Airchal Middle East

Airchal Middle East
Airchal Middle East showcased its range of airhandling, fan-coil, ducted-split and condensing units, all manufactured in Abu Dhabi. Bassel Abd El-Aziz, Sales Director, Middle East, said that in addition to offering standard products, the company offers customised solutions for its customers across the MENA region. Every building owner faces unique problems, he said, providing the example of space constraints in mechanical rooms or the inability to accommodate fan-coil units, owing to design issues, as examples. “We are selling more than the pre-engineered equipment,” he said. “We use our engineering experience in the field to provide solutions, and it differentiates us from other HVAC companies.” El-Aziz added that Airchal’s airhandling products are unique owing to their frameless design, which is uncommon in the region and which allows them to offer TB1 and T1 features that are highly desired in snow parks. El Aziz said the company’s major specialty in the region is providing fresh air-handling units for snow parks, in addition to healthcare facilities and other specialised projects.

AlpicAir

AlpicAir
AlpicAir highlighted its range of residential and light commercial products, in addition to VRF systems, fan-coil units and chillers during its participation at the Expo, The company’s representative, Erkki Peterson said the objective of its participation was to look for local distributors for the company’s products for the Middle East. Peterson added that while the company’s product range is generally not the cheapest, its main competitive advantage is high energy-efficiency features, leading to long-term savings in the opex. “Our ambition is not big-volume sales,” he said. “We are looking for partners interested to sell quality products.”

Appartme

Appartme
The area of focus for Europe-based energy-management system provider, Appartme at the Expo was its application solution. Maciej Putniorz, Marketing Manager, Appartme, said: “This is the first time we are exhibiting at the Big5 and are showcasing our home energy-management application.” The company he said, attempts to cover an end-user’s energy-management needs from a smartphone.

Appidi Technologies

Appidi Technologies
India-based manufacturer, Appidi highlighted its range of desiccant dehumidifiers and energy-recovery systems at the Expo. AVS Reddy, Managing Director, said there is strong market potential for energy-recovery systems in the United Arab Emirates, owing to the growing appreciation of Green Buildings. Reddy added that desiccant dehumidifiers are ideal for industrial applications and that he is also seeing greater demand for the product from the pharmaceutical industry and from the growing number of data centres, where maintaining low humidity is crucial. Reddy said the company aims to connect with potential partners and enhance the company’s exposure. Reddy added that interest in these systems will continue to grow, as the inevitable rise of electricity costs drive stakeholders in the GCC region towards energy-efficient HVAC solutions to ensure long-term sustainability.

ATB Systems

ATB Systems
ATB Systems showcased an automatic tube brushing system at its booth during its participation in the Expo. William Boesch, President, Water Technology of Pensacola, said the system was designed and manufactured to keep chiller tubes clean. “We provide anywhere from 15-20% energy savings by keeping it clean,” he said, adding that the company’s project references include some of the biggest chiller plants in the world and that its system has allowed clients to save a significant amount, owing to reduction of energy consumption. Boesch said the company specialises in a number of energy-saving equipment for chillers, in addition to offering plate heat exchangers.

Beacon

Beacon
The year 2018 has been very good for renewable energy and the idea of exhibiting at the Big5 in Dubai is also to gauge the kind of technology in the market, said Sandhya Prakash, Founder and Managing Director, Beacon, while speaking on her expectations for the Big5. In terms of technology, when the company began five years ago, she said, there was a need to educate people on renewable energy. “In addition,” she said, “pressures like VAT came along and people immediately began to look for energy savings.”

Betec Cad Industries

Betec Cad Industries
Betec Cad Industries chose to focus on its fire dampers while exhibiting in the Expo, Gautham Srinivasan, Quality Checks Engineer, said. Speaking on general market conditions, Srinivasan said it was important to address issues with regard to cash-flow from the perspective of end-users. “If you compare 2018 to 2017, there has been a little bit of a problem with regard to cash flow,” he said. “However, we are still doing well when compared to others in the market.” And with reference to quality, he added, “We don’t find too much of compromise made on the quality of materials being used for manufacturing, because materials are regularly inspected at every level of the manufacturing process.”

