As a fridgie that can provide a first-hand account of how the industry has evolved since the late 1970s, RACCA Australia President, Kevin O’Shea’s insight will make all the difference as this year’s guest judge at Climate Control News’ (CCN) HVACR Leadership Awards.
“These awards are a deja vu moment for me as I remember Alan Obrart and I judging the very first awards ever created for the industry back in the 1990s.” he said.
“The awards were actually created by CCN’s Publisher, Yaffa Media, this is before it officially became the ARBS Awards.”
According to O’Shea, the HVACR industry is tougher today than it ever was in previous decades. He said the tough environment is largely due to increased competition.
“Years ago we would quote a large project on a single piece of paper, but now it’s a case of filling out a file as big as War and Peace before an order is received.”
As a long standing industry veteran, O’Shea enjoys hearing tales about the industry during the 1950s and 60s.
“Industry stalwart, Doug Staniforth, told me that back in the 1960s if you had ‘air conditioning’ written on your van, people would just walk up to you and place orders to install new equipment, that’s how it was, the streets were lined with gold.”
“Another stalwart, Brian Stapleton, told me the company he worked for in the 1960s wouldn’t take on a job unless the profit margin was 50 percent! Oh how times have changed.”
O’Shea said that the last five years have been particularly patchy and challenging, “but 2016 is shaping up to be a good year for our industry.”
Article Source–Climate Control News: http://www.climatecontrolnews.com.au/news/latest/racca-supports-the-2016-awards-program
This article was altered slightly prior to publication.