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Who we are

Much More Than Just a Ventilation Contractor in London

With over 130 years in the construction and maintenance industry, we are a trusted and experienced ventilation contractor servicing London and the UK.

137

Trading years

117

Employees

£35m

Turnover

29 years

ROSPA Patrons Award

1885

In 1885, William Hotchkiss and his son, Henry James, established W. Hotchkiss and Son, a maintenance engineering works, at 41 Ashford Road in Eastbourne. William died ten years later, leaving the business to Henry, whose young son, Frederick, had just joined at the tender age of 14.

1910

In 1910, Henry passed the torch to Frederick, whose ambition and loyalty to the company was matched only by his sense of morality. As a devoutly religious man and a pacifist, Frederick refused to manufacture armaments during the Great War, despite the considerable profit it would have generated. Instead, he elected to focus the company’s resources on non-destructive work.

Old legacy truck with text "Hotchkiss Engineers"

1943

Following the First World War, Frederick’s four sons Bernard, Colin, Ronald and Wesley came into the business, and ran the company alongside their father until his death in 1943.

1952

In 1952, Mr S G Ohly purchased the Hotchkiss family’s shares and became Chairman.

1954

By this point, the company had moved away from maintenance work towards structural steelwork and architectural metalwork, which became so successful that Hotchkiss introduced its own Lattice Construction System in 1954.

1955

This was a major milestone in the firm’s development and, thanks to a massive surge of interest in steel construction, Hotchkiss acquired a heavy steel fabrication factory in Shoreham in 1955.

At this time, Hotchkiss became involved with sheet metal fabrication, manufacturing spray booths and small extract systems for restaurants and cafes. Soon, the company boasted Gatwick Airport, Brunel University and the British United Airways terminal at Victoria Station in London among its growing list of prestigious contracts, whilst also winning export orders in Qatar, Brunei, Bermuda and Nigeria.

1965

With the increasing demand for the expertise of its structural steelwork, balustrading and ductwork engineers, the company continued to expand, leading to the formation of a subsidiary company, Hotchkiss Ductwork, in 1965. Thanks to its ability to meet the ever-growing demand for air conditioning, Hotchkiss Ductwork developed a reputation as a trustworthy and reliable ventilation contractor.

However, the mid-1960s brought about a decline in structural steelwork and a huge upsurge in the use of pre-stressed and reinforced concrete for construction. While this side of the business began to suffer, the demand of our ventilation and ductwork engineers continued to grow alongside the expansion of the airconditioning market.

1972

In 1972, Michael Ohly, eldest son of the chairman and recently appointed financial director of Hotchkiss, reluctantly decided to close the structural steelwork side of the business. It was then that Hotchkiss focused more intently on its role as a ventilation contractor, specialising in the manufacture and installation of ductwork and ventilation systems.

After investing in new technology and leading the introduction of both CAM and CAD systems facilities in factories, on sites and in drawing offices, the company’s technical and contracting expertise and reputation began to soar.

1970s-1990s

Hotchkiss invests in new technologies. As the company’s technical and contracting expertise and reputation begins to soar, so does its client base, along with the size and scale of projects Hotchkiss undertakes as a ventilation contractor.

2021

In October 2021, Olivier Grob, the son-in-law of Michael Ohly, acquired Hotchkiss Group and became the newly-appointed CEO and Chairman of the Board. With his extensive experience in building services, following his 13-year career at Otis Elevator Company and his expertise in sales and marketing, P&L management and business strategy, Olivier is bringing fresh ideas to the Group, and has great ambition for both companies.

2022

On April 4th 2022, a plan entitled Vision 2030 was presented to Hotchkiss and Fire Protection Ltd’s senior management, focusing on a growth and diversification strategy to strengthen our financials, but also reminding us of Hotchkiss Group’s mission, core values and the importance of our employees. We are proud of our industry and look forward to our future.

Hotchkiss

Our History

In 1885, William Hotchkiss and his son, Henry James, established W. Hotchkiss and Son, a maintenance engineering works, at 41 Ashford Road in Eastbourne. William died ten years later, leaving the business to Henry, whose young son, Frederick, had just joined at the tender age of 14. In 1910, Henry passed the torch to Frederick, whose ambition and loyalty to the company was matched only by his sense of morality. As a devoutly religious man and a pacifist, Frederick refused to manufacture armaments during the Great War, despite the considerable profit it would have generated. Instead, he elected to focus the company’s resources on non-destructive work. Following the First World War, Frederick’s four sons Bernard, Colin, Ronald and Wesley came into the business, and ran the company alongside their father until his death in 1943.

