INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
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At OTTC, there has never been any compromise on the standard of training, and the new CO 2 plant is another step towards excellence in training in refrigeration and air conditioning.
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refrigeration,” Döbelin explained.“ As part of that motivation, OTTC has been strong supporters of the WorldSkills competition. Every South African refrigeration team since 1997 has had OTTC students.”
Döbelin went on to pay tribute to Andre Vermeulen, who has been South Africa’ s national delegate at WorldSkills since South Africa’ s first entry in 1995.
1. Lionald Wooldridge, WorldSkills SA silver medallist, with his proud parents on the day.
2. Isolde Döbelin, director of OTTC, thanks everyone for their loyal support over the years.
3. Christian Richter( left) received his OTTC Master’ s Certificate from Isolde Döbelin for his design of and dedication to the CO 2 plant.
4. Martin McEneaney-Nel was the first OTTC student ever and came all the way from Abu Dhabi for the 25th event.
5. John Ackermann( left) says a few words about Isolde Döbelin and her‘ tenacity’.
6. A packed room as people showed up from across the country( and world) for the event.
7. Isolde Döbelin gave all parties who supported the CO 2 plant a certificate to show her appreciation for their contributions.
8. The top three WorldSkills competitors were all trained by OTTC. From left: Valentim Jorge Valente( bronze medal), Tyrone Claude Bunce( gold medal), and Lionald Wooldridge( silver medal), with Isolde Döbelin.
9. Isolde Döbelin with the four ammonia diploma graduates, from left: Barend de Klerk, Noah Nyapimbi, Werner van Tonder, and Ntokozo Shange.
Bob Vuletic of Multistage Cooling has been a driving force in arranging national skills competitions, and since the 2007 competition held in Japan, he has been part of the refrigeration team as technical expert and judge. Döbelin added,“ WorldSkills has not only motivated our students, but also developed stronger ties with our many loyal partners and supporters in Germany.”
A similar celebration was held on 20 August 1998 when the new OTTC training centre across the road from the home of Peter and Isolde Döbelin was officially opened. The large assembly hall, offices, and training rooms were built almost singlehandedly by Peter and his assistant. Karsten Beermann of IKKE( Germany) and Willy Loffler of ThermoFin both attended that celebration, and it was heart-warming to have them at the 25th celebration.
DEDICATION TO THE INDUSTRY
In June 1995, OTTC joined the South African Refrigerated Distribution Association( SARDA) and has since been a strong supporter at meetings and AGMs, held joint expos at the training centre, and hosted a cold store management course jointly, presented by the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses( IARW).
“ It was a sad day when Peter Döbelin passed away on 7 December 2002 after a short spell in hospital. The industry lost an icon and a master in refrigeration; he still wanted to do so much. Not a single student of his did not speak highly of him. Motivation and passion have often been spoken about as being strengths at OTTC, but it has a third strength,” John Ackermann said in his tribute to OTTC.
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