Bognor's Osborne Refrigeration forges a way through financial chill

His firm, Osborne Refrigeration, has come through economics boom and busts and is well placed to survive the current global financial chill.

It is producing about 60 large fridges, capable of holding up to 400 bottles, and 100 smaller models, with a capacity of 25 bottles, each day.

All proudly display the company's triangular logo and its home town.

Recent customers were based in Ireland, Dubai, France and Australia as well as this country. Big names to benefit from the Osborne expertise include Innocent, complete with fake grass covering, Eurostar, Tchibo and Coffee Nation.

The milk in the cappuccino beloved by those who frequent the nation's range of coffee shops is usually served chilled from Osborne products.

"We have survived because we have a very narrow range of products," explained Mr Osborne. "It's all about making things that others can't. We are in niche markets and we are well-known for being good at them.

"That gives you a much better chance of doing well than having a very wide range of products, like Lec did, when you can find it difficult to keep on top of all of them.

He founded Osborne Refrigeration in 1960 after having been an apprentice at Lec where his father occupied a senior position.

He took over a site off Rose Green Road, Rose Green, which had been used since before the second world war by one of Britain's first factories to make door and window frames.

He developed the land into a major factory of some 62,000sq ft and associated buildings.

But the growth of computer-controlled machinery meant that fewer workers and less space were needed to assemble the fridges and chillers.

Mr Osborne sold the site for housing '“ Barratt Southam-pton is set to build 58 houses and 32 flats there '“ amid some opposition from surrounding residents and moved 100 yards westward along Rose Green Road to its junction with Sefter Road on land he also owed.

The site had been used for stables and the largest building there, at 24,000sq ft, was an indoor riding arena.

Suitably refurbished and equipped with the latest equipment, including one machine which cost 750,000 alone, the firm's 70 workers moved in during six weeks last summer.

Mr Osborne (73) said the downsizing and the profits produced from the land sale had put Osborne in a good position to grow its current 4m annual turnover.

"We can make as many fridges in the new factory as we did in the old one, which enables us to continue employing local people," he stated.

"There is plenty of competition around, especially from abroad with the likes of the Chinese. They may be cheaper but that's often because they cut out parts. You can't do that with our fridges because everything is needed and the people we are in business with, and nearly 100 per cent of our customers are commercial firms, want the best.

"That applies more so in the bad times than it does in the good because our customers want their money to go further with reliable products. We can guarantee the quality of every fridge we put together here and our quality is unsurpassed."

Added to that reassurance for products that usually cost from 200-1,500 each is the speed with which Osborne fridges can be dispatched.

Anyone in the UK who rings up before 2pm for a standard fridge can have it delivered the next day. Models out of stock take a maximum of three days to supply."

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