BIMobject

BIMobject
The Expo proved to be an ideal place to reach out to manufacturers and explain the importance of making data available, said Justin Style, Marketing Technologist, BIMobject. BIM, when paired with data, he said, empowers not only designers but also FM managers to better manage the construction process, as everyone has access to data; BIM enables them to understand what they are building.

Brentwood

Brentwood
Brentwood, an avowed specialist in developing internal components for cooling towers, highlighted its film fills during its participation in the Expo. Gene Rudolph, Senior Vice President, Cooling Tower, stressed that in the United Arab Emirates and across the region, there are two main issues related to water for cooling towers: Access and quality. “In cooling efficiency, one of the biggest factors is the quality of the water,” he said. “We design fills that go into cooling towers that are anti-fouling, so even though there’s a lot of microbiology in the water, a lot of debris, ours are designed not to foul up. This gives the operator that continuous good use of their water and gives the cooling performance they are looking for.” Rudolph said that operating cost is often an afterthought, but that as electricity bills climb higher, more companies are looking for ways to reduce opex of the plant. He added, “We believe we have a product that can do that in many applications, specifically in District Cooling and around the climate control market.”

CGM
CGM, an Italian manufacturer, showcased its five-axis machine for pre-insulated duct panels during its participation at the Expo. Marco Tamburini, Sales and Technical Services, explained that the machine creates ready-to-build pieces and is able to cut as per ducting requirements, from a zero-degree angle up to 45 degrees. CGM, Tamburini said, has been present in the United Arab Emirates, and participating in The Big 5 for approximately eight years. He added that the company’s products had been well-received by the local markets and that CGM is looking to expand its presence in the Middle East and across Asia, naming its strong after-sales programme as a competitive advantage.

Conex Bänninger
Conex Bänninger showcased its product range at The Big 5. Visitors were able to view innovations, such as the flame-free B MaxiPro press-fit solution for ACR copper pipe joints, at the company’s stand. The B MaxiPro range was developed specifically for air conditioning and refrigeration applications and features Conex Bänninger’s B profile 3-point press system to provide a reliable, permanent and leak-free joint, the company’s representative said. Also on show were the company’s B Press copper fittings, which have a leak-before-press indicator feature, a specially designed EPDM O-ring. Richard Franks, Business Unit Director, said: “The Gulf is an important and developing market, and The Big 5 Dubai provides an excellent opportunity to promote the company’s wide range of products.”

Dutco Tennant

Dutco Tennant
Dutco Tennant highlighted its wide spectrum of products, which Harshit Goel, Key Account Engineer, said, included most of the global HVAC solutions. He said the company supplies valves, pipes and fittings for building services, and chilled water and District Cooling projects through its various divisions, such as its civil infrastructure division.

Dwyer Instruments

Dwyer Instruments
Dwyer Instruments used the Expo as a platform to introduce its IEF electromagnetic flow meter to the Middle East market. Designed for measuring water in pipes, the IEF does not necessitate the system to be shut down to install the product, which saves time and makes it ideal for a number of crucial HVAC applications. Bradley Chapman, the company’s General Manager, said the product has been well-received by visitors. He added that Dwyer also showcased its range of sensors for building automation, which measure pressure flow and level, temperature and air velocity, and sense various gases. Chapman said the company views the Middle East as a continuously growing and significant market.

EGAT

EGAT
Marwa Afifi, Managing Director, Egyptian German Air Treatment (EGAT), described exhibiting in the Expo as significant. The company showcased its fire dampers, sound attenuators, air-handling units and air curtains. A considerable number of people came to see the equipment and were impressed with the fact that the equipment is UL Certified, said Afifi. There is a high competition within the HVAC industry for the products, she said. Giving an overview of the market in Egypt, she said, “In Egypt, manpower and labour are cheap, which is why we are able to keep up with the market, even though times are economically tough.”

