Hot Air is printed with the generous

assistance of

Inside...

byMay

VASAabandons theexternal warranty program infavour of in-house education...p5

Thehydrocarbonupdate..seewhat the OEMÕs say..p6

Sponsorpages 7-8-9

Member profile Grant HandVASA trainerand educatorP10-11

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If you want to catch thenext wave - youÕd better be

in Sydney on June 13

Top SpeakersTop Tours

The question ofwhether VASAcould become a

brand name in Australianand New Zealand auto-motive aftermarket in itsown right, will beaddressed by the "Surfthe Seas of Change"keynote speaker BruceHaddon.

Bruce will not only start thedebate with a very con-fronting style of presenta-tion at the start of the mainplenary session on theSaturday of convention,but will then stay on andchair the entire plenarysession, conducting mini-interviews and giving sum-maries as he goes.

ItÕs a radically differentapproach, but as conven-tion chair Tony Heat says,"ThereÕs a ton of informa-tion to impart on Saturday,so we intend to make it asinteresting and fast movingas possible so that dele-gates will really feel they

have learnt a lot from thissession. ThereÕs a total ofeight speakers with a cou-ple of extra interviews justfor fun.Ó

Proudly Sponsored by Top WorkshopsTop Socials

HoldenÕs Peter Roberts -keynote speaker

NRMAÕs Bob HudsonKeynote speaker

The speakerline-upP2-3-4The TradeShowExhibitorsP5-8-11-12

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Bruce Haddon has b een calleda perceptive thinker, with a keenability to spot a trend. He hasalready developed some inter-esting theories about the futurefor VASA member workshops.

This is the man who wrote anddirected the international busi-ness press campaign for giantDutch bank ABN AMRO andcreated highly successful inter-national brand names includingCaltex Starmart.

He has composed hundreds ofadvertising jingles for famousbrands Norsca, Coke andStreets. He joined speakersfrom 16 countries at the WorldInnovation and StrategyConference where his presenta-tion on corporate creativityreceiv ed academic acclaim.

He holds a masters degree inManagement from MacqurieUniversity and has been calledas a witness to two governmentinquiries. A winner of advertisingcreativity awards, he is indemand as a speaker on cre-ative thinking skills and brandinnovation.

Peter Roberts is an engineeringgraduate from MonashUniversity in Melbourne and has

undertaken various roles with inthe Holden EngineeringDepartment. As Manager of theHVAC & Powertrain CoolingGroup at Holden, Peter and hisGroup are currently responsiblefor the design, development andvalidation of vehicle heating, air-conditioning and engine coolingsystems for most of the range ofvehicles produced by GeneralMotors in the Asia PacificRegion.

In recent years the Group haveworked on projects for GMIndia, GM Thailand and a GMjoint venture in China as well asthe more commonly known localHolden products Ð primarilyCommodore and Statesmanand some joint work with GMOpel on the new Barina andAstra.

Peter has been elected a mem-ber of the GM Global ThermalCouncil reflecting HoldenÕsgrowing international focus. Thisinternational role provides theopportunity to be up to date withleading thermal systemresearch around the world andoccasionally to demonstrate thatAustralian ideas and technologycan be world class.

In his talk to the VASA confer-ence group Peter plans to brieflyreview the automotive HVACdevelopment process includingdesign objectives, performanceaims and system assemblyrequirements and then to outlinesome of the different world tech-nologies that may being used infuture vehicles.

Bob Hudson has beenemployed continuously in themotor industry for the past 45years.

He began in new car dealer-ships as an apprentice mechan-ic, qualified tradesman, tester,

warranty claims officer, work-shop foreman, service adviserand assistant service manager.

In 1972, Bob joined the NRMATechnical Department as aVehicle Inspections Engineerand soon after was transferredto the Technical AdvisoryDepartment as Advisory andDisputes Engineer.

He became NRMA VehicleEvaluation Engineer in 1979, aposition he still holds.

Bob is responsible for testingand evaluation of new motorvehicles on behalf of the NRMAand writing reports on new vehi-cles.

He was a judge on AustraliaÕsBest Cars awards, which wereexpanded last year to include allthe Motoring Associations ofAustralia except the AANT.

He is a licensed automotiveengineer and full member of theInstitute of AutomotiveMechanical Engineers.

Top Speaker Line-upBusiness

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He loves all forms of motorsport, classic sports cars andcurrently owns a 1970 MG Band a 1953 MG TD.

He admits to having driven mostthings on four wheels, from go-karts to Porsches, to a 700 HPSprintcar.

He has ridden with Peter Brock,Jim Richards, Dick Johnson,Larry Perkins, Roland Asch(Mercedes works driver atHockenheim), Carlos Sainz, EdOrdynski, and Rick and NealBates.

