"We work together with VDH Products for our ripening rooms as they are the best in Europe, in terms of hardware and software"

About Cold Energy

Cold Energy is an expert in cooling and ripening technology. As specialists, we design and build everything to measure. And in the niche of exotic fruit ripening, we are one of the largest suppliers in Europe. That is why we also work together with VDH Products for our ripening rooms. They are the best in Europe, if not in the world, in terms of hardware and software.

Founded in 2009

Cold Energy started in 2009 when the family business I worked for was taken over by the next generation. For me, that was a logical moment to take a new step. Working for the competitor? That didn't feel right, considering my connection to the company I was leaving. That's why I preferred to start something new, together with a few friendly colleagues who had become friends. Meanwhile, we have become one of the largest in Italy in cooling and ripening technology.

Good people make the difference

The fact that we outclass our competitors in the field of fruit ripening has to do with the quality of our products and service, but especially with our people. Good employees make the most important difference. Our people are not only technically skilled, but they are also reliable and exceptionally good with customers. They are happy to travel 1000 kilometers to install a custom cooling or ripening installation locally and on site they ensure that the customer is satisfied with everything. We have known many of our employees for 30 years, and we trust each other implicitly.

Italians are more flexible

In Europe you have two countries with a large manufacturing industry, Germany and Italy. But there is an important difference. If you come to a German company and ask for a special design system or equipment, you will see a catalog with variants from which you can choose. In Italy we do things differently. We are more flexible and can therefore respond accurately to our customers' questions. The Dutch also do the latter well, by the way, they put the customer first.

Customer first

We put our customer first. Cold Energy could also make its own ripening controllers, just like our competitors. But then we limit our customers, who are then stuck with our hardware and software forever. We do not see our customers as our property. That is one of the reasons we work with controllers from VDH. In addition, of course, because they simply supply the best technology, invest in updates, and are always prepared to meet special requirements from our customers.

Speed, service, and quality

But we have not yet experienced a customer leaving us. I remember a French customer who had a problem and expressed his frustration about it while we were on our way to resolve it. At one point I asked him: 'Why do you still work with us if you are not satisfied?' He thought for a moment and then replied very calmly: 'You don't have to be afraid of that. I work with you for three reasons: speed, service, and quality. That speed is important to us. If a customer encounters a problem anywhere in the world, if necessary, we will be on a plane the same day to solve it.

We owe our suppliers a lot

It feels a bit awkward to talk so much about our company. We're not perfect either, of course. I think we owe our growth not only to the respect we give our customers, and to the mutual trust and appreciation for our employees, but also largely to our suppliers. Without their products we cannot provide our customers with the best solutions for their specific requirements. We therefore see our suppliers primarily as partners, with whom we work together for our customers.

VDH: trust and respect

VDH Products is a good fit for us as a partner supplier. There are similarities in mentality. Trust and respect are also key values at VDH. The product is extremely important, but the personal relationship comes first. There is mutual trust: they deliver high quality and service, at a good price and always on time. We install their technology correctly, provide them with feedback and pay on time. They prove time and time again that they are completely worthy of trust. If there are any problems, they will be resolved immediately without discussion. Good products, good people, that is the core of VDH as far as I am concerned. And they are future-oriented.

Good people attract good people

In Naples they have a saying in dialect, L’AUCIELLE S’APPARANO ‘NCIELO E ‘E CHIAVECHE ‘NTERRA. That means something like: 'Birds find each other in the sky, bastards find each other in the mud.' Good people attract good people. And this is how you, as a company, attract partners who have the same high standards. This proves once more that in the realm of excellence, we naturally align with those who share our standards, like VDH, whom we have found in the sky.

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