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Steve
26-01-2001, 09:21 PM
Refrigeration service companys are concentious employers who always have the intrest of their engineers as their number one priority.

Whats your experiance tell you..?

kevin
26-01-2001, 10:02 PM
you are kidding Steve? tell me your kidding ???

WebRam
26-01-2001, 10:21 PM
You have no idea how serious Steve is Kev hehehehe

Steve
26-01-2001, 11:34 PM
Tell me your story Kevin.........Im listening.....

Rob Brookes
28-01-2001, 03:00 PM
I didn't know fridge companies needed engineers, they are just another commodity!!! ?

[Edited by WebMaster on 28-01-2001 at 04:20 PM]

WebRam
28-01-2001, 05:21 PM
Originally posted by Rob Brookes
I didn't know fridge companies needed engineers, they are just another commodity!!! ?

Bloody heck Rob, you sure sound down just now? Whats up?

Rob Brookes
29-01-2001, 08:10 PM
I totally agree about the number of good engineers. Most guys, even those who have been to college are at best 'okay'.So why do companies not pay good engineers what they are worth?. It's not just the money but the car,title and standby (or not if possible).In my company (hello guys) I can't go any higher up the tree either pay,car or title, if the company 'will not' give me what I need to advance my career I may go and find sombody who will. This almost sounds like a threat but if you have not got anything to work for, why work???

WebRam
29-01-2001, 09:51 PM
Originally posted by Rob Brookes
In my company (hello guys) I can't go any higher up the tree either pay,car or title, if the company 'will not' give me what I need to advance my career I may go and find sombody who will.

Hi Rob,
Looking at your reply and Marc's. Marc mentions good engineers being "promoted" into management positions.

Question for all: is that what you are looking for?

I know quite a few engineers who moved "up" or should I say, changed their jobs into management (including myself) and if we are all honest, about 50% of them failed.

I would like to ask this question to everyone. Why did you choose this trade?
If you look back to when you first started in refrigeration, can you say why you pick it ?

Was it just a job that fell into your lap or did you activly go out and say "I want to be a engineer of refrigeration". If it was the second option, then why would "engineers" want to take on management position?
why not go out and make a name for yourself (like Marc has) and use that as the means of building up work related wealth (better car etc).
I know the company you work for Rob and I believe they run 3 grades of engineer plus a technical engineer position (far more than a lot of other companies)

I would like to see uniform grading in refrigeration employment along these lines.

Apprentice
Improver
Engineer grade 1
Engineer grade 2
Engineer grade 3
Senior engineer

Then move into technician grades.

thoughts?

Steve
30-01-2001, 09:35 PM
Career progression for engineers is an intresting subject.

Should they aim to become Mangers...?

Is that really what they want or what they percieve to be career progression. Back to the old chesnut "what do you do with a good engineer when he knows he's good and you can't offer him anything else apart from taking him off the road"

Thus taking him from the enviroment he excelled in. We would not put an engineer on the road unless he could prove compatence. We would (and have) however promoted an engineer to a manager without him ever demonstrating that he is compatent to be in that role.

Their is an argument that says engineers get promoted to incompatance. Maybe we all do, we prove we are good at our present role and move up the career ladder. You only stop moving up when you cannot cope with your present role.

How many of us know crap fridge managers that are just really frustated engineers, they should be back doing what they are good at..?

Posted from an ex engineer that is now doing a management course (hopefully not to late)

Steve

PS Webmaster, why can we not spellcheck our posts before submitting. (sort it)

WebRam
30-01-2001, 11:05 PM
Originally posted by Steve
PS Webmaster, why can we not spellcheck our posts before submitting.

It will be in the next version Steven.

Rob Brookes
31-01-2001, 08:57 AM
Why do engineers 'want' to be managers?.

Because you want a better standard of life for you and your family. The only way to do this at the moment is to go up the management tree. If I could improve my standard of life and stay on the tools that would be fine by me, but sombody hi-up in the company will not let me.

Their are too many constraints on what you should give 'blue colar' workers. If I'm a 'very good engineer' why shouldn't I be driving a big car just like the 'very good manager' who runs the company?

Steve
31-01-2001, 10:14 PM
I agree with Marc, reward should be entirely based upon compatence and performance, provided it is measured in a transparent manner.

Managers deserve more money because.......

how about a manager/chargehand/supervisor telling us why he deserves to be paid more money than the engineers he manages......provided he is...?

