World News

SWEDEN/DENMARK: The Nordic Climate Group is expanding its presence in Denmark with the acquisition of Danish refrigeration contractor Kølegruppen. 

ITALY: Emicon, the Italian heating, refrigeration and dehumidification systems manufacturer, plans to raise €3m to support production capacity increases at its production sites in Meldola and Piove di Sacco.

USA: People with limited access to air conditioning may be at higher risk of seeking emergency care for health problems following exposure to wildfire smoke, a new study finds. 

INDIA: Mukundan Menon has been appointed president of the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Manufacturers Association (RAMA), the Indian manufacturers’ group. 

USA: The US Department of Defense (DOD) has invested $90m to stockpile HFCs to support its military operations worldwide.

ITALY: A large ammonia spill at a food storage and distribution company in the province of Caserta, north of Naples, has resulted in the death of a 19-year-old maintenance worker.

SWEDEN/USA: Researchers claim to have have engineered a new type of refrigerator that can cool superconducting qubits to record low temperatures.

FRANCE: The latest report on the European HVACR market charts a rise in sales of dry coolers, chillers and data centre cooling equipment.

EUROPE: The European Commission has refused a call to re-evaluate the F-gas regulation 2024/573 in the light of a slump in heat pump sales.

SWEDEN: Swedish heat-pump systems and technology company Qvantum has raised €108m in Series C capital, including a debt facility of €15m, to increase production and drive European expansion.

JAPAN: Daikin is to carry out demonstration experiments of a new air conditioning system that will create spaces where people can feel more comfortable and healthy both physically and mentally.

BELGIUM: Ten years on from its establishment by the heat pump industry, the Keymark scheme has achieved its 10,000th heat pump certification.

JAPAN/USA: Hoshizaki has acquired its US distributor Cannon Marketing Inc (CMI) to strengthen its sales in southeastern United States.

JAPAN: The Fujitsu board has backed an offer of JPY256bn ($1.63bn) for its Fujitsu General air conditioning business from Paloma Rheem Holdings, owners of US HVACR manufacturer Rheem.

EUROPE: Certain types of specialist low temperature laboratory and medical equipment have been granted a temporary exemption from a European F-gas regulation ban which came into force on January 1.

SWEDEN/HUNGARY: Beijer Ref has acquired the remaining shares in Cool4U, the Hungarian HVAC distributor and representative of Chinese manufacturer Gree.

USA: Refrigerated intermodal equipment leasing company SeaCube is working with French shipping and logistics company CMA CGN to field test Thermo King's E-COOLPAC battery-powered refrigerated container genset.

USA: The US defence department's Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has awarded contracts to three prototype novel air conditioning and heat pump technologies to reduce energy consumption at military bases.

SWEDEN/NETHERLANDS: The Nordic Climate Group has further expanded its operations in the Netherlands with the acquisition of Amsterdam-based IJskoud BV. 

BELGIUM: Despite a significant increase in the number of F-gas certified personnel in Europe trained on alternatives, previous forecasts of the number required by 2030 may have been grossly underestimated.

SERBIA: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a loan of up to €105m for a solar-thermal power plant, featuring a 17MW heat pump, in Novi Sad.

SWEDEN: Swedish brazed plate heat exchanger manufacturer SWEP has announced the opening of a new rig for propane testing at its R&D centre in Landskrona.

USA: Chemours and Koura stand accused of anti-competitive conduct in a dispute over the supply of R454B, the lower GWP refrigerant alternative to R410A.

USA: Trane Technologies has signed a definitive agreement to acquire BrainBox AI, a pioneer in autonomous HVAC controls and generative AI building technology.

USA: More than two-thirds of the 8,500,000 lb (3,855 tonnes) of high GWP refrigerant R114 has been removed from a former US uranium enrichment plant in Kentucky. 

POLAND: Energy producer PGNiG Termika SA and the Warsaw Municipal Water and Sewage Company (MPWiK) have signed agreements to build one of the largest sewage heat pump installations in the EU. 

SWEDEN/TURKEY: Systemair has acquired the remaining shares in Turkish air handling units manufacturer HSK.