CCME - March 2020 by ccme.news

March 2020

Climate Control Middle East covers the regional and global HVACR industry with a firm commitment to providing in-depth news and analyses on policy, business and technology.

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March 2020

IEQ IN

RETROFIT PROJECTS

Are we creating buildings fit for humans or fit for a budget? A look at how human-centric designs suffer from cost-centric thinking

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PERSPECTIVE

INTERVIEW

While energy efficiency is a target of building-retrofit projects in the region, can the same be said of indoor environmental quality (IEQ)?

‘Renewable energy is no longer an intention, it is a reality’

The recent outbreak of the new strain of Corona Virus (2019-nCoV) has triggered more awareness on the transmission of air and surface viruses, writes Tony Abate

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Coronavirus/COVID-19 alert!

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INTERACTION

IS IEQ AN AFTERTHOUGHT IN RETROFIT PROJECTS?

MARCH 2020

PERSPECTIVE

INTERVIEWS

COVER STORY

page

VOL. 15 NO. 03

Dr Toby Peters, Professor in Cold Economy, University of Birmingham, reflects on existential questions surrounding the future of cold chain

This is a clear indication of temperature abuse and a break down in the cold chain, writes Richard Sprenger

The Agthia approach to cold chain

‘It’s about being smart enough to know the difference’

Surendar Balakrishnan in conversation with Tariq Ahmed Saeed Al Wahedi, CEO, Agthia Group

Brent Melvin, CEO, Gallega Global Logistics, on how to avoid cold chain breaches

All things considered March 2020

44 Regional News 56 Global News

www.climatecontrolme.com

EDITOR’S NOTE

All things considered

ifficult as it may seem to be able to achieve, the soundest engineering design and installation efforts are those that go beyond the apparent and factor in future scenarios. This point was driven home by two different industry associates, one speaking to the magazine for a feature story and the other speaking during a conference we hosted not too long ago.

The first spoke of how building-retrofit efforts were affecting the contracted uptake

Surendar Balakrishnan Editor @BSurendar_HVACR

of chilled water from a district cooling utility. With energy-related retrofitting reducing the load, building owners were finding themselves at the receiving end of penalties for using lesser capacity than what they had requested in the contract with the utility. It’s quite a conundrum, this, and capable of derailing sustainability efforts, for who would want to opt for a building-retrofit, knowing that doing so would invite Low Delta T-related penalties, with the penalties possibly negating the savings made through

March 2020

IEQ IN

lowering power consumption by a long distance.

RETROFIT PROJECTS

Are we creating buildings fit for humans or fit for a budget? A look at how human-centric designs suffer from cost-centric thinking

Get the next issue of Climate Control Middle East early!

The scenario is a tough one to crack, as it involves contractual obligations and a tricky reworking of the district cooling financial model. The second industry associate spoke of how a building under construction next to an

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empty plot earmarked for later development, could muddy the waters while estimating the required load of the building under construction. Given the fact that designers show

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a general tendency of overdesigning to capacity, the problem could be exacerbated as and when work begins on the empty plot, as the load of the first building could come down by a fair measure. And hence the need for sound engineering design and installation practices that go beyond the apparent. The same sort of holistic thinking is needed in the food industry. Richard Sprenger (see page 28) speaks of how supermarkets and hypermarkets need to go beyond cold chain and closely track the food they source from land farms and water farms. He stresses the importance of ensuring the irrigation water for growing produce is free of sewage pollution, as is the water from which farmers harvest shellfish. The absence of a pollution-free environment, he implies, deems pointless all subsequent cold chain-related efforts from the post-harvest stage onwards. While a silo-mindset fosters focus, a disconnected approach puts paid to efforts aimed at socio-economic and sustainable development in the truest sense of the terms.

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OVER STORY

IEQ in building - retrofit projects

IS IEQ AN AFTERTHOUGHT IN RETROFIT PROJECTS?

While energy efficiency is a target of buildingretrofit projects in the region, can the same be said of indoor environmental quality (IEQ)? Hannah Jo Uy has the story… Part 1

March 2020

ood indoor environmental quality (IEQ) lies at the core of human-centric design, with Dr Farheen Khanum, Environmental Geography, Director, Environment, Mruna DWC, emphasising that air quality can be likened to the respiratory system of a building. “Acoustics, lighting and quality thermal designs are also important components of IEQ that will lead us towards comfort and productivity and ensure the health of occupants, which is especially important in this changing climate,” she says. In agreement is Majd Fayyad, Technical Manager, Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), who adds that people are increasingly understanding that IEQ plays a major role in influencing wellness, health, productivity and happiness. Such considerations are especially vital for stakeholders in the Middle East, says Ludovic Labidurie, CEO, EolisAir, in view of the region’s climactic conditions. “The Middle East is mainly composed of sand, which bring a lot of PM 2.5,” he says. “These PM 2.5 are known as a serious threat to human health, if we’re exposed to a high concentration daily.” Very aware of this phenomenon, Labidurie says that authorities have implemented stringent guidelines to address the issue, with the UAE taking a leadership role in this regard. Speaking on government initiatives in this space, Fayyad puts the spotlight on local Green Buildings codes and rating systems, such as LEED as well as the UAE’s Estidama and Al Sa’afat codes, which

take into consideration IEQ as a key element in the design and construction of new buildings. “All newly constructed buildings in Dubai and Abu Dhabi can be assumed to have adequate environmental IEQ for their design and construction features,” he says. Fayyad also points out that the Prime Minister’s Office at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and the Future has been awarded the WELL Certification at the platinum level by the International WELL Building Institute, further demonstrating government commitment towards improved IEQ. Dr Farheen Khanum

Majd Fayyad

Ludovic Labidurie

HOW IEQ IS ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE IN RETROFIT PROJECTS When it comes to the progress IEQ is making in retrofits, Dr Khanum says that while HVAC systems typically improve in the process of refurbishments, as equipment and designs are updated to meet new requirements, there is room for improvement. She highlights the need for more investment to enhance IEQ in retrofits. Fayyad adds that when it comes to retrofits, there are also inherent challenges while dealing with existing structures. “The opportunity to enhance IEQ lessens if consultants, designers and contractors are brought in much later stages in the project,” he says. “For instance, designers need to specify low-VOC paints, sealants or adhesives to ensure good IAQ. Steps should also be taken to eliminate moisture levels, improve outdoor air rates and proper filtration. Hence, it is important to look at retrofit, sustainability and IEQ right from the beginning of the project or a building being repurposed.”

Gerald Stewart

www.climatecontrolme.com

OVER STORY

IEQ in building-retrofit projects

Labidurie adds that, generally speaking, IEQ is the aspect that gets most negatively impacted by refurbishment, also citing the problem stemming from a drastic increase in harmful VOCs in such projects, as well as improper design and operational practices. “Taking into account IEQ when retrofitting a building is already a big step,” he says. “We’ve observed that sadly, sometimes the person responsible for a project doesn’t take into account the maintenance of systems or devices, which enable to drastically [improve] IEQ.” It is under these circumstances, he says, that IEQ is not appreciated as a core element that contributes to a better life. Another issue is the unwillingness of stakeholders to invest. Gerald Stewart, Principal – Acoustics, Inhabit Group, says that while the Middle East has guidelines in place for IEQ, “it is still one of the first things to be commonly left out when it comes to projects”. Paul Schwarz, Technical Director of Dubai Acoustic Research Laboratory; Partner & Principal Acoustic Consultant in Design Confidence and Chairman, Middle East Acoustic Society, weighs in to add that so far, the regulations remain largely prescriptive, especially from an acoustic perspective. And Jens Lund, Managing Director, IT-Serve, sharing a similar concern, says, “There is a lot more awareness, talk and focus and we are headed in the right direction, but the biggest challenge is it stays with just talk and, even worse, solutions get ‘value engineered’ out.”

‘YES’ CULTURE This cost-centric thinking serves as the main bottleneck for better IEQ in the region, says Stewart. “If the rules and standards are in place, they should be seen through, no discussion, and the investor in the property and developer should have done their sums to start with,” he says. However, Stewart explains that often, building estimates are undercooked by hundreds of thousands of dirhams. “There are developers that come in and say, ‘I need a 50-storey building of class

X, Y or Z that is mixed use, and I have AED 350 million to spend,’” he says. “The first person the developers talk to that are willing to make it work for them will get the job, and they will then have to stitch it together. Whereas if they say, ‘AED 350 million is not enough for what you want, but we can do this, or this is an excursion that will allow 25 million for overrun, because you probably are not going to build it four or five years’, that is better instead of just saying ‘yes’.” Stewart stresses that the ‘yes culture’ permeating the industry is fundamentally shaping the region’s building stock. “Rather than buildings fit for purpose, we are making buildings fit for budgets,” he says. “This happens everywhere, but more so here. It’s the old adage of business: You cannot expect something better for less money.” Jatin Sachdeva, General Manager, AU Pure, says that currently, IEQ in retrofits remains largely an afterthought, with many consultants and contractors largely reactive than proactive. He adds that while there are many solutions and technologies available in the market to address issues related to acoustics, light and air quality, the acceptability of these solutions are largely dependent on the building owner. “At the end of the day, it depends on whether the owner is looking at long-term value or short-term gain,” he says. Labidurie says that while everybody has access to clear guidelines regarding good IEQ, “it remains something seen as an ‘extra’ and subject to the goodwill of persons responsible for refurbishment". Stewart echoes this, when he says: “Buildings are supposed to be built according to local regulations and codes. In those documents, there is an IEQ requirement, but it’s not necessarily mandated. The problem is checking it upon completion. IEQ is designed, but when it comes to paying for it, it gets value engineered out.” Isolated floors, which are key for high acoustic ratings, he says, often fall victim to this. “It’s written into the rule books, but it is not mandated, and if it is

Paul Schwarz

Jens Lund

Jatin Sachdeva

Sangeetha B

March 2020

not followed up, it’s almost like it’s optional and it can’t be optional,” he says.

