The year 1995 was a significant milestone in South Africa’ s refrigeration industry. In terms of the Montreal Protocol, it was the last year that ozone depleting CFC refrigerants were allowed to be imported. The CFC production plant in Vereeniging had already been shut down and new HFC refrigerants were rapidly being introduced on the market. The same year, on 1 April, saw the birth of Marine Refrigeration and Engineering( MRE) in a small office in Cape Town Harbour. The office was adjacent to those of SA Stevedores and had the visionary Dennis van der Westhuizen at the helm of MRE. |
Thirty years down the line, MRE is the largest South African owned refrigeration contracting company. From a very small fish to a large fish in a small pond is a noteworthy achievement but from a small fish to a large fish in a very large pond can only be described as praiseworthy and beyond the forecast of many industry role players.
The celebration held in the Cape Town premises and workshop was vibrant, spectacular and brought the family pride in the MRE employees to the fore. It showcased the engineering capacity of the company. The wide selection of scrumptious eats, beverages, a barista, flowers and the
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MRE logo on biscuits, turned the normally busy workshop into a buzzing theatre with the many MRE staff taking care of a wide selection of long-standing loyal clients and primary service providers.
The event organiser, Luci Dalaney of Luxe Events( Durban based), excelled without omitting the finest detail, for example the MRE logo onto the froth of cappuccinos.
The flag of MRE has always been flown high, even in its infancy, and MRE were regular attendees at Southern African Refrigerated Distribution Association( SARDA) breakfast meetings, formal FRIGAIR banquets and industry events. The anniversary celebration strengthened three
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decades of collaboration between staff, clients and supportive service providers.
Diversification has been the key to the expansion and growth of the MRE Group. After being a one-man band for six months based in the Cape Town harbour, Dennis was joined by Sandro Bicarri. A focus on refrigeration contracting in the marine sector was not going to achieve the dream of a refrigeration and engineering company. With their experience in ammonia refrigeration, the two set their sights on the industrial refrigeration sector and scoured all avenues to gain service work, plant modifications or installation contracts. No job was too small or too big to whet their appetite.
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Image by © Cold Link Africa |
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The large family, all proud of their MRE logo. |