With a long history and reputation for quality, SAC is now one of the Cape’s and country’s go to companies when it comes to HVAC solutions.
A vital aspect of today’s construction industry is innovation. The need to be creative with space, efficient with energy supply and modest with impact on the environment all require innovative thinkers and inventive technologies. Getting to know the needs for a building or structure comes only with experience but in today’s modern industry, that experience is being challenged by ingenious thinkers who are coming up with increasingly unique and distinctive designs and ideas.
But when you create building designs that have been widely adopted in the past, you then create a problem for those furnishing the building. Everything from electrical contractors, flooring companies, shop fitters, decorators, tenants and suppliers of other technology such as air conditioning and security.
Just look at Dubai for example. The huge buildings that have been designed and built in the city are different to anything else that has been built anywhere in the world and came with their own set of original challenges. One of the main problems here is the temperature. Keeping people cool when the megastructures are complete is massively significant considering the desert climate and average summer temperatures of around 41°C and so, air conditioning solutions have to be effective both operationally and in terms of cost. Dubai has stated that in the future it plans on building a fully covered, indoor city which will be completely air conditioned throughout – it’s essential.
While there have been alternative methods for heating and cooling buildings discussed and tested, some successfully, the major buildings in the major cities around the world all have air conditioning systems and the goal of this is to ensure complete comfort and optimum working conditions to guests and inhabitants.
In London, an example of an innovative heating system is being utilised in the One New Change shopping centre. 60km of pipes are constantly transferring heat to and from an underground aquifer, providing a source of natural heating and cooling for the shopping centre. An intelligent control device enables the system to redirect heat from warmer to colder areas, improving the eight-floor building’s energy efficiency. Its green credentials are further enhanced by solar-controlled glass, which reduces the need for air conditioning by limiting heat gain, and a series of so-called green roof planted terraces to encourage biodiversity.
But in South Africa, the construction industry is going through a strange period right now. In the middle of 2015, there was concern as the global economic climate began to slow and stock prices for major JSE-listed construction companies plummeted and this of course meant challenges for suppliers to these companies. But then there was a small resurgence as more public-sector work was announced. Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan’s budget speech said: “Over the next three years, government and state-owned companies have committed R865.4 billion for investments in housing, roads, rail, public transport, water, electricity and community infrastructure,” bringing hope to construction and related businesses.
But if you talk to people on the ground; the builders, the floorers, the painters and the air-con fitters, they will all tell you to just look around; every corner has a building project, there are sky-risers going up all over the country, there’s shopping malls and industrial buildings on the rise all the time so things are not as bad as the number crunchers might suggest.
And in particular, the Western Cape has seen much activity. Atterbury’s development manager for its Western Cape developments, Gerrit van den Berg said recently: “We’re back in the Western Cape in a big way.”
At the Cape Construction Conference in August, Western Cape Economic Opportunities Minister, Alan Winde told delegatesthat agro-processing, tourism and the oil and gas sector had been earmarked for development.
All of this means opportunity for specialised businesses who can supply required services. One company with a skillset unmatched in the Cape is Southern Air Conditioning (SAC). As the Western Cape’s largest and most successful air conditioning contractor, SAC offers customers the best in service and reliability which has placed the business at the forefront of the industry. With a well-developed quality assurance program in place as well as staff who have been in place for many years, SAC continues to bring only top level expertise and experience in this field.
While Cape Town’s average temperatures are lower than Dubai’s at 23°C, the city is still in need of effective air conditioning systems and for the best part of 50 years, SAC has been supplying shopping centres, universities, company headquarters and other important buildings with quality heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
“We have been in operation since 1971 and our commitment to providing a quality service is paramount to our success. SAC is a privately owned company with our directors and shareholders holding 25% of the company each,” says SAC. The company is currently managed by John Schuurmans, Mark Botha, Antoni Krige and Lloyde Schlosz.
“All the directors are actively involved in all aspects of each project. We are dedicated to quality and meet our contract deadlines at all times. We enjoy priority, price and delivery from all our suppliers. We have managed to negotiate and secure a large percentage of our contracts using these policies as a measure for our success,” the company explains.
Many occupational health and safety guidelines will recommend a satisfactory temperature range from 60°Fto 76°Fdegrees. This is a good average range for most areas, but employers should always be prepared to respond to employees for whom these temperatures are too hot or too cold. It’s also important to remember that site-specific conditions could affect temperatures for certain individuals. Employees working near equipment that generates heat, in the path of outdoor breezes or near doorways, or in areas that are naturally cooler or warmer might not be able to appreciate the average temperatures in the rest of the building – this is why the modern air conditioning system must be smart and tailored to the specific needs of the building.
“More than just air conditioning, SAC addresses various elements in the fulfilment of our projects. This includes intelligent buying, design, cost saving, communication and experience in dealing with professionals, programming, safety and environmental issues,” the company says.
And because of the reputation, the quality people and products used, and reach of the company, SAC has secured contracts on some of the most recognised buildings in South Africa.
“Some of our large contracts include Canal Walk, Cavendish Square, Mountain Mill, and V&A Clock Tower at the Cape Town Waterfront.
“Other projects we have completed in the last three years include De La Rey, SHG House, Mandela Rhodes, Pearl Valley clubhouse, North Wharf, Lagoon Beach and Stellenbosch Square,” the company says.
Ensuring that the company doesn’t get left behind in these times of innovation and progress, diversification is underway SAC and a recent investment into equipment that can manufacture ducting on site, saving time and transportation costs. Wherever in Africa that the company is called upon, with this new system SAC will be able to answer demands from customers. The company has a fleet of generators and only needs a satellite connection for this system to work effectively.
The technology used with this system falls under the company Southern Duct Manufacturing, a subsidiary of SAC, owned by the four shareholders of SAC.
“The directors of Southern Air Conditioning are also the directors of Southern Duct Manufacturing. SDM has recently acquired the latest fully automated duct manufacturing production line, enabling it to produce ducting faster than before. These ducts are manufactured complete with an integral flange folded onto the duct, reducing air leakage at the joints and making it suitable for cleaning. This new machine is one of six in the world and supplements our spiral duct manufacturing machine purchased in 2005,” explains SAC.
As the construction landscape continues to change, and as big name local firms including Group 5, Murray & Roberts, Grinaker and NMC continue to expand into Africa, SAC will remain perfectly positioned, as the Western Cape’s largest and most successful air conditioning contractor, to grow alongside its customers bringing cool comfort and quality to people and businesses who occupy impressive new buildings.