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November 28 - Mitsubishi To Expand Frozen, Chilled-Food Distribution In India

According to a Japanese trade newspaper, major trading house Mitsubishi Corp. plans to bolster its business in transporting perishable, frozen and chilled foods in India by joining forces with major local distribution firm Gateway Distriparks Ltd.

Gateway is to take a majority stake in Snowman Frozen Foods Ltd., a frozen and chilled-food distribution joint venture owned by Mitsubishi, Nichirei Corp.'s logistics arm, and others including local companies. It will buy new Snowman shares to be issued via a private placement as well as buy a portion of Snowman shares held by two local firms. The acquisition price is estimated at more than 1 billion yen.

Snowman is India's first distribution company for frozen and chilled goods. Mitsubishi reportedly became the largest shareholder, with a 60% stake, after investing in the firm in 1996. Snowman is capable of shipping such goods as ice cream, dairy products and frozen food all across

India with its network of 16 cold storage facilities in cities including Delhi and Mumbai in addition to 90 or so trucks.

Gateway has large facilities for handling containers in such major cities as Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, and it transports containers via rail.

November 21 - Honeywell Certiried R410A Customer Program in China

Honeywell,USA announced a new certification program for Chinese air-conditioner manufacturers that identifies them as users of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) R410A refrigerant purchased from licensed suppliers. The new program supports Honeywell's continued effort to combat patent infringement worldwide.

As part of the certification, Honeywell will recommend these Chinese equipment makers to key buyers in Europe. To date, leading Chinese appliance manufacturers Haier Group and Hisense Company Ltd. have agreed to join the program.

"The new program further enables our customers and our customer's customers to achieve peace-of-mind knowing they are using our patented energy-efficient HFC technologies," said David Lu, Asia commercial director for Honeywell's Fluorine Products business. "They also can gain other strategic benefits and advantages such as co-marketing opportunities."

Chinese air-conditioner and heat pump manufacturers who incorporate unlicensed R410A and the purchasers of this equipment in other regions face a range of business risks, from confiscation and destruction of equipment to monetary penalties. Additionally, air-conditioners using unlicensed infringing refrigerants that are imported into the EU are increasingly being investigated by EU government bodies and scrutinized by European customers who want to avoid business interruptions.

November 14 - Low Yen Rate Blows Favorable Wind

- Electric Machinery Makers' Financial Results -

By October 31, almost all electrical goods manufacturers had announced their consolidated financial results for the first half (April-September) of fiscal year (FY) 2006. Operating profit, or profit from regular businesses, has improved at almost all major makers, showing that their profitability is rising firmly . Although product prices are continuing to drop, by riding on the wave of business recovery, these makers have increased their sales of flat-panel TV sets and other digital home appliances, thus making up for the price drops with sales volume increases. The lower yen rate has also served as a favorable wind.
It is the low yen rate that has boosted the profit of enterprises exporting their products in large quantities to a level above the ﾒreal level.ﾓ In particular, since there has been more demand for flat-panel TV sets in the USA and Europe than in Japan, causing an increase in overseas sales, which intensifies the effect of the low yen rate.
At Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., the low yen rate has led to a 20.6 billion yen increase in operating profit.
Flat-panel TV set sales increased 36% in the USA and 67% in Europe, much higher than the 20% or less increase in Japan.
Sony also has derived a 38.7 billion yen increase in operating income from the low yen rate. During the first half period, the average depreciation rate of the yen to the dollar was 6 yen/dollar and that to the euro was 10 yen/euro.
According to a survey by Display Research in the USA, Sony secured the top share of liquid crystal display TV sets in terms of April-June shipment value, while attaining a 36% increase in North America. The company has also taken the sales offensive in Europe under the favorable wind blown by the low yen rate.

