Providing a cool service to the coast

It is difficult to find suitably qualified people for commercial & marine heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC & R) applications, says John Kotze, owner of Technicool cc.
“We get students from various training institutes for apprenticeship purposes. It is evident that some of the students are not suited for this trade and this can result in the reduction of the quality of services that are provided in this sector in the future. It appears no aptitude test is done to determine whether students are competent for the specific field,” says Kotze, who has 18 years of experience in the industry.
Technicool, which was established in 2003 in the coastal town of Walvis Bay, specialises in the supply and installation of cold and freezer rooms, airconditioning units and systems for domestic, commercial and marine applications, all related maintenance and are stockists of a wide range of related spares and accessories.
“The marine sector is our biggest client; 65% of our work is from this sector. Business has been good over the past 9 years, I can say there has been gradual yet constant growth in our business and we have had to expand to keep abreast with demand,” Kotze told the Economist during a visit at Technicool.
“A new challenge facing our section of the industry, is the pending phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which will be implemented towards the end of 2012. This will have a huge financial impact on end-users, but it is important for Namibia to stay on par with environmental concerns, and I therefore support this initiative,” says Kotze.
“Another problematic area is that of untrained personnel working in the industry. These individuals have no formal qualifications and no registered businesses; and often do installations for which they have no training. To maintain quality and to protect registered business owners this matter should be looked into.
“Our objective is to maintain a good relationship with existing clients and also to keep ourselves abreast with updates in technology,” Kotze concluded.
Technicool has 15 employees and five service vehicles, and provides a 24-hour service.