In 1952, Mr S G Ohly purchased the Hotchkiss family’s shares and became Chairman. By this point, the company had moved away from maintenance work towards structural steelwork and architectural metalwork, which became so successful that Hotchkiss introduced its own Lattice Construction System in 1954. This was a major milestone in the firm’s development and, thanks to a massive surge of interest in steel construction, Hotchkiss acquired a heavy steel fabrication factory in Shoreham in 1955.

At this time, Hotchkiss became involved with sheet metal fabrication, manufacturing spray booths and small extract systems for restaurants and cafes. Soon, the company boasted Gatwick Airport, Brunel University and the British United Airways terminal at Victoria Station in London among its growing list of prestigious contracts, whilst also winning export orders in Qatar, Brunei, Bermuda and Nigeria.

With the increasing demand for the expertise of its structural steelwork, balustrading and ductwork engineers, the company continued to expand, leading to the formation of a subsidiary company, Hotchkiss Ductwork, in 1965. Thanks to its ability to meet the ever-growing demand for air conditioning, Hotchkiss Ductwork developed a reputation as a trustworthy and reliable ventilation contractor.

However, the mid-1960s brought about a decline in structural steelwork and a huge upsurge in the use of pre-stressed and reinforced concrete for construction. While this side of the business began to suffer, the demand of our ventilation and ductwork engineers continued to grow alongside the expansion of the airconditioning market.

In 1972, Michael Ohly, eldest son of the chairman and recently appointed financial director of Hotchkiss, reluctantly decided to close the structural steelwork side of the business. It was then that Hotchkiss focused more intently on its role as a ventilation contractor, specialising in the design, manufacture and installation of ductwork and ventilation systems.

After investing in new technology and leading the introduction of both CAM and CAD systems facilities in factories, on sites and in drawing offices, the company’s technical and contracting expertise and reputation began to soar. Soon, so did our client base, along with the size and scale of projects we undertook as a ventilation contractor.

Icon vision eye

Our Vision

To become the industry’s safest, fastest, greenest and most trustworthy ductwork & passive fire safety provider.

Our Mission

To create the most effective and pain-free environment for our clients.

Icon mission arrow in target

Some of the projects our ventilation and ductwork engineers have carried out include:

  • Bloomberg European Headquarters, working alongside Sir Robert McAlpine

  • London Heathrow Terminal 5, working alongside British Airports Authority (BAA)

  • ExCel Phase 2, working alongside Sir Robert McAlpine

  • HSBC Canary Wharf, working alongside Canary Wharf Contractors

  • KGX1 Google, working alongside Lendlease

  • Tate Modern, working alongside Mace

  • 20 Fenchurch Street (The Walkie-Talkie), working alongside Canary Wharf Contractors

The company continues to provide ductwork services for many of the leading contractors and developers, and to lead the sector in the adoption of the latest technology and project management techniques.

Our team

The Leadership behind Hotchkiss

Olivier Grob
Olivier Grob

Managing Director & Group CEO

Christina Amarelle
Christina Amarelle

Group Finance Director

Darren Vine
Darren Vine

Contracts Associate Director

Robert Plummer
Robert Plummer

Contracts Associate Director

Darryl Howes
Darryl Howes

Commercial Associate Director

Dan Allistone
Dan Allistone

Pre-Construction Manager

Barry Wood
Barry Wood

Estimating Manager

Tony Loveridge
Tony Loveridge

Production Manager

Luke Benjamin
Luke Benjamin

Technical Manager

Vaughan Husband
Vaughan Husband

Group IT & Digitalisation Manager

Steven Hancock
Steven Hancock

Group Supply Chain & Sustainability Manager

Faun Dunford
Faun Dunford

Group QEHS Compliance Coordinator

Gary Nash
Gary Nash

Group Health & Safety Advisor

Claire Butters
Claire Butters

Group Human Resource Officer

Eugene Brown
Eugene Brown

Group Financial Controller

Contact us

Ready to work together?

Call 01323 501 234 for a ventilation contractor and ductwork engineers you can rely on for building projects in London and the UK, across a wide range of sectors.

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