November 14 - INEOS Fluor Develops New Refrigerant for Car ACs

On September 18, 2006 INEOS Fluor, UK, announced that it has developed and is currently trialing a new refrigerant designed to meet the long-term needs of automotive manufacturers in Europe. The new refrigerant will have a direct Global Warming Potential (GWP) below the 150 threshold for automotive refrigerants set by the European Union F-Gas Directive.
With many of the benefits associated with current fluorinated refrigerants it is expected that this new refrigerant will provide a viable alternative to HFC134a in vehicle air-conditioning beyond the 'phase out' for new vehicle types after 2011.

INEOS Fluor expects the new refrigerant will be compatible with current automotive air-conditioning technology.
Initial assessments are promising, suggesting it will be an effective, non-flammable refrigerant with no Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and very low direct GWP.
It is also expected to have the right characteristics to provide similar performance as HFC134a in existing systems. Detailed results from its development programme are expected later this year.
The development of a new INEOS refrigerant reflects the company's commitment to meet the long-term needs of its refrigerant customers. As the first company in the world to commercially offer HFC134a (1990) it has continued to apply its expertise to the evaluation of new products designed to significantly reduce the direct GWP of refrigerants worldwide.
"The market for refrigerants for automotive air-conditioning systems in Europe has changed following the F-Gas Directive. The conditions now exist for us to re-assess a number of potential candidate refrigerants, to meet our customers needs," said David Price CEO INEOS Fluor. "Demand for a new fluorine based refrigerant is being driven by concerns over the cost and performance of CO2 and the needs of car companies to meet their commitment under the Fgas Type Approval Directive by 2011.

November 11 - ISH / Aircontec with IKK Building Forum 2007
March 6 - 10, 2007; Frankfurt am Main

As early as 2007 and thereafter, 'IKK Building' will take place in Frankfurt am Main, in conjunction with ISH / Aircontec (March 6 to 10, 2007). Initially planned as a forum with its own dedicated exhibition space, IKK Building will focus on building engineering. The forum thus offers an additional marketing platform for those IKK exhibitors who want to target their products more firmly towards companies who build installations for major projects, towards planners and towards the sanitary, heating and air-conditioning trade. The successful leading trade fair IKK, (the International Trade Fair for Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Ventilation with its emphasising on refrigeration systems and components for trade, industry and transport, on refrigerants, refrigeration furniture, cold cabinets and cooling units, as well as on air-conditioning and ventilation technology) - will, however, be held every two years in Stuttgart from 2008 onwards.

Messe Frankfurt presented its concept for an 'IKK Building' event in May of this year in response to a competition initiated by the IKK organisers, IKK Messe-, Wirtschafts- und Informationsdienste GmbH. Its The expressed aim was to integrate building-services-oriented refrigeration technology into the world's leading trade fair for bathroom, building, energy, air-conditioning technology and renewable energies. "The integration of IKK Building into Aircontec in association with ISH is the logical development of an exhibition concept which finds its justification in growth, consumer demand and political constraints such as, for instance, the 'European Energy Performance of Buildings'. As a result, it is ways of looking at the total energy performance of a building which lie at the centre of the event", suggests Iris Jeglitza-Moshage, Vice President for Technical Fairs at Messe Frankfurt.

In this way, visitors have access to an even more closely concentrated range of products and will, in future, be able to find out about and exchange ideas about technologies and products to do with buildings and building engineering in a much more comprehensive manner.

November 11 - Elec Makers Offer High-Class, Pricey Models

Japanese electrical appliance manufacturers are starting to place greater emphasis on the release of higher-priced models that can sell for more than 200,000 yen, according to Japanese industry sources.

Sales of these home appliances such as of such appliances as washer-dryers, refrigerators and air conditioners peaked in 1996 as people rushed to purchase large-ticket items before the consumption tax was raised. Since the replacement cycle for these products is around 10 years, those consumers are now beginning to shop again.

In a market where the focus is traditionally on ways to boost profits without raising prices, the white-goods makers are switching to a new tack and offering high-performance models featuring greater convenience to justify higher prices.