WebRam
01-02-2001, 01:26 PM
Also, I think there is a change as I know that you can now earn more money as a senior engineer, over a manager.

Most manager jobs are around 26 to 30k with no overtime.

There seems to be few good manager jobs around, but far more good engineer jobs.

Plus, the tax on a company (nice) car is prohibitive as well.

[Edited by WebMaster on 08-02-2001 at 09:33 PM]

subzero*psia
09-02-2001, 04:43 AM
My specialty is refrigeration, I work for a very large company. I WAS in refrigeration, but I couldn't make enough money, couldn't advance, couldn't make any real changes in the equipment (god forbid something be done to improve the system or make it more serviceable... unless the competition is doing it first) ... so I bid out.

Heating and Cooling / Refrigeration techs and engineers all get underpaid and taken for granted... we must love our work else why would we do it?

WebRam
09-02-2001, 09:55 PM
Yep, and how often have you heard or spoke with an engineer who left the game for a couple of years because he was disenchanted with the whole thing?

CDF
15-02-2001, 03:03 PM
Hi, guys, I'VE JUST SPENT TIME READING ALL YOUR DISCUSSIONS regarding reward for performance and career progression and I think its amazing!!!! Each and everyone of us is in charge of his/her own destiny. The comment about being unable to progress any more as you havn't got anywhere to go, what a load of nonsense!!!!!

I started as an engineer in this industry only 11 years ago and now run a National Service Company (successfully, I might add) yes there is an element of being promoted into incompetance but that is the hands of you!!! You have to recognise your own potential and what YOU are capable of. Then once established take charge of what you are lacking in and improve, training, gain experience from those you respect, from those who can do their job well.

I have recognised my biggest asset to be my service engineers as without them I wouldn't be in business!!! Therefore I MUST lokk after them and reward for performance!

If want this chance and/or you want to be valued visit the jobs forum and read my post!!

WebRam
15-02-2001, 06:34 PM
While what you say is nearly all true, CDF, there is also an element of engineers who have the "what have you done for me" attitude. They never think that to better themselves, they have to train themselves.

subzero*psia
15-02-2001, 11:57 PM
I have to admit, I agree with CDF. We need to expect change and flow with it as much as we can, but I also think our field of expertise is taken for granted too much. Some people go to school to get a degree, any degree. Then there are those of us that get a degree in something because we like it and excel in it. Then for some dumb ass reason we let ourselves get into a "title position" rather than doing what we like.

And at that note, I should probably apologize if I have used this post as a bitch box...

CDF
16-02-2001, 09:50 AM
Further to my comments on career progression and your discussions regarding income, you have to decide what you want from your career. Have you got the will to get right to the top i.e. Director level? If yes and that is what you want then your earnings will far exceed that of an engineer, you then have the control over your business and how it is run, but to get there a middle mangement position is the next step but you have to accept your earnings for a while will be less than that of an engineer. A senior mangement or directors position will bring you the reward you are looking for, however it also brings responsibility and accountability hence the higher salary. As an engineer who are you responsible for? You and only you! So a good manager/director reaps the higher reward for having the wider shoulders!!!Hence the need for a bigger car and greater benefits etc...As an engineer look at who you are working for and the nature of the business. Supermarket industry governed by fixed revenue, controlling costs, fixed salarys and no potential to earn more money! Other refrigeration industrys who work on a Time and Materials basis have the ability to pay engineers an hourly rate, this then gives the engineer the opportunity to dictate what he wants to earn!!! We are all salesman! When you go for an interview you sell yourself. So when you visit a customer you need to have the attitude of "lets sell customer sevice and I'm going to do a good job here and make sure the customer is happy" NOT "Oh no not another breakdown or not another maintenance, yeah the equipment sounds ok, I'll go and have a cup of tea for an hour and then I'll swing the lead and get off home. I get so frustrated with engineers who do the latter and then complain because they havn't had enough overtime this week. Like I've already said "You are in control of your own Destiny!!"

Dan
03-03-2001, 03:38 AM
I am a manager who works for a large company. The large company doesn't care about those who work for me, and I doubt they much worry about me. But I care about those who work for me. Very much so. As a manager, or even, perhaps, an owner, the principle job is to instill in the workers what you are up against, as a team.

And provide a faithful bond that when we make more money for the company, the company will be there to make more money for the employee. If that bond is broken, everybody loses. If an employee does not perceive he or she are part of a team with management, then either the employee or management is not keeping the faith.

