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RACA Journal Publication www . hvacronline . co . za benjamin @ interactmedia . co . za
RACA Journal : ISSN 1812-772X
QUALITY VERSUS PRICE
It has long been the case that the HVAC & R sectors have been under pressure through a variety of factors – from labour impacts to the ever-pressing energy supply debacle that has , and continues to have , seemingly increasing implications for businesses . These conditions have all been worsened since the onset of the pandemic that has kept the world guessing for over two years now on a way forward .
As customers have been forced to tighten the belt so to speak , the challenge of the industry in terms of pricing continues . It baffles me every time I encounter an incident , hear about it or see images of poor quality work – I would offer a confident view that these situations have been exposed because winning bids were the ‘ cheapest quote ’ and appointed suppliers were then caught with their pants down not being able to deliver , or delivering a solution that is not only sloppy and taking shortcuts , but potentially detrimental to systems , equipment and even worse – safety standards .
There is really only so much ‘ rolling of cash ’ a business can do as I have spoken about in previous comments , before the end of the road that opens up massive risks to suppliers who potentially don ’ t get paid , clients who are left with expensive systems in a bad way , and the overall consequence of everyone being painted with the same brush .
The losers on bids , who had more realistic and sustainable pricing , get called up anyway in the end to come and fix the mess , and clients then land up paying far more than the original quote they accepted anyway . Perhaps my view is too simple , but it just doesn ’ t make any sense to me .
Quality comes at a price – even more so now as the world will drive campaigns towards better buildings , better systems , and overall lifespan impacts of facilities . The question really should be how long should this mindset of ‘ cheapest price ’ continue ? Perhaps it ’ s time to take a look at some of the trends that were predicted for 2022 and make them a reality on the local front – one being dropping ‘ bad clients ’ or adapt to dropping those clients who only care about their own sustainability and not everyone else down the line . Something has to change before something really bad happens .
In this issue we cover some topical local and international news , some of which hopefully means growth and stimulus for the sector in future . We also carry our regular contributors and some opinion articles including global trends , climate change and carbon tax .
Our feature in this issue is on heat recovery , which is seeing rapid growth and adoption , pushed by global drives in efficiency . Interestingly , the integration of heat recovery has shown to produce significant savings and thus demand and its continual improvement will soon see this previously wasted resource being used in many more applications from domestic level to industrial needs .
Our project is the Tudor Chambers in Pretoria , one of the oldest buildings in the country , which recently received an upgraded HVAC system that was required due to a failing existing system and really an impractical installation when it came to required maintenance . This building ’ s history dates back to the late 1890s .
Our profile in this issue is Henry Townsend , an engineer who has gained vast experience over his career and who foresees that digital technology will reduce delays on site and create optimal collaborations between all role players – even to the point where site offices will have touch screens that are linked to the latest design and system plans .
We are also edging closer to the long awaited FRIGAIR 2022 to be brought to the industry between from 1 – 3 June 2022 . The theme is ‘ Natural Refrigerants ’ and will incorporate this into many of the topics to be addressed at the seminars and workshops brought to the industry by the South African Institute for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning ( SAIRAC ). Look out for future communications about these programmes and what will be showcased at the event in terms of technology , innovation , and efficiency .
This month ’ s quote represents the way the world continues to express change and adaption . Hopefully we will find the right recipe in change that will equal better outcomes overall .
“ I cannot say whether things will get better if we change ; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better .” - Georg C . Lichtenberg
I welcome your engagement and hope you have a great month
ahead ! RACA
Ben
www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I February 2022 1