ENFORCEMENT AND EDUCATION For a shift to happen in the market, Lund believes enforcement is key, pointing out that in the United Kingdom, there are spot inspections in buildings to ensure MEP designs meet regulations. The Middle

East, he says, could greatly benefit from implementing such a follow-up mechanism. “That’s simply the human element,” he says. “If they can get away with it, they would – that is everywhere. But, if there is enforcement, you can see how quickly people would get it done.” Fayyad also stresses the importance of such a mechanism, emphasising that measurement of IEQ would be required to

verify that the buildings are operating to meet the building regulations. In addition to calling for enforcement, Lund stresses the value of cultivating greater awareness. He says: “You need to have the person signing the cheque say, ‘I care more about the people than the building’. As of now, there is still a lack of education and understanding. You can buy VOCs to recreate that new leather smell, and

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OVER STORY

IEQ in building-retrofit projects

for some of those products, it can even be carcinogenic. It’s really bad, and the people that tend to drive it are not pushing the agenda.” Sachdeva also highlights the importance of education. “Enhancing penetration of knowledge and understanding among consultants is the first level that must be addressed,” he says. “As of now, it’s a push, not a pull. The transition, where air quality becomes a pull, is still a few years away in the region. It is important to sow the seeds.” Additionally, Sachdeva points out that there is a lack of specialisation in the market, and that there are not enough consultants that have the necessary knowledge and experience when it comes to designing and retrofitting for IEQ. This is an understandable situation, he says, as consultants often have to be familiar with typically 30 or more different technologies at any given time. As such, Sachdeva says, it is important for specialists in the field, including

manufacturers, to provide the necessary support to consultants through workshops, seminars and better after-sales services. The public sector could also greatly benefit from such collaborations, Schwarz says, adding that as the Middle East Acoustic Society, they have looked at approaching government entities to support the establishment of a review and enforcement vehicle similar to the Fire and Life Safety ‘house of expertise’ model in place in the early to mid 2000’s, which was approved by the Municipality to look at Civil Defence matters up to a certain point,” he says. “That paved the way for more efficient design applications and allowed specialists to weigh in, and it’s a brilliant system. This is very possible for indoor air quality, where the municipalities could approve a number of experts to look at related issues.” Labidurie adds that experts could weigh in and recommend important indications when it comes to IEQ, including

concentrations of PM 2.5, VOC and CO2, as well as lighting and acoustic levels for retrofits. “As we are indoor air quality specialists, we give special attention to the first three key indicators,” he says. “In case consultants or/and contractors are brought later in the project, there are still solutions, which operate independently from a whole system, such as mobile professional air purifiers.”

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AGGRAVATING IEQ The increasing emphasis on energy efficiency, while positive from a sustainability standpoint, has negatively impacted the progress of IEQ in the region. Sangeetha B, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Al Fajer, elaborates on the interesting dynamic between energy efficiency and IEQ. “Improving IEQ factors, like acoustic conditions, lighting and thermal comfort often meant increased energy consumption

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March 2020

in the past, but considerations, such as sustainability and net-zero energy profiles, demand a rethink,” she says. “For instance, thermal insulation of building envelopes, which is one of the common energy efficiency measures, also impacts IEQ. While it improves thermal comfort, mitigates heat stress and shields from low indoor temperatures during winter, insulation can emit pollutants and also increase indoor humidity that can lead to microbial growth.” Fayyad says that currently, building retrofits mostly focus on reduction of energy consumption rather than IEQ improvement. “In many cases, the improvement of energy performance has led to deterioration of the IEQ, specifically when it included reduction of outdoor air rates,” he says. Further, Fayyad notes that from an owner’s perspective, improved occupant health and wellbeing are of lower priority compared to improved energy performance.

Sachdeva is in agreement, pointing out that current norms have fallen short of taking into consideration air quality, placing greater focus on energy management. “Air-tight buildings offer more challenges, and IEQ is often being compromised, leading to sick building syndrome,” he says. Lund echoes this, when he says: “Energy efficiency is important, and these buildings get built so well, but the only issue is the fresh air. They don’t let fresh air in, and there is a spike of CO2, people get tired, and there can be up to 25% reduction in learning capacity. This is what I call the silent productivity killer.” In view of this, Sangeetha emphasises that making the right redesign choices is vital for FM operatives to address end-user expectations, while striking the right balance between IEQ and energy efficiency. Fayyad also points out that the private sector must continue to follow the benchmarks set by the UAE government and that more focus is required to incorporate IEQ improvements

in building retrofits. “Developers need to focus not only on energy efficiency but also approach green buildings from an IEQ perspective for the overall wellbeing of the occupants,” he says. Lund agrees, pointing out that it is absolutely necessary to get IEQ under control, as very little is done to fulfill these needs. “There are no silver bullets,” he says, “At the end of the day, many small streams make a big river.”

End of Part 1 (Considering that retrofitting for energy efficiency is largely driven by ROI from the savings, can the same financial case be made for investing in indoor environmental quality across the GCC region? Stakeholders weigh in and recommend potential business models in the April issue of Climate Control Middle East.)

www.climatecontrolme.com

ADVERTORIAL

Dr Marcus G. George, ECCE

‘YOU HAVE TO '

HELPED I

N VIEW OF THE CURRENT MARKET CONDITIONS, HOW DO YOU SEE PAYMENTRELATED ISSUES IMPACTING THE QUALITY OF CONSTRUCTION IN THE REGION?

When it comes to delayed payments, we have to hold true to our longstanding principle of ensuring quality and consistency across all of our projects. At ECCE, one of our core values and the very essence of our DNA is to ensure that we never compromise on the quality of the services that we offer. As a result of our unwavering commitment to quality, and especially throughout all phases of economic cycles, we have won the trust of our clients, many of whom are prestigious and major private, governmental and semigovernmental entities. The shortage of liquidity in the market does come with challenges; however, our robust in-house finance team has found creative and long-term solutions to tackle the challenging market conditions. Due to our history and experience in the UAE, we have developed key and long-lasting relationships with banks in order to ensure that we can always deliver on our short-, medium- and long-term commitments towards all of our stakeholders. At ECCE, we take a very proactive and solution-oriented approach to every challenge we face.

SO, IT’S REALLY ABOUT CREATIVE SOLUTIONS? Absolutely. The ability to be versatile and come up with creative solutions is essential to ensuring that your organisation adapts to challenges it faces. We live in an increasingly globalised and mobile world, and therefore our challenges are

March 2020

also evolving at the same pace, which requires companies to be proactive, open-minded and creative when tackling challenges. This type of resilient mindset is both reassuring for your clients and motivating for your employees. It shows that you have a long-term vision and that you’re in it for the long run. We want our clients to rest assured that during the tough times, we will remain committed and deliver on our commitments.

AS A CONSULTANT, HAVE YOU HAD TO PLAY THE ROLE OF ESSENTIALLY A ‘BANKER’ OR ‘FINANCIER’ FOR ANY OF THE PROJECTS YOU ARE WORKING ON? OR, WHAT OTHER STRATEGIES HAVE YOU USED TO ENSURE FINANCIAL FLUIDITY IN THE PROJECTS? As a main consultancy that is specialised in the construction industry in design and supervision, and with an unlimited Dubai Municipality license, one of our key strengths is that we have all key disciplines of the construction industry in-house, including but not limited to MEP, structural, landscaping, interiors and

HELP

TO BE

Dr Marcus G. George, CEO and Partner, Engineering Consortium Consulting Engineers, speaks on how resilience in the face of stringent market conditions can reinforce competitive advantages in the forms of creative solutions and collaborative efforts. Excerpts from the interviewâ€Ś

architectural. We also offer turnkey solutions for our clients, in order to ensure consistency in terms of quality and to ensure the process is as seamless and enjoyable as possible for our clients. Our core strength is design and supervision, on any scale or type of project (i.e. residential, commercial, infrastructure, master developments, medical, educational and so on). As a part of our comprehensive service offering, we are happy to provide our clients with feasibility studies to assess the financial viability of projects based on our extensive experience in the region, across all construction-related sectors, including but not limited to hospitality, medical, infrastructure, residential, commercial and educational.

IN THAT SENSE, DO YOU FEEL THAT SHOWCASING THE ABILITY TO FIND CREATIVE SOLUTIONS DURING THIS TIME IS ACTUALLY A WAY TO STRENGTHEN THE RELATIONSHIP WITH CLIENTS IN THE LONG RUN?

Dr Marcus G. George

Adopting a long-term vision means that as an organisation, you have to accept and adapt to every phase of the economic cycle. This means that we are prepared for any challenge that the market will throw at us, which is reassuring for our clients, because ultimately, they are committed to developing their projects without being hindered by any unforeseeable disruption. Our clients are generally committed to developing the real estate landscape in the UAE in the long run, and itâ€™s reassuring for them to share this passion with an experienced consultancy firm with a proactive long-term approach. During these difficult market conditions, most of our clients value the reassurance and commitment from all involved parties that there will be no disruption to business, and this is what we aim to deliver to our clients.

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ADVERTORIAL

Dr Marcus G. George, ECCE

IN VIEW OF THE OVERSUPPLY OF BUILDINGS IN THE UAE, HAVE YOU STARTED TO PUT AN INCREASED FOCUS ON REFURBISHMENT PROJECTS? OR, IS THERE STILL A STRONG PIPELINE OF NEW CONSTRUCTION IN THE COMING MONTHS? Whether you call it an oversupply, a correction of the market, or simply the market becoming mature, the changing market dynamics and needs of our clients has meant that we have had to change our approach. The pipeline of new construction has not been as strong as previous years, which meant that our business model has evolved, and for example, in order to accommodate this change, we have set up a new department that focuses solely on refurbishment and interiors. This is just one of the changes we have made internally to ensure that we remain competitive and add value to the market. ECCE is committed to the long-term vision of growth and success of the UAE, in line with the visions of the leaders H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Therefore, we see the current situation as a temporary one, and whilst we remain committed to traditional real estate developments, we are also extending our focus to infrastructure, social housing and medical projects, and other similar types of projects which may not be as affected by economic cycles. It is also important to keep in mind that ECCE is a company that provides international services, so we have regional projects in the GCC and Iraq, and a growing interest in physically entering the Saudi market in light of the recent economic, social and infrastructure developments in the Kingdom.

