Airedale were recently awarded the title “Manufacturer of the Year” by both the Yorkshire Post and CIBSE Yorkshire. Here’s the inside story of how a company nearly completely decimated by fire in 2013, has risen to the pinnacle of manufacturing in Yorkshire.

We’re delighted that this November our manufacturing credentials were recognised by not one but two awarding bodies – The Yorkshire Post and CIBSE Yorkshire. Winning Manufacturer of the Year twice when up against an incredibly high calibre of finalists speaks volumes to the hard work and dedication that every Airedale employee puts in all year round to making us a world-class manufacturer.

As Mark Casci, business editor of The Yorkshire Post, said: “In an age when so much economic news is concerning and worrying, it is more important than ever that we remind ourselves what an agile, innovative, pioneering and top quality business community we have here in Yorkshire.”

We’re humbled by these awards but they don’t happen by accident. We’re proud to be thriving in the current economic environment, proud to manufacture in Yorkshire and proud to be recognised all over the world for our innovative thermal management solutions.

So what makes Airedale so great?

First of all, our people. We have a talented, creative workforce of over 500 people, all of whom are a credit to the company and their professions. We invest in training and development, as we know that our people are the key to our success. Many of our senior management team are ex-apprentices and throughout the company there is an enormous pride in what we do. We’re not just a factory either; we are a one-stop shop for thermal management solutions and have mechanical engineers, software developers, sales staff, technical support, designers, project managers, accountants and purchasing, to name a few, all under one roof!

Secondly, our state-of-the-art factory and Research and Development labs mean that we have the ability to drive innovation and push boundaries within the industry. Our 23,000m² production facility includes an industry-leading, purpose-built test centre and training school that is regarded as a worldwide centre of excellence for air conditioning. These facilities allow our skilled teams to deliver highly efficient products and solutions, and enable us to grow our reputation for quality and reliability. We never stand still and our research and development team constantly strive to push the boundaries of what has gone before. We have a proud pedigree of innovation and we’re adding to it every single year.

Finally, our attitude! We’ve always been forward-thinking, with a huge commitment to quality and innovation: We prioritise both at every stage of the product design process. Our continuous improvement program means that whatever happens, we’re constantly finding ways to be better than before, and striving to offer higher quality products and services every day. We also believe in listening to our customers, and offer tailored services to find the best possible solutions for all applications. We aren’t constrained by what’s in our product brochures…we are constantly tweaking and engineering our products to meet our customers’ requirements! And buying an Airedale product isn’t the end of the journey with us…we test, install, commission and optimise and renew systems for our clients long after they’ve left the factory.

We look forward to continuing our success as we embark upon another new decade, and we want to thank all of our employees, partners and customers for making Airedale what it is today. We couldn’t have done it without you!