World News

EUROPE: The European Commission has again rejected a call for an earlier review of the F-gas regulation (2024/573).

SWEDEN: Wholesaler Beijer Ref has reported a net sales increase of SEK8,898m (€813m) in Q1, a 16% increase on the same period last year. 

JAPAN: Daikin and Hitachi are to begin a collaborative trial to commercialise a generative AI agent that supports equipment fault diagnosis in factories.

FRANCE: Lennox EMEA has changed its name to LFB Group as the umbrella name for its Lennox (HVAC) and Friga-Bohn (refrigeration) businesses.

BELGIUM: ASERCOM, the association representing European refrigeration component manufacturers, has produced Modbus Electronic Data Sheets to enhance the interoperability and integration of Modbus server devices.

GERMANY: The Bitzer Group has announced the death of Christiane Schaufler-Münch, wife of Peter Schaufler the German compressor manufacturer’s late owner and CEO.

USA: Kristen Ritchie has been appointed president of Minnesota-based Ritchie Engineering, filling the role held by her late husband Tom Ritchie who died suddenly last month.

FRANCE: The International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) has released a third edition of its technical brief highlighting the critical importance of refrigeration.

USA: Honeywell has announced a surcharge of 42% on orders for its lower GWP refrigerant R454B due to what it claims are unprecedented demand and the imposition of trade tariffs.

JAPAN: Panasonic has produced what it claims is Japan's first commercial air conditioner primarily powered by DC current for a mixed use development using solar PV and electric storage in Osaka.

JAPAN: Sales of EcoCute CO2 heat pump water heaters have exceeded 10 million units in the 24 years since its launch.

POLAND: Customs and tax officers have stopped an attempt to smuggle over 150kg of R404A refrigerant across the border from Ukraine.

USA: XNRGY Climate Systems, the manufacturer of custom air handling and liquid cooling systems, has opened a new 26,000m2 manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona.

INDIA: Daikin India has officially opened a new 24,000m2 R&D centre in Neemrana, its third such facility in the country.

JAPAN: Mitsubishi Electric is said to have developed an intelligent power module that can significantly reduce the power consumption of the inverter circuit driving the compressor of an air conditioner.

HUNGARY: Swedish heat pump manufacturer Qvantum has opened a new research and development lab at the company's factory in Nyíregyháza, Hungary. 

BELGIUM: Eurovent’s new Task Force IT Cooling (TF-ITC) section has elected Enrico Boscaro of Carel as its first chairperson, with Mario Scattolin of Vertiv as vice-chairperson.

LUXEMBOURG: Company checks carried out by Luxembourg’s Environment Agency have revealed 75% to be non-compliant with the European F-gas and ozone-depleting substances regulations.

USA: Mechanical pipe joining company Victaulic has announced the retirement of executive vice president and chief revenue officer Gary Moore after 37 years with the company.

SPAIN: The Spanish HVAC market has been valued at €1,832.8m in 2024, a 0.8% increase on 2023.

USA: The Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) has released its annual Global Top 25 List, recognising the association’s largest temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics members.

FRANCE: Philip Brangers has been appointed president of Daikin Airconditioning France. He succeeds Hideki Nishimura, who has taken a new role at Daikin Industries in Japan.

GERMANY: Caverion Deutschland has acquired Schulz Lufttechnik GmbH, a family-run company offering solutions in the fields of ventilation, air conditioning, cooling, filter and cleanroom technology.

USA: Two of the USA’s leading industry associations have filed a lawsuit against the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) over its HFC refrigerant bans and restrictions.

USA: The InstallerShow is moving overseas with the announcement that a US version of the annual show for the HVAC industry will take place in New York in 2026.

EUROPE: Companies and organisations across Europe are warning of a “widespread” illegal trade in banned high GWP refrigerants like R404A and R507.

BELGIUM/SWEDEN: Daikin has acquired the Swedish residential heat pump service company Kylslaget.