COULD YOU TALK US THROUGH ABOUT YOUR EFFORTS TO INTEGRATE MORE RENEWABLE ENERGY INTO THE PROJECTS YOU ARE DOING, BE IT IN THE FORM OF SOLAR WATER HEATERS OR SOME OTHER TECHNOLOGIES? ECCE is committed to integrating as much green and renewable energy as possible in all of our projects. All of our departments have been instructed and are encouraged to always study and include environmentally friendly materials, such as solar water heaters, and to inform our clients of the long-term economic and environmental advantages of using such materials and technologies.

ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC PROJECTS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE? All of our projects are special to us, irrespective of the size or location, but we have been involved with some very interesting projects in Dubai Marina with the Select Group and across Dubai with DAMAC including the iconic Akoya project.

WHAT ARE THE OTHER SECTORS THAT CONTINUE TO DRIVE GROWTH? Infrastructure in Dubai continues to be world-leading, but with as every country that has a rapidly growing population, there will constantly be a strain on infrastructure and there will always be demand for necessary projects, such as social housing, hospitals, clinics and schools. Dubai is a major aviation, tourism and conventions hub, and we believe that there will always be demand in the hospitality industry, and despite a pressure on hotel yields, Dubai remains one of the top global tourist destinations with high hotel occupancy rates. There is also a push for more accessible and affordable hotels and hotel apartments, in light of a more mobile, regional middle class. Finally, as I mentioned earlier, refurbishment and energy savings are both segments of our business that we are witnessing an increased interest in. The real estate market in Dubai is becoming mature, and in line with other global mature markets, investors and clients are looking for affordable, quality and energy-efficient solutions, and we are proactively taking measures to ensure these are all part of our service offering to our clients.

HAVE YOUR SAY! We welcome your views on the Q&A. Write to editor@cpi-industry.com

March 2020

presents

www.climatecontroljournal.com

www.climatecontroljournal.com is the answer to a longexpressed need for a Web site, which would cover individual regions around the world in a bid to provide exclusive news, interviews, case-studies, technical articles and feature articles that are of relevance to HVACR and allied industry professionals, who are either based in them or are contributing to them in terms of energy efficiency (from the perspectives of reducing emissions and total cost of ownership), good indoor environmental quality and reliability across residential, commercial and industrial projects. The Web site contains five region-specific portals: Africa Asia Europe Middle East The Americas

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ERSPECTIVE

Tony Abate is Vice-President of Operations, AtmosAir Solutions. He may be contacted at tabate@atmosair.com.

CORONAVIRUS/ COVID-19 The recent outbreak of the new strain of Corona Virus (2019-nCoV) has triggered more awareness on the transmission of air and surface viruses, writes Tony Abate, adding that technologies, such as bi-polar ionization, can provide an active component to air cleaning and, further, can interact with contaminants and affect the reproductive ability of pathogens.

major concern in any hospital or clinical environment is the potential for acquiring a nonsocomial infection. A nonsocomial infection is defined as that for which there is no evidence that the infection was present or incubating at the time of hospital admission. These infections cause many adverse health effects in patients and cost literally billions of dollars in treatment. The Institute of Medicine, in Washington, DC, reported that nosocomial infections caused approximately 88,000 deaths, annually â€“ one every six minutes, and cost an estimated USD 4.5 billion a year. Also, since the advent of the Affordable Healthcare Act, hospitals have been held to higher accountability standards and now are required to transparently report the incidences of hospital acquired infections (HAI) and are ranked by that score. This can affect not only the hospitalâ€™s reputation and marketability but also deny the healthcare facility Medicare reimbursements for HAI-related costs and extended stays. There are various ways of transmission of these infections: Direct contact, indirect contact, such as contact with contaminated instruments, and droplets caused by coughing, sneezing and hospital procedures, to name three. While droplets may only be able to propel a short distance, they can often become suspended on particles. Small particles in the PM 2.5 range can stay suspended in air for long periods of time and are too small to be filtered by nasal cilia and are inhaled down into the lungs, allowing viruses to infect and spread.

March 2020

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ERSPECTIVE

The recent outbreak of the new strain of Corona Virus (2019nCoV) has also triggered more awareness on the transmission of air and surface viruses. Corona Virus, if deposited on a non-porous surface or stainless steel, can be viable for up to seven days. This means an infected person can cough or sneeze and expel droplets into the air that ultimately deposit on surfaces. Anyone contacting the surface with their hands and touching their face can become infected. This strain of Corona Virus can take up to 14 days to incubate, so an infected person will not be symptomatic immediately. Coronavirus epidemics have occurred before. In 2003, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), another strain of Corona Virus, infected 8,098 people and was responsible for 774 deaths. In 2012, MERS (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome), yet another strain of the Coronavirus, infected 2,494 people and caused 858 deaths. The 2019-nCov strain has already infected 7,111 people and caused 170 deaths, at the time of writing this article. It will very soon surpass the SARS epidemic. Analysts at the University of Hong Kong, using various modelling techniques, including a SIR model (Susceptible, Infected and Recovered), are estimating the peak of the outbreak will occur in late April 2020 and could result in 43,590 people becoming infected. Many times, bacterial and viral strains previously thought to be non-aerosolized and capable of spreading only through direct or indirect contact, have shown the ability to spread through the air. A screening of healthcare workers was conducted to detect the presence of MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus areus). Nasal swabs were used to screen 3,638 workers. Of them, 4.3% tested positive; and 55% of those that tested positive were involved in direct patient care; interestingly, 45% of those who tested positive, were non-clinical staff with no direct patient involvement. This suggests airborne transmission of MRSA. A strategy to address and improve indoor air quality (IAQ) is important to curtail the spread and impact of nosocomial infections. The US EPA has defined three parameters in controlling and improving IAQ: 1) Source Control, 2) Ventilation, 3) Air Cleaning. All healthcare workers involved in patient care should practice standard precautions to minimize the spread of pathogens as much as possible. Adequate ventilation, pressurization and air changes per hour are vital to ensure clean air enters into a less clean space, and that air cleaning strategies can work to their designed values. Air cleaning is important. Filtration strategies must be designed to remove small range particles from the air entering the space.

Ultra-Violet Light (UV) bulbs can help to disinfect surfaces like air conditioning coils and other surfaces, but care must be exercised when applying UV light, as UV exposure can be dangerous to people, and can be particularly damaging to the eyes. Also, many beneficial technologies, such as bi-polar ionization, exist that can interact with contaminants within spaces and further reduce particle levels, and affect the reproductive ability of pathogens like Coronavirus, Norovirus, C-Difficile, and Staphylococcus. Bi-polar ionization also provides an active component to air cleaning. Many air and surface cleaning strategies are passive and, sometimes, temporary. Wiping down of surfaces sanitizes them at that point in time but does not ensure continuous sanitization. Media filters, electronic filters, UV systems or photo catalytic oxidation are passive technologies – they will clean the air that passes through the device. Bi-polar ionization, on the other hand, is an active technology – air ions are delivered to the occupied space through the air systems and saturate the space. Ions, as in the natural ecosystem, will interact with air and surface contaminants and provide air cleaning and air and surface sanitization, a continuous disinfection effect. They work also by means of regular monitoring of IAQ levels. Awareness of IAQ and air pollutant levels is increasing exponentially. They are many good IAQ monitors that use IoT capabilities to record and store data that can be accessed and used to proactively make adjustments to improve air quality. Cutting-edge air purification systems also use real-time IAQ data to adjust air purification output on a proactive and reactive basis. What you can’t see in the air can hurt you. However, by identifying areas of concern, developing a proactive strategy to address airborne transmission of contaminants and measuring results in hospitals or other healthcare facilities can reduce the exposure to nosocomial infections and the associated adverse health effects and high treatment costs.

CPI Industry accepts no liability for the views or opinions expressed in this column, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided here.

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COLD CHAIN MIDDLE EAST A Climate Control Middle East Supplement

INTERACTION

What cold chain needs to look like to feed 10 billion by 2050

PERSPECTIVE

WHAT'S INSIDE?

Quick-frozen peas welded into a solid block

Dr Toby Peters, Professor in Cold Economy, University of Birmingham, reflects on existential questions surrounding the future of cold chain...

This is a clear indication of temperature abuse and a break down in the cold chain, writes Richard Sprenger

INTERVIEWS

The Agthia approach to cold chain

Surendar Balakrishnan in conversation with Tariq Ahmed Saeed Al Wahedi, CEO, Agthia Group…

‘It’s about being smart enough to know the difference’ Brent Melvin, CEO, Gallega Global Logistics, on how to avoid cold chain breaches...

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interaction:

Dr Toby Peters, University of Birmingham

Dr Toby Peters, Professor in Cold Economy, University of Birmingham, in conversation with Hannah Jo Uy of Climate Control Middle East, reflects on existential questions surrounding the future of cold chain

ccording to the World Research Institute (WRI), we need to produce 56% more food to feed a global population of 10 billion people by 2050, says Professor Toby Peters, Professor in Cold Economy, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. “Now, we have looked at how much food we need to eat and how much we need to produce, but what we haven’t done is understand what the logistics and especially the cold chain needs to look like to move 6 billion tonnes of food around the world,” Peters points out. “What would the energy impact be? How do we do it sustainably?” With food predominantly harvested by small, marginal farmers, typically on one to two hectares of land, Peters says that along with feeding the world, there is also a need to protect and economically enhance the lives of farmers. “So, the big

March 2020

exam question for me is, what does the cold chain need to look like to feed 10 billion people, while harnessing and protecting more than 500,000 farmers sustainably?” Owing to the pressing nature of this challenge, Peters says that the University of Birmingham, along with partner entities, has developed a Centre for Sustainable Cooling, which will bring together a global research community working collectively to accelerate solutions in the market. “It’s not just about technology, it’s about business models, policies, demonstrations and building skills capacity,” he says. “We have to work as a collective if we are going to deliver the changes required in the next decade.”

