From humble beginnings, Glasgow-based RDM has grown to become a global pioneer in control and monitoring solutions. RAC talks to the man behind it, Andrew Chandler
It all began in Andy Chandler’s front room. The former BT electrical and mechanical engineer developed a passion for refrigeration in the final years of his apprenticeship. It grew to become something of an obsession.
With his telecommunications background and first class training in refrigeration engineering, he could see exciting new possibilities for taking control of the largely untamed regiments of cooling systems humming away in plant rooms across the country.
From that vision has grown a company now responsible for the control and management of refrigeration plant underpinning the multi-million pounds businesses of major food retailers, both at home and – increasingly – internationally.
The company is now expanding from its successful base in refrigeration into the wider building services and general building energy control sector.
In a field famous for technical terminology and acronyms, how would he describe what RDM does in a nutshell?
“We design and produce systems and equipment that help plant and machinery operate more efficiently, use less energy and improve the way maintenance is carried out. The clever bit is in the approach, and how we harness sophisticated electronics, software and communications to put control back in the hands of the user.”
How it all started
Andy’s career path to the launch of Resource Data Management took in General Refrigeration, latterly as projects manager, and fledgling electronics company Elm Ltd, where he was contracts director before stepping up to managing director. With the sale of Elm to giant Honeywell in 1998, Andy admits he spent a period “in the wilderness”.
He recalls: “I believe everything happens for a reason. The experience of corporate life taught me a lot, mainly about how not to do things, and helped clarify the opportunity – given the right technology and people around you.”
He left Honeywell in 1999 with a vision. After several months planning and developing new product and systems concepts, he formed RDM in 2000. Around him he drew together a handful of people as the core team, who remain at the heart of the business today.
These include Graham Bell, head of engineering hardware and software, Eleanor Dick, sales and administration, Alan McBride, R&D, IT and software, Gordon McBride, operations and production director, Christine McRitchie, accounts and finance, and Steve Nicoll , sales director.
“The biggest headache in the first few months was cash flow, and getting customers to believe in what we were doing,” recalls Andy. “Receiving our first purchase order was a great moment.”
The vision was to develop a totally open refrigeration and BMS control system using a standard off-the-shelf network. The aim was to give customers total flexibility, without the need for commissioning by specialists.
“On the commercial side, I also wanted to have a fair price policy, so that everyone was treated the same. This meant everyone paying the same price for goods and services.”
How has the vision translated into reality? “It has taken off in a way that has surprised even me,” concedes Andy. “Once we explained the benefits of our approach, people bought into it, and the business has taken off.” Turnover has grown by just over £1million each year, and is expected to exceed £11million this year.
RDM now operates a round-the-clock alarm monitoring and maintenance bureau for some of the biggest names in food retailing, with a growing range of control and monitoring products based on its own ActivFM software.
The company also recently acquired its electronics and component sub-contractor in Taiwan, securing a high quality, cost-effective manufacturer for its expanding range.
In line with its founder’s strong belief in sustainable solutions, the company recently installed two giant wind turbines at it Glasgow head-office as part of a major development. When fully commissioned, the turbines will supply up to two-thirds of the power required of the business.
Looking ahead, in which direction does the future lie for the company? “There are a lot of untapped areas, such as the health sector, that our systems could be deployed in to help improve efficiencies and save energy and money. We are just beginning to address this, it’s an exciting area with a lot of potential.”
Overseas is another expanding area. The company’s systems are being used to monitor the hvacr plant in the new Fresh and Easy chain of stores, currently being rolled out in the US, in partnership with US distributor Verisae RDM also looks after a chain of Co-Op stores in Scandinavia.
Given the sharp rises in the cost of energy, Andy believes there is also huge potential for building and estate owners to better control the use of energy across multiple sites. This involves intelligent load shedding from a single control point, something quickly and easily achieved with RDM systems.
How far have the majority of end users come in managing their estates efficiently? “All our major customers are continuously working on systems to improve performance, sharpen maintenance response, save energy and reduce costs. However, there is still some way to go before achieving the Holy Grail.”
He adds: “The problem at the moment is there are lots of companies offering part of the solution, often with different approaches. Many end users are drowning in a quagmire, trying to find the best solution to meet their needs.”
This often results in delay in implementation, he says. With the cost of energy escalating, there is now huge pressure on engineering departments to respond, which could lead to people making the wrong choices.
What will be the next great leap forward for energy and estate monitoring? “The next big step is mapping the whole estate energy usage on a site-by-site basis, determining essential and non-essential uses, and then grouping the non-essential into ‘load sheddable’ chunks.
“Having done this, if energy costs start to vary depending on the time of day, day of week, weather conditions and so on, demand can be turned on or off quickly from a single point.
“We are working on this, that’s all I will say at the moment. The message from RDM is, watch this space!”