Judy Warrington is EducationalManager of the AutomotiveProgram at the DouglasMawson Institute of TAFE inAdelaide.

Now a highly qualified educatorwho was nominated in 1999 forAustralian National Woman ofthe Year in the non traditionalworkforce, Judy gained herteaching qualifications via dis-tance learning. This has madeher a strong advocate of therecognition of the current com-petency process as a method ofgaining qualifications.

Judy was invited to manage theAutomotive Program in DMI in1996 because it was recognisedthat the section required signifi-cant change management inorder to compete in an opentraining market.

She is responsible for 40 staffand a budget of $3 million. Hermain job is to deliver the educa-tional products of the DMI in the

home state as well as nationallyand internationally. The sec-tions she administers has 1200students.

While Judy hasnÕt alwaysworked in the automotive area,sheÕs practicing what shepreaches by currently undertak-ing a Diploma in AutomotiveManagement.

She is already a Member of theInstitute of the Motor Industry inthe Pacific Region, holds aCertificate IV Automotive RetailService and Repair andManagement, a Certificate IV inWorkplace Training, a Diplomaof Teaching (Further Education)and an Associate Diploma inAdult & Further Education.

She was recognised with a 2000Quality endorsement from theInternational Institute of theAutomotive Industry, the firstAustralian automotive organisa-tion to be so recognised.

Judy was a leading presenter atthe 2000 Automotive NationalShowcase on implementation ofthe Automotive Retail, Serviceand Repair Training Packageand was guest presenter atTMP.WORLDWIDE in 2001(Women and Image in theWorkforce & Staff Selection).

She serves on many nationaland educational committeesand working groups, includingthe National AutomotiveReference Group undertaking areview of the automotive retailservice and repair training pack-age.

As part of her personal develop-ment program, Judy has studiedmanagement skills, staff selec-tion and training in equal oppor-tunity and sexual harassment.

Grant Hand began his career asan apprentice motor mechanicin a country dealership in theMallee. He worked on every-thing from lawnmowers to agri-cultural and earthmoving equip-ment.

Today, Grant is the cornerstoneof all VASA training and at con-vention, he will lead the dele-gates through the new andexciting Certificate IV andDiploma from the DouglasMawson Institute of Technology. (This issue of Hot Air profilesGrant Hand)

John Jeffrey is CEO of theI.C.S. Consulting Group andManaging Director ofInternational Computer ServicePty Ltd based in Brisbane.

He is founding partner andshareholder in Auto ServiceManager, a handbook servicesoftware which went on tobecome AustraliaÕs No 1 auto-motive software (Automate) andJohn was the Number 1 dealerfor 12 years.

His understanding of the needsof the auto-motive indus-try comesfrom closecontact at thecoalface ofthe industry.

He is a former national salesand marketing manager of theauto electrical parts group, theIngram Corporation, formerA.B.S. Brake and Clutch fran-chisee, and former owner ofParts Brokers in ArcherfieldQueensland.

For diversity, John is also a for-mer NSW sales manager andbranch manager of Yates Seed.

He was also owned LorimeFleet Maintenance service cen-tre for 15 years.

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John is a pending TelstraPartner for Internet, ADSL,Cable and ISDN Installations,and is currently Peach BusinessSoftware Distributor forQueensland and program advis-er.

He is Tradesman BusinessSoftware Consultant in the auto-motive industry and is a trainingand support centre for WindowsBasic and Advanced courses.

John has lectured at many sem-inars for IT and general automo-tive marketing and businessdevelopment and possessesmany certificates in sales andmarketing and automotive stud-ies.

AFCAM, the Association ofFluorocarbon Consumers andManufacturers is the peakindustry association represent-ing the Australian FluorocarbonIndustry. Since inception in1987, AFCAM has played a pos-itive role in informing Australianindustry of the need for ozoneprotection, developing andencouraging positive strategiesto achieve this goal.

AFCAM has been a consistentsupporter of VASA policies andthe two organisations sharemany common goals.

Steve Anderson has been theExecutive Director of AFCAMsince it was founded.

Since that time Steve has beeninvolved in refrigerant issuesacross most industries, but hasa particularly close involvementwith the vehicle industry.

Steve notesthat when theozone issuewas in its earlydays, therewere sugges-tions fromsome quarters

that vehicle air-conditioning

should be done away with alto-gether.

"I remember a heated debate,where some were arguing forthe re-introduction of quarter-vent windows and flat, fold-down windscreens like Model TFords.

ÒThe whole issue finally diedwhen one official observed thatsuch innovations wouldincrease the vehicleÕs fuel con-sumption and environmentalimpact enormously" Stevenotes.

"The vehicle air-conditioningindustry has come an enormousway over the past fifteen years,and has made very significantimprovements in its environ-mental performance. We nowknow that is a process that willcontinue, offering new chal-lenges for vehicle aircondition-ing professionals."

