EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
21st celebration sets pace for the road ahead
By John Ackermann
The 21st anniversary of Heat Pump International ( HPI ) in Cape Town last year was truly something to remember .
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1 . Dave Kloot addressing guests with his typical expression .
2 . In a jovial mood , from left : Rob van der Merwe ( HPI ), Trevor Dyer ( seated ), and his son Greg Dyer of AC & R .
3 . Packaged air handling units in the factory nearing completion for despatch .
4 . Les Kloot in conversation with Nicola Murphy of Continental Motors .
As Dave Kloot , managing director , recalled in welcoming the many guests to the event , it could even be more than 21 years . “ What has been achieved and the many lasting relations forged with customers , consultants , suppliers as well as the strong bonding among the staff has set the pace for the future .”
HPI is currently readying its building ( owned by Dave Kloot and his brother Les ) to take some 140 solar panels . This will make HPI virtually independent of Eskom , except on very cloudy days and during times when they are commissioning large units . In those instances , its system will feed in the required power from Eskom . The good news is that , over the weekends when it ’ s sunny — and assuming they are not working overtime — HPI will be feeding power into the grid . The Western Cape is one of only two provinces where this is allowed .
“ It is heart-warming to celebrate our 21st with a good mix of customers and suppliers / service providers ,” said Dave Kloot . “ We strongly believe in treating our suppliers with the same courtesy and respect that we show our customers . It ’ s only by receiving top class service from our suppliers that we can give our customers the service they expect and deserve . In this regard , we have a mantra — which you will see on our general office wall — and this is : ‘ When you make a commitment , you build hope . When you keep it , you build trust .’ I would go one further and say :
‘ When you break a commitment you could very well destroy a relationship .’”
In the past , HPI relied largely on contracted labour but now has 72 permanent employees . They all belong to a trust , which owns 26 % of the equity of HPI . Each receives an equal stake , from the lowest labourer to the top managers . The company ’ s average length of service is over 10 years ’ service . “ We find it very difficult to get rid of staff , but when we do , all they want to do is come back again !” Dave Kloot joked .
“ Les and I are often asked , ‘ When will you retire and spend more time with your wives at home ?’ Our stock answer is ‘ Here we are the bosses !’.”
Dave Kloot went on to pay tribute to two VIP guests who were stalwarts in shaping the company and are respected industry role players . Harry Schuurmans and Pete Turnbull were the founders of the company .
“ Without a doubt , Schuurmans is the doyen of the air-conditioning industry in the Western Cape ,” said Dave Kloot . Schuurmans has had a chequered career and has been involved in many start-up companies — from air conditioning to woodwork and food , and back to air conditioning . He got together with Pete Turnbull around 1991 and they decided to float a company called Thermopak . This company eventually went into liquidation as a result of a cruel turn of events where a very large client was unable to pay its debts , and so its assets were taken over
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22 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za COLD LINK AFRICA • January | February 2017