Endeavour Magazine speaks to Kenneth Boodoo, Managing Director of Peake Technologies Ltd, to find out how the family-run business has managed to stay ahead of its peers in a competitive market place.

WRITTEN BY AMY TOCKNELL

A BREATH OF COOL FRESH AIR

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Kenneth Boodoo, Managing Director of PTL, expanded on the varied interests of the parent company and how air conditioning became a major focus for the

organization,“Thomas Peake & Co Limited started out by selling haberdashery

goods as well as completing electrical and plumbing works. Soon after, it became the sole agent of Carrier air conditioners and completed all sales and servicing of these imported products. Thomas Peake had the foresight to build an assembly plant, designed to assemble Room air conditioners that came “knocked down”. Eventually, in the early 90s, we opened a manufacturing plant and produced air conditioners of all sizes branded ‘Peake’ including specialised equipment such as heat pumps and chiller units. The manufacturing plant has, however, recently closed its doors due to skilled labour shortage and competition from China-produced products coming into the market.”

With overseas competition heating up, PTL has identified a number of other arenas to immerse itself in, including water coolers and pumps, duct cleaning, UV light installation, water heaters and dehumidifiers. But how serious is the threat posed by eastern competitors? Though currently enjoying a period of buoyancy, the air conditioning industry is being hit significantly by what Boodoo describes as “low end A/C units from China and cheap labour prices from sole traders”. He goes on to reiterate that a distinct shortage of skilled labour is having a direct impact on industry growth, which could be devastating.

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Founded in 1954, Thomas Peake & Co Limited, is a private, family-run company with a number of interest areas. Most notably, having celebrated just shy of 50 60 years under the organizational umbrella, the air conditioning division broke away as a separate company, though still linked to the aren’t company. This is how Peake Technologies Limited (PTL) was formed.

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Not ones to sit and wait for a reversal of fortune, PTL is proactive in its day-to-day activities, as Boodoo tells us,

“PTL remains the leader in supply, design, installation, service and repairs of all types of commercial and residential A/C units. In addition to this, we are also making great strides into indoor air purification, duct cleaning and sanitising, water tank cleaning, pump and water heater repairs, motor rewinding and compressor rebuilding.”

Clearly the company has been busy building a matrix of skills scarcely rivalled. Boodoo continued, “Over the last few years, PTL has opened branches in Marabella, (south of the island), Chaguanas (central part of the country), Arima (east of the country) and on our sister isle, Tobago, for easy distribution and the convenience of our customers. We are a service-oriented company and focus on quality in all aspects of our business. PTL has the biggest fleet of maintenance vehicles and trained technicians in the country, delivering the highest service the industry offers, according to our loyal and valued customers, via our satisfaction surveys. Our trained and qualified technicians and managers have the capacity to complete tens of millions of dollars a month in projects, while always meeting the quality and deadline needs of our customers.”

This is what makes the difference between a standard organisation and one that will go that little bit further to guarantee satisfaction and continued custom. By not allowing the threat of increased competition to undermine the fastidiousness and commitment of its staff and the quality of its products, PTL is set to weather the storm.

Heading out into the grey skies are the 175 highly qualified and deeply dedicated permanent PTL employees, each of whom is au fait and compliant with the exacting standards and values that every company representative is expected to uphold,

“We set our standards by

meeting customers’ expectations as echoed by our chairman Mr Paul Peake and they are to be followed by all employees. Regardless of each individual’s title, role or portfolio, everyone must adhere to all policies, rules and regulations of the company. Training is available and freely offered to all staff, be it office or technical. Technical training is completed both locally and overseas, while under and post graduate accomplishments often result in promotion and a salary increase. Staff development is very important as it brings the company added value and the employees themselves become more marketable, with a higher earning potential. The bar is

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always set high and staff must be keen to continually develop and remain spirited in a fiercely competitive environment.”

It takes a special company to not let opportunities for its employees fall by the wayside, while it assesses the potential threat of new, cheaper competitors, but PTL is special. Never shying away from the original values of family, trust and quality that underpinned its formation, the organisation continues to hold onto them as pillars of strength.

With after-sales policies in place to uphold client satisfaction, PTL recognises the importance of keeping their consumers happy,

“This is very important as we are more likely to get referrals and repeat work. Providing service excellence to an increased market share of consumers, searching for new lines and services to offer and continually looking for ways of reducing cost will all help to guarantee the future of the company and keep us ahead of our competitors.”

As 2015 approaches at lightening speed, a new year is often spells the start of vigorous expansion or diversification plans, so what does the future hold for PTL?

“We are expanding and moving into a newly-built, modern and much larger Head Office in February 2015, but we will be keeping a

presence here in Cocorite. We are fast-becoming STOW compliant, to allow us to take on more projects within the energy sector and we are developing a new building management line (BMS), designed to provide air conditioning information and control at customers’ finger tips, thanks to the latest technology.”

Of course, such developments will not happen overnight or as a result of modest investment, but Boodoo maintains that the improvements that these initiatives will bring about will be worth the effort,

“These developments will provide new horizons for some of our workers, allow for the promotion of people with experience, open the door for more and new training and allow us to utilise technology. Combined, this will result in new ways to do business, which will benefit customers financially (by reducing energy bills) and increase the life expectancy of their products. Ultimately, everything we are doing will improve the quality of life for our workers, customers and other stakeholders.”

More than just a breath of fresh air, PTL is leading the way for company and staff development and looks set to emerge victorious in the face of increased competition from the eastern markets.