Tuna Gulenc, vice president of Daikin Middle East and Africa in this interview with CHARLES OGWO disclosed how the Japanese firm plans to open 20 vocational centres in Nigeria as a part of its localisation efforts for expansion. He also spoke on other plans and programmes of the company. Excerpts:
Can you provide us with an overview of Daikin’s new training centre in Nigeria in partnership with Field of Skills and Dream VTE?
The new training centre of Daikin in Nigeria was launched in partnership with Field of Skills and Dream VTE to fuel the market with a highly skilled workforce with an aim to enhance the growth of the skilled workforce in the country.
This is Daikin’s second training center opened in Lagos in the last year. FSD comes with a proven track record of training technicians hence we have joined forces to lead the space of certified HVAC technicians in Nigeria.
Our expertise and know-how will further build the skills and knowledge in the market and promote best practices of sustainable cooling – an active contribution to the socio-economic development of Nigeria.
What motivated Daikin to establish a training centre in Nigeria? How does this initiative align with the company’s goals and objectives?
We are a company pioneering in solutions with air and we innovate to make indoor spaces more comfortable and healthier. We want to create new value with air while enriching people’s lives to deliver health and comfort, along with safety and reliability.
In order to achieve our objectives and contribute to both the environment and the people of Africa, it is essential to build a community of skilled workforce who understand the HVAC solutions and are experts in serving the local markets.
As a part of Daikin’s localisation strategy, we established this training center that equips future technicians with all the necessary education required to actively mature the HVAC market in Africa and represent Daikin as a leader in the space.
The training will, of course, upskill their knowledge but will also grow them professionally and learn the importance of promoting sustainable cooling solutions for future generations.
Could you explain the role of Field of Skills and Dream (FSD) in this partnership and how it contributes to the training of technicians, and what resources will Daikin provide to ensure the smooth functioning of the training centre and trainees?
FSD’s role is to lead the training sessions, customize courses and make the best use of Daikin’s expertise and know-how in the HVAC industry.
The training sessions will include practical experiments on Daikin’s modern and state-of-the-art HVAC equipment, learning to troubleshoot problems, installation & commissioning of systems, and how to keep up with maintenance for better energy efficiency.
With our train –the- trainer programmes, we ensure to transfer our knowledge and strengthen the programmes ensuring graduates are well knowledgeable and with high professional hand skills.
What specific topics and skills will be covered in the training programmes and in what ways will the centre contribute to enhancing the skills and knowledge of technicians? Can you elaborate on the hands-on training approach?
FSD will facilitate the training of new technicians including theoretical and practical exercises across topics such as system installation, troubleshooting, commissioning, maintenance, and energy efficiency.
The newly established centre is equipped with the latest HVAC systems and training equipment, allowing the technicians to gain hands-on experience with Daikin’s cutting-edge HVAC solutions.
How can interested individuals or organisations get involved or participate in the training programmes offered at the centre?
Field of Skills and Dream Academy has its usual process to accept applicants. Interested people can approach and contact the academy for all enrollment details and requirements.
What kind of impact will this initiative have on the local workforce in terms of job creation and skill development?
The initiative will enable technicians to upskill their knowledge in the operations of modern HVAC solutions at global standards thus enabling them to pursue highly paid professional careers.
We take responsibility locally: hiring people and making investments. Market maturation is extremely important in any industry.
Africa is putting a lot of effort into adopting sustainable solutions and Daikin will lead the growth and adoption of sustainable cooling in Africa.
The aim is to support the growth of the African economy, but we are focused on making our solutions available to the people of Africa as we strongly believe in improving the indoor air quality of the space where we live, work, and play through our technologies and solutions.
Are there any plan to expand the training centre’s network in Nigeria or other countries in the Middle East and Africa region?
We have entered the African market with the intent to expand our presence and network in the region. We aim to open 20 training centres in Africa by the end of 2025 as a part of our localisation efforts for expansion.
Ogunrinde Omowale, director of Field of Skills and Dreams (FSD) VTE Academy is a great leader with a clear vision. FSD and Daikin share the same purpose of promoting best practices for sustainable cooling, collaborations like these will accelerate the expansion of our training centers in Nigeria and beyond.
With a collaborative approach, we are working alongside companies and governments to support and accelerate their efforts toward minimising environmental impact through our products and solutions.
The expansion in Nigeria is not just a market expansion but a key enabler for us to build Daikin’s community that cares for the environment and future generations.
In Africa, our first and foremost foundation for growth is to educate the technicians, train them, and equip them to be readily available for providing services to our customers without any interruptions.
We are committed to educating the regulators, extending our global expertise, and closely working with them as consultants to transform the HVAC-R industry in Africa- Nigeria is our first stop.
We will continue to set up more training centers and actively collaborate with local companies and governments to accelerate our penetration across African markets.
How does this initiative demonstrate Daikin’s commitment to promoting energy efficiency and sustainability in the region?
With this initiative, we are setting new standards in indoor comfort living with unrivaled energy efficiency solutions that are flexible, scalable, and cost-efficient for our customers.
Our innovations limit the impact of HVAC-R on the environment (Energy-efficient, IAQ, cold chain). We are committed to providing solutions that change everyday life for the better.
We challenge the evolving climate change with our innovative sustainable solutions and strive to create a new value for the citizens of this world through improved air and environment for building a sustainable society.
Read also: Daikin, Panaserv partner to advance Nigeria’s renewable energy
We have led the innovation and introduction of sustainable solutions- a path toward carbon neutrality.
ü First to eliminate the use of ozone-depleting refrigerants such as R22 in 2015
ü First to develop a high ambient alternative to high GWP R 410 by using R32 with one-third global warming potential in 2017
ü First to stop all low-efficiency non-inverter in room air conditioners and replaced them with 30 -40 percent more efficient inverter air conditioners in 2017
ü First to integrate variable speed technologies across all products to improve part load efficiency.
As a part of our Environmental Vision 2050, we are working towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and aim to make all aspects of our business carbon-neutral by 2050 through our net-zero strategy.
The company has laid a strategic management plan “Fusion 25”, that aims to implement a strategy to provide new value for the environment and air and realize contributions to a sustainable society and group growth.
