HARFKO 2015: More successful than ever welcomes UNEP...

Last week the IIR was delighted to participate in the 13th Heating, Air-conditioning, Refrigeration & Fluid Exhibition – KOREA (HARFKO 2015) from 10 to 13 March 2015 at at Kintex in Koyang City, near Seoul, South Korea.

HARFKO, organized by the Korea Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Industry Association (KRAIA), focuses on introducing new developments in refrigeration and air-conditioning technologies and products. Furthermore, this trade show contributes to the growth of the HVAC&R industry by improving domestic technology, promoting technology transactions, exchanging information and cultivating international competitiveness.

Ever growing visitors, more and more international

With the theme “HVAC&R Industrial Technology Opens a New Future for the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Sector” this year’s event proved more successful than ever welcoming almost 23,000 visitors who discovered a broad range of products on 454 stands.

Out of 454 exhibitors, 231 came from 23 countries, emphasizing HARFKO’s scope as a major international event in Korea.

Accompanied events

Additionally, several events took place during the exhibition including the 8th Korean Congress of Refrigeration held under the auspices of the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) Korea, a HVAC&R World Market Trend Briefing organized by IIR market research partner BSRIA, and lastly the UNEP Ozone2Climate Round Table & Roadshow.

UNEP Ozone2Climate Round Table

The UNEP Ozone2Climate Round Table (see photo), focused on promoting investment, research and development in zero-ODP, zero and/or low-GWP as well as energy efficient technologies for the refrigeration and air-conditioning sector. After a series of policy sessions and technical sessions the roundtable concluded in a panel session moderated by Min Soo Kim, President of the Korean National Committee of the IIR.

This highly successful panel session focused on shared experiences between refrigerant technology providers and systems manufacturers on overcoming barriers to adopt zero and/or low GWP alternatives.

A key point raised during the discussion that followed was the need for greater information exchange between industry and governments, more specifically Ministry of Environments Ozone departments, on energy efficient technologies and applications as well as applicable standards and regulations.

Also evoked during this session was the need for sufficient government bodies to regulate standards and guidelines.

Another significant point was that industry was waiting for governments to take the first step while governments were looking towards industry for guidance. All agreed that this year was an excellent opportunity for industry and governments to move forward on implementing environmentally friendly solutions in line with the Montreal Protocol.

IIR and KRAIA collaboration

In March 2006 the IIR and KRAIA signed a partnership agreement. Thanks to KRAIA and our ongoing collaboration, the IIR had a stand during the exhibition. As in previous years, we had the opportunity to catch up with our members and network with refrigeration stakeholders.

Facts on Korean refrigeration and air-conditioning industry

The Korean refrigeration and air-conditioning industry is the 4th largest in the world after the United States, China and Japan and has shown a steady growth in global market share over the past decade.

Korea also has a large absorption chiller market and the centrifugal, reciprocating and screw chiller markets are well developed while its absorption heat pump market ranks 3rd globally.

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HARFKO 2015: More successful than ever welcomes UNEP Ozone2Climate Roundtable & Roadshow