According to Steve, organisa-tions such as VASA are criticalto the industryÕs future. "AFCAMhas formed a very successfulpartnership with VASA, andtogether we will be undertakingsome very exciting projects inthe near future."

Michael Bennett is general man-ager of Refrigerant ReclaimAustralia. He has worked in thefield of industrial gases for thepast 20 years.

Since he started in the industry,he has seen major shifts in atti-tudes across the entire air con-ditioning and refrigeration sec-tor. He has always been

intrigued by the idea of bringingenvironmental issues into theday to day world of business. Hebelieves factoring environmen-tal considerations into businessdecision-making is sound econ-mics.

RRA operates in the realm ofindustrial ecology. Its primeobjective is to reduce the emis-sion of refrigeratns to atmos-phere and thereby reduce thisindustryÕs impact on the envi-ronment.

Using sophisticated facilities inMelbourne, RRAÕs mission is tomaximise the recovery, recla-mation or destruction of target-ed refrigerants, thus playing asignificant role in minimising theimpact of these refrigerants onthe atmosphere.

Go to www.vasa.org.au

to find out the latest detail on the

conventionprogram

If you are a memberin the Sydney region,

please help your convention and VASAby inviting other airconditioning, autoelecs and radiator

workshop operators tothe VASA trade show- tell them itÕs freeand there are bigprizes to be won.

The VASA conventionis open to all and you

can book a full registration or justseparate functions.

IndustryUpdates

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VASA directors haveabandoned the year-oldVASA Warranty

Program, underwritten by FD& W Holdings Pty Ltd, infavour of an in-house pro-gram to educate members onwarranty issues and stream-line the management of war-ranty.

The original warranty programhas failed. Despite the direc-torsÕ best endeavours to try tobring in a system which wouldnot only remove the warrantyhassles from workshops, butalso act as a marketing tool,they acknowledge that mostVASA members went cold onthe idea, partly through cost orcomplication.

FD & W Holdings were workingwith VASA directors on another

internet-based program, ofwhich the main features werethat it would be a self funded,self managed warranty fund,with on-line print-outs and nolimit on the number of war-ranties issued. The cost wouldhave been $1,000 per year plus$50 a month.

However, after hearing two pre-sentations from the company,president Mark Mitchell andCorporate Affairs ConsultantKen Newton reported to theBoard that there was little pointin pursuing this type of programbecause of the negative feed-back from members.

The directors believe that theaverage VASA workshop stillneeds better workshop prac-tices in the handling of warranty,and thatÕs where VASA can

begin to offer better manage-ment solutions.

Considering VASAÕs emphasison training, it would be possibleto produce a new set of VASAwarranty guidelines which areeasy to read and which spellsout clearly the relationshipbetween training and productknowledge and management ofcomplaints and warranty. Alsotied up in this is better relationswhich VASA can foster, betweenmembers and wholesalers andmanufacturers for future man-agement of warranty issues soas to limit the customer fall-outand the anguish usually associ-ated with these things.

The Directors, in an emergencyemail session, have supportedthis plan.

Underwritten warranty to be abandoned in favour of new VASA

guidelines and better education

THE TRADE SHOWEXHIBITORS

J & N Bish Auto AirCONTACT DETAILS:3/32 Leighton Place Horsnby 2077Phone: (02) 9482-1511 Fax: (02) 9477-7360CONTACT AT SHOW:John BishON DISPLAY: Red Dot andMPS Ultra violet lamps. 19thyear as a wholesaler of auto airequipment. Featuring the newRed Dot wall units at the VASAshow, for trucks, agriculturaland mining machinery. Alsohave the new light weight stateof the art carbon fibre unitcanopies.

OEXCONTACT DETAILS:

93-99 Lambeck DriveTullamarine 3043Phone: 1800 786-604 Fax: 1800 186-605CONTACT AT SHOW:Michael WalshON DISPLAY: Red Dot, ERGoil, mix of receiver driers, fit-tings and equipment,Mastercool tools and equipmentNew product updates whichhaven't made the catalogue willbe on display, with a lot ofemphasis on the new syntheticPOA oils. We'll have Delphi andSanden compressors, IdemitsuPAG oils and some of our ownremanufactured compressors.

Mobile Car Air Pty LtdCONTACT DETAILS:8/185 Port Hacking RoadMiranda 2228Phone (02) 9522-6111 Fax (02) 9522-7138CONTACT AT SHOW:Jeff GreenON DISPLAY:Mobile Car Air franchise sys-

tems and a unique line ofCanadian-made system flush-ers and leak stops.Mobile CarAir will use the VASA tradeshow to launch its new fran-chise system for workshopscombined with two mobile work-shops. In addition, there will bea line of Canadian productsincluding an aerosol can of sys-tem flush - unique products toAustralia.

