Industrial HVAC is almost a misnomer in the US. We have lost so much industry in our metamorphosis to a post-industrial society that there is less of a demand for our products and services. As paper, textile, and steel mills close on our shores we all know that the chance of new ones being built is little-to-none. We have found some degree of cross-over as we apply our technology and our products to institutional and healthcare settings. And we are still maintaining some older plants. But for the most part we are living in a new world. The current recession has only made matters worse.
I am mainly stating the obvious here. I am not decrying international trade, nor longing for the old days. What we have is what we have. The work ahead of us is focused on making proper use of what we have. There are still uses for steam technologies, evaporative cooling, direct gas-fired make-up air, and process controls. The challenge I think is re-imagining the world, seeing things differently. If we continue to look at the world based on the way it was we will miss out on the way it will be. That being said, I don’t have the answers. But hopefully I have enough imagination and fortitude to find a way to make it all work out for me and my business.