But there is an ineluctable order for this relationship to work: The employee must first reward the management. Not the other way around.

slloyd
11-03-2001, 12:24 PM
I totally agree with you its all down to the individuals outlook with regards career progression, tp many engineers believe there personel worth to a company is far and beyond there current station I personaly take hied from my piers with respect to my own personnel skils and try to achieve an ever improving personnel development programme, in time ensuring me of steady and stable career progression. Listing and following correct company procedures and directives allows us all to progress to a better future, insted of "sitting on the fence" and waiting for things to happen around us!

Steve
15-03-2001, 08:32 PM
Everybody knows their own worth, if you feel undervalued then tell your manager.

Still no joy, then go somewhere where you are valued for the job you do.

Rob Brookes
16-03-2001, 09:46 PM
OK

Dan
17-03-2001, 01:26 AM
Howdy Dan Dan
I have been brought up to see it from the view that the employer must prove to the employee they are worth keping
the employee else the employer will be forced to make do with lousy employee's.}
----------------------------------------

I don't see much difference between your view, Marc, and mine. As manager, I prove myself by providing an acceptable wage and working conditions, with potential for growth. It begins at date of hire.

The next step must be the employee's proving his worth. Employees who do not prove their worth, are gone in 90 days. Employees who have value to the company, but less than they think, don't get as much as they think they deserve, and are told why at every opportunity, not just during formal reviews. Employees have the same privilege to explain their point of view, and a decent manager had better listen. If it isn't a dialog, then someone is not doing this right.

I fail to see how this would result in a group of low quality engineers, or any other profession.

starman
26-03-2001, 11:43 PM
Some great posts in this bit.

Apart from the Robert guy. If you do not mind me saying, boy you nead to either lighten up or change professions :)

And thats coming from a refrigeration engineer :):)

I think my destiny is in only one persons hands .... mine.

I was put through college by a small local company and after it was over and done, I thought ... what a waste of my time. The college was crap.

OK, learned to fix fridges but I wanted to know why they broke down etc. So I took myself off and did something about it.

So 7 years later and a whole lot of learning, I feel comfortable when presented with a problem. Do not get me wrong, I am no where near Fridgetech and that Prof guy but I could hold my own against most of the so called engineers out in the market place today. And you know what gets on my tits .... some of them get payed more than me and they still ****ing complain.

WebRam
27-03-2001, 12:01 AM
Originally posted by starman
And you know what gets on my tits .... some of them get payed more than me and they still ****ing complain.

Come on Star Man, get it off your chest harharhar :)

C J
27-03-2001, 07:35 PM
Gentelmen

I look at this as an opportunity not just a job . The position and responsibility we hold as individuals dealing with ammonia and the associated equipment, is not only important to the success of our operations but dangerous to work with and or around. Opportunities like these as well as the personnel are not available on a daily basis and are hard to find on the Employment Market. If you or your Company lack the mutual respect or devotion for the growth and bennifit of each other then may be a JOB, is all they are offering ........and a JOB is what you have got.......

Simon
18-07-2001, 10:14 AM
Who would want to be a Manager? I got promoted to supervisor and then to Manager 3 years ago, I still earn less than I did 4 years ago as an engineer! Engineers hourly rates have gone up twice this year already at our office due to the shortage of good engineers.
I know other managers at other companies I have worked at who have left the stress of management behind because they have a better standard of living as an engineer. This begs the question where are the next generation of managers going to come from? Could managers come from other fields and effcectively manage refrigeration engineers?
Certainly the engineers I work with do not see my job as something to work towards, and would'nt be willing to take a drop in their OTE.
Do you think managers should have worked as an engineer first, or is it not important for a service manager to know how a fridge works?

Dan
19-07-2001, 01:27 AM
Great question, Simon. No simple answer from me. My answer to your first question is "Me." My answer to your final question is "Yes, it is most important that a Service Manager understands how we do what we do."

You cannot effectively manage a refrigeration or installation/service/operations department without a strong background in the business at hand, whether it be material and labor estimation, troubleshooting, or simply being strong enough in the eyes of those whom you manage. At their level for trust, and at management level for mostly the same damn reason; call it experience if that works.

A pure delegator, a pure sales manager, a pure public relations person, or a pure numbers person will not succeed without a manager who understands the trade really running his or her show. Working for this sort of manager will put one in the realm of underpaid managers.

So, there is an ensconced manager drinking up the larger money as he does as little as possible to elevate the manager he needs. Irony?