Currently, Peters says, the Centre has representatives from 20 universities across the globe, coming from the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia, including India, Singapore and Japan. The University of Birmingham is also actively working with Heriot-Watt University, as the institutions have campuses in the UAE and in Malaysia. “We have now done the first phase of collaboration and engagement, and we have a framework, which will be launched soon,” he says. Peters emphasises that the first important step was to develop a formal structure between key universities to move forward, as it offers an opportunity to cultivate global, systems-level thinking, bringing together different experts on issues

COLD CHAIN MIDDLE EAST

ranging from technology to skills capacity. “It’s not simply about having research from different countries,” he says. “It’s also bringing together all the disciplines required to deliver something sustainable – environmentally, socially and economically.”

HOW MUCH COOLING IS REQUIRED IN A WARMING WORLD?

Cooling isn’t about compressors and refrigerants; it’s actually about our life, it’s the backbone of our health, food and data

With increasing global awareness on the importance of cooling, Peters says that a number of exciting projects, in addition to those by the Centre, have emerged. A notable one is the development of a Needs Assessment Programme, he says, which is spearheaded by Heriot-Watt University, in partnership with Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll). “Through this Programme, which will engage with Birmingham and others, we are moving towards a structured approach to address the problem, rather than silo activity, which might have short-term impact but doesn’t capture the full opportunities available or understand the necessary interventions required,” he says. The Programme, Peters says, will enable governments, NGOs and development agencies to have a better understanding of their respective cooling needs to deliver access to cooling for all who need it, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and will, hopefully, lead to the implementation of appropriate and holistic action plans, which will mitigate the impact of cooling and, at the same time, ensure cooling is made available to all. Essentially, Peters says, the Programme aims to answer the question, ‘If we are to meet sustainability goals, how much cooling is required in this warming world?’ He points out that currently, according to SEforAll, more than one billion do not have access to cooling and suffer the consequences through food loss, lack of medicines and heat stress.

Dr Toby Peters

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interaction:

Dr Toby Peters, University of Birmingham

have different cooling needs.” Peters adds that the assessment exercise is an important starting point, otherwise national action plans will likely underestimate cooling needs, which might lead to a potentially problematic situation of designing for less cooling than is actually required.

A SYSTEM THAT ADDRESSES FUTURE DEMAND

The programme, Peters says, consists of a robust methodology and an online tool to support governments and development agencies and banks working in the country. The local partner entities, he says, will provide support to particular government entities and help them understand their cooling needs. “Once you know what you need, you can assess available energy resources, whether it’s primary, waste heat, waste cold or renewables,” he says. “Then, you seek to understand the economic model, so you can identify solutions that look to mitigate demand sustainably. But to start, we must ask ourselves, ‘How much cooling do we need?’” Peters explains that the online platform will not be designed to be a standalone tool. It is to be deployed and utilised with the support of a facilitator that can optimise it to address the particular needs of the country. “We want to make sure it is robust, but it has to be flexible,” he says. “It can’t be prescriptive, because different countries

March 2020

Peters says a similar systems-level approach is also being applied in a Community Cooling Hub project specifically designed for rural communities, which the University of Birmingham is undertaking with Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, CEE and with local partners in India. “At the moment, we are looking at all the different cooling requirements in silos, looking at different pieces of equipment and looking at cold chain for food, as independent from cold chain for vaccines,” he says. “But, with all these complex and diverse requirements, if we understand the needs from a community level, we can then potentially

aggregate services to provide them in a more energy-efficient way.” Peters says the University of Birmingham and its partners are working with communities to understand current cooling needs from a needs perspective, as well as expected requirements in the coming years, so they can prepare accordingly. “You don’t want a system designed to address historical need, you want a system that considers and addresses future demand, driven by access to cooling for all who need it,” he says. Through the initiative, Peters says, they are going into four communities to identify and capture data in order to better design a Community Cooling Hub that will meet cooling demand through the use of natural ventilation, shading and other passive cooling measures as well as harnessing waste energy and renewables . “It’s not simply about looking at electrically-driven mechanical cooling as a solution,” he says, “It’s about working with communities to design what a Community Cooling Hub would look like for them mitigating demand and using all the resources available.” Peters says that they aim to deploy the first Hub in 2020. Underpinning the importance of the initiative, Peters says that rural communities are the ones that suffer most from gaps in the cold chain, adding that heat stress from rising temperatures is a threat to the life and livelihood the farmers, as well as to the animals and the crops, thus potentially contributing to deficiencies in the global food network. In India alone, he says, there is a requirement to build 70,000 pack houses for food aggregation points, which requires reliable cold storage and cold chain. Sharing his optimism despite the challenges ahead, Peters says that there is scope for these communities to leapfrog from having no cooling solutions to sustainable models, with the correct financial and technical support and by aggregating revenue sources.

COLD CHAIN MIDDLE EAST

COOLING ISN’T ABOUT COMPRESSORS AND REFRIGERANTS, IT’S ACTUALLY ABOUT OUR LIFE To ensure the success of these projects, Peters says a collaborative approach among private and public sectors is vital. However, he says, the cooling industry faces another problem in the shortage of available people that have the necessary skills and training to deploy and maintain specialised equipment. Peters says we need to bring key people from public sector development agencies and NGOs to develop an accelerated programme to address the lack of training but that it is important for the industry to do its part to attract the next generation of workers. In Australia, he points out, refrigeration engineers are the highest paid trade owing to demand. “What I want young people to understand is that cooling isn’t about compressors and refrigerants; it’s actually about our life, it’s the backbone

of our health, food and data,” he says. “We cannot survive without cooling.” Peters says that currently, cooling is not an area of engineering and science that is deemed to be particularly exciting, but that the industry should work together to showcase how it is a core sector vital to our way of life and to diversify the human capital. In the United Kingdom, Peters adds, the industry is made up of predominantly older males. “A small percent are women,” he says. “We need to change that perception, and we can do so by moving the message from technology to why we need cooling and why it is relevant to life.” In a warming world, Peters says, sustainable cooling should be a priority for people of all ages and all walks of life.

HAVE YOUR SAY! We welcome your views on the article. Write to editor@cpi-industry.com

"where cold chains are lacking worldwide, 200 million tonnes of food spoil before reaching the market every year."

CIFS @futuresstudies

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perspective

Richard Sprenger is Chairman and Founder, Highfield. He may be contacted at rsprenger@highfield.co.UK.

This is a clear indication of temperature abuse and a break down in the cold chain, writes Richard Sprenger, adding that as supermarkets evolve to meet customer expectations, the hazards and risks increase

upermarkets and hypermarkets deal with thousands of food products from sources all over the world, and they must maintain the highest standards to ensure the food they sell is of the best quality, has a good shelf life, is suitably packaged/labelled and, above all, is

safe to eat. As supermarkets evolve to meet customer expectations – for example, importing fruit and produce from countries that may have hygiene issues, or providing self-service displays of hot and cold food to take away or, in some cases, to consume on the premises – the hazards and risks increase. The “traditional hazards” of contamination – microbiological, chemical and physical – and bacterial multiplication are still present, but those supermarkets cooking food and providing self-service displays of open high-risk food must also control microbiological survival and provide more resources to protect customers with allergies. As a food safety inspector for over 30 years, I have audited thousands of retail businesses, including supermarkets and hypermarkets, in the Middle East, and my comments in this article are made as a result of this experience and the many hours I have spent observing staff, managers and customer practice.

March 2020

SOURCING SAFE FOOD Ensuring that the food purchased by supermarkets is free from contamination and produced under the best hygienic conditions is the starting point for selling safe food. This may mean receiving assurances that the irrigation water used on the farms that grow produce is guaranteed to be free from sewage pollution – animal or human – that food is protected from wild animal droppings and that workers are provided with suitable facilities, including toilets and hand-washing stations. Shellfish must be certified to have been harvested from unpolluted waters. Processed food must be obtained from factories that operate to the highest standards of hygiene – effectively apply HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) – are regularly audited by enforcement officers and are certified by third-party auditors against GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) standards. Occasionally, food from a country considered a safe source can become potentially unsafe, and the food can result in food poisoning/food complaints and recalls. Examples include, raspberries contaminated with norovirus, frozen berries contaminated with Hepatitis A, tomatoes/lettuce/eggs contaminated with salmonella and beansprouts contaminated with E. coli O104. What systems does the supermarket have in place to research such incidents and ensure that they are not being supplied with food that is now suspected of being contaminated?

COLD CHAIN MIDDLE EAST

MAINTAINING THE COLD CHAIN Although the standards of UAE supermarkets are usually very high, occasional failings are apparent. How often have you noticed displayed frozen food, such as packets of individual quick-frozen peas that are soft or welded into a solid block? This is a clear indication of temperature abuse and a break down in the cold chain. Provided your supplier is approved/certified, then the first likely explanation is the delivery vehicle. Was the refrigeration equipment turned off to save fuel on a long journey? Were the doors on the vehicle left open for too long, or did the unloading and transfer to the freezer at the supermarket take too long? Finally, was the product stored above, or in front of, the load line? It is essential to check the product before it is unloaded, and chilled or frozen product should only be accepted when delivered in vehicles that have temperature monitoring systems that provide continuous in-transit monitoring readings from loading to unloading. Frozen food should be maintained at or below -18 degrees C, and chilled food at or below 5 degrees C. Unloading and transfer of chilled and frozen product requires an effective system and management by the supermarket, and product should never be left on the loading bay. Raw frozen food should not rise above -10 degrees C, and chilled food should never be above 5 degrees C for longer than 20 minutes. Supermarkets should ensure that chilled display cabinets are maintained below 5 degrees C and freezers below -18 degrees C. Wireless automated temperature monitoring systems with alarms and alerts should be fitted as a norm.

