World News

MALAYSIA: Daikin Malaysia has launched an initiative to collect refrigerant  from installers in a recovery and recycling initiative.

BAHRAIN: The Kingdom of Bahrain has followed its Gulf neighbour, the United Arab Emirates, in signing up to the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

BELGIUM: The European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE) has published a detailed guide to the F-gas regulation revision 2024/573. 

USA: A New York City supermarket chain has agreed to pay a $400,000 penalty for leaking 19 tonnes of R22 and R404A refrigerant over a three-year period. 

SWEDEN/NETHERLANDS: Nordic Climate Group has expanded its operations into the Netherlands with the acquisitions of Dutch installers Compair Airconditioning BV and T&S Klimaattechniek BV.

SWEDEN/NETHERLANDS: Swegon has acquired the Dutch indoor climate technology company HC Groep.

USA/CANADA/AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND: Daikin has been beset by a number of product recalls this month on Daikin and associated brand products in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

ITALY: Expanding its European presence, Haier HVAC Europe has signed a distribution agreement with Kokotas Klimatismos in Greece and agreed a partnership with Dutch supplier Rexel Netherlands.

GERMANY: With 947 exhibitors booked for October’s Chillventa exhibition, the organiser is expecting another visitor attendance of over 30,000.

USA: Home Depot, the USA’s largest home improvement retailer, has been issued with a $1.6m fine for selling R134a refrigerant. 

DENMARK: The replacement of oil-based heating and cooling systems with heat pumps at a hospital in southern Denmark are expected to provide energy savings of 12,500MWh.

UK: The Cooling Post joins with the HVACR industry in celebrating World Refrigeration Day and pays homage to thermodynamics pioneer Lord Kelvin on the bicentenary of his birth.

USA: Trane Technologies has announced that its high efficiency prototype heat pump has successfully completed the US Department of Energy’s Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge.

EUROPE: The Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) has emphasised the importance of collaboration between the European parliament and businesses operating cold chains in Europe. 

ITALY: The Lu-Ve board and company shareholders have approved the merger by incorporation into Lu-Ve of its wholly-owned subsidiaries Sest SpA and Air Hex Alonte Srl.

USA: M Dennis Knight, the founder of Whole Building Systems of South Carolina, has been named as ASHRAE president for 2024/25. 

USA: Licensed HVAC contractor Amy O'Grady has been appointed as the first full time executive director of the US non-profit organisation Women in HVACR (WHVACR).

SPAIN: Semi-trailer manufacturer Schmitz Cargobull AG has acquired a majority stake in Atlantis Global System (AGS), the Spanish telematics solutions provider for monitoring and maintaining the cold chain.

POLAND: Production is set to start at heat pump manufacturer Aira’s 55,000m2 production facility in Wroclaw, Poland. 

BANGLADESH: Customs officials in the port of Chittagong are said to have intercepted Chinese shipments of “substandard” refrigerant valued at up to €40m.

UK: LG has formed a partnership with leading Norwegian and Italian universities to develop high-performance heat pumps for cold climates.

GERMANY: Compressor manufacturer Bitzer is expanding its facilities at its Rottenburg-Ergenzingen factory with the addition of a new 2,500m2 paint plant.

SWEDEN: Nordic Climate Group has strengthened its position in Greater Stockholm through the acquisition of commercial refrigeration contractor Frigotech.

SWEDEN/HUNGARY: Beijer Ref has signed an agreement to acquire 80% of the shares in Cool4U, a leading HVAC distributor and Hungarian representative of Chinese manufacturer Gree.

JAPAN: Hitachi is looking to sell its 40% stake in the Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning joint venture, with Bosch, Lennox and Samsung among the suitors.

USA: Johnson Controls is to sell its Air Distribution Technologies business to Truelink Capital, a US middle-market private equity firm.

SWEDEN: Simon Karlin, currently COO and executive vice president of Beijer Ref’s EMEA business area, is set to join Swedish heat pump manufacturer Nibe.