Jayair Automotive Air condi-tioning PartsCONTACT DETAILS:22-28 Lexton Road Box Hill 3128 Phone: 03 98967333 Fax 03 98904043CONTACT AT SHOW:Andrew KavanaghON DISPLAY:Top brands Denso, Delphi,Visteon and the Jayair e-cata-logue.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

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The Federal chamber ofAutomotive Industries,representing the vehicle

manufacturer has stronglyrecommended to the NSWgovernment, that it retain theexisting legislation that prohi-tits the use of hydrocarbonsin vehicle airconditioningsystems.

Their submission last Decembersaid, ÒAirconditioning systemsrequire that part of the system isinside the passenger compart-ment, usually under the dash,and as such it is industry policy,world wide, that refrigerantsused in vehicle airconditioningsystems be non flammable.

ÒWhen the automotive industry,on a global basis phased outR12 freon to protect the ozonelayer, a number of possiblereplacement refrigerants weretested - a hydrofluorocarbonHFC134a was chosen as thereplacement for R12. HFC134ais non flammable.

ÒGlobally, the automotive indus-try is now working on a replace-ment for HFC 134a which is aGreenhouse gas. However,leakage is very small and theimpact minimal.

ÒA hydrocarbon - in this case amixture of propane and butane(LPG) is a flammable gas, andis used in a number of vehiclesas a replacement for petrol.When conversions are arriedout LPG is stored in anapproved container, and LPGlines do not enter the passengercompartment. This is not a prob-lem and is fully supported byvehicle manufacutrers. Ford, infact, produce a LPG Falcon.

ÒHowever, the use of a hydro-

carbon in a vehicle's aircondi-tioning system is in our viewdangerous. Piping, carryingLPG enters the passenger com-partment and should a leakageoccur, a flammable mixture ispresent. This could lead to a fireor explosion.

ÒWhilst those who wish to usehydrocarbon gases as areplacement refrigerant arguethat the chances of a fire orexplosion are very low, they doexist and in our view unneces-sary.

ÒA second issue is that we havedesigned vehicle airconditioningsystems to operate with aproven gas and the appropriatelubricant.

ÒDurability and performancetesting has proven the system.This has not been done withhydrocarbons.Ó

OEM posit ion on hydrocarbons is quite clear

Dangerous Gas Alert(Reprinted with the kind permission of the Motor Repair Industry Council

of New South Wales)

A repairer narrowly escaped death recently when thegas used in the air conditioning unit of a tractor he wasworking on ignited, seriously burning his hands.

Using hydrocarbon based gas in air conditioning units isbanned in New South Wales, but not in Victoria where thetractor had been recharged.

"The system was not labelled and the fittings used made methink that it had R134 refrigerant in it", the 'lucky-to-be-alive'repairer said.

This incident is currently under WorkCover investigation andhighlights the danger of hydrocarbon based refrigerant. It'sa strong argument to keep the ban on such refrigerants inplace.

NSW CODE STALEMATE

The New South Wales workingparty responsible for drafting theinitial code for dealing with flam-mable refrigerants in vehicleshas ended in stalemate.

VASA, represented on the work-ing party by committeeman JeffGreen in Sydney, has lodged asubmission with the governmentexpressing concern and frustra-tion over the entire process.Other organisations on the bodyhave joined with VASA in thisprotest.

The process has produced adraft code, which VASA and oth-ers believe will never get off theground.

Meanwhile in both SouthAustralia and Victoria, VASA ismaintaining pressure on govern-ment authorities to have themlegislate to control the use ofhydrocarbon gas as a refrigerantand to ban it from use in vehiclesystems not meant for them.

The Today Tonight show inSouth Australia recently ran adamming report againsthydrocarbon gas used in thisway.

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How sure are you that the productwhich you fit meets the vehicle manufacturerÕs specification?With the complexities of automotive technology, Calsonic Australia isbecoming increasingly concerned at the number of non-genuineproducts on the market which purport to be the same as the genuineproduct.

The danger is that if the repairerfits a non-genuine product and thevehicle fails and it can be shownthat the fitted product did not meetthe vehicle manufacturerÕs specifi-cation, then under the consumerprotection act, the repairer is liable

for the damage and the consequential damages.

In the past, all that we needed to consider in a condenser was: doesthe product fit (or can I make it fit); does it condense sufficiently tocool the cabin down adequately?

Today the requirements are very different. We must consider if thefin pitch is to within 2 tenths of a millimetre and that the fin louvreangle must be within plus/minus 2 degrees of angle.

These are just a couple of factors which have a major effect not onlyon the condenser but on the performance of the engine cooling.

The internal tube section must match the original, as this affects therefrigerant pressure drop. The number of refrigerant passes and thespacing of these passes is critical to the condensing of the refriger-ant and hence the performance of the compressor.

