Cold Link Africa January February 2026 | Page 13

INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN

OPINION- BUSINESS ANALYSIS

Few figures in South Africa’ s refrigeration sector carry as much weight as John Ackermann, an industry activist, trainer or‘ jack of all sectors’ whose decades of experience have given him a unique vantage point on the industry’ s challenges. As Cold Link Africa gears up for 2026, Ackermann’ s views offer not only editorial direction but a roadmap for an industry at a crossroads. His message is clear: South Africa’ s refrigeration industry must reclaim its technical rigour, update its standards, and prepare for disruptive shifts in refrigerants, regulation and skills.

REFRIGERANTS AND THE KIGALI TRANSITION:

Ackermann sees 2026 as the inflection point when South Africa’ s refrigeration and air conditioning sector will have to face the realities of the Kigali Amendment. The setting of the baseline for the phase down in hydrofluorocarbons( HFCs) marks the start of a regulatory and operational shift that will change the market profoundly and the availability of R22 will be minimal.“ It’ s going to be a steep learning curve. We need a co-ordinated national response – not only from government but across the supply chain,” he warns.

This means quotas, reporting requirements and product availability will all change. Refrigerants once commonplace may become scarce or prohibitively expensive, forcing companies to adapt quickly. Cold Link Africa aims to be the central information hub during this transition with Ackermann’ s proposed Refrigerant Update column tracking these changes monthly, giving readers a mix of technical analysis, policy insight and hands-on advice.

But Ackermann cautions against simple narratives. The future of refrigerants will not be defined by a single solution.“ There is no perfect gas. Every option is a trade-off between safety, cost and environmental

Charting the cold

By Eamonn Ryan John Ackermann explores what 2026 is likely to hold for South Africa’ s cooling industry.

performance. Engineers need data, not marketing,” he cautions. He highlights ammonia as a proven and efficient choice for industrial systems, CO₂ as a promising low-GWP option with challenges in hot climates, and new blends that balance flammability and cost. He calls for open discussion about risks, retrofitting realities and technician safety.

INDUSTRIAL AND PROCESS COOLING AS THE HIDDEN HEART OF MANUFACTURING

While refrigerants dominate policy debate, Ackermann argues that process cooling is where innovation and opportunity lie. South Africa’ s manufacturing and foodprocessing industries depend on reliable cooling for quality and safety – yet much of this infrastructure is outdated and inefficient.“ In many plants, energy is treated as a fixed cost rather than a variable that can be engineered down,” he explains.

Ackermann points to international examples where heat recovery, integrated system design and smart controls have cut energy use by up to 30 %. Locally, he sees momentum building in sectors like dairy, meat processing and pharmaceuticals.“ Our climate gives us an advantage if we design for it. Evaporative systems, hybrid chillers and waste-heat reuse all make strong sense here – but they demand skilled design and maintenance.”

For Ackermann, one of the industry’ s most damaging habits is the fixation on lowest capital cost.“ The lowest price is rarely the best price – you pay dearly for it afterwards,” he warns. He advocates for life-cycle cost( LCC) analysis as standard practice in all plant design and procurement.

True LCC assessment should consider not only purchase cost but also energy efficiency, maintenance frequency, component lifespan and downtime.“ A system that costs 15 % more upfront but uses 25 % less energy can recover the extra capital cost in a year. Procurement must stop rewarding short-term savings and start valuing long-term resilience,” says Ackermann.

TRAINING AND STANDARDS ARE A SYSTEM IN DECLINE

Perhaps Ackermann’ s deepest concern is the erosion of technical skills.“ We are losing senior practitioners faster than we are replacing them,” he says.“ And our training pipeline isn’ t keeping pace.” He points to the stagnation of SANS 10147, South Africa’ s main refrigeration standard, as a symbol of this malaise.“ It’ s scary that our so-called roadmap is now stagnant. We’ re still using outdated methodologies while global standards evolve every two or three years.”

The result, he argues, is a growing gap between compliance and safety.“ Not enough young technicians are being trained to handle ammonia and CO₂ safely, yet these are the systems the market is moving towards. If we don’ t act, accidents will rise and confidence in natural refrigerants will decline,” he warns.

Ackermann wants to see industry-funded training partnerships – practical, accredited programmes where veterans mentor young technicians. He proposes a‘ knowledge preservation’ documenting lessons and stories from retired engineers before they are lost.“ Our industry is built on experience, not just equipment,” he insists.

INDEPENDENT CONSULTANCY: RESTORING OBJECTIVITY

A recurring theme in Ackermann’ s commentary is the loss of independent consulting expertise.“ We used to have engineers who only designed systems; now many are tied to suppliers or manufacture

John Ackermann, founder of SARDA.

their own equipment,” he says. The blurring of roles, he warns, compromises objectivity and can lead to suboptimal designs.

Independent consultants, he argues, are critical for ensuring safety and efficiency in an era of complex technologies.“ We need people who can tell a client, without fear or favour, that a certain refrigerant or compressor type isn’ t suitable – even if that means losing an appointment. That’ s the integrity this industry was built on,” he says.

Finally, Ackermann is troubled by the lack of reliable industry data.“ We quote storage capacity figures and growth forecasts that are often little more than guesswork. We need national databases, even if it’ s voluntary,” he says.

Without solid numbers on capacity, energy consumption or workforce distribution, policy becomes reactive rather than strategic. Ackermann calls for collaboration between government, trade bodies and businesses to build consistent reporting frameworks. CLA

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January / February 2026 www. coldlinkafrica. co. za COLD LINK AFRICA

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