www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I September 2023 19
Business
C . AR . EL ’ S 50 YEAR HISTORY
Supplied by CAREL
CAREL was founded by four partners , and was initially called C . AR . EL , an acronym that stood for electrical panel construction . The partners started the company with the idea of shifting the production of electrical panels to north-eastern Italy , closer to the company that would become its very first customer , Hiross .
In the beginning , there were four or five employees working in production , and two in the office . However , the need to try something new soon became clear : electrical panels were very simple products with low margins , so the company began to explore new avenues and to grow . This desire for diversification led CAREL to start manufacturing humidifiers , initially for the same customer , Hiross .
These humidifiers operated using immersed electrodes in a disposable cylinder with a plastic casing , appliances that today are quite common , yet at the time were highly innovative . It took a few months to go from designing to marketing this first product , with an external consultant providing the design and production of an elementary analogue controller , while the company designed and built the water circuit . Initially it was an uphill struggle , but after a few attempts HUMITRONIC was released in 1978 .
In 1986 , CAREL entered the programmable electronic controllers sector , and indeed was one of its pioneers . At the time a gradual transition from analogue to digital was underway , with its technologies being applied to products . At the same time , the company grew not only by expanding its range , but also and above all at an organisational level , applying the lean philosophy from the early 2000s .
CAREL ’ s history of sustainability began when the Group was founded in 1973 . Over time , technologies , needs and sensitivities have evolved , and with these also the objectives and means to achieve them . Today , even more than yesterday , the strategy that drives innovation in the Group can be best defined as ‘ sustainable success .’ This strategy guides the continuous search for solutions developed to guarantee high efficiency and energy savings , whatever approach is adopted by customers and partners in the construction of their refrigeration units and systems .
1988 : HOW THE VISION CAME TO LIFE The following Q & A is provided by Giandomenico Lombello , CAREL group managing director and Umberto Bianchini , innovation manager .
All images supplied by CAREL
When was the idea for a programmable controller conceived , and why ? Lombello : Today , electronic controllers are either parametric or programmable . Parametric controllers are designed for vertical applications - they have multiple parameters to choose from ( at times more than 200 ), and manufacturers can thus adapt them to suit their specific application . However , everything is predefined .
Programmable controllers , on the other hand , are typically used for more powerful , more complex and more expensive units , and allow manufacturers to fully define their own
The first days .
A drone ’ s view of the current
www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I September 2023 19