CONTAMINATION Prevention of all forms of contamination requires good design and maintenance of premises and equipment, staff training and effective management. Most modern supermarkets are well designed and maintained in the public areas, but occasionally, there are problems in storage and preparation areas, to which the public do not have access. Chemical contamination can arise from inappropriate cleaning – for example, using the wrong chemicals – or from poor pest control. Physical contamination is usually due to poor personal hygiene and practices, poor maintenance and cleaning, and worn, rusty or defective equipment. Use of inexperienced pest operatives can result in dead insects ending up in food – for example, siting of electric fly killers (EFKs) above food or preparation areas or use of insecticide aerosols. EFKs should be fitted with glue boards, replaced regularly, rather than using “electrocution”, which can scatter insect parts several metres. Once again, most of these problems are likely to occur in back rooms.

Microbiological contamination is most likely to occur owing to poor staff training and management. Poor personal hygiene, especially poor hand hygiene, incorrect use of colour-coded equipment and using the same wiping cloth for raw and high-risk food contact surfaces are clear violations. The commonest microbiological contamination is probably from customers. I have regularly observed customers handling open displayed bread and cakes and not purchasing them. I have seen customers cough and sneeze over open food, and fruit is often “smelt”, with the nose touching the fruit. I have seen children with dirty hands and runny noses touching and even licking sweets and pastries.

Certification of businesses, systems and staff without commitment and competence can give a false impression of standards www.climatecontrolme.com

perspective However small, there is certainly a risk of some viruses, such as norovirus, and some food-poisoning bacteria that can cause illness, with very small numbers being transmitted from these actions, but they are certainly unacceptable aesthetically. Allergenic contamination is a growing threat as a result of increased susceptibility and awareness but also the more recent practice of open food displays, where customers use utensils to serve themselves. Using the same tongs to pick up allergenic and non-allergenic food can transfer sufficient allergen to cause a serious reaction to a susceptible customer. Additionally, crosscontamination from dropping allergenic food into non-allergenic food is also likely. Most allergy sufferers will avoid displays of this type in the same way they avoid buffets at hotels â€“ the risk is too great. Incidentally, most food recalls now occur because of food labelling failing to include allergens that are present in the food.

STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING STANDARDS As previously stated, the food safety standards of most modern supermarkets in the UAE are high. They are well designed, constructed and maintained. They are clean, and most have good system/policies for cleaning, pest control, temperature control and for preventing contamination. Most effectively implement food safety management systems built on the principles of HACCP. However, improvements are usually achievable. Standards are a reflection on the commitment and support of the owners and the competence of managers. Certification of businesses, systems and staff without commitment and competence can give a false impression of standards. Certificates of managers and staff who have attended training but do not implement what they have been taught are likely to be a waste of money. Each department should have a competent manager qualified in food safety (level 3), who ensures staff always implement good practice and who provides daily on-thejob training. Rewards for good practice and punishment for bad practice will help develop a positive food safety culture. The manager should keep up to date with the latest regulatory and food safety requirements. Policies and procedures should be based on science.

Finally, managers should be trained to undertake monthly, comprehensive internal audits to ensure regulatory compliance and the sale of safe, good quality food. Food businesses should not have to rely on periodic visits from enforcement officers/auditors to advise them of unsatisfactory practices and contraventions. The number of contraventions/non-conformances identified by external auditors can be used as a measure of the competence of manager and/or the resources/support of owners for food safety.

CPI Industry accepts no liability for the views or opinions expressed in this column, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided here.

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COLD CHAIN MIDDLE EAST

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interview

Tariq Ahmed Saeed Al Wahedi, Agthia Group

Surendar Balakrishnan in conversation with Tariq Ahmed Saeed Al Wahedi, CEO, Agthia Group…

ONSIDERING THAT SO MANY OF YOUR PRODUCTS ARE TEMPERATURESENSITIVE AND HAVE TO BE TRANSPORTED AND STORED IN SPECIFIC CONDITIONS AND TEMPERATURE BANDS, WHAT COLD CHAINRELATED INNOVATIONS CAN YOU SHARE WITH THE READERS OF THE MAGAZINE?

I think internally, we have done a lot of innovation within the company, so for us it was more of revisiting our go-to market – our frozen chain and chilled chain, basically. So, we looked at how our go-to market is happening, how the trucks are going, and the frequency of the trucks. We looked at where our cold stores are distributed and so on, and accordingly, we have optimised that in the last couple of years.

WHEN YOU SAY OPTIMISE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN? Optimise means we look at the truck capacities, how they have been utilised. We had also some certain warehouses that were

March 2020

not fully utilised; we optimised that. Then, of course, our food chain, as well… if I were to compare to other companies, we are using the latest technology of ammonia plants for refrigeration, so all of that means we are trying to push the level of innovation. First of all, it is optimising the operation itself, and then, at the same time, using environmentally friendly refrigeration systems. And then, it is about introducing a little bit of automation in terms of chillers and so on. We are looking into energy-saving methods for all the chillers that we have.

WHAT PERCENTAGE OF YOUR REVENUES DO YOU PLOUGH BACK INTO R&D TO IMPROVE COLD CHAIN? I ASK, BECAUSE THE HIGH-AMBIENT CONDITIONS IN THE GCC REGION MAY NEED MORE INSULATION FOR THE TRUCKS, MORE INSULATION FOR THE COLD STORAGE WAREHOUSES. Look, to be honest, we are following the standards in the industry, when it comes to insulation, etc. All our R&D investments have gone towards developing new projects. The last R&D centre that we opened is for food packaging, which is very, very crucial for us. Whether we look at it from chillers [perspective] or not, it doesn’t matter – to me, it’s all about food waste. So, that’s how we see it. So, that container must be able to sustain the quality of food as much as possible, be it chilled, frozen or ambient. This is what we are following very, very closely. The

COLD CHAIN MIDDLE EAST

Tariq Ahmed Saeed Al Wahedi

We are talking to companies like IBM, for example, to look at technology-based traceability for food chain and the block chain system that they have now

issue of barriers, the issue of insulation is becoming very important to us within this R&D centre. Not many companies have the sort of investment we are putting, and again we are a company that operates over the three temperatures of the supply chain. We are heavier on the ambient side, as of now.

on how to rely more on the sensors. Now, some of the customers ask for even the data that we have in the trucks, especially at the times of disputes and so on. They say: ‘Could you bring me the log? I want to see the fluctuation of temperatures.’

YOU CAN HAVE THE MOST SOPHISTICATED COLD CHAIN EQUIPMENT, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT ALSO DEPENDS ON THE TRAINING OF EMPLOYEES, ON HOW THEY TRANSPORT FOOD – FOR EXAMPLE, MILK. IF THEY LEAVE THE DOORS OPEN DURING MILK RUNS, THE ENTIRE LOAD COULD GET SPOILED. HOW MUCH OF EMPHASIS DO YOU PLACE ON TRAINING?

CONSIDERING THE NEED TO WORK WITH SPECIALISED REFRIGERATION CONTRACTORS AND CONSULTANTS, HOW DO YOU AUDIT THE ENGINEERING COMMUNITY THAT BUILD YOUR COLD STORAGE WAREHOUSES. WHAT KIND OF PROTOCOLS DOES AGTHIA FOLLOW TO ENSURE THE BEST OF SPECIALISED REFRIGERATION CONSULTANTS AND CONTRACTORS ARE ENGAGED?

All our trucks are equipped with sensors and recorders of temperature fluctuation. Of course, it goes without saying that the devices are present in our cold stores, as well, but our trucks are recorded, and we are monitoring them very, very closely. We definitely take any temperature fluctuations very, very seriously. Our staff, I am happy to say, are very well trained. Yes, we have had a couple of incidents in the past – this is normal – but we have learnt from them,

In terms of pre-qualifying and qualifying all our contractors, we have rigorous process that we go through within our facilities and civil division. The aim is to get best-in-class companies, and to ensure they have a very good track record

in terms of establishing similar-sized projects and so on. And we also check recommendations by the vendor, as well of the chillers and whoever is providing the system, basically. We make sure they are listed contractors, qualified to execute the job.

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interview

Tariq Ahmed Saeed Al Wahedi, Agthia Group

DO YOU HAVE SIMILAR AUDITING STRUCTURES FOR SUPPLIERS STARTING FROM THE HARVESTING TO POSTHARVESTING STAGES, TO ENSURE THE QUALITY OF WATER USED FOR IRRIGATION IS NOT CONTAMINATED AND TO ENSURE THE PRODUCE IS STORED IN TEMPERATURECONTROLLED CHAMBERS IMMEDIATELY AFTER HARVESTING? We have very strict procedures when it comes to establishing the traceability of the food chain that we have. And I would like to highlight an example from 3-4 years ago, when there was a total abandonment of all strawberries that were coming from Egypt because of some sort of contamination that had happened. Our product comes from Egypt, and there wasn’t a problem at all, because our traceability was very clear. We know the farm that produces the strawberries. We know the pesticides that had been used. We controlled the water that had been used, the procedure of harvest and processing, as well. Today, we are among only four factories in Egypt that are whitelisted by Saudi Arabia. We are so, because we have the full traceability scheme in there, and we do that from end to end, basically. We went even the extra mile. Now, we are talking to companies like IBM, for example, to look at technology-based

March 2020

traceability for food chain and the block chain system that they have now. We were exploring specific produce for us to be able to do traceability on that.

COULD YOU PLEASE SHARE WITH OUR READERS THE EXPANSION PLANS YOU HAVE IN TERMS OF OTHER PARTS OF THE GCC REGION AND NORTH AFRICA?

UAE IS INVESTING A LOT IN HYDROPONICS. ARE YOU USING HYDROPONICS TO OPTIMISE COST AND REDUCE COLD CHAIN INFRASTRUCTURE, AS OPPOSED TO EXPORTING FROM OTHER COUNTRIES? YOU EARLIER SPOKE ABOUT EGYPT. WITH HYDROPONICS, YOU COULD GROW STRAWBERRIES IN THE DESERT HERE.

