RACA Journal: ISSN 1812-772X
Hot and chilled
THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS:
CONTINUALLY ADAPTING
A
s I am introduced into another sector as the new editor of the RACA Journal, the
turmoil and persistent uncertainty of where the ever-popular Covid-19 virus has left
the South African economy is nothing short of bizarre. I’m confident to assume that, like so
many others, when you see something about ‘coronavirus’ you want to bypass it, or it may
even make you inclined to use a few profanities.
In all seriousness though, it has been extremely sad to see the toll this pandemic and
subsequent lockdown has had on the people themselves. There is a rollercoaster of emotions
given the varying circumstances, from loss of income to loss of lives. We wish to offer our
sincere condolences to those who have lost family members or friends through these
unprecedented times.
As a ‘newbie’ it would be foolish of me to assume anything about this industry off the bat,
but, some things remain constant – no matter what sector I have been involved in over the last
couple of years, I am eager to learn and get stuck into the nuances to provide you, our valuable
reader, with content that you want and like. As a mouthpiece of the industry I welcome your
input – from news to suggestions. This is your magazine after all.
A recent site visit to a previously bustling construction area to find projects on limited staff,
masks, sanitising and social distancing protocol signage and an eerie quietness was unsettling.
I’m sure it’s just a temporary situation. As we can expect, construction will continue in one or
other form despite what the economic outlook of recession says on paper – and with this the
requirement for continued HVACR offerings.
The coronavirus pandemic has further provided the potential where innovation and
improvement is possible for many industries related to the built environment from the design
stage through to product development, maintenance, and of course the way humans conduct
themselves and therefore the requirements of ‘people management’.
‘Every cloud has a silver lining’ as they say, and through the quality and resourcefulness that
is within each and every business owner in South Africa, I for one, believe that we have what
it takes to make any situation that is thrown at us work. We have the know-how, we have the
technology, and we have the resources – everything needed for success.
Surprisingly, there are already some companies showing a growth in turnovers over this
period as they have been able to quickly adapt their business strategies to deliver solutions.
This is what success is going to be all about for the future – creating solutions for your clients.
In this issue, we look at various news from the industry as well as our feature on tools that
highlights some new tech as well as some oldies you may want to revisit. Our project is the
modern and retro Sandton Gate Office that forms part of the latest mixed-use development in
the Sandton area. We profile Roderiek Mushwana, and continue Part 2 of the Bitzer Refrigerant
Report in our technical feature. And, as always, our contributors continue to educate and
inform, and answer your questions.
I trust you find value in this issue and look forward to engaging with the industry. Please feel
free to contact me, and join our social media channels on Linked-In, Facebook and Twitter.
Ambient greetings, Ben
Office: +27 11 579 4940 | Cell: +27 82 940 0701 (call/text/whatsapp)
Email: benjamin@interactmedia.co.za
www.hvacronline.co.za www.hvacronline.co.za
RACA Journal I September 2020
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