrigeration products certification programs, Eurovent Certification has a directory of certified products for professionals
Institute of Refrigeration - the IOR is a central meeting point for people from all over the world to promote, improve and learn more about refrigeration and air conditioning
The Ministry of Defence
Modine Manufacturing Company - worldwide leader in the design and manufacturing of thermal management products
HeatingandVentilating.net - Bill Coates retired from Airedale
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