Airskill
Temperzone’s skilled WA partner
Over ten years ago, Temperzone forged an important partnership in Western Australia. That’s when Airskill became our distributor in WA and began a relationship that has worked to our mutual advantage in one fast growing State. With a 600% increase in sales over the last decade, it’s certainly been an exciting market for Temperzone.
When Temperzone and Airskill joined forces in 1998, training the new distributor’s staff in the special requirements of air conditioning technology wasn’t an issue. The company’s owners, the Turner family, already had four decades experience in the industry!
“Our association with Temperzone has been highly successful,” explains Airskill’s MD Lindsay Turner, “and the quality of our people has been a key factor.” Today, Airskill’s team includes six sales staff of whom four are qualified refrigeration mechanics and one an engineer. They’re backed up by four staff in administration and customer care and seven more in the fully equipped workshop.
To keep the team up to date with changing technology, Temperzone provides regular service training for staff and contractors. Over the last 18 months, approximately 150 technicians have attended a total of ten service training sessions run by the Airskill operation.
“It’s the depth we need to look after our local market which is divided into HVAC and mining and industrial air conditioning,” says Lindsay Turner.
“With the recent mining boom, it’s been a good time to be in the air conditioning business, provided you have the right people on board.”
Keeping it in the family
Lindsay Turner has the unusual distinction of being a third generation air conditioning specialist. “I imagine that’s pretty unusual in the industry,” he comments. “My father and grandfather both worked in the same company in Victoria until my grandfather was transferred to Western Australia. Dad followed, but then in one of those decisions that can have unexpected consequences, their employer announced a new policy which banned having fathers and sons working together.” As a result, Lindsay’s father left and set up Turner Engineering which later became Airskill. Soon, both Lindsay’s grandparents and his mother were working for the company. The rest, as they say, is history!
In June this year Lawrie Pettman joined me as a partner and director of Airskill. Lawrie has been working at Airskill for four years, starting off as a sales engineer, then sales manager then general manager and now director.
A wide range of Temperzone product…
To keep pace with the demands of the Western Australian market, Airskill offers a wide range of Temperzone product. The range includes Temperzone ducted splits, package units, water cooled units and chilled water FCU and AHU, supplemented by other product where necessary. “The new alliance between Hitachi and Temperzone means our range will increase,” says Lindsay. “We’ll now add Hitachi VRF, chillers and the complete range of Hitachi wall splits, cassettes and ducted inverters.”
…and widely varied experience
As you’d expect for a company servicing customers ranging from homeowners to mining companies, the Airskill team has become experienced in most facets of the air conditioning business. “
"Over the years we’ve done it all"
From specially built 100% outside air units to highly sensitive installations for switchrooms and special heat recovery units for fitting to air-to-air heat exchangers, we have the runs on the board.” Airskill’s expertise also runs to installations requiring variable speed indoor and outdoor fans, and applications where low noise is a priority. Lindsay adds that like all air conditioning companies servicing the Western Australian market, Airskill understands the special needs of units that will spend much of their lives working in high ambient temperatures.
Major projects
Airskill has worked hard to build its reputation as a preferred supplier for major projects. If you’ve ever visited Mirvac’s Burswood Towers, the Perth Convention Centre, Bell Tower or the Woodside Building you will have experienced the results of Airskill’s expertise. Airskill has also provided air conditioning in projects as diverse as the State’s desalination plant, the Worsley Alumina plant at Boddington, the Newman Hub switchrooms and various Telstra sites. Complex projects aren’t a problem to the Airskill team; for example, when ThyssenKrupp won a contract to build the shiploader for BHP’s Yandi mine site at Port Headland, Airskill supplied the custom manufactured air conditioning for the sensitive control rooms that have to operate in the location’s harsh climate. Whichever way you look at it, Temperzone’s Western Australian distributor can lay claim to an impressive portfolio of projects.
Bell Tower
An edge in the domestic market
Lindsay Turner believes that Airskill has an edge over its competitors in the domestic market. “Temperzone’s range of products is probably the most comprehensive out there,” he says. He points out that Temperzone’s single phase fixed speed compressor units go up to 16kW, three-phase units up to 27kW, digital scroll and inverter units are all super quiet and super efficient. “Now we can offer even more, with the Hitachi multi-head and Utopia IVX, which is a smaller, simpler VRF unit that’s perfect for high end domestic applications,” he adds.
Perth Convention Centre
Right for Western Australia’s conditions
There are two major challenges for air conditioning installations in Western Australia, and Airskill finds that Temperzone units handle both with ease. The first is corrosion in areas along the State’s extensive coastline. “Temperzone units have always been extremely corrosion resistant,” says Lindsay, pointing to Temperzone’s use of extra thick powder coating on etched galvanised sheet metal, stainless steel fixings and epoxy coated coils.
The second major challenge is the high ambient temperatures in which the equipment has to operate – up to 50°C. Equally testing, some of these units have a very high indoor on coil temperature of 35°C. “In either case, the product comes up trumps,” says the Airskill MD.
The right product and the right people – it’s been a winning combination for Airskill and Temperzone in Western Australia.