This is such a waste of available management talent...

And an equally distorted application of people who think they can run any show that produces a financial result that can be made to look good by applying cliche' atavisms such as cutting costs or purchasing additional companies to make them look like they are performing when all they are really doing is enslaving those they purchased in order to raise revenues, and, on the other hand, making them more efficient by biting their arms off during the "cost cutting" portion of increasing revenues, which inevitably follows.

Hmmm. That appears to be too negative an opinion.

Heck, I will send it anyway.

One last thought, a good manager in our trade, should first understand what we do and retain the respect of those who work for him or her in that light. Then he or she should also learn more about how to track money like the people who go to school for only that learn how to do.

The primary questions are these two competing forces: Are we here to fix things and put them in so they work right? Or are we here to make money?

My answer to my own question is that the first is primary because that's how we make money. There are more who disagree with that line of thinking than who agree, by the way.

Dan

Brian_UK
19-07-2001, 10:35 PM
I must admit to having forgotton about this thread and was glad to see it restart.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dan
A pure delegator, a pure sales manager, a pure public relations person, or a pure numbers person will not succeed without a manager who understands the trade really running his or her show. Working for this sort of manager will put one in the realm of underpaid managers.
This is beginning to sound like my new manager and it frightens me :(

One last thought, a good manager in our trade, should first understand what we do and retain the respect of those who work for him or her in that light
This is very true but I feel that if the trust has not been established in the first instance then it will take a large leap of faith to encourage you to start trusting.

I am at that stage now, as you have may have guessed, but I am trying my best to be hopeful.

Dan
21-07-2001, 12:48 AM
I am at that stage myself. It's nutty. I ponder the subtle difference between management and leadership. One requires reward and the other requires sacrifice? It cannot be that simple... but that's how it feels to me.

I find it so odd that trying to do good gets so complicated. Perhaps it is the question regarding what good we can expect from something versus what good we can provide toward something. Perplexingly philosphical.

I stay my ground regarding management. There is something wrong with a 28-year-old manager in charge of seasoned technicians, twice his or her age. It doesn't sit right with me. That is not to say that every technician must think that the progression is toward management, either.

But a well-put-together organization should have managers who know what those they manage do for a living. And that requirement is a sacred chain. The managers need to believe in their management.

I am in that netherworld. I don't think my managers know what I do. But the buck stops here. I will not let it go beyond me. I believe in my people and they believe in me. With all the struggles and snarls, it is a fulfilling thing.

Why would anybody want to become a manager? Why would anybody want to become a parent?

Dan

dwallan
21-07-2001, 02:07 PM
From Dan's post I think we can see that as a service manager he has a good team behind him.

Most managers problems begin when as a good engineer they are promoted to service manager to encourage them to stay with the company but cannot find any engineers of suitable calibre to replace themselves, leaving them with a lot of stress because suddenly the client complains that the standard of service has suddenly dropped.

If there was an alternative to being promoted to management i.e. a grading system with pay in accordance would most engineers who become service managers choose this ?

In my opinion most companies operate with one or two good enginners and the rest just turn up at site leaving the good engineers to bear the brunt, usually they are getting paid roughly the same. How could we change the set-up to encourage focused engineers to concentrate on being just engineers ?

Dan
21-07-2001, 11:37 PM
One other thought. There should be no cap on how much a technician makes. And as a manager, I have never had a problem thinking that way.

Sometimes, I think I fail as a manager because I have not established different selling rates for my people. So I lose money when I have to send my most talented person to a problem, and I make money when I send apprentices. I have a bad taste in my mouth, yet I do it.

Even though I know my customer knows I am providing my most talented person, somehow I have failed to charge the rate that is proper. It is something that I am working on. It just turned out harder to pull off that I thought. It gets all blurred up when it shouldn't be that way. I think we should have many different rates of billing, but the customer doesn't accept it readily, at least in my experience.

Defining what or who your customer is, is another perplexing problem. They have the same thing going on within their ranks. So the ones who really know, don't have authority, etc.

I'd be proud to have a batch of people making more money than I do working for me. What finer accomplishment could a manager have?

There must be a way to let a good engineer or technician be rewarded for staying in his or her field... as opposed to placing them where they do not want to be and where they do not belong.

For me it is a puzzle and struggle. Perhaps it exists in all trades and professions. Hopefully good people step up to the plate at all levels and make it work.

Marc's observations from S/A depict my dream world where the order of hierarchy makes sense. It does not exist in USA. But it will, if I have any say about it.

