Associations
SAIRAC VISITS
LOCAL MANUFACTURING FACILITY
SAIRAC Johannesburg centre organised an outing to the HC Heat
Exchangers factory on 4 April for members who wanted to see how this large
operation works.
T
1. The HC Heat-Exchangers design team at the back with the
SAIRAC guests in front, before the tour began.
2. HC Heat managing director, Robert Kruger, saying a few words
about the company.
3. Bryan Carroll, HC’s general manager (middle), showing
SAIRAC visitors how some of the components look up close.
www.hvacronline.co.za
1
his was not the first time that this centre of the South African
Institute of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (SAIRAC)
organised a trip to HC Heat and as usual, members thoroughly
enjoyed the experience. It was very interesting to see how these
products are built, especially since most usually only encounter
them as complete units on site.
Before breaking up into smaller groups for the official tour,
everyone gathered in the canteen upstairs while managing
director Robert Kruger said a few words about the company, its
history and its values. “We are not a manufacturing company,
we are a solutions-based company,” he explained to the group of
about 30.
He explained that they are doing a lot of development work,
especially for the greater African market and that they have been
very well received over our borders because of their solutions-
orientated approach (rather than just selling a product). “I’m
excited for the future,” he said.
The entire HC design team were present for this and stood at
the back while Kruger publicly thanked them for their hard work
and contribution to the success of the company.
The tour kicked off with a look at the office space as Kruger
explained that they’ve put in a lot of time and effort to try and
create an environment where people are happy to come to work.
Then the groups (led by HC management and sales staff)
made their way through the factory, from the spray booth to
the sheet metal work stations, all the way through testing and
eventually dispatch with the completed products.
There was a lot to see and guests had a lot of questions about
how things work.
After the tour, everyone gathered in the canteen again to
enjoy some boerewors rolls and chat with the available
staff. RACA
2
3
RACA Journal I June 2019
15