Andrei, an HVAC and commercial equipment engineer in New York City, shares insights from years spent maintaining and modernising critical systems across restaurants, schools, and hospitals. In this TechBullion interview, he reflects on the technical, operational, and safety challenges that define his work, and the innovations reshaping commercial infrastructure.
Please tell us a little more about yourself?
My name is Andrei Simanenka, and I am an engineer originally from Belarus, now living and working in New York City. I’ve spent more than twenty-five years working with complex electronic and commercial systems, but my interest in engineering started long before it became a career. As a kid, I went to an after-school electronics club where we built small radios and learned how different components behaved under load. The moment I saw that something broken could be made to work again using knowledge and my own hands, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life.
That early curiosity eventually led me to study engineering first in technical college, then at university, where I earned two engineering degrees focused on automation and electronic systems. My first professional roles were in industrial automation and control systems, but over time I expanded into refrigeration, HVAC, electronics repair, diagnostics, and commercial equipment. Today, all those experiences come together in my work helping businesses and public institutions keep critical equipment operating safely and reliably.
How does your engineering background shape the way you work with complex equipment across sectors?
My engineering training gave me a habit of looking at every machine as a complete system. I don’t think in separate parts – I see how electrical logic interacts with mechanical components, how a refrigeration cycle responds to temperature or pressure changes, and how sensors and software communicate with the rest of the system. This mindset completely changes the way I diagnose equipment.
A lot of technicians rely on symptoms: if something doesn’t run, they replace the part that looks responsible. My approach is different. I always look for the underlying reason – why something failed, what caused the chain reaction, and what else may be affected. That allows me to make repairs that last. I’m able to understand machines that combine electronics, mechanics, and refrigeration because this is exactly the type of systems I trained on from the beginning.
This is why I’m comfortable working not just in one trade, but with a wide range of equipment that today is becoming more interconnected than ever.
Many technicians specialise in only one type of commercial machinery, yet you work confidently across HVAC systems, commercial refrigeration, electronics, kitchen equipment, and other sophisticated technologies. What enables you to operate at this breadth of capability?
It comes from years of working with equipment that doesn’t fit neatly into one category. I started with industrial automation, where you cannot solve problems without understanding electricity, mechanical processes, programming logic, and system behavior all at the same time. Later, when I moved into commercial HVAC and refrigeration, I saw that modern equipment follows the same principles: everything is interconnected.
With time, I became the person that companies called when standard technicians reached their limit. When a control board was acting unpredictably, when a refrigeration system behaved differently from what gauges suggested, or when an oven or ice machine had a problem that didn’t show up in manuals – those were the cases I specialized in. The more unusual the problem, the more valuable my background became.
In other words, I learned to work across sectors because real-world systems don’t follow borders. They require a blend of knowledge, and I’ve been developing that blend for decades.
Why do so few professionals possess the expertise to handle complex commercial systems end-to-end, and how does your skill set fill this gap?
The truth is that most technicians are trained very narrowly. They learn HVAC or refrigeration or electrical work, but not all of them together. Modern equipment doesn’t respect those boundaries. A problem in a restaurant freezer can come from a faulty sensor, a software issue, a refrigerant imbalance, an unstable power supply, or a failing board – and unless you understand all these areas, you can’t get to the real cause.
That’s why there is such a shortage of specialists who can diagnose everything from control logic to mechanical parts in one visit. Many jobs stay unresolved simply because they require someone with both theoretical knowledge and hands-on engineering experience.
My background allows me to fill exactly this gap. I can take a system apart mentally, understand what each component is doing, and restore the equipment to stable operation even when documentation is missing or manufacturer support is unavailable. This combination is rare, and it’s what allows me to serve facilities that cannot afford mistakes or long downtime.
Sim HVAC & Appliance Repair is known for taking on challenges that other companies often avoid. What distinguishes your diagnostic and repair approach when dealing with equipment most technicians cannot service?
