Bcool Engineering, from air conditioning to boat heating

A tribute to the companies and people who have made Barche a Motore great over these 35 years allowing it to be born, grow, and become great up to this historic anniversary. In these articles the great excellences of boating tell their stories and reveal their projects, making an important contribution to the knowledge of this world, which allows us all to go to sea, in all forms and contexts.

On the boat as at home: cool or warm. But comfortable

The bar for comfort on your boat is raised with heating, air conditioning, power solutions from BCool Engineering, a benchmark with know-how rooted in the 1970s.

Creating environments on cruising yachts and cabin cruisers that provide unique comfort, regardless of external conditions. This is the “mission” of Bcool Engineering. And to do so, its technical team takes full advantage of the energy resources available on board to set up advanced heating, cooling ventilation and sanitation systems. Thanks to its collaboration with leading companies in the market, such as Webasto Thermo & Comfort, Whisper Power and Seaview, for which it is the official distributor for Italy, Bcool Engineering is able to support the client in the process of design, supply, installation and testing of the systems provided. The company directly follows all stages of the process, from the initial design to the start-up of the plant. And, then again, it assists the customer in the after-sale with services for proper use, control and maintenance of the plants. On the strength of its many years of experience, Bcool Engineering stands today as the best partner for production and refitting shipyards, yacht designers and even individual owners who aspire to have the best system on board their vessel in terms of efficiency, performance and reliability. And it is no coincidence that it delivers tailor-made solutions for projects both in Italy and the rest of the world. Its headquarters in Giussano (Mb) includes a sales and technical office, a warehouse for storing and shipping products, and finally a technical workshop for testing and repairing systems.

BCool Engineering. A family business, a global vision

Gabriele Brivio, founder of Bcool Engineering along with his brother Marco, tells us about this world and his special entrepreneurial approach.

Gabriele, how did Bcool Engineering come about?
“That of Bcool Engineering is the story of a family that has always produced refrigerators and air conditioning systems for boats since the 1970s. I remember that even as a boy, let’s talk about 1997, I used to spend afternoons welding refrigerators on Bénéteau series boats; then I got involved in sales. My brother Marco, on the other hand, as an engineer was the technical director of the company. In 2011 we founded Bcool Engineering as a design company for thermal comfort systems for boats. It was a new reality, where the engineering part became a priority and strategic in the on-board application of these technological products. We immediately focused on how to best configure these types of systems by finding the perfect balance between user needs, existing technology, and the energy available on board.”

What are the critical issues in this type of facility?
“Thermal comfort on board is now a priority need for owners and crews. During a summer cruise, it is better to have the engine break down than the air conditioning system. Technology helps, but products to heat, ventilate, or refrigerate the boat still need to be integrated effectively based on the materials of construction, the volumes of the rooms, how they are located and set up, and especially with respect to the energy supplies that can be counted on. Boats are not homes with unlimited energy availability. In short, these are quite complex systems to set up from time to time, and a lot of technical know-how is needed.”

Bcool Engineering can count on partnerships with world-renowned brands, right?
“We chose partners who could assure us of three essential factors: products with very high quality standards and up to date, the ability to be able to interact with technical teams so as to continuously improve the product, and finally, worldwide distribution. Ours is technical work that is purely application-driven. We do not sell products. But we cannot do without components of absolute excellence. Webasto, for example, is a long-standing partner that immediately fell in love with our approach and entrusted us with national distribution in the marine sector.”

Who are your clients and how is your work done?
“We have a market that travels on two tracks: new and used boats. Often the clients are yacht designers or design studios that ask for our advice in setting up projects that, in terms of thermal comfort, must meet the client’s requirements. In this case, we give our support by working out the complete thermal system: devices, plant schematics, sizing and set-up. These indications are then turned over by the architects to the building site that will be in charge of construction, and at that stage we enter the production process with the supply of systems and supervision of the work. So, for example, we recently did this for the Lamborghini 30 or for Silent Yachts’ 62-footer. Our work then continues with the start-up of the plant and the training of the owner and crew in proper use, routine checks and maintenance.”

Working in the application field, have you ever had to improve a product or invent it yourself?
“Yes, a few years ago we were awarded as part of the Seatec in Marina di Carrara as the first company in the nautical field to introduce the concept of air quality on board yachts. This is thanks to one of our devices, which, by the way, we now supply to the Azimut shipyard: basically, it is a cross-flow controlled mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery with which fresh, oxygenated air is introduced into the boat’s environments, and in the meantime the various contaminants are removed. It is a simple, inexpensive and very effective system for cooling and sanitizing the interior.”

How is Bcool Egineering structured in terms of personnel?
“We have a team of eight people. There is the technical design team headed by my brother Marco, which also involves outside firms. Then there are five employees who handle job orders and work supervision. We also have 70 after-sales service centers throughout the country with staff who come to us for training. Our Giussano location is quite strategic geographically to follow projects in the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian seas and through international airports reach countries abroad. The possibility of having other decentralized offices is not excluded in the future. Our business is in great growth.”

bcoolengineering.com