Italian HVAC&R manufacturer Enex Technologies (CCC Holdings Europe), making its debut at Chillventa 2022 in Nuremberg, Germany, today announced the acquisitions of two more natural refrigerant-focused HVACR business units – refrigeration manufacturer Samifi France and French heat exchanger producer Morgana.
Samifi France joins Enex and Arctic in Treviso, Italy-based Enex Technologies’ refrigeration portfolio, while Morgana joins Kobol and Roen Est in its heat exchanger portfolio. The combined company includes companies from across Southern Europe – Spain, France and Italy.
“With 300 years of combined history, we are excited to participate at Chillventa 2022 together for the first time with our refrigeration business units Arctic, Enex and Samifi France and our heat exchanger business units Kobol, Morgana and Roen Est,” said Sergio Girotto, Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Enex Srl, in a statement.
“Enex Technologies is the only HVAC&R manufacturer in Europe to offer innovative, energy efficient solutions using all three natural refrigerants – ammonia, CO2 and propane – to minimize the effects of global warming and help our customers be successful while reducing their carbon footprint, as well,” added Girotto.
Girotto, a recognized pioneer in the field of transcritical CO2 refrigeration, founded Enex in 2004. To date, Enex has deployed more than 2,000 refrigeration systems using CO2 refrigerant in all climate conditions.
In an exclusive interview with ATMOsphere, Greg Deldicque, President and CEO of Enex Technologies, explained that the vision behind the company is to create a sales team that can “have a conversation with clients about what is the best natural solution for them across the three main natural refrigerants and also integrated with the ventilation side.” This is in contrast to companies that specialize in only one or two natural refrigerant technologies, he added.
In addition to providing HVAC&R natural refrigerant equipment Enex also intends to offer solutions for energy efficiency and the energy transition, “helping clients move away from [fossil fuels] to clean electricity, in particular through heat pumps,” said Deldicque.
Deldicque noted that the Enex group has already reached €100 million (US$97.3 million) in sales, and plans to acquire two more companies by the end of 2022 that would put it on course to generate €200 million (US$195 million) in sales next year. Already present in Brazil, Viet Nam, China and the Middle East, Enex Technologies intends to “serve the world,” he said.
Enex Technologies’ focus on natural refrigerants is based on the belief that this is “just the right thing to do and the only sustainable solution,” said Deldicque. “Anybody who spends a few minutes scratching the surface knows there is no good fluorinated gas.” Moreover, he added, given the policy requirements in Europe, “anyone buying a system with fluorinated gases will have to yank it in three to five years because the cost of f-gases will be through the roof.”
Enex Technologies will celebrate its Chillventa debut and the acquisitions of Samifi France and Morgana with a cocktail event, including the launch of its corporate video and an important announcement, on Wednesday, October 12 at 5:30 p.m. at its stand in Hall 7-210.
Enex Technologies’ new website can be accessed here. Its new corporate video can be viewed below.
A good fit
Enex Technologies’ two new companies are seen as a good fit with its previous portfolio.
Established in 1934, Samifi France is a producer of ammonia refrigeration racks and chillers for the industrial refrigeration and agri-food sectors. “Expanding our ammonia refrigerant product portfolio aligns with our passion for offering natural and energy efficient solutions to our customers,” Girotto noted.
“I would like to thank our customers, suppliers and employees for having supported us for nearly 90 years and for having allowed us to make this exciting partnership with Enex Technologies possible,” said Franck Hamelin, general manager, Samifi France.
Founded in 1948, Morgana produces finned coil heat exchangers, including evaporators, condensers and hot and cold coils compatible with CO2, ammonia and water-based refrigeration equipment.
“Given our complementary product portfolios, I am excited about the prospects the alliance with Enex Technologies offers our customers, our suppliers, our company, and our employees,” said René-Louis Geay, general manager, Morgana.
Enex Technologies’ customers include office buildings, hotels, hospitals, supermarkets, hypermarkets, convenience stores, distribution centers, refrigerated warehouses, cold storage rooms and other industrial applications in more than 65 countries.
New NatRefs research lab
Enex has invested over €10 million (US$9.7 million) in a new 7.500m2 (80,729ft2) factory in Treviso, Italy, that began production in August, and is making a €4 million (US$3.9 million) investment in a new best-in- class research laboratory that will be the “largest one in Europe specialized in HVAC&R equipment working with natural refrigerants,” said the company. The factory is expected to open by Q1 2024.
Girotto noted that commercial buildings consume 40% of the energy used in the developed world, with heating, cooling and refrigeration systems accounting for 60% of the energy used by buildings. Overall, HVAC&R systems consume 25% of the energy in the developed world.
“Innovations such as ejectors for evaporator overfeeding and expansion energy recovery, parallel compression, low Delta-T in evaporators created by overfeeding and complete heat recovery in combined cooling and heating systems, all with low environmental impact, make Enex Technologies an essential participant in the effort to help its customers reduce energy consumption, total cost of ownership and global warming,” Girotto added. “Our best in-class CO2 heat pumps on their end support the necessary transition from hydrocarbon fuels to green electricity.”
Enex Technologies’ vision is to “have a conversation with clients about what is the best natural solution for them across the three main natural refrigerants and also integrated with the ventilation side.”
Greg Deldicque, President and CEO, Enex Technologies
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