The following storiesy from Bangladesh, Barbados, and Bolivia are extracts from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."
SHAMSAD SHARMIN, BANGLADESH
I passed my Cambridge O Levels with As in Maths, Additional Maths, Physics, and Chemistry. I was interested in science and innovation during my secondary education and that interest further deepened during my college studies. Later, I got my Bachelor’s degree in Material Science and Engineering.
For about two years, I have been working in the Refrigeration and Air-conditioning (RAC) sector of Walton Hi-Tech Industries, situated in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Here, I serve as a Material Engineer in the motor manufacturing sector producing compressors for R-600a based refrigerators. My responsibilities include the management of technical research on the die casting process and the heat treatment process for rotor and stator laminations. I was involved designing the compressor manufactured by my company. Moreover, with my colleagues, I have been working to carefully select the best combination of materials for the electrical steel sheets for rotor and stator laminations and the aluminium for rotor cages.
Starting with the basic science regarding metallurgy, an extremely broad weld of knowledge is involved in the process of heat treating (decarburizing) the stator laminates after the punching process, in order to reduce the carbon content and increase the grain size, both intended to reduce hysteresis loss. We optimize the process by designing heat cycles for annealing and other associated heat treatment processes. This reduces efforts devoted to rework and lowers rejection costs. The control systems of existing processes are improved for satisfactory results. The decarburizing process also involves eliminating burrs. Another important step at the decarburizing furnace is the production of a thin, but usually good quality, Fe3O4 oxide layer to provide electrical insulation between laminates. The decarburizing process described above is useful for stator laminates, which carry flux at line frequency, leading to significant iron losses in the stator cores. However, for rotor laminates, only oil vaporization is required, since in most rotor cores, flux variations are low in frequency.
“I think the best method to establish an equivalent participation
of female and male employees in the RAC sector is by engaging young
female students in work discovery programmes enabling them to explore
their potential, curiosity and passion for innovation.”
We have a fully equipped metallographic lab for analysing our products. The laboratory personnel create and analyse macro sections and micro sections and carry out a variety of hardness tests. Other services offered by the lab include metallurgical microscopy and material analyses.
To cast squirrel cage rotors, the 100 tonne, high-pressure THT die-cast machine is operated. The molten aluminium must yow through the lower end-ring and rotor slots and reach the upper end-ring before solidifying. The aluminium must be injected rapidly so it does not solidify in the rotor bar slots in the lamination stack.
Afterwards, rotor castings are tempered or annealed. The rotor annealing cycle is hence optimized to reduce the inter-bar current, leading to significant improvements in maximum torque and power factor. Additionally, annealing relieves the mechanical stress of cast aluminium, increasing its conductivity.
To verify the effect of annealing in motor performance, we use a multi cycle 450°C heat treatment to detach the rotor bars from the steel. All assembled rotors have laminates with thin Fe3O4 film and cages obtained through high-pressure die-casting.
The first thing I noticed is that male employees are predominantly employed in this sector and my company. I have only a few female colleagues and I often feel that my voice is not heard in such a male–dominated group. I do not want to leave my job, so I reach out to people who have experienced a similar situation to advise me on how to position myself within the group. This has helped me to build the self-confidence I need to thrive in similar contexts and to recognize the importance of having women work together and share experiences. Additionally, working at a compressor manufacturing plant has opened my eyes to the vast possibilities in the weld and made me want to pursue jobs that allow me to create things and think differently.
As I very enthusiastically carry out my responsibilities here, at some point, I could experience the cultural expectation to marry and settle down with a husband, which could eventually lead me to quit my job. I needed something more than a desire to continue my job. I felt envy combined with inspiration, from the step I took in Walton. I remember walking down the long corridor of our manufacturing site, seeing through the transparent doors of my working zone and wanting to belong there. The initial tasks seemed so much harder than I had imagined. Knowing that nothing could miraculously fix my situation made me work harder and push myself to the point where I now believe that I can succeed. I am fortunate to have some people around me who supported my decision to carry on with my job.