Front-loading models are the new hit in the washer-dryer market. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. started the ball rolling in 2004, with Toshiba Consumer Marketing Corp. upping the ante in July when it released a front-loading washer-dryer that incorporates the cooling and dehumidification functions of an air conditioner. That machine is priced at roughly 200,000 yen. And now Hitachi Appliances Inc. plans to release a model with a larger drum that washes clothes better and dries them without wrinkles, retailing for around 250,000 yen.

In the air conditioner market, a fierce battle is being waged over sales of models priced around 250,000 yen capable of cooling large, residential rooms. The main sellers are self-cleaning units that clear their own filters. Companies like Matsushita, Hitachi Appliances, Toshiba Carrier Corp. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. plan to fill the retail shelves with models that feature this function for the year-end sales season.

November 9 - MHI to Build 2nd Plant in Thailand

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has announced a plan for constructing the 2nd air conditioner (AC) manufacturing plant in Thailand in the first half of 2007 to reinforce production in Thailand as a step for reorganizing its domestic and overseas production facilities and expanding overseas sales.
It is very likely that, as a facility for the 2nd AC plant planned to be constructed in Thailand, MHI will acquire a plant adjacent to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mahajak Air Conditioners Co. (MACO). The total investment is estimated to top \1 billion. The company aims to put the new plant to operation in September 2007. MHI increased MACO's capital from 120 million bahts (about \360 million) to 360 million bahts (about \1,080 million). Although the ratio of MHI's investment is not announced, the company seems to have raised it from 51% before July. To reinforce the capital capability, MHI will increase the capital further and raise MHI's investment ratio to 75%.
MHI plans to start production of new-type commercial ceiling-mounted indoor units with 4 blowout ports in September 2007 at MACO. The company will revise standards for home-use and commercial outdoor units so that they may be used in common with each other. MHI will put the 2nd plant to operation by reorganizing production lines attuning to the start of production of new-type indoor units

November 3 - Sanyo and Haier Strategic Alliance in Refrigerator Business

Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. announced last month that Sanyo and Haier Group Co., China, have reached a basic agreement to establish a joint venture for design and development of home use refrigerators, and will start a global strategic alliance for manufacturing and sales of refrigerators.
Sanyo has major operations in such countries as Japan, United States, Thailand, Vietnam,and Indonesia, manufacturing and selling approximately 2.7 million refrigerator units per year globally. Haier is a leading company holding the world's top refrigerator market share.

The contents of this basic agreement are as follows:
Sanyo will separate the functions of design and development of its home use refrigerator business in Japan and expects to establish a new company by December 2006. This new company will take over the design and development of home use refrigerators, which has until now been handled by Sanyo starting with Japan and Asia with plans to expand globally.
Sanyo will transfer to Haier a majority of the stock held in Sanyo Universal Electric Public Co., Ltd., based in Thailand, which manufacturers home use refrigerators. After the transfer, Sanyo, by entrusting the production of home use refrigerators to Haier, will continue sales of home use refrigerators with the Sanyo brand both in Japan and overseas.

November 3 - ASHRAE Winter Meeting to Focus Energy-Efficient Buildings

In the big-energy State of Texas, where else would you expect engineers to seek to emphasize the importance of reducing energy use in buildings in order to achieve a sustainable future? At the 2007 ASHRAE Winter Meeting, of course.
Energy use in buildings from HVAC&R and lighting account for up to 40% of a building's energy use. Examples of engineers' ability to significantly reduce a building's energy consumption and footprint on the environment will be demonstrated at a free public session at ASHRAE's 2007 Winter Meeting in Dallas. Strategies for Low Energy Efficient Buildings will be held Monday, January 29 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Dallas Convention Center.
"With the support of building owners, engineers can create green buildings that use energy wisely, provide a productive indoor environment for occupants, and have a minimal impact on the environment," said Brian Wandling, the session organizer on the program committee. "ASHRAE is a leader in the sustainability movement, and this public session highlights what ASHRAE and the HVAC&R industry is doing to make buildings more energy efficient."
The session, moderated by Brian Wandling of Control Specialists Inc., will consist of several case study presentations that examine various energy-efficiency strategies and obstacles.

