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that had entered administration. Since then, we have invested in its growth, successfully expanding the business and now employing nearly 100 staff at its Rochdale site. In 2023, we further strengthened the group’ s position by acquiring Gilwood, a small fabrication company. Gilwood provides additional resources to support BCH and DC Norris during periods of high demand, helping us meet tight deadlines.
“ Gilwood also manufactures its own products including pressure vessels and hygienic kitchen equipment.”
Ian goes on to tell us about DC Norris’ suite of machinery and services in greater detail.“ Broadly speaking, our portfolio revolves around steam jacketed cooking vessels, known as cooking kettles. A core aspect of our business, these kettles essentially function as industrial-scale devices for cooking and stirring dishes like soups or ragus via a heated bowl and an agitator. We also offer addons like our Jet Cook, a patented advanced steam cooking technology, and an emulsifier that efficiently chops vegetables and other ingredients for soups and other ready meals. In the same vein, we manufacture systems designed to cook pasta, rice and vegetables in bulk. Moreover, our range of products extends to cooling systems like our static cooling vessel, where the food is placed in a batch within the vessel and cooled down to below four degrees Celsius. We also manufacture sous vide equipment, a popular choice in high-end restaurants, especially across the US and the Middle East. Sous Vide is a method of cooking at a lower temperature over a longer period to achieve pasteurization, which is particularly ideal for maintaining tenderness in steaks, joints and chicken.
“ The same equipment can be used for making pet food and beverages, although such products may require different control systems and production processes as they tend to be processed more continuously than in batch.
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