On the basis of my experience and reflections, I think the best method to establish an equivalent participation of female and male employees in the RAC sector is by engaging young female students in work discovery programmes enabling them to explore their potential, curiosity and passion for innovation.
SHAKIRA BOYCE, BARBADOS
My childhood dream was to become a veterinarian. However, that all changed one day when, as a teenager, I stopped to observe a technician in my home who was repairing my mother’s malfunctioning washing machine. Upon his departure, we found that the washer was still faulty. When the technician returned to correct the problem, he had the audacity to charge my mother a second time for work he should have initially done correctly. Seeing my mother taken advantage of in that way made something click within me and I thought: “I could do this work!” It was in that moment that I decided that this was what I wanted to do. I promised myself that I would learn the trade that would lead to me ultimately becoming both an appliance service technician and a refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) service technician. This was an uncommon choice for a girl, as the weld was, and still is, male-dominated, but I believed that this was my niche.
Upon leaving secondary school in 2003 at the age of 15, I was accepted at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic (SJPP). Now renamed the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology (SJPI), it is the premier technical training institution in Barbados. There, I enrolled in the RAC Diploma programme, in which Home Appliance Servicing and Repairs was a required course. As one of only two girls in a class with 14 boys, I experienced sexism, harassment, and intimidation at the hands of some of our classmates. However, having grown up with three older brothers, male intimidation had very little effect on me. In addition, although there were many other distractions, I managed to maintain my focus and worked steadily towards successfully completing my studies.
“Sometimes, I felt as though I had to work twice as hard to prove
that I was just as capable as any male technician... so I persevered and
eventually earned the respect of my peers.”
Where intimidation failed, the theoretical aspect of the programme proved to be my biggest challenge. However, engaging with the practical component was where I excelled. Coming from a family of tradesmen, I learnt that most adversity is often overcome by trial and error; I noted that if you’ve tried and failed, an error must have been made and that, therefore, you need to try again until you succeed! That stuck with me, and I still use that lesson today as a motto to drive me to succeed.
After graduating in 2005, I entered the RAC industry. The transition from studying to working life was an adjustment, and no one was easy on me. Sometimes, I felt as though I had to work twice as hard to prove that I was just as capable as any male technician. However, I was determined never to be classified as incompetent, so I persevered and eventually earned the respect of my peers. Those experiences have helped to mould me into the woman and technician that I am today.
Things took a downward spiral in 2011, after my position at an establishment I had worked at for five years was made redundant during my pregnancy. When I was given the reason for being dismissed, I felt as if my employers were taunting me, especially since they knew both that I was pregnant and that my daughter’s father had died earlier in my pregnancy.
The reality of my position being made redundant hit me hard. I thought it was unfair, since, though they were not RAC technicians, other females at the company were treated much more favourably under similar circumstances.
I remained at home for approximately two years, mothering my daughter. In 2014, I was presented with the opportunity to apply for a part-time tutoring position as a RAC instructor at the SJPP. Initially, I was hesitant to submit the application because I didn’t think that I had the ability to fulfil the job requirements. However, one of my former tutors relentlessly encouraged me to submit the necessary information for the position, and I did. Subsequently, I got the job. In the beginning, I was met with opposition from persons I believed should have encouraged me as a young female instructor, and I was extremely doubtful about whether I would continue.
However, I have grown to love teaching. I am strict with my students when required. I put a great deal of thought and effort into identifying the most effective ways of reaching and encouraging each of them. Ultimately, the best reward for me is hearing my students’ success stories and seeing students with difficult backgrounds transform and work towards excellence right in front of me.
At this stage in my life, I’m quite satisfied with where I am and what I’ve accomplished. My present goals are to gain more qualifications in RAC and to ensure that I keep abreast of the technological advances being made in the industry. Thinking back on the challenges I’ve faced, I believe that I have developed a good reputation amongst my co-workers. In the end, I have no regrets and each path I took was worth it!
