LG Beirut offers free LG Air Conditioning service in Lebanon

"LG Electronics Beirut is organising a full week of free services on all LG air-conditioning (AC) products, covering all regions throughout Lebanon.

The campaign runs from May 16 to 21, allowing LG customers to benefit from free AC inspection and discount on spare parts. This offer comes in line with LG’s philosophy to allow its customers to benefit from LG experts and skilled engineers and ensure that each machine maintains high-standards of performance and appearance, a company statement said. – TradeArabia News Service"

FGE Fujitsu Air Conditioning Training and skills provision to dominate the contractor marketplace

The UK a/c marketplace is rapidly changing and developing with new legislation, new products, innovations and working practises. Contractors will need to continuously look at their training needs and requirements in order to capitalise their skills into increased profits.

Tony Gittings looks at the possible shape of things to come in the a/c marketplace.

All industry reports and surveys show that there is a long term industry skills shortage - despite the recession. It could even be worse when the recession eases off and business levels begin to increase. And this is in the face of the exemplary work carried out by all the training organisations, training providers, trade bodies and associations.

However, the current training provision in the a/c vrf and splits sector needs continuous investment. If the industry is going to progress, all parties concerned - manufacturers, distributors, contractors - need to address this iceberg-shaped of a problem.

In some sectors there is adequate provision for training. For example, on very large systems - the huge developments of multi-storey office blocks in cities. But there is a huge and growing marketplace for mini-vrf systems in a whole variety of sites. There are new products coming on to the marketplace which employ vrf technology and principles. Today you can get either a mini or smaller duty vrf system for just about any site - small or medium sized hotels, multi unit retail sites, office suites, fitness and sports centres etc. These new types of products need and demand new training provisions.

We believe that the marketplace is about to undergo a radical change in coping with the impending skills shortage. Virtually all manufacturers of all hvac products are constantly trying to simplify installation and commissioning. And the extreme economic conditions have meant that the whole construction industry has to re-think how and what it offers.

We are putting into place a whole series of investments based around training and a major focus on technical support. Before the end of 2010 we will have made major investments in both dedicated training facilities and front-line technical support services.

We are planning to update our existing fully equipped and staffed dedicated Training Centre in the first part of next year. We are planning to stage certified and approved industry courses with accredited examiners coming in for final examinations. We expect to be able to train 600 a/c engineers and contractors in a time span of 12 - 15 months.

The training courses will include the splits sector along with other ones on vrf, system design, installation procedures, commissioning, maintenance, diagnostics and trouble-shooting.

It is our clear intention to become a centre of excellence in all matters related to the UK a/c industry at all levels.

The a/c industry, at the moment, has not been put in a spotlight on a global scale - witness the media attention to the Cophagen conference. It is not difficult to envisage that, as energy consumption becomes more critical, there will be legislation requiring minimum installation standards and minimum system performance by a/c products.

Every day we see evidence which points to the fact that the industry - despite the cold weather of earlier this year - could be facing a skills shortage in the very near future. It is a collective effort. Companies have to realise that they cannot rely on others to provide the next generation. It has to be a team effort.

I believe that it is of critical importance to our industry that it must invest in the next generation, if the skills crisis is to be avoided and the industry recover and prosper. The investment must also include the new tools of the coming generation - the internet. For this reason we have invested many thousands of pounds in a fully interactive and fully engaged website with ‘webinars', blogs and easily downloadable product, sales and technical files and information.

The Fujitsu training courses will include the following:

VRF System Application and Design. The course is primarily aimed at consultants, specifiers, sales engineers and contracts engineers.

VRF System Installation and Commissioning. This course is of special benefit for refrigeration system installation engineers and refrigeration system commissioning engineers.

VRF System Advanced Service and Troubleshooting. Candidates should have ideally have attended the VRF System Installation and Commissioning Course, although this is not mandatory. Engineers involved with troubleshooting VRF Systems and Distribution Support Engineers will find this course especially useful. The course aims to impart the specialist knowledge needed to commission and troubleshoot this type of VRF system using the service tool software.

J-Series (mini VRF) VRF Product Training Course. The course is primarily aimed at sales engineers, contracts engineers, refrigeration system installation engineers and refrigeration system commissioning engineers.

