Events and Exhibitions
Happy birthday DAIKIN!
To celebrate servicing the industry for 50 years, Daikin hosted clients and partners
at Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town in November to thank them for their continued
support.
This would be impossible without the support of all of you and
probably many more which are not present here today. To
all present, a big thank you and congratulations on what you
have achieved.
My journey in South Africa started approximately half
a year ago, so my contribution to the 50 years is limited.
Therefore, rather than looking back on this rich history, I
thought it was more appropriate for me to give you a glimpse
of how I see our future.
To do that, I’d like to start with my learnings of living in
South Africa.
During my short time here, I quickly learned that:
• The business environment our industry has been working in
and still is working in, is harsh.
• The economy shows limited to no growth.
• The investment climate is not ideal due to uncertainties
about the future and due to the daily problems South Africa
is facing.
www.hvacronline.co.za
M
D of Daikin South Africa, Koen Van Wynendaele, gave a
heart-warming speech, read it below:
Dear valued customer, Mr Ambassador of Belgium,
Premier of the Western Cape, Mayor of Cape Town colleagues,
members of the Daikin Europe top management. It was 1969,
way before I was born but clearly a memorable year in many
aspects! Between then and today, this is 50 years of Daikin
in South Africa and 50 years with numerous successes and
achievements!
As numbers are more impressive than words, this means:
• almost 300 000 splits sold;
• more than 21 000 VRVs sold; and
• more than 3 000 chillers sold.
The saxophonist in a bubble kept guests entertained.
•
•
The political climate is complex and faces struggles.
There is high unemployment and thus poverty but at the
same time there is a labour market in which it is difficult for
companies to find good skilled people.
• The recent summers, important for our industry, were not
fantastic.
• Electricity supply is not guaranteed.
• And there was, and still is, the problem of water shortage.
I guess it sounds familiar to all of you. No?
This has led to an industry under pressure causing companies
to go bankrupt, stringent price fighting on the available projects
putting margins under pressure, problematic money collection
but also a predominantly short-sighted market with a focus on
capital investment and less on what really matters such as energy
efficiency, quality, designs and building standards to reduce the
carbon footprint and thus improve the sustainability of buildings!
Do you know, over the lifetime of an air-conditioning system,
how much the capital investment is? Well, let me tell you. It's only
RACA Journal I January 2020
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