World News
25th April 2025
Commission rules out earlier F-gas review
EUROPE: The European Commission has again rejected a call for an earlier review of the F-gas regulation (2024/573).
24th April 2025
Beijer Ref sales up 16% in Q1
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.
22nd April 2025
Daikin and Hitachi trial AI for fault diagnosis
JAPAN: Daikin and Hitachi are to begin a collaborative trial to commercialise a generative AI agent that supports equipment fault diagnosis in factories.
22nd April 2025
Lennox EMEA becomes LFB Group
FRANCE: Lennox EMEA has changed its name to LFB Group as the umbrella name for its Lennox (HVAC) and Friga-Bohn (refrigeration) businesses.
22nd April 2025
ASERCOM move to seamless integration
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.
22nd April 2025
Christiane Schaufler-Münch RIP
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.
21st April 2025
Kristen appointed Ritchie Engineering president
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.
21st April 2025
Report highlights role of refrigeration
FRANCE: The International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) has released a third edition of its technical brief highlighting the critical importance of refrigeration.
20th April 2025
Honeywell adds 42% tariff surcharge on R454B
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.
20th April 2025
Panasonic offers Japan’s first DC AC
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.
18th April 2025
Japanese EcoCute shipments pass 10 million
JAPAN: Sales of EcoCute CO2 heat pump water heaters have exceeded 10 million units in the 24 years since its launch.
17th April 2025
Customs stop R404A hidden in LPG tanks
POLAND: Customs and tax officers have stopped an attempt to smuggle over 150kg of R404A refrigerant across the border from Ukraine.
17th April 2025
XNRGY facility to support data centre market
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.
16th April 2025
Daikin opens third R&D centre in India
INDIA: Daikin India has officially opened a new 24,000m2 R&D centre in Neemrana, its third such facility in the country.
15th April 2025
Mitsubishi power module cuts AC power usage
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.
15th April 2025
Qvantum opens heat pump R&D lab in Hungary
HUNGARY: Swedish heat pump manufacturer Qvantum has opened a new research and development lab at the company's factory in Nyíregyháza, Hungary.
15th April 2025
Boscaro heads new Eurovent IT Cooling group
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.
13th April 2025
Luxembourg reveals F-gas non-compliance
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.
13th April 2025
Victaulic announces sales leadership change
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.
13th April 2025
Spanish HVAC market valued at €1,832.8m
SPAIN: The Spanish HVAC market has been valued at €1,832.8m in 2024, a 0.8% increase on 2023.
13th April 2025
GCCA members’ capacity grows by over 10%
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.
11th April 2025
Brangers becomes president of Daikin France
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.
11th April 2025
Caverion acquires German company Schulz Lufttechnik
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.
9th April 2025
Industry challenges NY HFC bans
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.
9th April 2025
InstallerShow is New York bound
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.
9th April 2025
Europe “flooded” with illegal R404A/R507
EUROPE: Companies and organisations across Europe are warning of a “widespread” illegal trade in banned high GWP refrigerants like R404A and R507.
8th April 2025
Daikin buys Swedish heat pump service business
BELGIUM/SWEDEN: Daikin has acquired the Swedish residential heat pump service company Kylslaget.