Unfortunately, despite numerous
efforts to activate it, something appears to be awry with the refrigerator. It
won't cool properly, and many foodstuffs requiring refrigeration have been
purchased for the vacation.
A hasty and hopeful visit is made to
the neighborhood RV service center where, to much dismay, the RVer's worst
fears are confirmed. The absorption refrigerator cooling unit has failed and
must be replaced!
At this point several
less-than-desirable options are presented to the frustrated owner. The entire
refrigerator can be replaced with a newer, updated model, but not without great
expense. The vacation can be canceled altogether, or the cooling unit can be
replaced with either a new or reconditioned unit.
The latter option is the one most
often invoked by anxious RVers poised ready for their vacation, particularly
since installation of a rebuilt can be performed for approximately onethird the
price of a new, complete refrigerator.
Much to the appreciation of these
desperate owners. Cool-Fun, Inc. of lrwindale, CA is in the business of
providing quality, reconditioned cooling units to a surprising number of RV service
centers. Thought to be the largest provider of rebuilt absorption refrigerator components
in the world, Cool-Fun distributes its products to over 2,400 service centers
in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, as well as other areas of the world where RVs
are found.
During my visit to the facility,
Corporate Vice President Joel Rico provided me with the background of the
company as well as the other corporate officers. Initially he noted that the
four primary officers—himself; Felix Ortiz, president; Matt Bartowick,
international purchasing agent, and Plant Manager Fernando Rico have over 70
years of cumulative experience with absorption—type refrigerators.
This, he believes, is responsible for
the steady expansion and growth enjoyed by the company since its founding in
1978. Rico said he became aware of a critical need going unfulfilled during the
mid-70's. The need was two-fold, with one consideration being the insufficient
numbers of rebuilt cooling units available to the industry during this time.
The second condition viewed as
unattended by Rico was the lack of reliable sources to provide parts for
orphaned refrigerators. That is, products no longer in production due to the
demise of the original manufacturer. These two considerations have, and continue
to be, the foundation of Cool—Fun.
Starting with approximately 100
detective cooling units provided by a local dealer, the company slowly gained a
solid grip on the replacement market. Compared to this meager beginning, the
holding area for units awaiting rebuild now houses thousands of major
Matt Bartowick, purchasing agent,
programs a new source of supply into Cool Fun's computer system.
Amanda Velasquez ls pictured changing
the coils on an old cooling unit in the above picture.
Components taken from literally every
type of RV absorption refrigerator ever built. For this reason, company
officials believe they can fill cooling unit orders for nearly any model still
in existence.
Though it is not often required, Rico
stated that a cooling unit can be stripped, cleaned, repaired, recharged,
tested, and shipped within 24 to 48 hours after receipt. This, of course, would
only be done on units requiring priority handling, but indicates a
responsiveness and willingness to serve by those at
Approximately 8,000 cooling units are
rebuilt each year at Cool-Fun. The firm presently offers a one-year limited
warranty on the units, and is planning to offer a second year of coverage In
the near future.
Cool-Fun.
When asked if the company had
encountered difficulty during the last fuel crunch and subsequent decline in
RVsales, Rico replied with a firm "absolutely not." He went on to
indicate that significant growth was encountered during this period as a result
of owners repairing their existing RVs rather than purchasing new ones. At this
time, the reconditioning efforts of the company were stepped up to encompass
the repair of virtually all types of RV appliances.
In addition to absorption
refrigerators. Cool-Fun also repairs compressor based units, roof air conditioners,
kitchen ranges, and most other appliances common to an RV. Also, a complete
line of thermostats, heating elements, interior door panels and hardware is
stocked by purchasing agent Bartowick. With an eye to future consumer needs,
Bartowick is often instrumental in acquiring complete stocks of obsolete
components from suppliers no longer wishing to carry slow-moving items.
However, even slow items have been
known to move at respectable rates after being purchased by the company. This
is a result of industry awareness that Cool-Fun can often provide normally
scarce parts in short order.
According to Rico, RV dealers would
do their customers a great service by stressing, and re-stressing the need to
properly level absorption refrigerators before operation. Drawing upon company
statistics, he noted that over 80 percent of the cooling unlts received for
reconditioning have boiler tubes that are blocked from long-term off-level
operation. The remainder suffer from various maladies such as leaks.
While the latter defects are normally
beyond the control of the RVer, just keeping the unit level will go a long way
towards avoiding the disappointment of ruined vacation plans, according to
Rico.
Given the opportunity to expand upon
Cool-Fun's strengths, both Rico and Ortiz replied. They noted a very low
turn-over rate of employees, which
naturally leads to a better overall work-force. ln fact, of the 23
full-time employees at Cool-Fun, most are cross-trained in the many phases of
rebuilding. This assures a near-normal production flow during vacations and
periods of employee illness, and is primarily the result of training techniques
incorporated by plant manager Fernando Rico.
Rebuilt cooling units leave the
factory at a rate in excess of 650 per month, or approximately 8,000 per year.
Presently, all of these units are covered by a 12-month limited warranty, but
Rico explained plans to offer an optional second year of coverage in the near
future.
As often occurs with companies that
begin as single product enterprises, executives at Cool-Fun have now started
another company under the name Travel Products, Inc. This sister corporation is
intended to compliment present efforts by venturing into the distribution of
new travel appliances.
Many of the commonly known RV appliance
manufacturers will be represented by Travel Products.
We are now RICO-PROS RV COOLING UNITS
Website http://ricopros.com/
Phone 951-785-7001
0 comments:
Post a Comment