In the last five years or four years, we have spread all over the GCC region, except Qatar. So. we have investments, we have manufacturing capacities in all countries. Last year, we were in Iraq, specifically, and of course, we are already in Turkey and Egypt. The places we have invested in still have much more capacity to expand. For example, Saudi Arabia can take more capacity from us and other countries, as well. Our plan is to continue expansion in the GCC region. We want to drive our brand to become more of a pan-Arab brand.

First of all, we are not farming. We contract farmers, instead. But, with hydroponics, you can minimise the footprints of agriculture to a very specific area and also control the greenhouse spread. To go vertical rather than horizontal. From a water consumption point of view, as well, hydroponics reduces the water consumption by more than 90% versus regular farming, so efficiency definitely has gone up. However, I must say, based on our experience, we have noticed that the technology hasn’t matured yet 100%, at least in the UAE. Because, we still find that not all the farmers are able to produce proper produce that taste good and have the same shelf-life of the regular sand-based production. So, I think it is a learning curve. The technology is definitely very interesting, and it suits the UAE environment, but I don’t think we are at the level that is needed for growing foods using hydroponics.

The interview took place during Gulfood, from February 16 to 20 in Dubai. Climate Control Middle East wishes to thank the producers of Gulfood for facilitating the interview.

HAVE YOUR SAY! We welcome your views on the Q&A. Write to editor@cpi-industry.com

COLD CHAIN MIDDLE EAST

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interview

Brent Melvin, Gallega Global Logistics

Brent Melvin, CEO, Gallega Global Logistics, speaks to Surendar Balakrishnan on how to avoid cold chain breaches, and that includes knowing when offered a sub-standard piece of equipment. Excerpts…

HAT IS THE SCOPE OF GALLEGA?

Gallega is the logistics arm of the Ghassan Aboud Group, which runs the Grandiose chain of supermarkets in the UAE and offers catering services out of facilities in KIZAD and the Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority. Gallega serves not only the internal Group business but also third-party logistics. When you look at automotive logistics, we handle all the automotive import, storage and re-export for the Group. We have a storage capacity of up to 14,000 cars, with the total size of the facility being about 275,000 square metres. And on that site, we also do maintenance operations as well as vehicle fit outs and accessorisation. If there is specific fit out to be done to the vehicle, in principle, it is just a matter of bringing it into the facility. We have spray booths, denting centres and maintenance facilities. So, it is a fully functional workshop that is designed around value-added services to the automotive sector.

March 2020

IS TRANSPORT REFRIGERATION PART OF THE SCOPE OF WORK, SIMILAR TO WHAT GORICA OR SCHMITZ HANDLE? We are not getting into the business of building up reefer trailers or commercial vehicles. I would rather leave that to the specialists. But if you were to look at the truck before the box was fitted on to it, we handle that. So, I have ready-built commercial vehicles that we provide logistics services for in to international and domestic markets. We would also sell built-up reefer vehicles to international markets, but again, we have body builders that we talk to, who offer that value to our customers.

WHERE DO YOU COME IN AS FAR AS THE COLD CHAIN IS CONCERNED? WITH GRANDIOSE NOW, YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE FOOD HYGIENE. SO, HOW DO YOU PLUG YOUR SERVICES INTO SOMETHING LIKE THAT? If you look at our value proposition on the food side, our footprint today is UAE-based

– KIZAD and Jebel Ali. So, we have a small cold store in Jebel Ali, which is around 250 pallet positions, and for mostly dry food, and then the rest are some small chambers to deal with frozen, ambient and chilled cargo. But this right now is very much about the internal business. If you and I sit in a couple of months’ time, I will tell you about a facility outside of the free zone, which is based around our catering central kitchens, and then also a central distribution centre for the supermarket chain. By creating that environment, we are not trying to really penetrate the third-party chilled warehousing spaces – it is more of an internal requirement. What I am more interested in is the distribution business, which has to do with, obviously, warehouse to last mile. Now, whether that is B2B or B2C, we are focused very much on the B2B presently. So, it is that particular market segment, where we can leverage customer opportunities, using vehicle tracking systems and route-

COLD CHAIN MIDDLE EAST

I am pedantic about the makeup, the insulation panels thickness, the reefer engine utilised and the flooring. There are no shortcuts

optimisation software; and this is more about where we are focused in moving the business forward.

PERSONALLY SPEAKING, HOW ARE YOU LEVERAGING YOUR MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN COLD CHAIN TO ADDRESS POSSIBLE COLD CHAIN BREACHES? At the time of creating our process and our roadmap, we take into account all the possibilities. So, when I talk about technology, for me, it is one of the overriding factors to ensure that cold chain integrity is maintained. I have very strong views about the quality and performance delivery of the cold chain. A lot of our food production is done in Europe, and we have to maintain endto-end food chain integrity from source to point of delivery here in the UAE. I am just leveraging what I know from the industry, including benchmarking current best practice and building it in as a basic philosophy of the business.

Brent Melvin

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interview

Brent Melvin, Gallega Global Logistics

A FEW YEARS AGO, MEAT & LIVESTOCK AUSTRALIA, IN AN INTERVIEW THEY GAVE TO CLIMATE CONTROL MIDDLE EAST, EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT COLD CHAIN BREACHES OCCURRING AT THE PORT OF DELIVERY. DO YOU HAVE AN INTEGRATED APPROACH WHEREIN YOU SOURCE THE FOOD IN EUROPE AND MAKE SURE IT COMES ALL THE WAY ACROSS INTACT, AND BEYOND THE PORT OF DELIVERY, TO THE LAST MILE? If you look at technology today, shipping lines monitor the reefer containers, so, naturally, their responsibility sits with ensuring that the cold chain is maintained whilst transporting the container in their custody. Once it arrives here at the port, a very common practice is that a reefer container will be handed over to a transporter who won’t have a genset on a trailer, so it could be without power for some hours and not have any cooling. The duration of the move from port to store and then how it is handled directly into a cold environment is absolutely vital, so that you

don’t have any core temperature fluctuation. If that is maintained, it is acceptable. Usually, cargo inside the containers will have some form of data logger to be reviewed by the receiving party to verify that the cold chain was maintained throughout the journey. You will see that a lot of the meat suppliers from Australia fly their product, because they are really concerned about the cold chain, but naturally it is expensive to fly, so you can’t have massive volumes to feed this market continuously. So, I can understand their concerns, but like any supply chain, there are parties that play a role, and there are technologies that can be put into containers today to monitor the status. I am talking about the shipping lines offering this ability through GPS technology, to monitor the internal temperature data of a container whilst on a vessel. Again, there is very little one can do about it, when a vessel is in deep ocean, and you have no GPS signal to monitor the cargo. You know, we are relying on the shipping lines; all we can see is that when that container

comes back into signal range, we will get a data dump, and then we would be able to determine how the quality of the endto-end cold chain has fared. Once the cargo is in our control, after we have done the clearances and the port pickup; this is where we play our part to ensure the destination consistency of the cold chain, right to the point of distribution to the retail outlet, and that is done through technology, of course.

ONCE THE CONSIGNMENT IS THERMALLY ABUSED, THEN OF COURSE WHEN YOU RECEIVE IT AND THEN YOU TAKE CARE OF IT, IS THAT GOING TO MAKE MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE? Once cargo is thermally abused, it requires a different handling procedure to determine if the cargo is damaged or wasted. There is not much we can do for the cargo as a logistics company. The first step is to notify the parties of the temperature breach and, thereafter, to inspect the cargo and, in many cases, have the cargo tested for contamination. We can only support the customer as far as guidance from the cargo owner, the municipality or consignee. Based on the condition of the cargo, the next steps will take place, which if all is well, will be to continue with the logistics process, or alternatively having to dispose of the cargo.

WE ARE SEEING A TREND, WHERE QUITE A FEW CAR LEASING COMPANIES ARE COMING FORWARD AND OFFERING TRANSPORT REFRIGERATION SERVICES TO MILK PRODUCERS AND THE SUCH. THERE ARE THOSE THAT ARE QUESTIONING THE QUALITY OF THE SERVICES – ABOUT HOW COST CUTTING AND VALUE ENGINEERING ARE RAMPANT. THESE COULD AFFECT THE FLEET IN TERMS OF INSULATION AND GENERAL MAINTENANCE AND UPKEEP. HOW IS IT WITH GALLEGA – DO YOU LEASE VEHICLES? IF SO, WHAT DO YOU LOOK OUT FOR? We presently lease some smaller vehicles for distribution operations. We will always

March 2020

COLD CHAIN MIDDLE EAST

play the game of determining which is going to be the best, asset-based ownership model or leasing model. If you look at the benefits of leasing, it means that you can shorten your replacement lifecycle, so the beauty is that you can essentially have a new vehicle every 3-5 years, depending on which particular size of vehicle you are operating. The second thing is, if you are involved with the leasing company from an early point, you would say, “Tell me your brand, tell me your box, tell me what you want, and we will build it.” And then, we will commercially price it up over whatever lifecycle you opt to take it. The difference between leasing fundamentally and owning your assets is actually based in the residual value of the resale of the assets. So, today, we are an asset operator for my automotive fleet, so I have various carriers and recovery vehicles, and we have opted to own those vehicles adopting a fairly

aggressive depreciation cycle. We hold the residual, because we know that after my depreciation cycle I can probably exceed my residual value at point of sale, meaning that I am subsidising my next acquisition. It is a science all to itself. When you adopt a depreciation model, you have to be very disciplined to stick to your depreciating cycle end period. If you are selling a vehicle off after five years, sell it after five years, because if you don’t and you are holding a residual value, your residual value will be eroded. And when you look at it from a qualitative perspective, you don’t necessarily have an asset that is meeting the expectations or requirements of your customer. So, again, in order to overcome those kind of boundaries and parameters, you can reduce your cost of maintenance , you can reduce your cost of operators and other overheads by shifting it to a leasing model, where the leasing

company would absorb all of that cost, and all you are doing is essentially paying a monthly fixed price. So, it fundamentally works same as a depreciation. It might be marginally more expensive, but no longer is there a maintenance issue, no longer is there a ownership issue, and no longer do you have issues around breakdowns, so you are taking the pain out of asset ownership and creating flexibility at a marginally higher cost, but it is a winner.