When I’m called to a job that others walked away from, I don’t start by guessing. I treat the machine like a puzzle that needs to be understood. Instead of replacing multiple parts in hope that something will fix the issue, I take time to study how the system behaves under real conditions. I look at temperature patterns, electrical loads, pressure changes, and how the control board reacts to changes. Very often the real problem is hidden several steps deeper than the initial symptom.
Because of this, I am able to repair equipment that many technicians consider unrepairable. Sometimes it requires rebuilding a control board, sometimes adjusting a system the way the manufacturer never documented, and sometimes correcting a design flaw that has been causing issues for years.
This approach saves businesses a tremendous amount of money and prevents them from having to replace expensive equipment unnecessarily. But more importantly, it keeps their operations running.
Your company supports a wide range of organisations — from restaurants and schools to hospitals, churches, government institutions, and major commercial facilities. How does your work help these environments remain operational and safe?
In many of these places, downtime simply isn’t an option. A hospital cannot allow medical refrigerators to fail. A school kitchen cannot stop serving lunches to hundreds of children. A restaurant cannot afford a spoiled walk-in cooler. A government building cannot operate without proper ventilation or climate control. Even community centers depend on their equipment to support elderly residents, after-school programs, and essential services.
My work directly prevents these interruptions. When something breaks, I’m often the person who gets called last – after multiple technicians tried and couldn’t fix the problem. Because I understand these systems at the engineering level, I’m able to restore equipment quickly, correctly, and in a way that prevents repeat failures.
By doing this, I keep essential facilities from shutting down or violating safety regulations. I help them avoid health risks, financial losses, and operational disruptions. And in many cases, I help them stay open for the people who rely on them every day – patients, students, workers, and communities.
That is the real impact of what I do: I make sure that places responsible for public safety and daily life continue running without interruption.
Equipment failure can be extremely costly, particularly for public institutions and high-demand commercial spaces. How do your advanced repair and modernisation capabilities help clients reduce risk and avoid major disruptions?
When I step into a facility, my goal is not only to fix the current issue but to prevent the next one. Because I understand how systems behave over time, I often catch problems before they turn into breakdowns. That allows institutions to avoid emergency shutdowns, protect valuable inventory, and maintain compliance with safety and environmental regulations.
Many of the systems I work on are expensive to replace and essential to daily operations. By restoring them instead of replacing them, I help clients avoid both financial loss and downtime. For public institutions, that can mean uninterrupted medical care, stable learning environments, and safe living conditions.
In sectors like healthcare and education, functionality and safety are non-negotiable. Can you discuss the role your services play in sustaining critical infrastructure for these organisations?
These environments depend on reliability. Temperature deviations can ruin medication storage. A malfunction in ventilation can affect patient health or indoor air quality in classrooms. A single failure in commercial kitchen equipment can disrupt food service for hundreds of children.
My role is to make sure these failures don’t happen – and if they do, that they are corrected before they cause harm. I help these institutions maintain stable environments, comply with regulations, and continue serving people safely. In essence, I protect the infrastructure that keeps communities healthy and functioning.
Your team often steps in when essential equipment breaks down unexpectedly. How does Sim HVAC & Appliance Repair minimise downtime and ensure businesses can continue serving their communities without interruption?
When a call comes in, I approach the problem with urgency and precision. Because I can diagnose systems quickly and understand how different components interact, I can restore equipment significantly faster than standard service workflows allow. If a part is unavailable, I can often repair or stabilize the existing component to keep the facility running until a proper replacement arrives.
This ability to bridge the gap – to bring a system back online even in difficult circumstances – is often what saves a business from losing a day of service or a hospital from facing a safety incident.
Looking at the broader economic and public impact, how do you see your highly specialised skills contributing to business continuity, community support, and the reliability of everyday services people depend on?
The work I do affects more than just machinery. When essential equipment stays operational, businesses avoid costly closures, public institutions stay compliant and safe, and communities receive uninterrupted services. Food stays safe, air stays clean, medical supplies stay preserved, and critical facilities remain open.
In a very real sense, my skills help sustain the infrastructure people depend on every day. This contributes to economic stability, public health, and the smooth functioning of community life – which is exactly why I believe my work aligns with national interest.