Typically, to design and develop a condenser, radiator and motor fanshroud for todayÕs vehicle takes a development team two years andcosts around $1m.

Just to validate a condenser and assure that it meets the vehiclemanufacturerÕs requirements and interfaces with the other vehiclesystems can cost $100,000. The only way to perform these tests isin the actual vehicle.

At Calsonic Australia, we pride ourselves on knowing that everyproduct we sell has been tested back to back with the originalmanufacturerÕs product and performs at least as good if notbetter under all test conditions.

Could your supplier of condensers provide you with actual test data,which shows that the condenser meets the customer specification,because if you were to find yourself being sued for damages, thismay be your only way out.

Calsonic understand the need to be competitive in all areas such asprice, delivery and quality and in conjunction with our distributors arecommitted to providing the OE and the repair industry with not onlythe best package available but piece of mindknowing that the Calsonic products provides youwith confidence and no risk.

2001 Convention sponsor

SA & NT members have

their sayVASA members fromSouth Australia andNorthern Territory met ininformal session in earlyMay to discuss issues ofconcern to their industry.

In an update on the SouthAustralian governmentÕsfeeble attempts to draft acode for the use of hydro-carbons in vehicle air condi-tioning systems, SouthAustralian members (whosee more of this practicethan most), reported thatthe use of hydrocarbonrefrigerants is creating prob-lems with compressor fail-ures and leakage and this isoccurring more frequently.

More technicians arebecoming reluctant to use itand it is creating a badexperience for the cus-tomer. It was thought thatflammable use will even-tually run its course.

It was generally agreed thatthe VASA logo requiresmore public exposure andawareness. Grant Handsaid glossy fliers wereplanned to be handed to orplaced in vehicles to pro-mote VASA and its policies.

David Jackson proposedthat a mirror hanger cardwith all relevant informationbe used and kept in thevehicle.

A group advertisement inthe yellow pages wasbrought up once again, butthis time seemed to gener-ate more interest. It wouldbe under Òair conditioningrepairersÓ, displaying aprominent VASA logo listingall members with addressand phone number. The admay be sponsored by mem-bers and subsidised by aleading supplier.

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JAYAIR is proud to be the majorname sponsor for "Surf theSeas of Change".

VASA, through its annual con-vention and training programscontributes to the continuedadvancement and education ofits members. This year isfocused at ensuring memberskeep abreast of rapid technolo-gy changes in automotive engi-neering.

In keeping with the "Surf theSeas of Change" theme thepast 12 months has also seenmany changes at JAYAIR.March 17 saw the opening ofthe new home of JAYAIR locat-ed beside the existing buildingin Lexton Road, Box Hill. Thispurpose built modern and effi-cient complex utilises the latestin warehouse and administra-tion technology and is designedto facilitate the swift despatch ofgoods.

A new trade parts entry opens toa modern sales departmentincorporating the latest in tele-phone call handling and mes-saging. A queuing system utilis-es visual and audible monitoringto ensure each incoming call isswiftly transferred to the firstavailable operator. Minimising"on hold time" is particularlyimportant to our customers,especially in the busy summermonths.

At JAYAIR we believe that withso many changes occurringwithin our industry it is important

to work closely with the OEmanufacturers. That is why weare so excited about addinganother string to our bow.Whilst we are already agents forCalsonic, Delphi and Visteoncomponents we now welcomeDenso to the team. JAYAIR isnow recognised as the officialdistributor of Denso product.Those hard to find compressors,condensers and evaporatorcores may now only be a phonecall away.

Our long awaited ClimateControl Catalogue will soon beavailable. The 2001 edition willcomprise over 500 pages withhundreds of new part Nos,updated illustrations and pho-tographs. In the meantime donÕtforget to log on towww.jayair.com.au and visit usonline for all your airconditioningneeds.

Finally donÕt forget to come andsay hello to all our friendly salesstaff on the JAYAIR stand at theVASA 2001 Convention. Thisyear we will have plenty of inter-active entertainment and heapsof give aways.

SEE YOU ALL THERE!!

THE TRADE SHOWEXHIBITORS

(CONTINUED FROM P5)Jayair are the major sponsor ofthe Sydney 2001 conventionand will be out in force, with fourdisplay booths and a huge col-lection of their product range.Jayair have recently moved intoa new office and warehousecomplex that provides over100,000 square feet of facilitiesand 60 full time staff dedicatedto providing the very best rangeof product and knowledge to theairconditioning aftermarket.

Atofina Forane RefrigerantsCONTACT DETAILS:5 Colquhoun Street Silverwater DC 6309Phone: 02 9684 3232 Fax: 02 9684 3200CONTACT AT SHOW:Carl HeslopON DISPLAY:The latest in HFC RefrigerantsAtofina is the world's largestproducer of CFC alternativessold under the trade nameForane. Atofina operates thelargest distribution facility in thesouthern hemisphere at RoseHill in Sydney and is the leadingsupplier of "non flammable" gasto the Australian HVAC andrefrigeration markets.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

JAYAIR ON THE MOVE

2001 Convention sponsor

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Sanden International(Australia ) has been servic-ing the Australian air condi-tioning industry since 1978.

