South Africa: Frigair 2025, Hervac systems vital to food and beverage industry
The heating, energy, refrigeration, ventilation and air conditioning (Hervac) industries play a vital role in the local food and beverage sector. Refrigeration is especially essential to preserve perishable goods and ensure retailers comply with health and safety regulations.
The South African Institute of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (SAIRAC) will host Frigair 2025 from 4 to 6 June 2025 at Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand. The event will profile approximately 150 leading Hervac companies that play a vital role in the local food and beverage sector and will showcase all the latest products, technologies and developments in integrated Hervac systems.
In food and beverage manufacturing, temperature control is vital for food safety, quality and compliance. Refrigeration systems keep perishable food items at safe temperatures and ventilation systems maintain air quality, regulate humidity, and remove contaminants. Cold storage and refrigeration facilities are an important part of the logistics supply chain in the food and beverage industry. Precision refrigeration and new monitoring and automation controls are leading the way in Hervac developments to track temperature, humidity and energy use in real time.
Daikin South Africa, a global leader in climate control solutions, plans to leverage the Frigair platform to demonstrate its evolution beyond air conditioning and establish itself as a comprehensive HVAC supplier that delivers complete solutions across various industries. The company will exhibit solutions such as the Daikin DX Air Handling Unit for optimal air quality and energy efficiency, and the Daikin LMS Monoblock fully functional plug-and-play cold room system. Industry professionals and stakeholders will have the opportunity to explore solutions which ensure optimal indoor air quality, precise climate control, high-performance cooling solutions and industrial applications supporting factories and large-scale facilities.
Maxiflex, a leader in industrial entrance solutions, will showcase its specialised solutions for cold storage and refrigeration applications. Visitors to the Maxiflex stand can expect to see a range of cold room innovations designed to optimise insulation, energy savings, and traffic flow in temperature-controlled environments. Highlights include the refrigeration-grade strip curtain material, engineered for durability and superior thermal insulation, ideal for use in walk-in freezers, cold rooms, and food processing facilities. Specialised door for freezer applications, including models built to handle extreme temperature differences while maintaining high-performance sealing and minimal energy loss.
Refrigeration contributes a large portion to facilities management costs, so optimisation and energy efficiency of these systems is very important in managing costs and is becoming a key competitive differentiator in the food and beverage sector. Hervac systems are increasingly incorporating renewable energy sources, such as solar-thermal, geothermal and solar-powered electric AC units to power or supplement and optimise power usage and lower dependency on fossil fuels.
The sector is also making strides towards phasing out refrigerants with high global warming potential, shifting towards natural refrigerants that have lower environmental impact. Many traditional refrigerants deplete the ozone layer and contribute to global warming. Ongoing research into more environmentally friendly refrigerants will be an important area of development going forward.
Europe is already phasing out refrigerant R32 and using R290 and R1234ze which are more eco-friendly refrigerants. Known for its exceptionally low environmental impact, despite its flammability R290 is ozone friendly with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 3 and ozone depletion potential of 0. Local exhibitor AERSA will exhibit its PRG0332XHDEJ02 unit model at Frigair, which features R290 as its refrigerant as a greener refrigerant option. The unit delivers a powerful 70kW of both cooling and heating capacity and can generate hot water temperatures up to 75°C, offering a robust solution for large-scale, eco-friendly heating and cooling needs.
Staycold International, based in the Free State, will also exhibit new technology advancements manufactured with R290 gas at Frigair 2025. Staycold's hydrocarbon freezer technology will be on display with a new single door full height freezer. This is an extension to their range, utilising hydrocarbon R290 gas, a natural refrigerant with a low GWP index. All Staycold's new coolers are manufactured with R290 gas and are expanding its use into their freezer range that meet the performance requirements of their units.
SAIRAC free-to-attend workshop programme
Frigair 2025 will showcase all the latest breakthroughs, cutting-edge solutions, and forward-thinking technologies being adopted by the Hervac sector. The event will also include the SAIRAC workshop programme where leading industry experts will share the latest innovations, industry trends, international best practices and legislative standards.
Workshop attendees will have the opportunity to hear from general manager of Energy Partners Refrigeration, Dawie Kriel, who will share case studies and success stories on Cooling as a Service (CaaS), a case study on how CaaS can optimise uptime and efficiency of refrigeration systems using data. The Energy Partners CaaS is a fully-servitised model in which the company designs, funds, installs and operates high-performance cooling systems on behalf of its clients, including Clover SA, Aspen Pharmacare, Sovereign, Dr. Oetker, Rederberg, Lynca Meats and Letaba Packers
In terms of new developments in the sector, head of Centre of Expertise in Commercial Refrigeration at Bitzer, Tobias Fuhrer, will showcase a range of innovations and refrigeration trends that address the growing demand for efficient and environmentally responsible systems in both industrial and commercial refrigeration markets.
Also, CEO of Multilayer Trading will share on Environmentally Friendly Refrigerants and how the shift towards sustainable and eco-friendly refrigerants is shaping the future of cooling solutions and achieving lower greenhouse gas emissions. Global Sales Driver SY Solutions and New Business at Danfoss, Axel Schaddach, will highlight the real impact of sustainable cooling and how industry leaders are shaping a cooler cleaner world.
Frigair 2025 is the ideal environment to discover the latest innovations, advanced technologies and future- ready solutions for all those looking for the best in heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, and energy products and services.
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