2014 was a milestone year for Actron Air. It marked 30 years of business for the family firm which is preparing to embark on its next stage of growth.
While the 30 year anniversary was an important celebration, Actron Air is already looking ahead to the next 30 years and has begun implementing a strategic plan for the next decade.
Actron Air managing director Norman Windell believes the next 10 years will be particularly significant for the company as it moves into a new phase of development.
And Actron Air’s plans for the years ahead has created a lot of excitement within the business with one of the first impacts being the launch of a new national consumer marketing campaign.
The television advertisements, which launched on Australia Day (January 26), showcased two of the qualities that have set Actron Air apart from the rest of the market.
First is that the manufacturing company is a genuine Aussie success story and second, that innovation is at the centre of everything they do.
It was a belief in innovation that led to the creation of the company by Garry Mundy and his two sons, Robert and Kevin, in 1984.
Today, it’s the foundation of the Actron Air product mix from advanced air flow technology to energy smart zoning right through to the unique louvre grille of the outdoor units.
Although the company already has one of the most extensive ducted air conditioning ranges in the Australian market, Windell said there are plans to launch new products in new market segments this year. He said the goal is to cover a greater section of the residential and commercial markets.
In the last 12 months alone, Actron Air has launched three new product lines including the Hercules variable capacity reverse cycle packaged units, the ESP Platinum (Energy Smart Performance) series and ActronConnect, a wireless control system that allows customers to control their ducted air conditioner from anywhere that has Internet connectivity.
In fact, the new product mix will be just one of the many drivers behind Actron Air's growth in the next few years.
"Expansion will be driven by a mix of organic growth and acquisition," Windell said.
Actron Air's 10,500 square metre manufacturing plant west of Sydney was operating at full capacity when CCN did a tour of the facility late last year. The facility includes a sheet metal fabrication line, powder coating facilities and commercial and residential assembly lines.
It also features a state of the art Psychrometric Calorimeter test room which was established to make testing faster and can operate 24 hours per day. Actron Air's commitment to research and development was rewarded when the company won the 2014 AIRAH Award for Excellence in Sustainability for its ESP Platinum split ducted technology, and also won the
2014 ARBS Product Excellence Award for its Hercules commercial packaged unit. The key driving force behind the design of ESP Platinum was to optimise seasonal energy efficiency. It is the most advanced ducted air conditioner ever built in Australia and offers the lowest running costs in its class.
Testing and energy modelling shows that the ESP Platinum series uses up to 75 per cent less electricity compared to conventional fixed speed systems and up to 50 per cent compared to conventional inverter systems. ?