Flamco
During its participation at The Big 5, Flamco showcased its Flamcomat MPR-S (25-bar) balanced high-pressure, sealed spill and fill automat. Jim Martin, Sales Director Middle East, discussing the system with Climate Control Middle East, said it is suitable for high-pressure applications. The system, he said, is an upgrade from Flamco’s traditional technology and has been integrated with new features to provide suitable solutions for high-rise buildings.

Martin also highlighted Flamco’s Press DS Plus, which he described as a 3-in-1 unit for pressurisation, de-aeration and automatic dosing. He emphasised its space-saving feature and lower carbon footprint, as it offers three operations in one equipment. Martin further highlighted Flamcovent Clean Smart, which, he said, is designed for air and dirt separation with energy retention. The product, he explained, has been in the production for four years and is a patented technology that that will help building owners and operators reduce energy cost. Martin added that as a European manufacturer, the products are designed to take into account energy efficiency to address growing trends in the European market, adding that he hopes local contractors see the benefits of such features.

Dwyer
Nick Malby, Sales Manager – Middle East, Dwyer, highlighted the company’s range of instrumentation and sensors for building automation, placing a strong emphasis on its series AVUL, designed to measure air velocity. At the show, Malby also introduced visitors to the company’s Smart Air Hood, a new technology for balancing of air conditioning systems. The range of products, Malby said, has been in production for the past six months. He said Dwyer’s participation in The Big 5 was to highlight the benefits of the products to the Middle East audience. As technology improves, Malby said, so does the awareness of energy saving that can be gained from a well-organised and balanced air conditioning building control system, leading to greater appreciation and recognition of measurement and controls in this regard.

S+S Regeltechnik
Germany-based S+S Regeltechnik is asserting its presence in the Middle East region and used its participation in The Big 5 to consolidate the drive. Stefanie Scholz, Sales, spoke about the company, which specialises in sensor technology for measurement and control in facility automation and mechanical engineering, and its move to showcase products in temperature, humidity, pressure, light and CO₂ sensors for the first time in Dubai. The company, she said, aims to expand its customer base in the Middle East, and aims to penetrate the region by reinforcing greater presence in Dubai, by putting the focus on how control and proper assessment are vital to ensure optimum indoor climate.

Alpha Acoustiki
All the way from Greece to Dubai for The Big 5, Nikolas Argoudelis, Mechanical Engineer, Sound and Vibration Studies, Alpha Acoustiki, spoke to Climate Control Middle East with regard to the company’s commitment towards acoustic, noise and vibration control. The company highlighting its noise-reducing products at the show, in the context of the increasing awareness towards, and emphasis on, IEQ. The company, Argoudelis said, has experienced greater demand in Greece and is optimistic that rising standards in the region will create similar demands for buildings that will benefit from the range of products the company is offering. Argoudelis said the company offers vibration control products that can be used in HVAC and refrigeration systems, highlighting its restrained spring isolators, which, he said, is ideal for high wind loads and external forces.

Climatech International
Tradition is how Caio Tadeu Brandao, North and Latin America Sales Manager, Climatech International, described the company’s long-standing participation at The Big 5, adding that the company views the event as a platform to engage with customers in the region. In the 2017 show, the company introduced its portable welding machine, which is a cordless system that will help in the installation of ducts. The machine, Brandao said, is a lot quicker and will ensure proper welding without having to deal with the flow of power fluctuation that “sometimes interferes with how much welding goes into the process”. Being a battery-operated product, he said, the system offers more freedom for the duct shop. The company, he said, has witnessed strong demand in the UAE and Saudi Arabia and remains committed to aligning itself with national goals. The company, he said, has seen an increase in demand for product specification and believes that there has been a shift in relation to demand of consultants, compared to those, several years ago. “Now,” he said, “it’s a good mix of price, quality and safety.”

AAF International
AAF International chose to highlight a range of products in the context of the increasing standards in air quality, in terms of energy efficiency and the new ISO standard 16890 in Europe, to be effective by April 2018. Prasad Natraj, AAF’s General Manager (Middle East) for Air Filtration Products, said the company has introduced products to prevent air pollution in mission-critical areas, such as hospitals and healthcare. At the show, the company highlighted its filters, which Natraj said, can remove particles to around one micron size. The filters, he added, are Eurovent-certified and come with fire ratings. The company also highlighted its washable filters, which, Natraj said, can be cleaned without the risk of corrosion. Further, AAF highlighted its HEPA filters for the hospitality sector and air-handling units, emphasising that they remove 99.97% of particles, up to 0.3 microns in size. The company also showcased its kitchen ecology units for removing kitchen odour, “which generally contain greases fatty acids, oil and fine particles”. The product, Natraj said, complies with standards set by the Dubai Municipality, with the aim of ensuring that establishments treat the air going out of the building.

ACME Engineering Products
Canada-based ACME Engineering Productions showcased its environmental control solutions at its stand during The Big 5. Robert Presser, Vice President, provided a background of the company, highlighting its cooling tower and other water-related applications. Saying that the company also offers gas detection, both indoor and outdoor, he added that the solutions have evolved from a safety product to an energy-conversation product. Presser said the company is going outside the building envelop to address emerging demand of smart cities by providing a solution that can assess airborne pollution both in gas and particulate form, allowing cities to gauge emissions. The company, he said, offers solutions to monitor in real time environmental aspects such as the concentration of CO₂ in major highways, and the effect of the pollution in surrounding residential areas. Uptake in demand for the integration of such products locally, he said, is owing to European and US design criteria entering the region, complemented by increasing emphasis on sustainability.