My advice to young women interested in entering any male-dominated industry is this: although it will be a challenge to prove your worth, let nothing stop you from becoming the best at what you do; know that there will always be hindrances and that you are your greatest adversary.
Ladies, I believe that success is ours!
LUCIA CONDORI GUTIERREZ, BOLIVIA
My name is Lucia Condori and I was born in the city of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Below I tell the story of how I made the decision to pursue a career as a refrigeration technician. I finished my studies in management in 2004. In 2005, I entered university to study public accounting. In the first few months, it became clear that I needed to look for a job to pay for my study expenses, since I lived alone with my mother.
I started working in mid-2005 as a secretary at Refrigeración Consul, a workshop, while studying at university. As I progressed in my position at the workshop, customers began asking me questions about the possible reasons for the breakdown of their refrigeration equipment. I could not answer these questions, since the owner and the technicians were constantly servicing clients outside the workshop. It was then that I decided to train and learn more about the weld. I completed the public accounting course in 2010. In 2012, I learned that there were courses that would be taught by an engineer named Villegas at the University of San Simón, and without hesitation, I enrolled and took all those courses, from basic refrigeration to industrial refrigeration. After passing the courses satisfactorily, I began working as an assistant technician in the same workshop so I could attend to customers and explain to them all the possible technical problems that a refrigeration system could have. I then realized that it was my calling to be a refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) technician.
“I believe that it is never too late to learn and that nothing is
impossible. If you put your mind to it, you can achieve your goal. No job
is beyond limits - you can be whatever you decide to be.”
Time passed, and in 2016, I married the technician who owned the workshop. We now have two beautiful children and we continue to work together, making our company grow much more, maintaining its prestige, and keeping ourselves up to date. My supportive husband encouraged me to submit my application when the Government Ozone Commission issued a call for applications to join an accredited team of technicians that will provide services in customs-free zones in Bolivia. Thank God I was accepted; this accreditation gave me new job opportunities, and to date, I am still performing my duties efficiently and responsibly.
There are many male technicians who consider this job not suitable for a woman, but it is satisfying to show many of them that a woman can indeed do the job. Over the years, I have seen that there are already women in my environment who do this work in a very professional way.
As a female technician, I find that the most difficult thing about my job is balancing the time spent on work, the time spent taking care of my children and helping them with homework, and the time spent on housework. My situation is not unique, as many women leave their trades and professions in order to care for their children. However, working as a team with my husband enables me to stay active at work and helps me manage my time properly in the business without neglecting my children.
I believe that it is never too late to learn and that nothing is impossible. If you put your mind to it, you can achieve your goal. No job is beyond limits - you can be whatever you decide to be.
LUCERO CORTEZ USTARIZ, BOLIVIA
My name is Lucero and I’m 22 years old. Since I was a child, I have always been surrounded by people who work in the refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) sector: my grandfather taught my father and all of my uncles, who to this day are working in the RAC sector. Working in the RAC sector is something not common for a woman, and I wanted to do something out of the ordinary.
My grandfather and my father patiently taught me to repair all kinds of refrigeration equipment. I decided to take training courses to learn more and be able to give better service to clients, which, little by little, earned me good, guaranteed employment. It also gave me the responsibility, at the time, of delivering their refrigeration equipment.
“I decided to take training courses to learn more and be able
to give better service to clients, which, little by little, earned me good,
guaranteed employment."
But it was not easy getting started in the RAC sector because there is so much sexism in Bolivia. The first jobs I found were not easy because some clients doubted my capacity to do the job or were surprised to learn that I was the technician who would repair their refrigeration equipment. Meanwhile, others preferred to look for another technician who was not a woman.
One of my goals is to do something for the environment, since a RAC technician has a lot of responsibility towards the environment in terms of the types of refrigerants we handle.
I am very happy working in the refrigeration and air conditioning sector. I have my own service workshop, and I feel glad because my clients recommend me to other people because of the work I do.
