RACA Journal November 2025 RACA_November2025 | Page 13

Business reliability. Through OpenBlue, businesses can achieve unprecedented levels of connectivity, energy optimisation and sustainability.

Together, Metasys and OpenBlue provide a seamless approach to smart building management, transforming operations while enhancing efficiency and occupant comfort.

AFRICA’ S GROWTH POTENTIAL Looking ahead, Johnson Controls sees Africa as a key growth market. Urbanisation and global warming are driving demand for HVAC solutions across industries, including commercial developments, industrial refrigeration and food cold chain infrastructure. The mining sector and food and beverage industries are particularly reliant on Johnson Controls ' advanced solutions, such as industrial refrigeration machinery and energyefficient cooling technologies.

Ramnarian underscores Johnson Controls’ long-term commitment to Africa: " Our strategy is to be a trusted partner in the region, delivering solutions that support sustainable growth while ensuring the longevity of systems through preventative maintenance and OEM servicing."

By leveraging strategic channel partnerships, delivering innovative products like the YVAM chiller, and maintaining its focus on aftermarket services, Johnson Controls is well-positioned to drive growth in sub-Saharan Africa. The addition of Frick and Sabroe refrigeration solutions, and the sophisticated Metasys platform further solidify Johnson Controls’ leadership in HVAC & R and building automation.

AIROTECH AFRICA BECOMES YORK CHANNEL PARTNER IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

By Eamonn Ryan

Airotech Africa, a dynamic new HVAC technology distributor established in 2022, has been appointed as the authorised distributor for York chillers in southern Africa.

Airotech ' s strategic move to integrate the entire York sales crew from Johnson Controls in April 2025 represents a significant expansion of its offering and market presence. This wasn ' t merely a transfer of personnel but a fundamental realignment that positioned Airotech as the key supplier of York chillers and heat pumps.

Gert Deale, sales manager at Airotech, explains:“ By taking over the York sales team, Airotech instantly gained direct access to and responsibility for selling York chillers, a globally recognised brand with a legacy dating back to the 1950s in South African mines. This immediately broadened Airotech ' s product portfolio beyond its existing VTS air handling units, Keller dust extract, Aeroseal duct sealing and Mikropor filtration brands.”

The combined 60 years of experience of the sales team meant the company didn ' t start from scratch in building expertise or client relationships for chillers; it inherited a deep understanding of the product and established connections with a loyal customer base.

As a smaller, newly formed entity operating under a channel partner model, Airotech has gained the agility to make on-the-spot decisions around pricing and strategy. This streamlined structure – free from previous layers of management – enables quicker response times and more competitive pricing combined with Level-2 B-BBEE recognition, directly benefitting end-users. Coupled with the comprehensive product knowledge of the transferred team, Airotech is now better positioned to meet market demands with speed and precision.

In turn, the move allows Johnson Controls to focus solely on its OEM responsibilities( servicing, aftermarket supply, commissioning) while Airotech became the dedicated sales channel partner for York equipment. This clear delineation of roles enhances the overall market penetration and competitiveness of York products in the region.

“ Management’ s deep-rooted expertise stems from their long tenure with York International, which was acquired by Johnson Controls in 2005. The legal entity transitioned to Johnson Controls in 2019 / 20, but the York brand and its legacy remained with a channel partner that focused just on selling York equipment," Deale clarifies.

“ The sales team ' s core strength is‘ custom-built chillers’ for specific client needs, particularly for non-standard and demanding industrial applications like mining. This specialised expertise allows the company to cater to complex projects that competitors might struggle with,” says Deale.

This capability is a hallmark of York chillers – which have a history of longevity, particularly in demanding environments like mines. " We ' ve been installing York chillers in the mining sector since the 1950s, and the oldest one that I know of is a 1960s installation which is still running today," he says. While commercial buildings might opt for replacement after 15 years, mining operations often re-tube and refurbish older York units, keeping the original‘ shell’ pressure vessels in operation, and in some instances, compressors and motors are refurbished or replaced with newer models.

STRATEGIC AGILITY AND MARKET COMPETITIVENESS

Airotech’ s Level 2 B-BBEE certification is a crucial differentiator in the South African market, and important for larger corporates such as mining houses. " Our status in turn enhances clients’ competitiveness, as a chiller can represent a significant portion of a building contract ' s value.”

As a result, Airotech has experienced improved market competitiveness and a " fantastic year so far ". Customers, having dealt with the same sales team for years, don ' t experience any difference in service levels, but benefit from the improved pricing and B-BBEE status.

York chillers are manufactured in various global locations, including Texas, China, Mexico and France. In the light of current trade wars and tariffs, Deale acknowledges the complexities of global supply chains and import duties, with components sourced from various countries. He emphasises that the non-US factories produce high-quality equipment.

He listed a key technological advantage for York as being its opendrive motor compressor system in some water-cooled centrifugal chillers. " The motor is not in the refrigerant stream," Deale explains, meaning that in the event of a motor burnout the refrigerant charge remains intact and only the motor needs replacement. This is a significant benefit, especially for machines with large refrigerant charges.

Airotech is also excited about a brand-new magnetic bearing chiller specifically developed for data centres. " It ' s a fantastic product," Deale suggests, noting its recent approval for the Middle East and Africa region.“ This oil-free, magnetic bearing system is super-efficient and designed for the unique demands of data centres, including the use of higher water temperatures. Our factory in Mexico at the moment cannot keep up with the immense demand.” RACA

www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za RACA Journal I November 2025 11