[gravata]Actions such as lectures, courses and book sales benefit contractors.[/gravata][rel txt=”This article has extra content. “] Concerned with supporting technical training of their customers and orienting them about best practices, many retailers of refrigeration parts and components develop actions that go far beyond their commercial activity. The lectures organized by Embraco together with its distributors are one example of this. In these events, which are disseminated by retailers themselves to their customers, specialists from the company’s technical and commercial area bring updated information and clarify contractor’s doubts. That’s what happened recently in Refrigás from Bauru (SP), which took advantage of Contractor Day, in June, to organize a series of lectures by industry suppliers, such as Embraco. The initiative was highly praised and had the participation of 280 people. “Since 1995 we’ve worked with this kind of incentive, because we believe it brings great knowledge to the market where we operate. In order to provide good services to our customers and employees, we always look for quality training and information on the latest news about refrigeration”, explains Lair Francisco, owner of Refrigás. Refrigeração Cacique, from São José do Rio Preto (SP), did differently: it decided to support the project to create a vocational school in its region, Thermo Courses.

Rogério Rosalles, retail owner, felt that many problems brought by his customers, such as the large volume of compressors exchanged under warranty, were related to the lack of technical knowledge. “We concluded that we could help by offering training and development courses to customers and new professionals. I always wanted to set up a school and the project began to take shape when Américo Martins Junior, our customer for several years, showed me a proposal that I liked”, Roger remembers. More than 150 professionals from the city and surrounding neighborhoods have already benefited from them and demand is still great. The first module offered is Split Air Conditioning Installation and Maintenance, lasting 30 hours. “Other modules are emerging from the demand of the students themselves, who are looking for more specific knowledge”, Roger explains. “We recommend the Thermo Courses for professionals and in return the school recommends Refrigeração Cacique to technicians to acquire quality tools and parts. It’s a ‘win-win’ “, he sums up. Another very interesting idea was put into practice by Frigofe, a retailer from Rosario, Argentina. Among the products offered are books and other technical materials on refrigeration. “We started doing this in 1991 because we noticed that this was an important need for our customers, who lacked the correct training to perform well”, says owner Daniel Trobbiani. Daniel says that since the beginning the response has been very favorable. Along with the books, from Argentine publishers and from abroad, the company also provides technical advice, attending customer’s inquiries and doubts. “Many books have been sold in recent years. However, more than just profit, our goal was to carry out an activity that contributes to individual training”, he emphasizes. These examples show that retailers are an important channel to look for technical information and training opportunities. Inquire in the stores, where you usually buy, about how they can help you. [exclusivo]