NEWS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
NEP’s OzonAction and UN Women
has published Women in the
Refrigeration and Air-conditioning
Industry: Personal Experiences and
Achievements, profiling the fascinating
stories of 107 women from 50 countries,
including two from South Africa.
The foreword of the impressive 231-page
publication which details the motivation,
background, challenges and daily work
experience of women in the industry, reads
as follows:
“If you ask the average person
on the street who they think designs,
manufactures, installs and services the
refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC)
equipment that cools our homes and
offices, keeps our food fresh and preserves
our vaccines, most people would not
typically think of a woman. And yet, they
should. Women engineers, technicians,
trainers and professors are increasingly
working in this traditionally male-dominated
field and making significant contributions
to its professional development.
Refrigeration and air conditioning are
crucial for our health, nutrition, comfort
and well-being, and women and men
alike are making it happen.
“The United Nations Environment
Programme’s (UNEP) OzonAction and
UN Women have produced this booklet
to shine a spotlight on the largely untold
story of women working in this sector,
focusing on their motivation, background,
challenges and daily work experience.
All the professionals presented in the
following pages are pioneers. They are
role models whose stories should inspire a
new generation of young women to enter
the field and follow in their footsteps.
“We hope this booklet is educational,
informative and, above all, encouraging
to both women and men in the RAC
sector and those considering a career,”
concludes the foreword.
According to the International Institute
of Refrigeration (IIR), approximately 12
million people around the world are
employed in the RAC sector. Yet, while
there is, admittedly, a lack of statistics
regarding the proportion of women
working in the sector, they are noticeably
underrepresented.
A survey by the IIR to gather data
on the number of women registered as
private members of national refrigeration
associations indicated levels of female
membership that ranged from zero to less
than 10%. Only two countries reported
significantly higher percentages: China and
Romania, with 19.5% and 33% respectively.
Yet, the need for skilled technical
servicing and engineering personnel is
higher than ever and currently increasing
to meet the increasing demand for
refrigeration and air-conditioning
equipment. The publication aims to raise
awareness of the opportunities available
to women and recognise their successes.
UN profiles women in the RAC industry
U
Women in the Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Industry: Personal Experiences and
Achievements, profiling the fascinating stories of 107 women from 50 countries.
The booklet identifies some challenging
issues, struggles, success stories and some
very inspiring, motivating experiences.
From Australia to Zimbabwe and
everywhere in between, have a look at
some of the stories…
REPRESENTING SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa also made the list of
countries with two women telling
their stories. One is technician Joyce
Chifamba and the other is RACA
Journal and Cold Link Africa Editor –
Ilana Koegelenberg (pages 178-180).
Be sure to check out this section of the
publication to read their stories about
being a woman in the South African RAC
industry.
DOWNLOAD THE PUBLICATION
You can find a link to a free pdf of the
document on www.hvacronline.co.za.
WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A WOMAN IN THE INDUSTRY?
Are you a woman working in the South African HEVAC&R industry? Then share your
experiences with us. Representation matters and we want to make sure women are
represented better. Email [email protected] to share your story. CLA
Refrimate opens new branch
R
efrigeration spares company
Refrimate recently opened a
second branch in Johannesburg.
The new branch is situated at Goldreef
Business Park in Booysens. The company’s
other branch, which is also the head office,
is in Aureus, Randfontein. The company
also has a branch in Zambia.
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Established in 2010, Refrimate
specialises in commercial
and domestic spares and
has the exclusive distribution
rights for Azak (condensers
and evaporators), Huayi
(compressors), Refricom
(compressors), Hongsen (tools),
InvoTech (compressors) and
Rexnord (fans).
The new branch, with a
total size of 300m 2 , has a staff
2
complement of five people. The
store is well-stocked with the
added advantage of being able
to restock from the company’s
head office within half an hour.
“It is very important for us to
supply our customers with what
they need when they need it and
it is comforting to know that our
head office is easily accessible
from the new branch,” says Fazal
Patel, owner of Refrimate. CLA
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1. The entrance of the new branch.
2. The opening was attended by (from left) Hussen Moosa,
Rashid Fakir, Ahmed Manjra and Fazal Patel, owner.
3. The well-stocked inside of the store.
4. The staff members of the new store are (from left) Fazal
Patel, owner, Sheldon Bailey, Wally Cupido, Cecilia Baloyi
and Simon Gertrudes Mangoele.
COLD LINK AFRICA •
OCTOBER 2019
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
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