Dan

dwallan
22-07-2001, 03:50 PM
So how can a good engineer progress ?

As mentioned before I was promoted to manager but was unable to get decent engineers to replace me. As an engineer regarded as more competent than the rest I was still unable to get more rewards due to company set-up, so I took the management job. Now I spend my time getting complaints due to the drop in the quality of service.

Marc mentioned that large companies are being kicked off sites in the UK, this situation will soon spread to my company if this mornings events continue. I was on holiday last week and left a 60 hp compressor to be changed, straight forward semi-hermetic job. During the week one one of the engineers calls me and tells me that they are having problems with the new compressor tripping on thermistor so I tell him to leave it to I return. This morning I drive to site and walk over through large pools of oil to the plant room to be greeted by silence. On entering the plant room I can hear the gas leaking from the oil float, later I found the compressor tripping the thermistor due to a lack of oil. It should be noted that these guys are experienced, they are just limited and don't really care. They know no matter how limited they are they would find another employer.


If I want to walk away from managing as would be the prefered option at the moment and return to what I probably do best what options do I have. I could return as a engineer for a company like York but would it be any better ? If their engineers are poor would I have to bear the brunt of the load on the same pay.

Obviously the people participating in this group are committed enough to their profession to use some of their spare time to learn more but the rest of of our profession are holding us back.

How many of your fellow engineers have no interest in their own standard of work ?

Why has no large company recruited all the best engineers by offering a better package and then going after the larger, more involved jobs. Surely you would be tempted if a national company offered a few pounds more per hour if you were working alongside engineers who could help push your own skills. Why are all the good engineers scattered throughout different companies.

Gary
22-07-2001, 04:29 PM
I once worked for a company with an all-star lineup of service techs. The service manager had gone to great lengths to lure away the best talent from other companies.

I considered myself the low man on the totem pole, which was the exact opposite from my position at my previous employer. I'm not complaining. It's a joy to work with the very best in a variety of specialties, and I learned a lot.

Our clientele read like a fortune 500 list (most followed the tech from the previous employer), and our rates were high end.

I'm not sure how profitable this strategy was for our employer. As it turned out, our union went on strike for 6 weeks, during which time the company decided to go non-union. As soon as the strike was over, the techs spread far and wide and took all of the accounts with them. The company quickly went bankrupt.

Gary
22-07-2001, 04:50 PM
There is absolutely no sense in taking your best service tech out of the field and making him a service manager. That is not a promotion; It is a career change.

I have the utmost respect for a good service manager, and while I expect him to have a firm grasp of what I do for a living, this is not what he does for a living. He is a MANAGER.

Although I have never seen this, I have heard of companies who have a "Trouble Shooter". This is a highly paid salaried tech who works alongside other techs whenever the job calls for more than one man, or when the problem is difficult to find.

His job is to both trouble shoot the difficult systems and improve the skills of his fellow service techs.

WebRam
22-07-2001, 04:56 PM
The company I used to work for had "trouble shooters".

When the company was sold to .... a nameless company, all the "trouble shooters" were dropped back to normal engineers or made redundant !!!!!!!!! :rolleyes:

Shows what that company thinks ;)

Gary
22-07-2001, 05:09 PM
Shows what that company thinks

Aside from that, was it a viable strategy? What were the advantages/disadvantages?

Steve
22-07-2001, 07:46 PM
Like any trade to be proficient at what you do you need to be trained in the basic skills and build upon that with experience, managing is the same.

I have heard it said that managing is 50% common sense, 40% people skills and 10% for the other stuff ;)

Although there is some truth in this by learning from experience you are limiting yourself to learning from you own mistakes which can be a vicious circle. Does an excellent engineer/tech know the difference between
Cash flow statement
P&L statement
Balance sheet
I would expect a manager to know the difference.......

Everybody irrespective of trade should be rewarded upon their ability to perform within their grade, there should be no cap upon reward all performance related.

If anybody wants change trade they should get suitably trained and be doing it because its what they want, not just to obtain more financial reward.

Steve
22-07-2001, 07:58 PM
As somebody who moved from being an engineer to a manager two years ago and is facing iminent redundancy, I am still undecieded as to which path to go down:

Engineer/Manager...?

On the financial point I can earn more money being an engineer than I can as a manager and have less hassle, so why the dilemma...?

I think that we are brainwashed from an early age to think that career progression has to be management.