Hoval

Hoval
Europe-based Hoval showcased its rotary heat exchangers during the Expo. Christian Takacs, Sales Engineer, Heat Recovery, Hoval, said that owing to the increasing number of new builds, the market demand for heat exchangers in the Middle East is high. “Our company is based in Europe, and our focus has been on rotary and plate heat exchangers,” he said. The demand for sustainability and the call for energy efficiency, he added, continues to grow.

Lifa Air

Lifa Air

Lifa Air introduced its new battery-operated duct cleaning systems and smart air purifiers for consumers during its participation in the Expo. Johan Brandt, CEO, reported garnering a lot of interest from visitors at the booth for its products, and commented that the company has received a growing number of unique inquiries from clients across the GCC region for its duct cleaning systems. Brandt said main interest groups include FM companies looking to expand their portfolio by procuring such tools. Lifa Air, he added, also trains FM companies for such specialised services. “Interest is growing,” he said. “Duct cleaning is becoming more important, as people understand the importance of the clean air [they] are breathing.”

Oxycom

Oxycom

“We basically sell healthy air,” said Hans Reinders, CEO, Oxycom, underscoring the company’s commitment to raising awareness on the importance of improving IAQ, through its range of products. As part of its participation in the Expo, however, Reinders highlighted the company’s indirect evaporative cooler, which he described as being twice as efficient as an enthalpy wheel. “The uniqueness of our heat exchanger,” he explained, “is that we can moisturise the outgoing air inside the heat exchanger to cool the incoming air in the heat exchanger, and if we cool the incoming air in the heat exchanger down to 18 degrees C, then we are at least 10 or 12 degrees C lower in temperature than the best enthalpy wheel in the world. Our efficiency is not at 80% but 150 or 160%. It means 75% of the heat load or fresh air that you bring in will be cooled. That, again, will reduce energy needed for the air conditioner.” Since entering the GCC region a few years ago, Reinders said, Oxycom has learned and adapted its products to the region’s harsh conditions and that the company now has a greater understanding of the market needs, the special treatment needed by the technology and the scope of after-sales service requirements, which he described “as the future of connection with the customers”.

Unigulf

Unigulf

Unigulf showcased its wide range of insulation products during its participation in the Expo. Kishore Deotarase, General Manager (Sales), spoke on the company’s strengths with regard to products in the field of insulation, which he said, covers fibreglass, rubber insulation and rockwool insulation. “We also have polystyrene insulation for building applications, pre-insulated panels for HVAC ducting applications and, within that, we have pre insulated panels for clean room applications, such as for pharmaceutical companies and hospitals,” he said. “Besides that, we have refrigerants and flexible duct connectors.” Deotarase highlighted the company’s 30 years of experience in the United Arab Emirates, as well as its investment in all the necessary certifications to ensure quality of products and compliance with local standards.

VIR

VIR

“At the Big5 Dubai, we are showcasing FCU hook-up units. As valve producers, we have an office in the region and deal directly and not through agents,” said Abraham Jacob, General Manager, VIR ME International. The Big5 for many years has not been centric to the Dubai market, but more centric to Expo dealers, he added. “We get a lot of interesting enquiries and this is good exposure; the only thing missing is the focus on the HVAC area.”

Volcan International

Volcan International

Through its tie-ups with international brands, Ajman-based Volcan International offered a range of duct fabrication machinery and solutions, during its participation in the Expo, said Shashank Dandavate, President and Managing Director. Dandavate said that Volcan exhibited along with US-based Tin Knockers, which specialises in heavy-duty sheet-metal-working machinery, some of which were displayed at the booth. Dandavate said reception for the products has been good and that it was pleased that Tin Knockers was able to demonstrate the efficiency of its machines to potential customers during the Expo. “We want people to see and buy it, and not just sell from the catalogue,” he said, “That’s also our philosophy. We don’t want to cheat the customers, we want them to know what they are getting.” Dandavate said Volcan’s main role is to advise customers on the most suitable machine to match their requirements, by leveraging its decades of experience in the region.