Feature
Continued from page 31
to be used where hoses and cables cannot easily be run. The
assumption, at this point in time, is that these technologies
drive up price, but in fact the opposite has been true with prices
coming down significantly over the past few years. Remoteconnected
devices offer many obvious advantages when looking
at tool trends.”
“Supply companies also needs to relook at their product
ranges and take advantage of the various opportunities that
present themselves as markets change. The outbreak of the
coronavirus has created much more awareness of air quality and
much more awareness of viruses and bacteria in general, and
therefore a lot more effort in cleaning and sanitising will occur.
People don’t want to fly now because of fear of picking up a
germ through the air supply system, but it’s essentially the same
scenario for office buildings, malls and schools. HVAC companies
and technicians should expand their kits to include this sort of
tooling too, as these new opportunities will undoubtedly arise
and stick around for some time,” Teubes further advises.
THE QUESTION OF BACKUP SERVICE
According to Teubes , for the experienced technician, having
a quality tool with backup is typically much more important.
“If we take a pipe cutter for example, the more experienced
buyer will spend more on it knowing there is the assurance
that spares or replacement parts are available, but more than
this, the unit is a strong product that will last that much longer.
Unfortunately, in every industry you have the fly-by-nights that
affect the equation but through our experience, the more pride
someone has in their tools, the better-quality tools they will
use. Users nowadays are also far more savvy in their choices
than in the past.”
Steenkamp adds that if equipment is under warranty, but no
replacement parts are available locally, the warranty means very
little as it may take extended periods to import the parts at a
high cost to the purchaser. “For this reason, our company keeps
a large stock holding of spare parts. Our local service centre has
technicians trained in Germany to perform repairs as efficiently
as possible, thereby keeping a technician’s tools up and running
for more of the time. These are the types of advantages buyers
also think about when choosing a tooling supplier.”
THE FUTURE OF TOOLING
While there is always an emphasis on price, especially when new
technologies are released, many companies continue to invest
in equipment that will reduce the time spent fault-finding, on
installations or repair jobs. The costs involved for high-quality
tools and adequate maintenance are negligible when calculating
the cost of wasted time, breakdowns or call-backs.
Testo
Metraclark
It can therefore be expected that going forward there will be a
change in mindset around the value placed on tools and tooling,
and the addition of technology and new products catering to
market needs as efficiency becomes a priority for companies
now more than ever.
The addition of ‘smart tools’ and the capability of various
connectivity and reporting mechanisms will also show large
developments in future, making what is possible with tools and
tooling an ongoing race.
“The future of HVAC tooling definitely leans toward smart
tools, designed to make accurate and quick calculations, collect
data and provide reports, while being wirelessly connected
to the user’s hand-held devices. The more value and features
a technician can get out of their tools, combined with userfriendliness
and ease of use, the faster the industry will move
towards these new technologies,” concludes Taylor. RACA
“A high-quality
leak detector
allows a
technician to
quickly find
leaks in a
system”
A good quality
vacuum pump
is an integral
tool for
complete A/C
servicing.
www.hvacronline.co.za RACA Journal I September 2020 33