During this time we have been amajor supplier to three of ourfour OEMÕs whilst at the sametime supporting the aftermarket.Our operations have witnessedgrowth within our industry sup-plying compressors, air-condi-tioning systems whilst at thesame time supporting the com-mercial refrigeration industrywith vending machines , freez-ers and refrigerated showcases.

We have constantly strived tofollow our corporate philosophyof being close to our customers,and as such Sanden is pleasedfor the sixth year in a row to bea major supporter of VASA.

During this time of technicalchange it is our aim to keep upto date with the latest technolo-gy by ensuring you are fullyequipped to handle the systemsof tomorrow.

We will continue to expand ourbusiness and undertake newchallenges towards the 21st

Century, whilst enforcing ourfundamental objective of pre-serving the world's environment.

We, at Sanden, aim to be anexcellent company and aresponsible corporate citizen.We will work amicably andsteadily with our associates andpartners in business and in soci-ety.

Above all, we will strive to meetthe requirements of our cus-

tomers. Our corporate motto is"Let us develop with wisdomand prosper in harmony".

ATOFINA is the new name ofElf Atochem and is the chemi-cal branch of the TotalFinaElfgroup which is one of theworldÕs largest oil companies.

ATOFINA has combined sales ofEuro 17.4 billion in petrochemi-cals, plastics, intermediates, per-formance polymers and speciali-ties. The company has over70,000 employees on five conti-nents and is the fifth largestchemical group worldwide.

ATOFINA is a leading producer ofrefrigerant fluids and markets theFORANE¨ range of CFC substi-tutes, both interim and HFCgases, in Australia and throughoutthe world.

The Company has R&D inFrance, USA and Japan with pro-duction plants in Europe, China,the USA and South America. TheCompany has had an involve-ment in the AustralianRefrigerants market for over 50years.

ATOFINA is the leading supplierof Ònon flammableÓ refrigerantsto the Australian HVAC &Refrigeration Industries and is aleading supplier of non flamma-ble gases to the Foam, Solventand Aerosol markets.

"We see enormous long termbenefits in a cooperative approach to industrytraining through organisations

such as VASA," said Carl Heslop, BusinessDevelopment Manager forFORANE¨ in the region.

"We will continue to support andwork with VASA at this levelbecause we can see that theorganisation represents a signifi-cant industry voice among theprofessionals.

ÒTheir stance as a trainingorganisation deserves this sup-port. ATOFINAÕs cooperativearrangements with VASA aretotally in line with other pro-grams we support, such as the"train the trainer" programs forthe HVAC through TAFE in NewSouth Wales" he added.

For more information pleasecontact:

Carl.heslop@atofina.com.auPhone: 02 9684 3232

Fax: 02 9684 3200

ThereÕs no nudeslike good nudes

Director Tony Heat sent a cut-ting from a Sydney paper abouta young woman who is takingon a workshop (no, not one ofour members) as well as theRepair Industry Council over acalendar of naked women hang-ing on the workshop wall.

ThereÕs a lesson here for allworkshops. ItÕs NOT ON.

Regardless of the outcome ofthe Sydney case, you donÕtneed to be too bright to knowthat offensive material is nolonger tolerated in any publicarea or staff area.

So the message for VASA mem-bers is Ð take a little tour aroundthe workshop and make sureany offensive material is takendown or you might have yourown day in court and it wonÕt bepleasant.

2001 Convention sponsor

2001 Convention sponsor

This is the underlying theo-ry behind VASAÕs trainingproducts including the

RTP (Registered TechniciansProgram), the Face to Facetraining sessions and therecently introduced CertificateIV and Diploma.

The RTP is the annual series oftechnical bulletins and ques-tionnaires developed by VASAunder GrantÕs guidance.

VASAÕs training regime, inwhich the RTP is compulsoryfor all service centre members,is designed to help workshoptechnicians help themselves.VASAÕs training has predomi-nantly been in technical assis-tance but now encompassesmanagement training.

GrantÕs (and VASAÕs) pet hateare those members of VASAwho attempt to take the easyway out and phone Grant, or a

VASA executive member everytime they are confronted with adiagnostic, management ormarketing problem.

VASA encourages informationsharing among members andthere is ample scope for this onthe VASA website. It is not rea-sonable for members to tap intothe knowledge of volunteerexecutive members when thereare plenty of avenues available

for training and informationsharing.

