Our history

Call us on 01634 729 690

From our first day in business, ECE UK has been committed to improving indoor air quality by installing energy efficient and cost-saving air handling equipment. We started life in 1979 as the ambition of Fred and Jean Hull. From our initial 10,000ft2 factory in Eynsford we began producing custom air handling units to meet the exact requirements of those who needed them. The quality of our work and tailored approach quickly won us contracts with major clients such as Tesco, the AA, Safeway, and BUPA. Many things have changed over the years; we now work from a 45,000ft2 facility in Rochester, and Fred and Jean’s son Simon has taken over as managing director. What hasn’t changed is our skill in manufacturing bespoke air handling units and our commitment to serving our clients with expertly designed solutions.

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Get in touch with the experts today

Over the years, we’ve built a highly experienced and professional team ready to meet all your air handing needs. Just call 01634 729 690, email sales@eceuk.com, or fill out our contact form to get started.

Ahead of our time

Fred Hull’s understanding of the importance of indoor air quality to health and wellbeing was considerably ahead of the curve in 1979. However, it meant that ECE UK was instantly ahead of the game, producing better air handling units that provided genuine benefits to our clients. We have always recognised the benefit of a better environment and what it means to individual health and wellbeing. For over 40 years we have upgraded our air handling products as technology has developed to deliver the best quality of air possible to all our clients. This principle is at the core of our company, is in our name, and has been central to the way we work when we started all those years ago.

Timeline

ECE-History-4

1979 – Company founded

ECE UK started life in June 1979 manufacturing air handling units from a 7,000 square foot factory in Eynsford, Kent.

1988 – 1,000th order

At the beginning of 1988 we hit a major milestone – we received our one thousandth order.

1990 – Move to Harvel

We moved to a new 20,000 square foot factory in Harvel. This doubled our space, allowing us to take on bigger and more complex orders.

1993 – Reversing regenerator order

In November 1993, we received our first order for a reversing regenerator heat recovery air handling unit. This was a more efficient and cost-effective unit.

1994 – Elizabeth Fry project

Our team installed a complex air handling system at the Elizabeth Fry building at the University of East Anglia. This building won awards for its energy efficiency.

1996 – First international export

In January 1996, we completed our first export order to eastern Europe. Now we can proudly say we serve the whole of the UK and beyond.

2002 – ZICER building

Another UEA project, our AHUs helped the Zuckerman Institute for Connective Environmental Research won the Sustainability Award for Low Energy Building of the Year 2005.

2003 – Knightsbridge Apartments

We fulfilled a £700k order for 158 air handling units at a prestigious residential building in this historic central London neighbourhood.

2004 – IKEA flagship store

We completed a ten-unit order to provide air handling at the IKEA flagship store at Tottenham. This included four No. 10.75m3/s packaged air handling units.

2007 – New managing director and location

A year of major change. We moved to our current location, a 45,000 square foot facility in Rochester, and Simon Hull took over as the new managing director.

2008 – The Savoy

We provided the Savoy Hotel with £450k worth of low energy air handling units as part of a wider refurbishment project across the site.

2009 – Luton Sixth Form College

We fulfilled a £486k order of low energy AHUs for the one of the oldest, largest, and best performing sixth form colleges in the country.

2012 – Intelligent Energy Control system

We were proud to launch our very own intelligent energy control system powered by Trend. This meant we could offer our clients finer control over their new AHUs.

May 2017 – Anything Air Handling launched

We launched our online shop to provide all our clients with parts and spares. This made it possible to pick up extra components at a time convenient to you.

July 2017 – Asset Information launched

We launched our Asset Information service, allowing clients to get all their AHU’s information quickly and easily from any device. You can reach this through the Client Portal.

September 2017 – CHAS Accreditation

We received our full CHAS certification.

2019 – Forty-year anniversary

We celebrated forty years of delivering high-quality, handmade, bespoke air handling units. This new era of the company was ushered in with new brochures advertising new products like our Mechanically Ventilated Heat Recovery units.

2020 – Net carbon zero

We committed to a ten year plan to reduce our impact on the environment. By adjusting our processes we can ensure we are operating in an eco-conscious and sustainable manner.

Choose craftsmanship and knowledge

Throughout our forty years of business, we have maintained the human touch when building all of our air handling units, and consider it to the key to true quality. Modern computer aided design and construction techniques can manufacture precision components and streamline production, but the immaculate detail and finish of one of our air handling units can only achieved by the skill and dedication of our expert technicians. A machine can punch, notch, and fold any given number of times, but it can never tell when the end result is just right.

Contact experienced experts

Having spent decades designing, producing, and installing air handling units we are the team to choose. Call 01634 729 690 or email sales@eceuk.com for your custom air handling solution.

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