SO, ARE YOU ARE SAYING IT IS A GOOD MODEL FOR THE INDUSTRY? It’s a good model for the industry, because it drives quality up and cost down. It gives flexibility. And from a leasing company perspective, as long as they are not greedy, and you understand your cost of asset ownership, and you are dealing with a good leasing company, you can actually get a good deal, which is going to play into your hands.

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interview

Brent Melvin, Gallega Global Logistics

BUT, WHAT OF THE INSTANCES CITED OF QUALITY BEING COMPROMISED? Quality shouldn’t be affected, because it depends on who is building the box, it depends on who is creating the assets, and it depends on what kind of reefer engine you are buying from the outset. So you are defining the equipment, and that way, you shouldn’t have a quality breach. Your involvement in the process is essential to get the right asset provided by the leasing company.

YOU ARE REALLY TALKING ABOUT MARKET DISCRIMINATION, WHERE YOU HAVE PLAYERS WHO ENSURE THAT THE VEHICLES THEY LEASE OUT ARE GOING TO MEET THE PURPOSE OF PROPERLY TRANSPORTING

PERISHABLE GOODS. AND THEN YOU HAVE LEASING COMPANIES, WHOSE VEHICLES SIMPLY ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE PURPOSE. I want to give you an example. In my prior companies here in the UAE, we adopted a leasing approach, but in terms of design and in terms of actual equipment utilised, we used Gorica, because I was absolutely adamant that even though it was leasing, the quality of the unit had to meet my requirements. So, if you talked to Gorica, they would tell you I am a real pain, because I am pedantic about the makeup, Key Perspectives on the insulation panels thickness, the reefer engine utilised and the flooring. There are no shortcuts.

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COLD CHAIN MIDDLE EAST

So, to your point, if the party engaging the leasing company is not involved, and the leasing company is selling an asset at X price but then undermines the price by utilising sub-standard quality product for the reefer box or engine, then yes, you are going to have a massive problem. You are now talking about temperature management. So, you know as well as I know, I can have a 50mm thick wall, and then in winter operating, my reefer engine can still attain the temperatures I am looking for, but the same 50mm thick wall, same density is not going to work – it’s as simple as that. So, you have to build for the climate, you have to know what type of product you are carrying and what your intent is. And if you want to carry something at minus 24 degrees C, you have to build the appropriate trailer, it’s that simple.

is built sub-standard and I am not smart enough to know the difference, what am I going to end up with? I will still end up with an owned asset that is sub-standard. So, it is really about how you interact with your partners and build the appropriate equipment.

Now, there are two critical components – one is your flooring, and the other is your roof, because these are your two major insulations from road reflection of heat and obviously from sun bake on the roof. Then, you have to look at the reefer engine and at the internal design of the trailer to make sure you have your temperature throw, so that you are not getting heat at the back door and frozen at the front. So, it really is about the design. Somebody like Gorica or one of the good body builders is going to sit with you, and they should take into account the total design of the trailer, which finally you are going to sign off on. You also need to have the knowhow and the means to check that the vehicle is delivered on the basis it is ordered. It is like anything. I can go to somebody and buy a trailer and if it

HAVE YOUR SAY! We welcome your views on the Q&A. Write to editor@cpi-industry.com

Locally-Assembled, Major Components European-Made Hot Water Producing Equipment A) PRODUCT/EQUIPMENT: (Brand: JNK-UAE) ● Electrical water heaters (500 liters to >10,000 liters) ● Calorifiers with built in coil / tube bundles ● LPG - storage type Boiler (LPG, Diesel or Dual) ● Water heater + External Plate heat exchanger (Thermal Solar Application) ● Condensing type Boilers

Stainless steel 316L electrical water heater

Stainless steel 316L uninsulated calorifier with tube bundles & electrical elements

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Origin Components Storage capacity Material of vessel

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C) WARRANTY

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Locally assembled units Vessel imported from Europe 500 liters to >10,000 liters/piece Stainless steel 316L & above grade (from Europe) W. P. 6.0 to 20.0 bar & T. P. 9.0 to 30 bar 4.0kW to >200kW (+220~400V / 50~60Hz / 1~3PH) (Dry as well as immersion type from Europe.) Rock wool or as per client's request (UAE) Stainless steel 316L or as per client's request (UAE) Locally assembled complying with DEWA or as per local authority Locally procured (UAE) Germs killing immersed device, antistratification pump, PHE compatibility, antivacuum valves, non-sacrificial electronic anode, external level indicator etc. Vessel with built in spiral or tube bundle or external PHE/HX. 5 years for vessel & 1 year for electrical item from commissioning date. 1,000 liters to 3,000 liters ex-stock (UAE) prior to sale. Professional team for back up 24/7. Ex-stock in UAE. Suitable for residential & commercial buildings.

JNK Engineering Equipment Trading LLC P.O Box 26038, Dubai - U.A.E.

Tel: +971 4 584 7014, Fax: +971 4 584 6652 E-mail: info@jnkthermal.com / jay@jnkthermal.com Website: www.jnkthermal.com Contact Jay Deliwala (General Manager) Mobile: +971 50 272 9668

Stainless steel 316L uninsulated vessel

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Valerie Levkov, EDF France

ROM AN EDF PERSPECTIVE, COULD YOU SHARE TRENDS RELATED TO THE ADOPTION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE MIDDLE EAST?

We have an objective to double our portfolio of renewable energy and to triple internationally. And Middle East is a key region for EDF’s strategic development, thanks to the policies and vision in terms of the renewable energy sector. This year, we have seen a lot of heads of state coming here to the World Future Energy Summit, and we have seen very inspiring speeches, presentation and panels. This year, we can

say, renewable energy is a reality. A few years ago, it was an intention; today, it is a reality, and we will not come back to fossil fuel-energy leadership anymore.

WHICH COUNTRIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST OR AFRICA IS EDF LOOKING AT WITH GREAT INTEREST IN TERMS OF POTENTIAL AND PROJECTS? First of all, we want to support the energy policies in the region in terms of competitive, innovative and carbonneutral solutions. We have signed with a new joint venture with Masdar towards energy efficiency and self-consumption of renewable energy for clients. What does that mean? It means we want to

offer clients solutions that reduce the consumption of energy and develop their use of solar energy by using rooftop solar technologies; so, coupling, reduction of energy and developing solar energy will lead to a better use of electricity in the region. So, this JV with Masdar is the beginning of a new era. In partnership with Masdar, we are also developing a utilityscale solar and wind project with DEWA (Dubai Electricity & Water Authority) for an 800 MW solar park. In Saudi Arabia, we have an agenda of a 400 MW wind farm project, again in partnership with Masdar. In Morocco, we have been awarded an 800 MW, very innovative solar CSP plus PV hybrid power plant, the first of its kind, worldwide. There is lot of innovation. The utility scale project together with Masdar, and now this new JV, it will be a smaller project dedicated to clients, smaller but important from a carbon-neutral perspective.

Valerie Levkov, Senior VP (Africa & Middle East), EDF France, provides an update on the company’s projects across the Middle East, the value of local partnerships and the importance of cybersecurity, following growing integration of digital platforms in utility-scale projects. Excerpts from the interview with Hannah Jo Uy of Climate Control Middle East on the sidelines of the World Future Energy Summit, held from January 13 to 16 in Abu Dhabi…

March 2020

share the benefit with the client. And that is the purpose of this joint venture with Masdar, to do the same with many clients in the region together, such as in Saudi Arabia. So, we come with our subsidiaries, like EDF Renewables, carrying their solutions that have been developed for Europe, and transfer them with the cooperation of Masdar, for the benefit of our local clients.

YOU TOUCHED ON THE INTEGRATION OF INTERNET OF THINGS. WITH THE INCREASE IN USE OF TECHNOLOGY, HOW MUCH OF AN EMPHASIS IS BEING PLACED ON CYBERSECURITY, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THESE DIGITAL PLATFORMS ARE VITAL TO OPERATIONS OF UTILITIES, WHICH CAN AFFORD NO DOWN TIME?

Valerie Levkov

HOW IS EDF TRANSFERRING BEST PRACTICES AND KNOWLEDGE FROM ITS EXPERIENCE AS A FRENCH COMPANY TO THE MIDDLE EAST MARKET? DO YOU SEE ITS LONG EXPERIENCE OF HAVING PROJECTS IN EUROPE AS A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE? I am deeply convinced that the best energy solutions are the ones implemented locally. For that, we partner with local players. Masdar is an important partnership, because Masdar can really develop solutions that are needed here. What we do is we bring our solutions developed in Europe here to the region and, with Masdar, transfer the solution here to our clients, whether the clients are government or private companies. To give you an example, with this joint venture we will use the remote control and monitoring digitalised platform we have been developing in Europe here in the region.

First of all, the digitalised system we developed for the energy efficiency joint venture with Masdar is based on an artificial intelligence IoT

model We have installed a remote control energy management system facility in Saudi Arabia. This is the first of its kind, and we are developing with a client there the first energy savings in a big tower, thanks to this platform that embeds an algorithm, so we can have up to 10% energy savings without any investment. The second step is that we will propose an investment to redesign some equipment to lower consumption and

You’re right, it is a very important point. First of all, the digitalised system we developed for the energy efficiency joint venture with Masdar is based on an artificial intelligence IoT model. Now, we are in data-centric activity – electricity has become data-centric and customer-centric activity. We are using more and more digitalised systems and developing algorithms that use the data to provide better services and more efficient electricity consumption. It’s about efficiency, lowering the consumption, and for sure IoT and AI are at the heart of the development of the digitalised system. You are right, cybersecurity is key. We have been developing a lot of systems to ensure our own cybersecurity and our clients’ cybersecurity in each and every one of our projects. This particular theme is part of our checklist, we cannot afford any fault or leak. It is very important, and we can see all our clients are asking for this as a specification and pre-requisite. At EDF, we have EUR 550 million R&D facility a year. We are developing a lot of innovative and high-level solution in all the fields, including in cybersecurity for smart grids, and smart systems in the world.

