Peru brings a new representative to the Professional of the Month section. This time we will learn about the life of Juan Carlos Meza Castro, the general manager of the Uezu Corporation.
by Duván Chaverra Agudelo
Juan Carlos Meza Castro is an electrical mechanical engineer whose main role model is his mother, whom he constantly thanks for the examples he gave him since he was a child and the recommendations to understand that in life everything is achieved if it is done with effort and dedication.
Today, the Professional of the Month on behalf of Peru is the general manager of his own company, which he created with his brother Manuel Uezu and which is called Corporación Uezu, a manufacturer and distributor of air conditioning, industrial ventilation and acoustic equipment.
But to reach what it is today, Juan Carlos had to draw on a lot of experience throughout his professional life, working for different companies in the guild that allowed him to channel his dreams and make them come true.
"Since I was a child I always had a taste for engineering, so finishing studying at the Leoncio Prado Military College, I entered the National University of Engineering to study Electrical Mechanical Engineering. My first job was at Editora Peru, where I worked for six months as an electromechanical maintenance engineer. Then I was at Iredi International SRL, an air conditioning contractor company where I felt I liked this field; later I worked in the companies Geesa and Frío Andino, until I decided to create my own company: Uezu Ingenieros S.R.L., where I held the position of general manager. I am currently the general manager of Corporación Uezu S.A.C.", commented our guest.
His taste for this industry led him to create his own family business in 1990, which would be dedicated to the supply and installation of air conditioning and ventilation systems. Then in 1994, the company began to manufacture the first fans, which were then designed with sectors such as industrial and mining in mind; however, they also wanted to participate actively in the air conditioning sector, and that was when in 2004 they decided to strengthen that line.
Therefore, they initially allied as distributors of the York brand. In 2007, due to the good results, they created a new company called Uezu Comercial to separate divisions and dedicate themselves to the air conditioning area. Then, in 2008, they teamed up with LG. In 2009 they created the company Corporación Uezu. In 2010 they expanded and became distributors of Lennox after a meeting with Víctor Mora, executive director of the firm.
"In 2011 we began to distribute Lennox equipment, our goal was to have stock of ecological equipment and 13 SEER, since in Peru the companies only maintained stock of equipment in R22 and 10SEER. In these 2 years that we have with Lennox we have introduced to Peru R410A air conditioning equipment from 13 SEER to 22 SEER, always with the aim of providing customers with ecological and energy saving devices, "explained the Professional of the month.
The success of Juan Carlos' administration goes hand in hand with the positive performance of the Peruvian economy in recent years, in addition to the growth of foreign investment. "Peru is a country with great natural resources. This has been realized by foreign investors and for this reason there are currently good investments, which generates work in all the specialties involved such as metal mechanics, construction and manufacturing, which developed a large number of infrastructures, where they see that air quality is important in the work area, resulting in greater productivity of its staff and greater competitiveness in its area," explained the guest.
It is for this reason that the air conditioning and ventilation industry has shown remarkable growth and projects are increasingly important, however, the Professional of the Month recognizes that the lack of regulations that promote the formality of the sector remains a weakness that allows the dynamism of informal companies.
Another weakness highlighted by Juan Carlos Meza has to do with the limited supply of training offered by industries in this country.
"Technicians and engineers in the sector need to learn but are limited to what large brand distribution companies can do, which from time to time bring specialists. If we do not have good specialists, then it is difficult for them to offer customers good solutions, considering energy savings and avoiding damage to nature and directing customers for economic solutions that in the end end up being expensive. The competition in our environment is based on prices, when the ideal would be that the competition is given by the presentation of favorable alternatives for customers: technological innovation and long-term savings, "explained the general manager of Corporación Uezu.
Our guest recognizes that the industry in Peru will continue to present a positive growth: "The air conditioning, ventilation and refrigeration sector will continue to grow, thanks to the good economy that our country is going through, in the medium term we will be a medium where technological innovations will be applied, because in the following years an awareness will arise for energy saving and for the care of the environment".
A leader more than a boss
A general manager's leadership is measured by the ability to work as a team with his employees. This seems to be the model adopted by Juan Carlos Meza to make his company's operations run successfully.
"As an entrepreneur I have always been concerned about our staff adapting to the work system of Uezu companies; we partners have a well-defined work culture, where we make the staff understand that our philosophy is to seek collective benefit, protected by moral values. They are made to understand that achievements are obtained based on collective actions, leaving aside individualities, this we achieve thanks to the development of organizational and induction meetings, "explained the Professional of the month.
Another aspect in which he considers it important to deepen with employees is training as a method of knowledge, updating and leadership. "My brother Manuel fulfilled the work of inducing the business culture of Uezu and we have always had internal and external training for the staff; in times of low demand for work, on Saturdays, the different areas prepare trainings for their staff, where not only academic topics are seen, but also workshops on leadership, values and oratory. We know that the company's best asset is its staff. Regarding the topic of technological innovation, we are always traveling to the different international fairs to see the new equipment, accessories and air conditioning systems; our staff also travel to these events and take advantage of the trainings provided by suppliers in their factories."
His other life
The other side of our Professional of the Month has to do with your personal and family looks. He is married to his wife Luz, with whom he shares his life 18 years ago, a marriage that has given three children: Paolo (17 years old), Jean Pierre (13) and Fiorella (10), and a family that is the most important thing for his life and to which he would like to dedicate more time, because his work sometimes prevents him, although it is something he wants to correct.
Juan Carlos Meza's free time is also used to practice his hobbies: playing football, listening to music and surfing the internet, in the latter he constantly looks for information related to energy saving. He plays football every Sunday, inspired by his soul team: the Alianza Lima club, one of the historical ones of Peruvian football.
On the other hand, the general manager of the Uezu Corporation highlights his discipline as a result of the learning obtained at the Leoncio Prado Military College. "Even at one point I wanted to be a military man, but I gain more passion for engineering," he said.
Finally, and as we highlighted at the beginning, our Professional of the Month will always have a great admiration for everything his mother did to move her children forward. "I remember that when I was a child we had many shortcomings, but I will always remember the great effort my mother made to educate and support me, that experience is worth a lot to me now," he concluded.Box
The Professional of the Month
Name: Juan Carlos Meza Castro
Date of birth: Lima, 02/04/1961
Higher education: Electrical Mechanical Engineer from the National University of Engineering
Company of beginning work: 1985 Editora Perú S.A. (Engineer)
Companies where he has worked:
- 1986-1987 Iredi International S.R.L. (Engineer)
- 1988-1989 GEESA (Engineer)
- 1990 Frío Andino S.R.L. (Engineer)
- 1990-2005 Uezu Ingenieros S.R.L. (General Manager)
- 2007-2009 Uezu Comercial S.A.C. (Technical Manager)
- 2009 -2012 Uezu Corporation S.AC. (General Manager)