Speakers for the session are:

Ken Fulk, principal, Reed Wells Benson & Co., presents a case study about Dallas-based Highland Oaks Church of Christ replacing their aging ice storage system and air-chilled coolers after deregulation.

November 1 - "ASERCOM Energy Efficiency Award" 2006

The ASERCOM Award aims to stimulate innovation in refrigeration, heat pumps and air conditioning, resulting in energy savings and the 2006 prize winner is Mr. Svenning Ericsson with his Swedish company "Bubble Expansion Valve BXV(R) AB" receiving EUR 10 000 in cash.

The awarded invention is a new system to throttle the refrigerant between condenser and evaporator. This system enables the evaporator to be completely filled with boiling refrigerant. This is not usual in small and medium sized equipment, where the thermostatic expansion valve is common practice. With the related dry expansion the final part of the evaporator serves to superheat the generated vapour and this process shows a relatively low heat transfer. The new expansion device aims to be an alternative for small sized units with the advantage of a better heat transfer in the evaporator, working in a flooded instead of a dry mode. The new device incorporates an ejector for fluid recirculation, and several arrangements to protect the compressor and to control the condenser liquid contents.
The various aspects are brought together in an integrated unit, which does not depend on electronics. The basic control principle is to ensure that no liquid stores in the condenser; a slip flow of non condensed gas serves as a signal, which is transferred to the throttle valve. It is expected that the new device in an appropriate system design brings an energy saving between 10 and 20%.

More details will be made available on the ASERCOM website www.asercom.org

November 1 - Matsushita Reports First Half Net Profit Increase

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. recently reported its consolidated financial results for the second quarter and first half, and non-consolidated (parent company alone) results for the first half, ended September 30, 2006, of the current fiscal year, ending March 31, 2007 (fiscal 2007).
The results for the first half topped those predicted at the end of July, thus recording an all-time high as the first half sales. The first half net profit showed an increase for five consecutive years.

Consolidated Second-quarter Results
Consolidated group sales for the second quarter increased 2% to 2,252.6 billion yen (U.S.$19.09 billion), from 2,211.0 billion yen in the same three-month period a year ago. Explaining the second quarter results, the company cited sales gains in digital audiovisual (AV) products, home appliances, components and devices, and MEW and PanaHome. Of the consolidated group total, domestic sales increased 1% to 1,118.2 billion yen ($9.48 billion), from 1,109.0 billion yen a year ago. Overseas sales increased 3% to 1,134.4 billion yen ($9.61 billion), from 1,102.0 billion yen in the second quarter of fiscal 2006.

Consolidated First-half Results
Combining the second quarter results with those of the first quarter, consolidated group sales for the first fiscal half ended September 30, 2006 increased 3% to 4,389.5 billion yen ($37.20 billion), compared with 4,259.2 billion yen in the same six-month period a year ago. Explaining the first half results, the company cited sales gains in digital AV products, such as flat-panel TVs. Domestic sales amounted to 2,180.1 billion yen ($18.48 billion), mostly unchanged from a year ago, while overseas sales increased 6% to 2,209.4 billion yen ($18.72 billion) from the previous year's first half, caused by favorable sales overall, represented by a sharp sales increase in Europe mainly as a result of strong sales of flat-panel TVs.
For reasons similar to those given for second quarter results, the company's
operating profit for the first fiscal half increased 21% to 207.4 billion yen ($1.76 billion), from 171.1 billion yen in the comparable period a year ago. Pre-tax Income for the six-month period increased 51% to 232.5 billion yen ($1.97 billion), compared with 154.1
billion yen a year ago.
Net income was also up 79% to 115.1 billion yen ($976 million), as compared with 64.4 billion yen in the first half of the previous year. The companyﾕs net income per common share was 52.38 yen ($0.44) on a diluted basis, versus 28.82 yen in the first half of last year.

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