In 2015, Alex Ang set out to replace the aircon in his own home. The experience frustrated him. Most companies had a minimum two-week waiting time, prices were high, and the whole process felt unnecessarily complicated. As a Mechanical Engineering graduate from NTU and a former engineer at Sembcorp Marine, Alex knew the actual work didn’t have to cost that much or take that long.

So he dug into it himself, and realised there was a better way to run an aircon company. He teamed up with Jack, a fellow NTU Mechanical Engineering graduate and former Daikin Singapore engineer, and together they started Jex Aircon from scratch.

In the early days, it was just the two of them sharing a car, driving to every job themselves, and distributing flyers at BTO blocks on weekends. Customers were often surprised to find engineering graduates showing up to handle the installation personally. That hands-on involvement set the tone for everything that followed.

Then Covid-19 hit. Installations were suspended. Overheads continued. Like many small businesses, Jex Aircon faced real uncertainty. And Alex questioned more than once whether to keep going. But instead of shutting down, they adapted. They streamlined their operations, moved online, and qualified as an essential service to continue serving customers through the lockdown. What emerged was a leaner, more resilient business with sharper processes and a team that had proven it could handle pressure.

Today, what started off with one car and two engineers has grown into a full team with its own fleet of vans, serving HDB flats, condominiums, landed properties, and commercial spaces across Singapore. Referrals and repeat customers followed. And that, more than anything, told them they had built something real.