Events and Exhibitions
the skilled labour shortage is a significant business issue. Melissa
Boutwell, president at Automation Strategy and Performance
presented attendees with a discussion of why this is happening,
how we can prepare as an industry and what some organisations
are currently doing to secure current and future market positions.
Building for a climate emergency
Ken Sinclair of AutomationBuildings.com led a discussion
titled Building for a Climate Emergency. In it, he discussed the
declaration of a “Climate Emergency” by over 400 global cities
and how it relates to an enormous opportunity for the automation
industry as local governments gear up to tackle this challenge.
With recent legislation from municipal governments targeting
residential and commercial buildings, both new and existing,
with aggressive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets, the
widespread deployment of state-of-the-art controls systems
will be essential to achieving these targets. “This is my first time
attending the show and I’ve found the educational sessions to
be extremely beneficial for my professional growth,” said Aaron
Byers, Product engineer from Elkay Manufacturing. “As a young
engineer just starting out in the industry, it’s an outstanding place
for me to build my professional network, gain input on what’s
going on in the industry, and learn from specialists in my field. I’ll
definitely be attending Chicago in 2021!”
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Council Talks
2020 was the first year the Show hosted education sessions led
by members of the AHR Expo Expert Council. The Council is a
collaboration of HVACR experts and thought leaders launched
by the AHR Expo in 2019 to educate and stimulate discussion
concerning the biggest issues impacting the industry. Their
sessions covered a wide range of industry topics addressing
what’s next for HVACR professionals in the coming year.
Highlights included:
• Obstacles and opportunities for HVACR in the next
decade:
Panel speakers in this session took an in-depth look at what
obstacles and opportunities lie ahead for the next decade of
HVACR. Speakers shared different perspectives on speeding
up time to value creation, increased focus on well-being and
productivity, and the skill-shortage gap in the industry.
Panel moderator Nicolas Waern, founder of Go-IoT and
commonly referred to as the ‘Building Whisperer’, also
provided insight on HVACR in Europe, specifically the
Nordics and Sweden.
• 2020 - Pivoting towards a post carbon world and impacts
to the HVAC industry
This session covered the pivotal effects mitigating climate
change has made to the industry and how the 2020
roadmap will look going forward. As more progressive
www.hvacronline.co.za
cities and outspoken younger generations across the world
continue to focus on climate change, HVACR is adapting
for a 2050 carbon neutral world that’s 1.5⁰C warmer than
pre-industrial times. He further outlined how 2020 marks
a significant year in this adaptation. This session was led
by Luke Leung, LEED Fellow and director of Sustainable
Engineering at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP.
Update on refrigerants: past, present and future
This session, led by Eckhard Groll, William E. and Florence
E. Perry head of Mechanical Engineering and Reilly
professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue College
of Engineering, provided a detailed review of current
and past refrigeration technology and how it can inform
refrigerant technologies of the future. Owing to the
phase-out of ozone-depleting CFC and HCFC refrigerants,
refrigeration and air conditioning sciences have been
in a state of flux, and environmental concerns have
sparked industrywide interest in using substances that
are naturally occurring in the biosphere as refrigerants.
Many of these natural working fluids were commonly
used in refrigeration technology in the late 1800s,
and this session emphasised that when looking at the
refrigerants of the future, it is essential to understand
which substances have been used in the past.
Applying emotional intelligence (EQ) to strengthen your
business model and customer relationships
Karine Leblanc led a discussion of emotional intelligence
and how it has emerged as a key aspect of business
management and employee relations. This session
explained the importance of EQ, covering key concepts such
as connecting with others by discovering common ground,
using simple communication, capturing interests, inspiring
others and staying authentic in relationships.
Attendees left this session with an understanding of how
EQ can affect relationships across company, distribution
and sales channels. “It’s all about connection and being in
the room. If you don’t show up, you will not meet people,
you will not learn and you cannot exchange expertise with
people that are working in either the same or different role
as you,” said Karine Leblanc, Sales engineer with US Air
Conditioning Distributors and founding member of the AHR
Expo Expert Council.
Awards Ceremony
The 2020 Product of the Year honour went to Danfoss for the
Danfoss CO 2 Adaptive Liquid Management Solution. Danfoss
was also recognised as an Innovation Awards winner for the
Cooling, Green Building and Refrigeration categories. Winners
Continued on page 23
RACA Journal I April 2020
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