Hernán Muñoz is the Professional of the Month representing the Chilean market. An entrepreneur, who with his company, has managed to fulfill many of his dreams.
by Duván Chaverra Agudelo
This time we are going to Chile to meet our new Professional of the month representing one of the countries with the highest economic growth in Latin America and that in the HVAC / R sector has a great importance.
We present the engineer Hernán Muñoz Mickle, president of the company Termoingeniería, specialized in equipment and parts for air conditioning systems and who for more than 34 years has led this project that today is a realised one and is recognized as one of the most important companies in the sector in the southern country.
Santiago de Chile saw the birth in 1946 of a character restless about the studio and who had a great professional experience thanks to his tour of different companies. His primary education was at the Luis Campino Institute of Humanities and the secondary school was shared between the Colegio de la Salle and the Liceo N°11 de Las Condes. Later he studied mechanical execution engineering and civil engineering at the Technical University of the State (former UTE) which was later renamed the University of Santiago.
While studying the last two years of Civil Engineering, Hernán joined RTA Ingenieros Consultores part-time, a company that later became part of Cade Idepe Ingeniería, where I worked until 1976. "In these companies I was linked to the thermofluid area in pulp, mining and real estate projects," he said.
After this experience, in 1976 he had his first opportunity to participate in the HVAC market by joining a company called Keller & Westendarp, where he had the opportunity to study an international proposal for all facilities including HVAC, sanitary, electrical, gas and communications for a 5-star hotel in La Paz Bolivia.
That proposal changed the life of the engineer, because once it was awarded to them he traveled to Bolivia for 3 years. "My professional and life experience in Bolivia was interesting and pleasant, and I am honored to have contributed to the formation of the Klimax HVAC company, which to date remains the most important company in Bolivia in this area," said the guest.
After his tour of that country, he returned to Chile to build Termoingenieria Ltda.
Hobbies and family life
Hernán Muñoz is a lover of field tennis and for that reason he practices it continuously in the week, about four times, he is also attracted to golf, but as he himself says it "without any pretension".
Football cannot leave him aside and he has witnessed the joys and sorrows that his soul team has given him: The Catholic University, which in the most recent tournament could not give its fans one more celebration. "Unfortunately we lost the final of the opening championship with the Spanish Union."
Also, our Professional of the Month is fortunate to have a large family with whom he shares unforgettable moments every time they meet. He currently shares his life with his second wife since 1997 and also has three children from his first marriage: Cristóbal, Juan Ignacio and Francisca and shares with the two children of his current wife: María Ignacia and Pablo. Those who relate very well to each other. In addition, Hernán contributed with 4 grandchildren and she with 2 granddaughters.
"All the children already have lives of their own and we meet in our house frequently in family lunches of three generations, which are entertaining and enriching," says our guest who is also passionate about traveling through some of the countries of the Latin American region.
Hernán trusts his family and especially his children to give them the direction of his company and thus be able to dissociate himself from some office work." Cristóbal (my eldest son) despite having studied architecture, has been enthusiastically involved in HVAC issues which makes me see with tranquility the future of Termoingenieria, "said Muñoz.
Your perspective on the industry
Returning to his professional life, the Professional of the Month highlights different aspects that explain the reasons why the HVAC sector has presented remarkable growth. Something that did not happen about 20 years ago.
"When I started in this area, air conditioning was a luxury that limited it to certain enclosures and central heating systems were intended for high-level residences. The air conditioning market has grown significantly in Chile and in my opinion it is due to the following reasons:
- Changes in architecture: old buildings were much more protected in this regard. Modern architecture has incorporated (without further consideration) glazed facades that in themselves represent a notable increase in thermal load.
- The increased interior equipment of the offices has also contributed to increasing the internal thermal load.
- A sustained growth of the economy of this country since the 70s.
- Practically non-existent import tariffs.
- All of the above makes the decision to incorporate Air Conditioning into a building more necessary on the one hand and more approachable.
Regarding the future of air conditioning, Hernán Muñoz highlights some aspects that are fundamental to allow a positive evolution: "The future of this industry in Chile has to do with the political and economic situation of the country, which today looks quite stable. However, this is a country that lives mainly on exports which makes it vulnerable to international crises."
Another important issue is the environment: "In the national market there is already a growing concern for the environmental issue and for that of energy efficiency, even more, if we consider the high cost of energy in this country. This forces us to be attentive to the news in this regard that come from our represented, assimilate them and transfer them to our customers".
