Star Refrigeration Wins Manufacturer of the Year at Made in Scotland Awards 2025

GLASGOW, United Kingdom, Oct. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Star Refrigeration has been named Manufacturer of the Year (£25m+) at the prestigious Made in Scotland Awards 2025, organised by Insider Media. The ceremony, held on Thursday 25th September, celebrated the best of Scottish manufacturing, recognising the company's driving innovation, growth, and sustainability.

The award honours Star's work to advance the refrigeration and heating technologies that serve industries in the UK and internationally. From pioneering natural refrigeration systems to leading landmark district heat pump projects, Star has been at the forefront of sustainable energy solutions.

Some of these projects have already gained international recognition, with Queens Quay and Bristol winning the European Heat Pump City of the Year Award. More recently, Star has continued to break ground with new technologies such as steam-generating and barge-mounted heat pumps, and with Ethos - an innovative energy management system that combines engineering expertise with AI, digital twin technology and advanced algorithms.

These build on the core business strengths that have been delivering energy savings to the UK food market for decades, often proven to use less than 60% of the energy of competitor systems, especially when properly maintained under the StarCare maintenance regime.  

Collecting the award on behalf of the company was Professor Dave Pearson, Group Sustainable Development Director at Star Refrigeration. He said, "Winning this award is a tribute to the people of Star Refrigeration. Our engineers, technicians, and innovators are driving the sustainable transformation of industries that rely on cooling and heating.

"Our mission has always been to lead with innovation and responsibility. This recognition affirms that our collective efforts are shaping a cleaner, smarter future for generations to come."

In a light-hearted exchange on stage with comedian Susie McCabe, Prof. Pearson shared one of Star's latest initiatives: a term-time internship scheme designed to attract talent before graduation. Unlike traditional summer placements, this scheme enables students to gain experience during the academic year, offering national living wage pay plus a £2,000 bursary - amounting to around £10,000 annually.

Commenting on Star's long-term vision, Prof Pearson said, "Star play an infinite game. It's not about one quarter ahead but ensuring the business is strong forever". 

The evening also saw John Clark, Director of Star Data Analytics, receive a Highly Commended recognition in the Outstanding Contribution to Manufacturing category. Clark has led the development of Ethos, an AI-driven energy management system that now supports over 100 sites across 20+ clients, processing more than 40 billion data points annually. Ethos identifies inefficiencies in industrial refrigeration and heating systems, delivering substantial carbon savings to sectors such as the cold chain, petrochemicals, data centres, and district heating.

As regional winners, Star Refrigeration will now go forward to compete at the national Made in the UK Awards, bringing Scottish innovation to the wider stage.

For more information, visit www.star-ref.co.uk.

About

Founded in 1970, Star Refrigeration is the UK's largest independent industrial refrigeration and heating engineering company, renowned for its innovative solutions and commitment to sustainability. With expertise spanning design, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance, Star serves industries including food and beverage, pharmaceutical, data centres, petrochemical and logistics.

Star Refrigeration's Ethos system is at the forefront of cooling and heating optimisation, empowering businesses and government to meet energy efficiency goals and reduce carbon footprints.

SOURCE Star Refrigeration