"Members must become theirown problem solvers. ThatÕswhat the training products areall about. As an example, somemay scoff at the early RTPsbecause they thought they weretoo basic, but unless everyonehas a clear understanding of thebasics, they cannot be expectedto have the disciplines and theknowledge to solve the biggerissues," said Grant.

VASAÕs relationship with Grant,and by association his employ-er, the Douglas MawsonInstitute of TAFE in SouthAustralia, goes back almost toVASAÕs foundations in 1993.

It was always intended thatVASA would be an organisationwhere knowledge would beshared and where training

would underpin an identifiedneed for stronger professional-ism in an industry where thegoalposts were changing rapid-ly.

The technology of the moderncar defies the mechanical logicof the garage workers of a quar-ter of a century ago. The car ismore computer than it ismechanical moving parts. Aknowledge of electronics is whatkeeps the modern car on theroad Ð not just a grease and oilchange.

"We all face added businesspressures now because ofextreme competition in the mar-ket, therefore professional man-agement and marketing hasbecome as important to the run-ning of a workshop as a knowl-edge of whatÕs under the bon-net," adds Grant.

VASA president Mark Mitchellsays VASA is indeed fortunateto have such a qualified relation-ship to manage its technical andmanagement training agenda.

"Not only is Grant an accom-plished trainer in automotivesubjects, but he has the backingand resources of one ofAustraliaÕs leading automotiveinstitutes at DMI," said Mark.

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VASAMEMBERPROFILE

Educator Grant Hand took the words out ofGalileoÕs mouth when he (often) says, "Youcannot teach a man anything; you can onlyhelp him find it within himself."

An animated Grant in typical workshop form.

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From previous page

Grant began his career as anapprentice motor mechanic ina country dealership in theMallee. He worked on every-thing from lawnmowers to agri-cultural and earthmovingequipment.

He moved to Adelaide for hisPost Trade (Advanced Trade)Certificate and continued to theTechnicians Certificate.

Then followed his Diploma ofTeaching Ð Adult Education atUniversity of SA during whichhe took on full time employ-ment with TAFE School ofAutomotive Engineering in1986.

He earned his Bachelor ofEducation in 1990, and beganPost Graduate subjects the fol-lowing year. He was anAccredited Board Member ofUniversity of SA in 1990 Ð 92for Diploma, Bachelor andMasters in Education.

Grant is a member of theOzone Protection AdvisoryCommittee in the formulation ofR12 regulations which includesaccreditation, exemption, edu-cational products and code ofpractice formulation.

At the Douglas MawsonInstitute his roles changed fromApprentice Training andAdvanced Certificate Training(night school) to Fee forService Coordinator in early1990Õs. Fee for Service is spe-cialist training Ð the develop-ment of courses for industry tosuit their specific needs princi-pally in air conditioning, electri-cal, and electronics.

Fee for Service Training hasincluded projects such as

Australian National Rail ÐLocomotive Air Conditioning;Santos Ð Air ConditioningTraining, Electrical,Electronics, ManagementSystems, Large IndustrialEngine Training, Field GasCombustion; Electricity Trust ofSA - Leigh Creek AirConditioning, Electrical,Electronics; General Motors -Product Training, New Modelrelease information etc.

GRANT CONSOLIDATES

THE LINKBETWEEN VASA

AND DMIThe relationship betweenVASA and DMI has progressedfrom a training "link" to a sub-stantial partnership in recenttimes.

A Memorandum ofUnderstanding has beensigned by the two parties andthis is the basis for a uniquearrangement with VASA actingas an agent for DMI acrossAustralia and New Zealand forthe Certificate IV and Diplomain automotive.

For the past few years, Granthas been working on the devel-opment of learning materialsfor both certificate levels know-ing it would be an essential ele-ment for all professional techni-cians and service / repair busi-nesses in the future.

VASA members now have thebest of both worlds. They canaccess technical (Fee forService) type training to suittheir needs and have access torecognised advanced certifi-cate courses for which Grant isprimarily responsible.

THE TRADE SHOWEXHIBITORS

(Continued from P 8)Douglas Mawson Institute ofTAFE, South AustraliaCONTACT DETAILS:Croydon Campus, GoodallAvenue Croydon Park SA 5008Phont: 08 8204 0843 Fax: 08 8243 0802CONTACT AT SHOW:Judy Warrington and Grant HandON DISPLAY:Certificate IV and Diploma,Automotive Retail, Service andRepair. DMI is recognised as oneof Australia's leading trainers inautomotive.

SCA Australia Pty LtdCONTACT DETAILS:47 High Street Southport Qld4215Phone: 1800 628 133 Fax: 07 5532 8602CONTACT AT SHOW:Robert HoustonON DISPLAY:Unicla compressors, Yokogawa,Yellow Jacket and RefrigerantTechnologies products. Featuredat the show will be the new prod-ucts from Yokogawa, the H10XPro leak detector and theGA500+ gas identifier.

