38 | Manawatū: Excel Refrigeration & Air Conditioning (Manawatū) REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT At the top of their game Excel started in Hāwera in 2005, as a small industrial refrigeration company with four staff, it now has 28. Unit 5-6, No. 589 Tremaine Avenue | 06 355 4066 | sales@coolingequipment.co.nz | www.coolingequipment.co.nz ENGINEERED REFRIGERATION SOLUTIONS Kelly Deeks With local teams and local owners and operators North Island wide, Excel Refrigeration & Air Conditioning is driving growth in the regions with relationships as key, as regular clients and a few new ones as well are serviced from 11 regional offices with the support of a network of local suppliers and subcontractors. Excel started in Hāwera in 2005, as a small industrial refrigeration company with four staff. Mechanical services is now the biggest growth area for Excel, and off the back of that, the company has grown to more than 400 staff throughout the North Island. Excel Refrigeration & Air Conditioning (Manawatū) itself has grown from five staff to 28 in the past five years. It counts Fonterra as its biggest customer in the region, and some of its recent projects include creating negative pressure rooms at Palmerston North Hospital during Covid, as well as updating machinery at RJ’s Confectionery, with the growing firm expanding its operation from a small single shift to now running three shifts in a 24 hour period. “We’ve found our niche market in industrial refrigeration and have partnered with some big customers,” says Excel Refrigeration & Air Conditioning (Manawatū) managing director Mike Tantrum. “We don’t limit ourselves with what we do. We think of ourselves as a service company, and we’ll gear up to meet the needs of our customers, whatever they require.” Excel is still growing and rather than struggle to find suitably trained and qualified staff, the company is playing a crucial role in apprentice training to ensure the future viability of the company and the wider refrigeration industry. “HVAC is a niche market and people want to do it, but they don’t necessarily have the qualifications. So our big push has been training. We invest heavily in apprenticeships and training and our training programme makes a point of striving for excellence, not just working towards a mandated standard.” This vision is reflected in the considerable investment the company makes in its Annual Apprentice Training Week. Once a year, all apprentices throughout the company are brought together to engage in a series of training sessions, while networking with their peers in both professional and social settings. “To get the maximum return on investment, apprentices have to be given every opportunity to succeed right from the outset, and this belief is practised in everything we do.” At Excel Refrigeration & Air Conditioning (Manawatū), Mike is training eight apprentices. He says the Manawatū region is pumping, everything seems to be growing with new buildings and new developments. “It’s a really good region to be in when you’re involved in contracting. The growth seems to be from companies that are already here, and a lot of that is relationship-based. We are focused on regional growth and we want to partner with like-minded businesses. We aim to create a good working environment and a good team culture, so we focus on that. We’ve had good results and it’s down to our team and the efforts they have put in over the last few years.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=