In addition to presentations from the Association of European Refrigeration Component Manufacturers' various working groups, a panel discussion took place again this year, focusing on aspects such as rising prices for refrigerants and the lack of advanced training in the sector.

During the event, Rainer Grosse-Kracht was also confirmed as the new chairman of the Board. He stated that he would be announcing a new president of the Association in the weeks to come.

After sending off outgoing President Claude Blanc with a fitting celebratory dinner the night before, the convention was dedicated to current affairs that are affecting industry. The key topic was ASERCOM’s new certification programme for condensing units, presented by Julian Pfaffl. In the past, only members of the Association have been able to have units certified. However, in future the programme will also be accessible to external companies.

The Association’s own database is also being significantly expanded to contain all products, divided into three categories: 'Listed', meaning that the product has been submitted to ASERCOM); 'Checked', meaning the Ecodesign data sheet and compliance with the Ecodesign regulation have been checked by ASERCOM; and 'Certified', meaning that the unit has been certified by the certification committee.

Updates from the working groups

Following Julian Pfaffl, further speakers included Regis Leportier, chairman of the Steering Committee, who updated attendees on ASERCOM’s statement on the use of alternative refrigerants.

He was followed by Wolfgang Zaremski, Marco Masini and Udo van der Meer, who each gave an insight into their work for the Association in the German, Italian and Dutch markets respectively. They unanimously agreed on one point in particular, noting that there is a lack of resources for providing advanced training to professionals on alternative refrigerants.

Other speakers included Dina Koepke, who discussed updates to new regulations, including a look ahead to F-Gas activities beyond the EU borders; Heinz Juergensen, who offered an overview of current and future standards; John Gibson, providing a contribution on frequency converters and the challenges faced when handling new refrigerants; and Christian Ellwein, who looked ahead to more stringent safety requirements within the refrigeration industry in the context of progressive digitisation.

Open forum brings different perspectives to the table

Following the successful launch of this format last year, there were high expectations for this year’s podium discussion. Moderated by Marco Masini, there was lively discussion between Arno Kaschl from the Directorate-General for Climate Action; Andreas Meier, managing director at Teko; Sébastien Gallet from the European Chemical Industry Council; and Jurgen Buckinx, president of UBF-ACA.

The latter campaigned for improved communication regarding the benefits of the new refrigerants to the target group of installers, stating: “Simply telling the installers how dangerous flammable refrigerants are will get us nowhere. We need to be able to convince them of the additional benefits.”

Mr Buckinx was also critical of the lack of agreement within the EU on how to handle these refrigerants, while Mr Meier asked for greater focus on training: “We sometimes have to start from scratch with our new graduates when it comes to the basics such as using CO₂ as a refrigerant.” Meier believes there is a shared duty here between industry and politics.

With regard to the soaring costs of refrigerants, Mr Gallet asked for sympathy towards the manufacturers: “We are compelled – for good reason, of course – to work on new refrigerants, which are not only less stable and more difficult to handle, but are also much more expensive to produce.”

Meanwhile, Mr Kaschl highlighted the positive side of the price rises: “We have all been waiting for a price signal, and now we have it.” He went on to say that the prices were still within the predicted limits.

New leadership to be in place soon

On the day before the meeting, the Board of the Association appointed Rainer Grosse-Kracht as its new chairman. At the end of the event, he took his turn at the podium and announced ambitious goals for 2018: more communication on new refrigerants, even greater added value for companies and end-customers through the new condensing unit certification programme, and further guidelines and statements to educate the industry on important issues.  

With regard to the office of President, Mr Grosse-Kracht explained: “We have a shortlist of candidates and our discussions are well advanced. We will be able to announce a new President in a few weeks.”

All presentations given at the 2018 Annual General Meeting can be requested by emailing office@asercom.org.