Well trained technicians are on the top of Thermo King’s priority list. The brand understands that investment in human resources equals high quality service for the customers.

“Time and money we invest in training separates us from the rest,” claimed Shane Thomas, Thermo King trainer for Australia and New Zealand during his recent training at Southern States Group. The Thermo King Corporation has been in operation since 1938 under the belief that well-trained technicians are key to providing the best transport refrigeration service.

Despite being in the refrigeration industry for more than 80 years, Thermo King is a modern, ever-evolving corporation, which works with like-minded dealerships. Southern States Group, being one of them, understands that today self-development is a goal of every progressive employee. Every year the number of fully trained and certified CERTI-TECH technicians within SSG is increasing. “They see the investments in them, which increase the workplace moral, the dealership wins as they get more technicians with higher productivity,” says Thomas. However, the technicians or even the dealerships are not the main beneficiaries. “The training keeps the staff up-to-date with all the Thermo King products, it improves the diagnosis’ efficiency. Finally, it means getting the equipment back on the road quicker, minimal downtime is every customer’s priority. What is more, the correct diagnosis will prevent a Thermo King unit from coming back for another service. It’s a win-win situation.”

No one knows the importance of sharing the knowledge more than Shane Thomas, who started his career as refrigeration mechanic at Queensland’s dealership. Eight years after accepting the trainer’s position with Thermo King, he still enjoys teaching and its outcome. “Some of the technicians are very familiar with the program as they have attended the classes numerous times. Whereas the new guys are probably more engaged and eager to learn. It brings them up to the higher level, brings them closer to the more experienced ones and that’s the whole idea behind the training,” summarises Thomas.

In addition to technician training, Thermo King is able to provide a dedicated, fully customisable training for its customers and drivers, who work with the Thermo King equipment.