IN THE HOT SEAT Ian
How did you get into the industry? I was an electrician at Eastern Electricity and after a few years on electrical installation decided I would like the glamour of working in their domestic appliance repair department. I was trained to repair refrigerators amongst many other items and got into compressor and evaporator changes. These were the days when it was still cost effective to carry out that kind of repair.
I eventually became the regional manager so developed sales skills to go with my engineering background. I then worked for Wolseley in their air conditioning team and fell in love with the industry.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
A big achievement early in my career that still gives me a sense of pride, and perhaps something that surprises people when I tell them, is that I gained a Distinction for my both the course work and the exam for Electronics with the City and Guilds institute. More recently, I am very pleased at many levels with the company name change to Fujitsu General in the UK as it gives us instant brand recognition backed by renowned Fujitsu quality.
What do you personally most enjoy about working in the industry? The constant innovation – watching how the technology develops and evolves.
We recently celebrated our 30th anniversary of Fujitsu products in the
18 March 2017
Sales and marketing director at Fujitsu General Air Conditioning UK
Carroll
UK and when you look at how the products have developed over that timeline it is astounding.
What is the best aspect of the industry generally?
The people. I know that sounds like a soundbite but genuinely, it’s an exciting industry to be in and you can see the enthusiasm from both colleagues and customers.
I am in the fortunate position to be able to influence people’s careers, and nothing gives me more satisfaction than helping them progress and develop personally and professionally.
What do you personally most dislike about the industry?
There is very little to dislike about our industry, but if I had to pick something it would be the industry tie to the unpredictable nature of our weather. It makes such a huge difference if we have a warm summer. Maybe I’m getting old but it seems summers used to be better and longer.
What do you think is the biggest challenge ahead for the industry? Raising awareness of the heating capability of our technology. People naturally associate it with cooling only to miss out on the huge potential and benefits that heat-pump technology provides.
What do you think is the biggest opportunity ahead for the industry? Technology has developed very quickly over the years and the energy efficiency
of air conditioning units compares very favourably against other industry products.
With new refrigerants being developed I know the industry has a strong future but the biggest opportunity is also its biggest challenge, and that is realising its potential to be a heating and cooling industry.
How do you think Brexit will impact on the industry?
Brexit will bring challenges as well as opportunities. For us as a manufacturer we need to have certainty over a long period. Tariff free trade is very important as well as the value of the pound against other currencies. Consumer confidence is easily dampened with 24 hour rolling news so I hope all parties in the negotiations bear this in mind and we reach the best possible deal for trading within Europe as quickly and as smoothly as possible.
How can we best encourage new people into the industry?
As an industry, we need to support the colleges as this is often the first port of call for young people making early career decisions.
We have recently sponsored two colleges’ HVAC training by installing equipment for the engineers to train on. Having new training equipment to work on it a modern learning environment is better for attracting and retaining talented young people. As an industry we must attract the best designers and engineers to come
to us so colleges are vital in producing the engineers of tomorrow. We also need more apprenticeships.
I am delighted that the industry has launched the Trailblazer apprenticeship scheme which is a modern scheme that has the potential to raise standards and also the status of this industry.
What advice would you give to any youngsters about entering into engineering?
I would say this is a great industry to work in and offers career scope that is unmatched by other industries. It is a career that always offers so much, and is an opportunity to work with some great people and for internationally well-known and respected
companies, if you go down that route. Equally, there are opportunities for entrepreneurs or to work for smaller, family style organisations.
When I was an apprentice electrician I often had to watch as friends would be spending money and going out while I was stuck at home counting the pennies, but I knew the value of what I was trying to achieve by getting a skill behind me.
I would highly recommend to any youngster to consider engineering as they will be the developers of tomorrow’s technology. I feel engineering skills have not had enough investment over the past few years but times are changing.
We have to encourage our youth to take up the challenge of developing the vital skills our industry needs in the coming years.
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