Alnor
All the way from Poland, Alnor showcased its VAV regulator to the visitors of The Big 5. Rafal Olejnik, Marketing Director, said the company developed the regulator a month ago. The company, he said, has had a strong presence in 76 countries, having exhibited in notable international HVACR conferences. It is aiming to solidify its presence in press fitting, VRV regulators and, most recently, fire dampers, he added. Currently, Alnor is in the process of launching a new version of its fire dampers. The company, Olejnik said, is positioning itself in the UAE as an entity that offers a high-quality product in the market at a better price.

Spiro International
Christer Johnsson, Managing Director, Spiro International, spoke with Climate Control Middle East on the company’s long history in developing spiral ducts to facilitate fresh air changes, though it has since evolved to manufacture other products. Spiro International’s participation in The Big 5, he said, was aimed at highlight the ducts’ new connector system, which is faster and easier to install. The main feature of the product, he said, is high-quality ductwork to avoid leakage, thus reducing reduce energy consumption and ensuring fresh air conditioning.

Greystone
Canada-headquartered Greystone’s main aim in its participation at The Big 5 was to target BMS and BAS contractors. Jeff Foster, International Sales Manager, EMEA, said that the company has been supplying to companies such as Honeywell, Johnson Control, Siemens and Schneider, to name a few. More known in the region for its carbon monoxide detectors for carparks, Foster said Greystone wants to showcase its diversity by highlighting its other devices applicable for the HVAC industry. The company, Foster said, is also known for its VOC and broad IEQ sensors. In view of the palpable increase in demand for better air quality in the region, he said, the company is looking to promote its range of IEQ products. Greystone is also introducing information of new products in the pipeline, specifically its innovation for the pharmaceutical industry, which the company is set to launch at the AHR Expo in January 2018 in Chicago, in the United States. Foster said Greystone will go to the market with the products in early spring of 2018.

KDK
Shunji Miyake, Product Manager, KDK, said that the company aims to spotlight ventilation and its wide range of applications for fans, which includes addressing the needs of small buildings, larger developments and multi-storey buildings. The company, he said, aims to highlight the recent launch of its industrial fans for factories and hotels. The advantage of KDK’s products, he said, is energy savings, durability and noise control. Touching on innovations of its new line of products, Miyake said the company is using DC motors, which, he said, when compared to conventional systems, can save almost 40% of power consumption. The company, he said, has also launched energy-recovery ventilators that allow users to save energy for air conditioners almost up to 60%.

Refco
Swiss manufacturing company, Refco, highlighted the whole range of its gauges and equipment for the HVAC industry at the show. Sheb Powell, Area Sales Manager, shared his observations on the demand Refco witnessed throughout the show. Despite the cost of the products being developed in Switzerland, he said, which makes it more expensive in comparison to other products in the market, and despite the price-driven market, Powell said he saw explicit requests from visitors to The Big 5 for digital high-end tools for super heat and sub-cooling calculations, “which is the way you’re supposed to be doing installation”. This, he said, proves there is a market for high-end equipment and that it is important to find the right audience. “Unfortunately,” he said, “some distributors can be very short-sighted and prefer products that have high turnover.” Another aspect he wanted to highlight is the importance of training people to optimise the [selection of] proper tools and move the industry away from cost-centric thinking. The company, he said, is conducting training sessions to help cultivate greater awareness on best practices.

 Stella Welding Alloys
Francesca Rossi, Export Manager, Stella Welding Alloys, spoke of the company’s objective to promote its brazing alloys for HVACR applications. Its features, she said, makes it technically flexible and reliable, which is what the company hopes to promote to the local market. The company, she said, is looking to expand its operations in the Middle East. Sharing her feedback on the show, Rossi commented that the 2017 edition of The Big 5 yielded more quality networking opportunities.

Trosten
S P Sarangan, General Manager, said Trosten always aims to come out with a new product range to optimise its participation in The Big 5. For this year’s edition, Sarangan said the company highlighted its new heat recovery package solution. Known for its air-handling units and fan-coil units, Sarangan said Trosten has recently been promoting its DX range of products, such as ducted splits and package units and that to add more value to the product range, Trosten has also launched a heat-recovery package system. Touching on its features, Sarangan said the company has produced a 100% fresh air package unit with heat recovery along with a built-in inverter compressor. “We also use the condensate from the evaporator to cool the condenser coil, increasing the efficiency of the whole system,” he said. This, he added, falls in line with Trosten’s strategy to move towards eco-friendly high-efficiency products. He added that the system yields an energy saving anywhere between 30 and 50%, when compared with a conventional system and that government authorities have shown interest in the product. Cost-wise, he said, the system is 15-20% more expensive than conventional systems; however, given the energy savings, the payback would be less than two years. The solution, he said, is ideal for critical applications such as operation rooms and data centres, where “systems cannot afford any failure”. The fan-array system, he said, ensures that in the worst-case scenario only one fan will fail, and the other fans will ramp up operations to deliver the same capacity or air-flow rate as required by the system.

Phnix
During The Big 5, China-based Phnix introduced visitors to its heat pumps and fan-coil units. Eric Wang, Sales Manager, while speaking with Climate Control Middle East with regard to the company’s heat pump, said that the company offers two products, one for hot water applications and the other for cooling water in chillers. For the fan-coil units, he said, the company offers three varieties. As newcomers to the exhibition, the company aimed to expand its operations in the Middle East. Though heat pump technology is not new to China, Wang said there has been uptake in the market due to government incentives to move the people away from coal and gas heaters towards heat pumps. Leveraging its experience in providing energy-efficient solutions, Wang said the company aims to share knowledge and expertise with the UAE. Being aware of the high-ambient conditions in the country, Wang said the company wants to promote chillers and hot water heat pumps, which can work in a reliable and stable manner under 55 degrees C and produce 5 degrees C of chilled water.