Seeley International has successfully completed the world’s largest order for evaporative air conditioners, resulting in around 50,000 Australian-made Breezair air conditioners being installed in the tent city of Mina Valley, Saudi Arabia.
Seeley International founder and executive chair, Frank Seeley, said the enormous bulk order of Breezair evaporative air conditioners by the Saudi Government and Ministry of Hajj provides state-of-the-art cooling for Makkah Pilgrims during their stay in the Mina Valley tent city.
The tent city is a fascinating logistics exercise involving more than 100,000 tents and houses, approximately three million people in over 20 square kilometres.
“Our Breezair evaporative air conditioner was found to outperform more than 200 other air conditioning brands and delivered spectacular results against a comprehensive set of criteria that included energy-efficiency, reliability, performance and low environmental impact,” Seeley said.
“The three year tender evaluation process saw Breezair and other contenders tested on site over several months, in all conditions and seasons, including comparative tests done during a pilgrimage to assess performance under real-world conditions. The in-built safety mechanisms, economical use of water, ease of control and compact design were critical in Breezair being successfully selected.”
Seeley International sales director, EMEA, Xavier Delaigue, said being awarded the significant supply contract provided an opportunity for Seeley International to showcase its ability to deliver on the large scale order within a very short timeframe.
“As part of a commitment by the Saudi Government and Ministry of Hajj to improve accommodation for pilgrims in the Mina Valley, a four year air conditioner replacement plan was started in 2015. Seeley International fast-tracked production and installation so the project is now well ahead of schedule and expected to be completed during 2018,” Delaigue said.
Breezair air conditioners feature unique Mini-cell Chillcel pad technology recently developed by Seeley International; the only manufacturer able to offer evaporative cooling pads that are fully manufactured in Australia and specifically designed to maximise cooling in harsh climates.
The new enhanced small cell design of the revolutionary Mini-cell structure is the culmination of years of development and rigorous testing, and achieves up to 25% more surface area, dramatically improving cooling efficiency.