(I have for the last year been doing an excellant management course as well Click on me to see what (http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?Q01C31_business_and_management), well worth doing)

dwallan
22-07-2001, 08:15 PM
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Steve
I think that we are brainwashed from an early age to think that career progression has to be management.

This is probably my exact problem, we need to work towards something. Unfortunately the engineer that makes the money is a lowly commodity.

aj
28-08-2001, 08:17 PM
the trouble with promotion is I still like to get my hands dirty
but don't like to do the stand bye's and water leaks. The
more you go up the ladder the more you seem to be come a
consultant to all the other guys taken on to replace you.

Brian_UK
28-08-2001, 11:38 PM
Originally posted by aj
The more you go up the ladder the more you seem to be come a consultant to all the other guys taken on to replace you. Now that I like;)

frank
06-12-2001, 09:26 PM
Being new to the forum I'm looking around and read this thread and do not agree with Fridgetech when he says that Star Refrigeration doesn't have any decent engineers. I haven't worked for them myself as I specialise in A/C and chillers - never done low temp stuff - but I have just finished college at the age of 49 doing my HNC (got invited to make the numbers up) in refrigeration and there was a chap that worked for Star who, in my opinion, is a very good engineer.
Sorry for sounding off.

Frosty
15-12-2001, 10:15 AM
Well, thank you Franky Boy.........cheques in the post!! Just would like to add that, yes, there are some excellent engineers within Star.....a few not so hot - but hey, thats the case at most companies, isn't it? After all.........somebodies got to make the tea!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Branch Manager
Star Refrigeration Ltd - Derby (England)

frank
15-12-2001, 08:33 PM
Now then Frosty - where did you get that name from?? he, he!. you sound like an ICE LOLLY! LOL.

Mark - the HNC is the Higher National Certificate in Refrigeration' so yes I might be up to conversing on a technical level.

Frank

Jasper
16-12-2001, 07:54 PM
Hey Frostie

The whole point of DOING AN HNC in whatever subject is that at the end of the course you realise your were not as clued up on that subject as you thought:

Jasper
16-12-2001, 08:15 PM
Sorry Frosty
Last posting was to Fridgetech

lol!!!

Jasper
16-12-2001, 09:07 PM
Marc

Whilst i appreciate your well thaught out comments we should always remember that no matter how long we have been in our industry,and irrespective as to the position we may reach in our working life, there is still room in our heads to expand our knowledge on that subject

mr-cool
11-01-2002, 11:29 PM
Hello everybody

With great interest I've read through all the treads on this subject and I found it so interesting, I don't have all the answers I feel ..................

Firstly we need to define what is an "engineer".:confused:

I would really like to see what your "thoughts" are on this one!

We can then move on to the next question..........

Looking forward to your replies

and many thanks

subzero*psia
12-01-2002, 12:32 AM
An engineer designs and builds.

Then their are also engineers that correct issues that creep in due to changes in load or deviations in use after the fact.

My hat is off to those engineers that build skyscrapers!

JMHO...

Gary
12-01-2002, 03:48 AM
On the other side of the pond, service technicians are referred to as engineers. I have never designed a system, and don't intend to, although I've made some bad designs work. I just figure out what's wrong with them and fix them.

mr-cool
28-01-2002, 02:17 AM
Well I think I have waited long enough for your reply's
not too many I see, well my thoughts are:-

an engineer has enough knowledge to repair the majority of faulty units

on a first time basis

without the pipe work looking like spagetti junction

without brazed joints looking like the darker side of the moon

cleans the condenser when fitting a new compresor

and changes the drier


Marc knows what I am talking about,

and yes there are good engineers out ther doing a good job but sadly there are many that don't or don't want to do the job properly,such as the "engineer" (as reported in the magazine you can pick-up at wholesalers ;) ) that had check compressors with his megger and found them to be faulty, so he had changed them, and he was complaining to a manufacturers sales engineer, when asked how he had carried out the test, it turned out he had meggered across the windings and they where shorted!!!!!!! when it was explained what he had done and what he should have done, he rushed off as he had left the compressors out to be collected by the scrap man and wanted to get back before the scrap man called.

Or the "engineer"that called into the wholesaler (I was at the counter at the time and I knew the company he worked for) he needed a LP control , he was offered the correct control the only difference was it was from a different manufacturer so he turned it down and had to drive to another wholesaler to get (his words) "the right one"

I've had my gripe and I'm still looking for an engineer!

Lets keep it COOL