Sanden InternationalCONTACT DETAILS:54 Allingham Street Bankstown2200Phone 02 9791 0999 Fax 02 9791 9029CONTACT AT SHOW:Mark Padwick and Paul O'SheaON DISPLAY:Sanden will be showing its new agetechnology variable compressors aswell as plate and fin evaporators andsub-cool condensers.

CPS AustraliaCONTACT DETAILS:Unit 3 2 Barrpowell RoadWelland SA 5007Phone: 08 83407055 Fax: 08 83407033CONTACT AT SHOW:Brett Spicer

ON DISPLAY:Electronic test equipment, tubetools and specialised fittings,recovery and recharge equip-ment. CPS has elevated its sta-tus in Australia to a whollyowned Australian distributionoffice out of Adelaide. We'll be

showing products from the CPScompany of America a companywhich manufactured specialisedequipment for the past 30 yearsfor both automotive and com-mercial refrigeration applica-tions.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

The information inthis newsletter is sup-plied by the executive,members and affiliate

bodies in USA andEurope. VASA main-

tains a high standard ofeditorial and technical

content, but can acceptno responsibility for theaccuracy of the state-ments made nor thetechnical informationprovided. If in doubt

about any issue,contact an appropriatecommittee chairman or

a member of theExecutive.

VASA READY REFERENCE DIRECTORY

2001 DIRECTORS Phone Fax Email

Mark Mitchell (President) 07 5532 8133 07 5532 8602 supercool@onthenet.com.auGlen Watkinson (Vice President) 08 8347 1155 08 8268 8048 glen@caraire.com.au John Blanchard (Treasurer) 03 9896 7360 03 9890 0061 johnb@melbautoair.com.auTony Heat (Director) 02 9949 5188 02 9949 4243 cartersewell@tpg.com.auBarry Rogers (Director) 64 9 573 3392 64 9 573 3395 auckautoair@clear.net.nz

SECRETARIAT, CORPORATE AFFAIRS, EDITORIAL AND WEBSITE CONSULTANTSKen Newton 07 5526 3044 07 5526 3404 secretary@vasa.org.au Olwen Williams

(PLEASE NOTE: THE BALANCE OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES ARE AVAILABLEON THE VASA WEBSITE)

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Calsonic Australia PtyLtdCONTACT DETAILS:578 Plummer Street PortMelbourne 3207Phone: 03 9646 7322 Fax: 03 9644 7339CONTACT AT SHOW:Bob CartwrightON DISPLAY: Educational trade booth -educating the repairers inthe finer points of ourproducts and the repairerseducating us on the prob-lems which they continual-ly face. We will be pre-sented in the trade showusing the theme "TheGenuine OE Supplier tothe VehicleManufacturers".

Actrol PartsCONTACT DETAILS:19 King Street Blackburn3130Phone: 03 9894 1033 Fax: 03 9894 3378CONTACT AT SHOW:Wayne Weatherall (0297498383ON DISPLAY: Javac recovery units andevacuation units, bothwith upgraded models.Gauges from Repco andfittings and hoses.

Auckland Auto AirCONTACT DETAILS:6 Clemow Drive MtWellington PanmureNew ZealandPhone: +64 9 573 3392

Fax: +64 9 573 3395Emailparts@autoair.co.nz.CONTACT AT SHOW:Roger Brown - PartsManager ON DISPLAY:Refrigerant Identifiers.Compressors,Unicla,reconditioned automotive andcoach. Automotive Airconditioning componentsTransport Refrigeration.Car air conditioning - ser-vicing and new installa-tions. Truck refrigeration -sales of new units andservice. Bus and coachair conditioning - salesand servicing and air con-ditioning parts warehousedistribution.

International ComputerService CONTACT DETAILS:Suite 12/39 Market StreetWoollongong NSW 2500Phone: 02 42265760CONTACT AT SHOW:Eddy TrevisanutPRODUCTS ON DIS-PLAY: Computer services andsoftware programs relatedto the automotive industry.

VASA:CONTACT AT SHOW:Ken NewtonGlen and ChristineWatkinson (SingaporeFling specialists)ON DISPLAY:VASA information, joiningkits, shirts, decals andbadges, hats. Special dis-play from SingaporeVisitors Bureau for nextyearÕs Singapore Fling.

ALSO AT THE SHOWOrica/Ineos FluorBOC Gases(Information not to hand attime of going to press.See full details on theVASA website)

Remember, thisupcoming

Convention inSydney will be thelast in Australia orNew Zealand until

2003.

If you donÕt havetime to attend theentire convention,register for part ofthe convention orjust some of thesocial activities.

You can attend theTrade Show, free ofcharge, any time on

the Friday orSaturday, 15 and 16

June, 2001

THE TRADE SHOWEXHIBITORS