Split System Installation, Commissioning and Trouble Shooting. The course is primarily aimed at split system installation engineers and split system commissioning engineers.

The one-day ‘on demand' courses are led by tutors who have in depth knowledge and experience of Fujitsu products and know what it is like for installers operating in the real world. The courses run from 9.30 am to 4 pm and are held at FG Eurofred's fully equipped air conditioning training and demonstration facility at its headquarters in Elstree, Hertfordshire.

Throughout the courses, which accommodate 8-10 attendees per course, practical exercises will reinforce the learning process and the courses will finish with a useful Q & A session.

HRP offer free training sessions on its new state of the art mobile training rig

HRP offer free training sessions on its new state of the art mobile training rig, with experienced industry instructors

Slough, UK 23rd March 2011: HRP, the leading wholesaler of refrigeration and air conditioning supplies is pleased to announce that it is bringing its latest Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) installation and service training course to a number of locations across the UK. HRP is offering a free ‘hands-on’ practical MHI RAC/PAC workshop for air conditioning engineers with leading industry instructors through its high-tech mobile MHI training rig. HRP will be taking the training rig around a number of its UK trade centre’s, providing customers with the opportunity to go on this valuable course at a location that is convenient for them.

HRP is providing two MHI RAC/PAC sessions, Module 11 and Module 12. Module 11 is a full day installation and service course. The module is designed to help installation and service engineers better understand how to install service and diagnose problems with MHI RAC/PAC equipment. The course covers the most frequently found system faults and how to detect them. The training is classroom style in the morning, followed by practical ‘hands on’ installation workshops using HRP’s purpose built and fully operational FDC71 Cassette System in the afternoon.

Module 12 is a mini course for MHI/PACV Split Systems. The course is a two hour early evening session aimed at engineers who cannot attend the full day workshop. The course covers the basics of diagnosing installation and service problems followed by a short practical training session on the FDC71 Cassette System.

Mandy Pilgrim, Managing Director at HRP comments, “At HRP we know that time is precious and money is tight so we are offering to bring our new mobile training rig to individuals, for free! It’s a fantastic opportunity for air conditioning engineers to better their understanding of the MHI RAC/PAC Split System. This is a valuable way for our customers to extend their service offering without having to pay for employees to enrol on an expensive course or take unnecessary time out of work travelling in order to receive training. We value the relationship we have with our customers and want to continue to support them with ongoing training opportunities like these.”

Additionally HRP runs a series of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Training Courses at its Technical Centre based in Slough which is sponsored by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, a world leader in design and manufacture of high performance air conditioning and heat pump systems.

At the HRP Group Technical Centre there are a wide range of training courses for air conditioning and refrigeration engineers plus building services design consultants and contractors. Training courses cover product knowledge, application and design, installation and commissioning for MHI split systems and VRF Systems from basic to advanced levels. The Technical Centre also offers Certification Courses for refrigeration and air conditioning engineers including Refrigerant Safe Handling F-Gas C&G 2079 plus various associated courses.

Daikin Industries, Ltd. announces the establishment of the Technology and Innovation Center

Daikin Industries, Ltd. announces the establishment of the Technology and Innovation Center (floor area: approx. 58,000 m2; hereinafter referred to as "TIC") at its Yodogawa Plant (Settsu City, Osaka Prefecture). The facility is intended as a technology development base where air conditioning and chemical researchers work closely with product development engineers from various company divisions, and the disciplines of mechanical and chemical engineering are integrated with the fields of electrical and electronic engineering. Construction of the center begins in May 2011 at an investment cost of approximately 30 billion yen. Operation is scheduled to start from November 2014.

Because Daikin is rapidly expanding its worldwide presence in the fields of air conditioning and fluorochemicals centering on emerging markets, the ability to launch timely products to meet the specific needs of each regional market becomes the key for further growth of the company.

For this reason, clarifying priorities and roles for a wide-range of research and development themes becomes essential. Consequently, even as Daikin continues to strengthen the "local R&D function" that discerns and incorporates local needs, Daikin also recognizes the necessity to have one place (TIC) for concentrating on themes that have universal applications and greatly contribute to the overall global business, including core and common technologies, so that results can be quickly generated.

