South Africa: Frigair 2025, Hervac systems fundamental component of supply chain industries

Zawya

29-05-2025

Heating, energy, refrigeration, ventilation and air conditioning systems (Hervac) are a fundamental component of the wholesale, distribution, logistics and supply chain industries. When storing and transporting food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and chemicals it is essential to maintain specific temperatures to prevent financial losses associated with product spoilage and safety risks.
Hervac systems ensure cold chain integrity from warehouse to customer, especially in food and beverage distribution, vaccine and pharmaceutical supply chains. Even outside the cold chain, climate control protects goods like electronics, paper, textiles and certain chemicals from humidity and temperature changes, and help keep workers comfortable.
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 supply chain sector, showcasing the latest products, technologies and developments in integrated Hervac systems for warehousing, distribution and logistics.
For instance, Barpro Storage SA will launch several practical, innovation-driven products at Frigair 2025, designed specifically for the cold storage and warehousing industries. The company will display the new Forklift Brush Attachment, I-Smelt solution, DELF freezer wear, Wooden Bumpers, Pallet Support Beams, and Rack Safety Inspection tools. These offerings are designed to improve operational efficiency, reduce downtime, and extend equipment lifespan.
Danfoss will present a lineup of innovative HVAC and refrigeration solutions emphasising the company's commitment to accelerating the green transition across the cold chain and building environments. Visitors to the Danfoss stand will see the debut of the NeoCharge, designed to significantly reduce energy consumption in refrigerated warehouses and storage facilities, NeoCharge represents a major step forward in energy efficiency for large-scale cooling applications.
For the food service market, Danfoss will highlight a wide range of solutions approved for low-GWP (Global Warming Potential) and natural refrigerant applications. These include cold room optimisation tools such as Optyma Control, and VLT Refrigeration Drive FC 103, IoT (Internet of Things) and connectivity innovations that offer improved performance monitoring and control.
Eazy Costing, a leading provider of cloud-based solutions for inventory, cost management, and field service operations, will showcase its easy-to-use cost management software for the Hervac industry. The company's team will be on hand to demonstrate how the Eazy Costing software simplifies stock tracking, streamlines job costing, and empowers field teams with real-time data helping businesses improve profitability and customer service.
Logistics Systems Engineering (LSE) is excited to launch the GEN 9 Pallet Shuttle, and the Mobile Racking System at Frigair 2025. Designed for high-density storage and cold chain efficiency, LSE's GEN 9 Pallet Shuttle enhances throughput, reduces labour costs, and improves energy usage. Both new products are engineered for high-density, energy-efficient storage making them perfect for cold chain environments.
Sairac free-to-attend workshop programme
Frigair 2025 will also include the Sairac workshop programme where leading industry experts will share the latest innovations, industry trends, international best practices and legislative standards. In this regard workshop attendees will have the opportunity to hear from Costing Estimator and President of the South African Institute of Refrigeration and Airconditioning, Robert Fox, on Energy Efficiency in Insulated Structures. The talk will focus on energy efficiency in insulated structures, such as cold stores, and modelling the performance of the insulation with increasing ambient temperatures.
Other interesting supply chain related workshops include that of 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 through the use of data. Executive head of Business Development at Energy Partners, Samual Jacobs, will also present on Business resilience: Aligning risk and expertise in the cold chain through servitisation.
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 and 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 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.
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.