The authors of the recently released Cold Hard Facts (CHF) 2 report, Thinkwell’s Michael McCann and Expert Group’s Peter Brodribb, challenged participants to deal with the invisibility of the HVAC&R industry.
After almost a decade of research into the industry it has become abundantly clear to both Michael McCann and Peter Brodribb that the industry is much bigger than most people realise, and much more relevant.
CHF 2 estimates the RAC equipment spend is $5.9 billion per annum and the industry employs 173,000 staff, paying $13.3 billion in salaries each year.
“There are 45 million bits of kit out in the field; we are bigger than we realise,” McCann told delegates at CCN Live 2013.
"The industry’s biggest problem is its lack of visibility and the need to own its value, rather than so many other industries taking credit for the work undertaken by Australia’s heating and cooling industries."
For example, there is no recognition for the $30 billion of perishable food per annum that requires refrigerated transport, which is often claimed by other industries.
McCann says there is a similar situation in the construction industry and it is why the industry needs to be recognised as a “complete set of services.”
McCann says the industry needs to recognise where HVAC&R fits into the national economy, why it’s so important, and to claim these essential services as its own.
"Refrigeration and air conditioning is not optional; this is critical infrastructure that keeps the city running,” he says.
"This isn’t about, ‘oh dear it’s a bit hot’, it’s more like ‘evacuate the building the chillers have gone down’ or ‘hell the UPS better work or the server farm will go down’.
“What we provide isn’t an option; it’s critical infrastructure. You can’t turn this stuff off.”
The industry’s biggest problem is that nobody notices it because it operates in the background and rarely fails. Hundreds of industries own this infrastructure and claim it as their own, which is why there will be an agriculture spokesperson on television, recognised by millions of viewers, without any mention about HVAC&R’s contribution.
“We need to change public perceptions,” McCann says. “Industry needs to think of itself in new terms, to see the big picture and address our invisibility.
“We are hidden in a sea of acronyms. HVAC&R doesn’t work – we need branding, a public facing name that the consumer understand.
“We should be called the climate control industry. That works and will help us be
remembered at the big table in Canberra when it’s time to set policy and budgets.
“There are much smaller industries, like pharmacy, that have big buildings in Canberra. We are noticeably absent.”