In a press conference held in Paris on Wednesday 24 September, Olivier Campy, Chief Operating Officer of SANDEN International Europe gave journalists an exclusive insight into SANDEN’s future plans and the company’s focus on becoming a leading CO2 solutions provider for Europe.
Already well established as a manufacturer of Eco-Cute heat pumps and commercial refrigeration solutions in their home country, Japan, SANDEN has opened a new office in Rennes, France, to expand their presence, and build on the success of their European CO2 heat pump range, launched in 2011.
CO2 technology is the heart of our mission,” said Olivier Campy,
Thanks to positive growth SANDEN is taking the lead in accelerating CO2 market uptake
SANDEN Environmental Solutions (SES), a branch of SANDEN International Europe Ltd., will be dedicated to product planning, marketing and sales for CO2 modules and systems. The aim: to position SANDEN to meet growing demand and become the CO2 product manufacturing leader for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
SES will market CO2 as a refrigerant in comfort heating solutions and commercial refrigeration for convenience stores up to 25 kW. By 2018 SANDEN plans to reach a turnover of €150 million with the major business area (over 50% of revenue) being comfort heating, and the remainder to come from retail and other new sectors.
Operational since 15 July, the new office is only 20 km from the manufacturing and development site, allowing for smooth coordination and planning, for a quick market response.
Why has SANDEN decided to focus on CO2?
CO2 technology is not new, and is proven and mature in other world regions. It is now three years that we have been present in the European market,” said Campy. What is more, “With CO2 SANDEN has always been able to match and also surpass HFC technology COP.”
Campy summarised the three key reasons why SANDEN is backing CO2 as follows:
- Environmental benefits: CO2 is natural, has no ozone depletion potential (ODP), has no global warming potential (GWP), is non-toxic, and is not flammable. The CO2 used in SANDEN’s products is also recovered from industrial processes, adding to its environmental credentials.
- Compliance with F-Gas Regulation: In Europe the use of CO2 allows companies to comply with the revised F-Gas Regulation, which places restrictions on the use of HFCs in certain applications. Worldwide, there is also a growing appetite for regulation covering fluorinated gases, placing CO2 in an ideal position as the climate friendly alternative.
- SANDEN is the number one manufacturer of CO2 compressors: SANDEN has developed a unique expertise in the manufacture of CO2 scroll and reciprocating compressors thanks to key partnerships in the vending sector, the wide-scale adoption of its Eco-Cute heat pumps in Japan, and the development of new CO2 applications What is more, in addition to being the number one manufacturer of CO2 compressors worldwide, SANDEN manufactures all the major components for its CO2 products such as evaporators and heat exchangers, maximising overall system efficiency.
SANDEN has European CO2 commercial refrigeration market in sights
According to Campy, “SANDEN is interested in expanding its range of CO2 applications wherever the technology is efficient.” Today the company already manufactures a range of technologies adapted for different markets, including:
- Japanese Eco-Cute heat pump, also sold in Australia
- SandenVendo V21, G-drink and G-snack vending machines, available worldwide
- Three models of AquaECO2 heat pump water heater sold in Europe, including a model that combines space heating, available since 2013
We have ambitions to strongly reinforce our position on the CO2 heat pump sector, through modules supply and Aquaeco2 sales expansion in EMEA.” said Campy.
In the spring of 2015, SANDEN also plans to enter the European commercial refrigeration market, and complete its first CO2 installation for a major retailer. In Japan, SANDEN already has a number of products commercially available for this application area, and several products in the testing phase,which include both remote cooling units and plug-in systems . These will be adapted to the European market, and are suited to smaller format shops such as convenience stores.
Other application areas of interest for SANDEN in the future include CO2 heat pump dryers and industrial coolers
About SANDEN
The SANDEN Group (19,000 persons – ¥ 274,786 million) present in 23 countries with 55 locations, develops and manufactures complete automotive air-conditioning systems, vending machines, retail refrigeration systems, and heating equipment for buildings. Its products are globally recognized for their quality and reliability. Since its creation, SANDEN has been fully committed to providing environmentally friendly solutions.
Considered since 2007 by SANDEN as a growth driver, the use of CO2 as a refrigerant has been identified as the right solution to respond to energy performance needs and climate issues in diverse sectors.
The mission of SANDEN Environmental Solutions is to build on SANDEN’s CO2 technology expertise to offer innovating, energy saving and environmentally friendly systems in every heating & cooling demanding sectors.
