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The Cooling Club – the GEA Industry Forum for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology

25 Nov 2019

How can refrigeration and air conditioning systems be planned, built, and operated in a future-proof and cost-efficient manner in times of constantly tightening environmental legislation?

The Cooling Club

The keyword here is F-Gas Regulation. And what role do natural refrigerants play in this? GEA offers answers to these questions with its series of events known as the Cooling Club, which focuses on various and changing topics and is aimed specifically at specialist planners for technical building equipment, contractors, investors, and operators from the refrigeration and air-conditioning industry. The event concept is scheduled to be rolled out at European level. The first two pilot events were a complete success.

Discussing, networking, and making contacts

With its Cooling Club, GEA has created a practice-oriented, permanent information and ideas forum on all aspects of refrigeration and air-conditioning technology – a forum always up to date with the latest developments in the industry. In addition to the keynote speeches, the interactive events live from the exchange among the participants, and from the dialog with GEA specialists as well as experts, thought leaders, and movers and shakers from various industries. Current information and trends in addition to proven concepts and solutions will be presented to the participants at first hand by leading experts and experienced makers. Martina Chao, Marketing Manager at GEA, describes the event concept as follows: “Another important component of our 1- to 2-day events: the participants in the Cooling Club have ample opportunity to discuss with colleagues, industry specialists, scientists, experts and users, and to exchange experiences and make new contacts – pure networking with GEA as a competent mediator”. Visitors to the first events in October and November in Berlin also appreciated this: “The Cooling Club is an all-around successful event, with its focus on knowledge exchange. Top value,” said Klaus Köhler from Uniferm in Werne, Germany, who participated at the Cooling Club event on October 24.

Industry information, insights, and outlooks on the subject of technical building equipment and refrigeration technology

The venue was the seventh floor of the event location “260 Grad” at Mercedes Platz in the center of Berlin. After the welcome by Jürgen Ebel, Head of Compression Sales at GEA, Peter Scheibstock and Cyrus Ghiasi from Happold Ingenieurbüro, among others, provided information on the topic “Sustainable construction: natural and mechanical cooling in the context of the common certification systems DGNB, LEED, WELL, and BREEAM”. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Kauffeld from the Institute for Refrigeration, Air Conditioning, and Environmental Technology at the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences demonstrated in a lecture entitled “Refrigeration Technology in Times of Climate Change” that natural refrigerants such as carbon dioxide are environmentally friendly, safe, and easy-to-use alternatives to fluorinated hydrocarbons (HFO). Dr. Matthias Liehm, from the German Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA), provided detailed information on the Federal Government’s funding opportunities for refrigeration and air conditioning systems using natural refrigerants. The day ended with a tour of the refrigeration systems using natural refrigerants in the multifunctional Mercedes-Benz Arena Berlin, where ice and motor sport events as well as entertainment and concert events with up to 17,000 take place.

The Cooling Club focused on the food industry

On 6 and 7 November, the food industry was the focus of the Cooling Club event at the headquarters of GEA Refrigeration Germany in Berlin. The program of expert lectures, discussions, and plant visits offered the participants valuable information and suggestions on the subject of refrigeration and air conditioning technology for their everyday work. For example, how investment and operating costs (TCO) for new and existing plants can be reliably planned, which state subsidies are possible, and how high plant efficiency can be achieved with refrigeration and air conditioning solutions. Exclusive insights into the manufacture and operation of food refrigeration systems were provided during visits to the GEA production plant in Berlin, the REWE Logistics Center, and the process refrigeration plant of the confectionery manufacturer August Storck KG.

Practice-oriented, free information and ideas forum at the pulse of industry

The planning, construction, and operation of cost-efficient refrigeration and air conditioning systems have become extremely complex tasks. Not least because of the current F-Gas Regulation of the European Union, which will gradually reduce the sales volumes of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to one-fifth of today’s levels by 2030. The aim of the regulation is to gradually reduce emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases in Europe by around 80 %, to approx. 35 million tons of CO2 equivalent by 2030. GEA has set itself the task of informing the public about the contribution that the use of natural refrigerants in refrigeration and air conditioning systems can make and which products, technologies, and concepts already offer efficient and cost-effective solutions for a sustainable future. All this is part of the format of events by the Cooling Club. The Cooling Club events take place at various locations in Germany – and, due to the excellent response to the first events, also soon on a European level. Participation is free of charge.

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GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft

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About GEA

GEA is one of the world’s largest suppliers of systems and components to the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. The international technology group, founded in 1881, focuses on machinery and plants, as well as advanced process technology, components and comprehensive services.

With more than 18,000 employees, the group generated revenues of about EUR 5.4 billion in more than 150 countries in the 2023 fiscal year. GEA plants, processes, components and services enhance the efficiency and sustainability of customer’s production. They contribute significantly to the reduction of CO2 emissions, plastic usage and food waste. In doing so, GEA makes a key contribution toward a sustainable future, in line with the company’s purpose: ”Engineering for a better world“. GEA is listed on the German MDAX the European STOXX® Europe 600 Index and is among the companies comprising the DAX 50 ESG, MSCI Global Sustainability as well as Dow Jones Sustainability World and Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Indices.
 
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