By Adrian Ephraim
IN a world where efficiency and sustainability are paramount, companies are seeking partners who can not only solve their immediate problems but also help them thrive for years to come.
SCE, with over a decade of experience in climate control innovation, has cemented its position as a strategic partner in this journey, particularly within the food and beverage, HVAC and pharmaceutical industries. The company’s story is one of evolution, empathy, and a commitment to helping South African businesses achieve their full potential.
SCE was founded on a vision to assist people and businesses in becoming the best versions of themselves in terms of production, manufacturing, productivity, and quality. The company’s founder, John Andersen, spent a significant part of his career working abroad, gaining a wealth of knowledge in “world process compliance and capabilities and practices”. This international experience laid the foundation for SCE’s mission: to help South African businesses and factories adopt the best available technology.
The company’s evolution has been driven by the market’s needs. With the onset of load shedding in South Africa, energy efficiency became a monumental focus. Andersen explains, “Energy efficiency has become monumental after load shedding really started hitting us, and so in other words, reducing energy cost, reducing energy consumption, not just the cost but the consumption thereof”.
This need to reduce energy consumption also helps clients reduce the cost of diesel generation. The company’s solutions also address the need for global compliance, as many South African food manufacturers supply to international brands. “Compliance is a global standard and is necessary, and sometimes that is a bit tough for people to get going on,” Andersen says.
For SCE, “sustainable growth” isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a core philosophy with two main focus points. First, it’s about doing things “right, do it green, do it in a manner in which you can save energy and be globally compliant from a carbon footprint”. This is particularly relevant in Southern Africa, where planning around the availability of water and power is crucial.
The company focuses on reusing and repurposing resources, such as using grey water and recovering lost energy from systems like compressors and heat rejection plants. “The fundamental truth is our energy cost is only going to become more expensive as we go forward,” Andersen says. He believes that “reusing what we have and having a less or smaller footprint of energy consumption is really important”.
The second focus of sustainable growth is ensuring a solution is viable for a client’s long-term business vision. SCE gets involved from the very beginning, asking clients about their five- and ten-year plans to ensure that any project undertaken aligns with their future goals.
This approach ensures that every action taken and every project completed becomes a “sustainable growth path for their business as well”. John states that their work matches a client’s “vision and your planning going forward”.
SCE’s commitment to innovation is evident in its portfolio of patented technologies, including DryJET®, DryJET-THERMAL®, DryGYRO®, DryZONE-PLUS® and FREECOOL®. These patents are the result of specific research and development to solve real-world problems for their customers.
SCE’s business model is built on long-term partnerships. “We’re in business because of them and they’re in business because of us and their success is our success,” says Andersen.
In a significant development, SCE has also signed an agreement with the Finnish company Vaisala, a world leader in temperature, humidity, and air quality measurement.
“It becomes part of our portfolio to be able to represent them in the HVAC and industrial sectors”, Andersen says.
