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RESOLVING CHALLENGES IS THE BEST FEELING
David Botha ’ s ( partner at ABMS Maintenance Services ) years of experience in the facilities and maintenance environment enables him to provide solutions to keep that good feeling rolling .
Botha got his first glimpse of the air conditioning sector back in high school , when it earned him extra cash during school holidays , doing simple cleaning and servicing work at a local business . At the time , Botha noted jokingly , he thought one must be mad to make this your career of choice , just because he wasn ’ t exposed to the technical side of the job at first .
However , after leaving school and being uncertain of the career he wanted to pursue , he gave air conditioning another try . Before he knew it , his apprenticeship was done , and he was a qualified technician with a couple of years ’ experience under the belt .
Through good fortune he landed a job with Anglo American ( at that stage known as Anglo American Property Solutions ). The diverse nature of the business exposed Botha to varied experience and technical knowledge over the next 10 years . Botha held several positions at Anglo and was promoted into the management track which laid the foundation for his career as entrepreneur .
“ In 2007 we opened our own company and if it wasn ' t for the corporate experience gained over that period , I wouldn ' t be where I am today . I had the opportunity to work myself up through the ranks , from a technician to management , to owning a business . Now I have been in the sector for over 30 years ,” he notes .
What Botha enjoys most about his work is providing solutions to not only a client ’ s AC needs , but considering all aspects for improvements based on his advanced building knowledge – he admits that this is a disadvantage because he looks for faults everywhere , even at dinner with his wife at a restaurant .
Intrigued by technology , trends and new methodologies being developed and integrated into the sector , Botha likes to spend what free time he has investigating and exploring innovation - consuming various content to continuously develop his skills .
As the Gauteng chair of SARACCA , he adds that belonging to an association or body holds immense value – far more than any membership costs . “ One thing that members must ensure is that they participate . This opens the doors to a wealth of information from likeminded people who are willing to share their experience , offer advice on challenges , provide insights on successful businesses , and how to continuously improve your offering to clients ,” he adds .
Another important aspect for Botha is training and the importance of compliance . As he put it aptly , “ standards and compliance save lives .” With the reach of social media and access to “ how-to ” videos , people believe they are skilled after watching a quick tutorial and then take business away from quality providers that spend time and effort to ensure compliance . More importantly , with the possible consequences involved in working with pressurised equipment , risks become a reality for unqualified people .
He applies the same principle to his view of staff training . “ If you don ' t have the right skills , and one doesn ’ t spend the time to train properly , the amount of time wasted doubles , you lose income and your client ’ s trust . Often , so-called ‘ qualified technicians ’ are not knowledgeable about legislation and the safe handling of refrigerants . You potentially have a bomb in the wrong hands .”
Looking to the future , Botha stresses the importance of going green . “ Some people may be happy about global warming because it means more business for certain sectors , but the reality is that everything we do today will either destroy or safeguard our future generations , our children , and the environment . We must be more mindful of how we use resources in the HVAC sector , specifically energy and water . We have a lot of old building stock that is home to dilapidated resource-intense equipment that we can improve to provide immediate positive results . We also need to intensively promote efficiency thoughout the building sector ,” he concludes . RACA
David Botha www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I October 2022 37