On this background emphasizing the development of core and common technologies along with maintaining base model products, the TIC will serve as the primary facility of the Daikin Group for promoting global technology development and achieving innovations through "development of global No. 1 environmental technologies," "surviving in the forthcoming decades," and "challenging destructive innovation of heat pump technology that has progressed for 100 years."

By concentrating approximately 1,000 R&D personnel (to increase to 1,600 employees in the future) from three bases in Japan (each production base of Sakai, Shiga, and Yodogawa), Daikin intends to promote information sharing and communication in order to widen the efficiency of and increase speed in the development of core technology such as heat pump, inverter, and fluorochemicals.

Furthermore, the TIC will function as a "training ground" for overseas engineers to learn shared values and ways of R&D of Daikin. It will also serve as a venue encouraging exchanges between fellow engineers from various fields inside and outside the company and promote "open innovation," which is generated from the fusion of new technology and knowledge, as Daikin sets its sights on realizing "collaborative creation" innovation.



[Special Characteristics of TIC]
The TIC employs a "knowledge flow structure" which circulates people, knowledge and information, and is comprised by three functional zones: "Theme Execution Zone," "Theme Creation Zone," and "Open Zone."

(1) Theme Execution Zone: describes a large stadium-like layered office space where 1,000 engineers can be seated and "testing rooms adjacent to the office that are visible by glass walls." This zone also provides test facilities with the world's highest standard.

The aim is to promote communication and collaboration among engineers by enabling openness of ongoing developments and minimizing the distance between the office and laboratory to accelerate optimum development speed.

(2) Theme Creation Zone: aims for innovative creation generated by engineers inspired by information from within and outside the company and becoming absorbed in discussions with engineers from other fields and outside specialists. For this purpose, the TIC provides various types of discussion rooms and rooms for invited outside specialists. By providing a good balance for communication between users, space for concentration of individual engineers, this zone offer a collaboration-suited environment that facilitates the creation of new research and development themes.

(3) Open zone: promotes open innovation with those outside the company with a "showroom" where exhibition of Daikin technologies offer solution ideas to various kinds of visitors (e.g customers and academic researchers), a "forest of knowledge" where exhibition of the latest technologies (e.g. in house prototypes and new outside products encourage engineers and researchers to discuss freely on technological trends.) , and a large hall where 1,600 engineers can assemble and be inspired by innovative ideas from presentation of outside specialists.


[Test facilities serving as the world's highest standard]
TIC aims for "world's highest technology development environment" by providing test facilities constructed to the highest global standard as core facilities for technology development."

"Air conditioning (VRV) testing tower with the altitude difference of 100m"
[To lead the world in air conditioning testing]
• Product reliability is expected to improve by reproducing actual installation conditions for air conditioning by having the highest tower in Japan to perform height differential testing for building type multi air conditioners (VRV).


The environment chamber capable of simulating various environments found in the regional markets (outside air temperatures ranging from -40ºC to +60ºC, sunlight, wind, rain, and similar conditions) and environment testing room that authentically reproduces the conditions of an actual residence. [World-leading]
• It is a major global facility for an air conditioner manufacturer. Testing with simulation of actual installation conditions of each regional market contributes to improved product reliability. Furthermore, Daikin will be able to promote actual verification and testing of renewed spatial value creation by enabling testing of an entire residence.

"An anechoic chamber where electromagnetic noise of indoor and outdoor units are measured at the same time in order to meet noise regulations of each regional market" [First in Japan]
• A double-deck turntable enables to measure noise levels of indoor and outdoor units at the same time, which leads to meet the needs of regional market.


END


[Summary of Technology and Innovation Center]
1) Facility Summary: Technology and Innovation Center
Floor area: approx 58,000m2 contained in a 5-story building constructed on site area of 50,000 m2
2) Facility Structure: office building, testing building, and general affairs building
3) Location: Settsu City, Osaka Prefecture (within existing Yodogawa Plant)
4) Purpose: To improve product development efficiency by centralizing the technology development function and create innovative products through technology fusion activities.
5) Opening schedule: November 2014
6) Investment: approx. 30 billion yen
Image Drawing