Harrier Implements Process-Dedicated Chillers and Free Cooling for High-Volume Photo Printing
Harrier is the UK’s leading business-to-business photo print fulfilment centre, with over 30 years of industry experience at its Newton Abbot site. Evolving from TRUPRINT, the UK’s biggest direct to consumer photo processing brand, Harrier now produces millions of print-on-demand photo products annually for many of the most recognised retail and app-based photo services across the UK and Europe.
To meet the ever-increasing demand for rapid, high-volume production, Harrier partnered with ICS Cool Energy to future-proof its processes, implementing process-dedicated chillers alongside free cooling technology, supporting both efficiency and sustainability goals.
Challenge
As Harrier’s operations scaled to print up to two million photos a day and thousands of customised gifts – often dispatched within hours of order – temperature regulation in production zones and IT environments became increasingly critical. The company’s advanced digital print and server equipment is highly sensitive to temperature fluctuations, and any instability puts both throughput and product quality at risk.
Given Harrier’s sustainability-focused business approach, traditional chiller-only cooling could not deliver the combination of energy efficiency and environmental performance required. To maintain its industry-leading standards for efficiency and competitive pricing, Harrier needed a solution that would reliably support its demanding production schedule, minimise energy consumption, and align with its environmental objectives.
“Efficiency and sustainability are integral to our customer promise. Conventional cooling methods simply weren’t enough, we needed a solution that could keep pace with our rapid turnaround while also meeting our energy and environmental goals,” explained Jeremy Rawley of Harrier.
“High-volume fulfilment relies on dependable, process-grade temperature control. Our goal was to help Harrier achieve both operational reliability and measurable sustainability gains, aligning technical proficiency with their business priorities,” said Rod Avery, ICS Cool Energy project engineer.
Solution
ICS Cool Energy worked collaboratively with Harrier, analysing operational data and long-term cost models from the outset. Rather than defaulting to an all-chiller approach, ICS Cool Energy proposed a system design combining process-dedicated i-Chillers with additional free coolers. This flexible system automatically switches between mechanical and air-based cooling in response to changing outdoor conditions and production loads, optimising energy use throughout the year.
“Rather than defaulting to standard cooling methods, we worked with Harrier to model future savings and environmental impact. We detailed the potential savings over three-, five-, and seven-year horizons, helping Harrier weigh the initial investment against projected operational benefits,” said Rod Avery.
Throughout the process, Harrier received hands-on consultation, support with technical approval, and transparent insights for internal stakeholder review.
Results
The integration of process-dedicated chillers and free cooling delivered measurable improvements for Harrier. Energy consumption for cooling was significantly reduced, supporting the business’s cost savings and environmental responsibility goals. The process-dedicated cooling system keeps production areas and IT infrastructure stable, ensuring fast, error-free fulfilment even at peak capacity. The reduced reliance on mechanical refrigeration also aligned with Harrier’s desire to lower its carbon footprint and enhance equipment longevity.
“We’ve seen a real impact: the new cooling system has reduced our energy consumption and carbon footprint, while maintaining the reliability we need for fast turnarounds. It has set our facility up for long-term sustainable growth. The successful partnership with ICS Cool Energy highlights the value of proactive engineering and data-driven decision making for any business seeking targeted efficiency and sustainability improvements,” concluded Jeremy Rawley, Harrier.
Featured Product Categories
Free cooling chillers
Free Cooling allows businesses to recover up to 80% of their process cooling energy costs by utilising lower ambient temperatures to cool their process application and reducing the need to power the chiller. Available as independent units or integrated with your process chiller, free coolers can be retrofitted into your existing process or installed as part of a turnkey solution. Working with businesses in the manufacturing and facilities management industries, we have lowered their energy costs and reduced their environmental impact through free cooling systems. Given the intrinsically process-heavy nature of the UK’s industrial manufacturing, process cooling is one of the biggest costs incurred. For many industrial end-users, process cooling is achieved solely via an air or water-cooled chiller or cooling tower. However, all industrial applications with a water leaving temperature of 10°C or more – regardless of sector – can start to be cooled via the external ambient air temperature, rather than by electro-mechanical refrigeration, thanks to a process known as free cooling. <strong>Up to 80% energy savings</strong> One of the stand-out benefits of a free cooling system is the sheer amount of energy – and therefore utility bills – it can save. While free cooling can bring about a reduction in energy consumption for any process cooling application with a water leaving temperature of 10°C or more, it should be attractive to larger manufacturers, such as those working in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors. Further costs can be saved due to the reduced load on the chiller – particularly the compressors and fans – as they are not worked as hard, or at all in some cases. As such, maintenance costs can be lower over the lifetime of the system. From a health and safety point of view, unlike cooling towers, free cooling systems pose no risk of legionella and therefore do not require additional water treatment costs beyond the norm to mitigate the risk of an outbreak.
Process chillers
Process chillers are designed and built from the ground up to be more reliable, operate within tighter specified tolerances and to be more robust for continued operation when compared to chillers designed for HVAC. Our i-Chillers are specifically designed to cope with the rigours of manufacturing and critical processes. Process chillers may cost slightly more than equivalent HVAC or comfort chillers but are significantly better value and fit for purpose in a critical process. A process chiller will deliver more accurate leaving water temperature, operate trouble free for longer, have a lower op-ex cost and a greater residual value. <strong>Chillers built for process</strong> Our range of process chillers is designed specifically for process, with features such as unique finned coil evaporators immersed inside the cold-water tank, making them less susceptible to freezing and able to cope with variable load and process fluctuations. The large integrated cold side buffer tank enables closer temperature control for process tolerance and reduces wear and tear from compressor start and stop operations. i-Chillers have high-pressure pumps as standard to cope with the more complex pipework found in process applications. Being fully enclosed in robust steel panels not only protects but creates a smaller footprint for ease of access and plug & play installation. <strong>Our approach</strong> Since 1989 we have created bespoke temperature control solutions across all manufacturing, industrial and critical process applications. With a network of highly experienced technical engineers nationwide, we will visit your site to understand your exact application needs and audit your facilities and potential constraints to develop the optimum solution for your circumstances. We can design, install, commission and project manage bespoke turnkey solutions and provide full, tailored 24/7 maintenance & breakdown support with our nationwide service & hire team.