World News

JAPAN: Pure Mist, the electrostatic air treatment technology used in Mitsubishi Electric’s air conditioners, has been shown to reduce the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) to 99% within three hours.

GERMANY: A German research company is planning the development of propane heat pumps to replace gas and oil heating systems in existing apartment buildings. Engineers…

JAPAN/GREECE: Fujitsu General has acquired a 51% stake in FG South East Europe SA, its air conditioning distributor in Greece, which was recently spun off…

JAPAN/FRANCE: Fujitsu General has established a joint venture with French heating company Groupe Atlantic to produce air-to-water heat pumps in Europe. The new company, FGAHP, is…

INDONESIA: Six crewmen on a trawler in the Bali Sea are reported to have died following a refrigerant leak onboard the ship. The unconfirmed press…

EUROPE: Prices of refrigerants R134a and R32 saw significant increases in Europe in the third quarter of this year compared to Q2.  Latest findings from…

BELGIUM: Leading European politicians have stressed the urgent need to tackle the persistent illegal F-gas trade and strengthen enforcement measures.

ITALY: Leading heat exchanger product manufacturer Lu-Ve has announced the death of its chairman and founder Iginio Liberali. Born in Pavia, near Milan, in 1931,…

USA: One man has died and one hospitalised after an ammonia leak at a food processing facility in Norwood, Massachusetts, according to local news reports.…

GERMANY: Increased heat pump sales have helped Stiebel Eltron exceed a turnover of €1bn for the first time. The milestone was passed at the end…

BELGIUM: Approximately 25 tonnes of HFCs and HCFCs have been seized in the a global crackdown on illegal shipments of hazardous waste.

INDONESIA: The Republic of Indonesia has become the latest country to ratify the Kigali Amendment to phase down HFC refrigerants. Indonesia's ratification brings the total number…

ITALY: Lu-Ve has negotiated a €30m loan with Deutsche Bank aimed at further strengthening its production processes at plants in Italy, Poland and the USA. The medium-term…

SWEDEN/USA: Swedish refrigeration and air conditioning wholesaler Beijer Ref has taken its first step into the North American market after agreeing to acquire Heritage Distribution Holdings…

SWEDEN/UK: Swegon, the Swedish manufacturer of ventilation and indoor climate products, has  acquired UK air handling unit manufacturer Dalair Ltd.  Founded in 1981 and based…

USA: A waffle manufacturer in San Jose has been fined $85,000 for the release of around 3,400lb (1,542kg) of ammonia. The Eggo Company was criminally…

USA: All common higher GWP HFC refrigerants including R134a, R404A and R410A will be banned in most new refrigeration and air conditioning applications from 2025…

BELGIUM: Alberto Ferrandi, product manager at Swegon has been elected chairman of Eurovent’s Polyvalent Units Task Force group.

AUSTRALIA: The Australian manufacturers’ group, AREMA, and UNEP are helping Pacific Island Countries improve their training capacity on good servicing practices of refrigeration and air…

ITALY: Commercial refrigeration manufacturer Epta has joined VICORPAN, a European project aimed at reducing CO2 emissions and increasing the recyclability of refrigeration appliances that use vacuum insulation panels. Co-funded by the EU,…

FRANCE: Carrier Commercial Refrigeration claims to have reached a landmark 20,000 CO2 transcritical refrigeration racks sold in Europe.  Carrier’s landmark unit, installed by MCI 34 at…

JAPAN: Japanese manufacturer Yanmar has developed a hybrid chiller system, in cooperation with Daikin Industries and Tokyo Gas, that combines gas and electric technologies.  The…

USA/UAE: IGas USA, a leading producer and seller of refrigerant gases, has opened a new 2,000,000ft2 (186,000m2) production facility on 160,000m2 of land in Abu…

VENEZUELA: The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has become the latest country to ratify the Kigali Amendment to phase down HFC refrigerants. Venezuela's ratification follows that…

GERMANY: Linde Engineering is to supply two identical helium cryogenic refrigeration systems for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

JAPAN: Panasonic is to collaborate in a distributed energy business with fellow Japanese company Yanmar to deploy solutions based on air conditioners and micro cogeneration…

USA: Daikin Comfort Technologies, the Japanese air conditioning manufacturer’s North American unitary, ductless and light commercial and VRV products subsidiary, has acquired US controls manufacturer…