Star Contingency Plan allows Campbells Prime Meat to Think Ahead For When the Unthinkable Might Happen

As one of Scotland’s finest traditional butchers, Campbells Prime Meat is committed to keeping standards sky high. It is this dedication that won the company top honours at the Meat Management Industry Awards 2015. As well as producing premium quality meat the business also appreciates the importance of running watertight premises that are able to cope with any unexpected incidents.
When the business encountered a fire at their last facility with an estimated £10 million worth of damage, over 300 jobs at stake and the loss of all its stock, it realised the importance of having a comprehensive contingency plan in place.

After the move to their new premises in Linlithgow, the family-owned firm enlisted the help of Star Refrigeration to develop a controlled contingency plan to complement its existing infrastructure and ensure a seamless solution.

Stephen Sweeney, Campbells Finance Director, said, “We rely on a secure, efficient and robust refrigeration system.”

“We place great importance on our relationship with Star Refrigeration and believe that this contingency plan will give us security and peace of mind to fully focus on maintaining a successful business and growing it for the future.”

In a bid to safeguard the current premises against the unknown, the Star team, together with Campbells Prime Meat and commercial power generation and temperature control Aggreko, came up with a savvy on-site plan that allows for the quick and easy connection of a temporary chiller should the plant encounter any issues. These included scenarios such as overheated equipment, faulty mechanisms caused by plant room or control panel fire or flood, major plant failure, heat exchanger failure or power failure, or anything which could not be repaired quickly.

As the site was already covered by a Star maintenance agreement with remote monitoring of the complete refrigeration plant, the team already had a good understanding of exactly what the client needed. Star carried out a full site survey prior to the specification of the preventative plan to identify potential equipment requirements, plant location and capability, pipework or electrical cable routes. Star was also aware of the potential risks that allow for anticipation and mitigation of the consequences of a possible emergency situation.

In order to accommodate emergency machinery, Sweeney explained: “Several modifications to the glycol system were made so that the provisional system can now be connected into the main flow and return headers almost instantaneously with no disruption to business operations.”

The Campbells Prime Meat site is now armed with an intelligent and cost effective preventative cooling contingency plan. For the customer, the system offers the total peace of mind that in unexpected circumstances, the site will continue to operate as normal. A rapid response emergency call out procedure means that Star and Aggreko personnel will be on site within 4-6 hours. This eliminates the risk of financial loss due to spoiled produce. The system also represents potential savings in the form of slashed insurance premiums.

Star Refrigeration sales engineer Dr. Lewis Brown, who worked with Campbells to develop the bespoke contingency plan and coordinated all parties involved to provide a customised bullet proof solution, said: “At its core, the Star/Aggreko Contingency Plan allows the customer to think ahead for when the unthinkable might happen. If the plant experiences a major refrigeration failure that leads to a total loss of cooling, the tie in points to the glycol system will allow for the activation of a temporary chiller to keep the produce fresh with minimal disruption to normal business operations.”

As a customer oriented service provider, Star is always looking for ways to offer clients new incentives and offerings that offer added value to the customer.

As well as the initial development of the contingency plan, Star and Aggreko will conduct annual reviews to ensure the plan remains functional and efficient. Additionally, Star is remotely monitoring the plant through Sentinel to control power usage and plant conditions, and conducting preventative maintenance.

All it took to get the ball rolling was one call to Star Refrigeration and a quick discussion of contingency plan needs and a site visit. The Star/Aggreko team was then able to develop a customised controlled contingency plan that safeguards the Campbells Prime Meat plant against cooling failure. The result is a solution that eliminates the risk of an on-site refrigeration meltdown while ensuring zero impact on existing products.

When it comes to designing and maintaining energy efficient cooling and heating systems, Star is a natural innovator. Star works with strategic partners across the globe to deliver low carbon, cost saving solutions.

For more information, view the Chiller Contingency Plan leaflet.