HAVE YOUR SAY! We welcome your views on the Q&A. Write to editor@cpi-industry.com

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REGIONAL NEWS

■ Representatives from Al Shirawi US Chiller Services and the British Standards Institution (BSI)

Al Shirawi US Chiller Services achieves ISO 9001:2015 certification Receives the certification after a rigorous on-site audit, covering all the requirements of the standard By CCME Content Team

L Shirawi US Chiller Services, which executes the repair, maintenance, retrofit and servicing of large-tonnage chillers, achieved the prestigious ISO 9001:2015 certification, the company announced through a Press release. In the process, it has become one of the chillers and energy services companies to be certified by British Standards Institution (BSI) in the Middle East region against the 2015 edition of the quality management standard, the release added.

According to the release, the company received the certification after a rigorous on-site audit covering all the requirements of the standard. Speaking about the achievement, Bryan Monds, General Manager, Al Shirawi US Chiller Services, said: “We are committed to helping an organisation adopt excellent business practices. This accreditation is a testament to the fact that we are a customer-oriented company, and our services demonstrate a high standard of quality and delivery.”

Yellow Door Energy highlights uptake of renewable energy in GCC region Company to install solar panels and retrofit APICORP headquarters By Hannah Jo Uy | Assistant Editor

March 2020

Krishna Kumar, General Manager of QHSE & Business Excellence, Al Shirawi Engineering Services Group, said: “We have developed and implemented a stringent quality management system to improve the overall performance, maintain a high level of quality and strong customer service, and to provide a sound basis for sustainable development initiatives. With such certification, we aim to build on our experience and set new benchmarks of quality in the industry.”

enewable energy will continue to make progress in the coming years, said Rory McCarthy, Chief Commercial Officer, Yellow Door Energy. McCarthy added that the company will continue to focus on existing markets in the UAE and Jordan, while also expanding to Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other GCC region countries. Rory McCarthy “These countries have set renewable energy targets, and we want to support them in their ambition,” he said in an exclusive interview to Climate Control Middle East. Following increased focus in the other GCC region countries, Yellow Door Energy has issued an announcement that the company has signed two agreements with Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP), a multilateral development financial institution, to install solar panels at APICORP’s headquarters in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, and retrofit the building with energy-efficient technologies.

Enova hands over first-ever retrofit project awarded in Saudi Arabia by Tarshid Cuts the energy use of SASO’s facility by over 30% By CCME Content Team

nova completed the implementation of an innovative range of energy conservation measures (ECMs) to lower energy use at SASO’s (Saudi Standards, Quality and Metrology Organization) government facility in Riyadh by over 30%, the energy and facilities management company said through a Press release. Enova added in the release that it completed the project in 10 months from the time Tarshid (The National Energy Services Company) awarded it the contract to carry out retrofitting work. According to the release, Enova leveraged its expertise gained from years of experience working on energy-retrofitting projects across the region, to boost energy efficiency and reduce the facility’s electricity consumption by more than 6 GWh per year. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions reduced was equal to the CO2 emissions produced by nearly 1,000 passenger vehicles driven for a year, Enova said. According to the release, the savings at the SASO facility was the result of a mix of ECMs, which began with the installation of a Building & Chiller Management System that helped optimise the pumping system of the entire complex. The project also called for the replacement of circa 14,500 conventional lightbulbs with LED lighting, as well as structural building optimisations, such as the installation of air curtains and chilled water line insulation to reduce cooling losses, Enova said. Comprising 11 buildings, SASO’s Riyadh facility houses several offices and laboratories, covering a total floor area of 193,000 square metres. “We are proud to have partnered with SASO in achieving its sustainability targets by cutting electricity consumption by over 30%, while at the same time, introducing cutting-edge IoT technologies to maximize occupant comfort,” said Renaud Capris, Enova’s Chief

Executive Officer. “We look forward to continuing our work in Saudi Arabia and supporting the country’s efforts toward sustainability.” As part of its commitment to ensuring the wellbeing of endusers, Enova said it also focused its efforts on increasing the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) by improving the air quality and the thermal comfort of occupants. This was achieved through the deployment of specialised IoT technologies and smart solutions, marking the first instance that such an application has been seen within an Energy Performance Contract in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the company claimed. Enova said its Hubgrade platform was also a crucial component in the success of the project. The smart monitoring and reporting centre, the company said, helped to identify saving opportunities, all the way from the audit stage, up to the measurement and verification process after implementation. Dashboards for both the client and end-users were provided, Enova said, enabling transparency and raising awareness over the course of the project.

According to a press release, the agreements mark Yellow Door Energy’s first project in Saudi Arabia. Expected to be completed by the end of 2020, the release said, the new fittings will cut APICORP’s carbon emissions by 2,000 tonnes and generate up to 718 MWh of clean energy, as well as significantly reduce energy consumption by 35%. The solutions at APICORP headquarters include retrofitting and optimising the air conditioning and chiller systems as well as installing over 3,500 LED light bulbs with smart control, the release said. Yellow Door Energy will also install a rooftop solar plant that spans 4,300 square metres, fitted with a customised mounting structure to accommodate the roof’s unique wave design, the release said. McCarthy said that YDE believes the retrofit market is gaining momentum in the UAE and the wider GCC region. “The driving force is mainly rising costs and the need for more efficient resource allocation” he said. “A retrofitted building reduces energy consumption, lowers energy costs and can even enhance the air quality of the building, thanks to equipment upgrades.” As such, McCarthy said, the company is investing in solar and energy efficiency solutions, as well as storage/hybrid solutions in a bid to provide holistic sustainable energy solutions for leading businesses in the region.

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REGIONAL NEWS

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March 2020

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Ras Al Khaimah Municipality announces first RAK Energy Summit Event, to be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, aims to enhance dialogue and cross-learning opportunities on energy efficiency and renewable energy strategies in the region and across the world By CCME Content Team

he Government of Ras Al Khaimah will host the inaugural RAK Energy Summit on June 15 and 16 at Al Hamra International Exhibition and Conference Center, in Ras Al Khaimah, according to a Press release issued by Ras Al Khaimah Municipality. The Summit, to be held in the context of the RAK Energy Efficiency and Renewables Strategy 2040, will aim to enhance dialogue within the industry and cross-learning opportunities across similar strategies in the region and the world, the release said. The event, to be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council

Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, will have two main themes: Energy efficiency and renewable energy, the release said. Ras Al Khaimah considers energy efficiency and adoption of renewable energy as important drivers for the competitiveness and sustainability of its economy, the release said. To that effect, Ras Al Khaimah Municipality, in 2019, introduced the RAK Energy Efficiency and Renewables Strategy 2040, which targets 30% electricity savings, 20% water savings and 20% renewable energy in the generation mix by 2040. The Strategy, already well underway through a multitude of programmes and initiatives, connects with Federal strategies and supports the UAE’s commitments to climate

change mitigation, as part of the UNFCCC, the release said. According to the release, the Summit will bring together international thought-leaders and trailblazers and decision makers from the government and the private sectors. Participants at the Summit will discuss emerging trends in green buildings, retrofit programmes, efficient mobility, efficient use and reuse of water, solar applications, energy from waste and many other related topics, the release said. Besides presentations and panel discussions, the Summit will hold structured networking sessions and live demonstrations, aimed at creating and contributing to the energy efficiency and renewable energy goals.

Complexity, lack of clarity challenge adoption of emerging technologies, says Danalto Company official discusses real cost of integrating IoT and Big Data in energy optimisation applications By CCME Content Team

ost has not typically been a large contributor to the lack of adoption of IoT and Big Data solutions in the context of energy management applications, said Albert Baker, Co-Founder, Danalto, an IoT solutions provider. “Low Power Wide Area Networks, for example, enable IoT deployments at a large scale in affordable ways,” he said. “They do this by ensuring a USD 100 sensor, which pings every 10 minutes and will last in the field for five years. And 500 of these sensors may all be hosted by one USD 500 gateway, which has one SIM card. This is a new proposition when we think about rolling out lots of IoT devices.” Baker pointed out that the total cost of ownership of these deployments go down as the sensors are deployed on the field, and in reality, the data services constitute the only cost that factor into the operations. As such, Baker said that over cost, complexity of deployments and lack of clarity around the value of the data being generated are the two most common reasons such technologies do not get off the ground past a proof-of-value exercise.

Baker added that typically, the clients that aim to futureproof their business and strive to have an edge in their market are the ones that showcase a willingness to invest in these technologies. “The construction sector is, by nature, light on data in terms of operations due to its dynamic nature,” he said. “However, Albert Baker energy monitoring across cranes and power tools can tell a company how sustainable they are, how they can save money, how their subcontractors are performing, and it can predict outages, which delay projects.” Providing another example of applications in the food business, he said that an industrial bakery utilised sensors in gas ovens, water mixers and electricity points to get a better understanding on when energy costs were spiking. They saved 14% by changing when they used their gas ovens, taking into consideration night tariff instead of day tariff, Baker said, adding that these are only a few examples of ways emerging technologies can improve operations and optimise energy.

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REGIONAL NEWS

■ Members of Eurovent Middle East during the annual meeting

Eurovent Middle East announces new Board and fee structure

Association elects President, Vice-President and Board By CCME Content Team

urovent Middle East conducted its annual meeting on February 9, during which members of the HVACR manufacturers association elected Brian Suggitt, Managing Director, Systemair UAE, as President. In his role, he will be supported by Tariq Al Ghussein, CEO, Taqeef, who was elected as Vice-President. Suggitt was elected President for the third consecutive term. According to a Press release issued by Eurovent Middle East, the new Board further consists of: • Asim Ansari, Export Sales Manager, Airedale • Dani Elamana, Technical Director, Camfil Middle East • Rafael van Eijcken, General Manager, Baltimore Aircoil Middle East • Frank Taaning Grundholm, VP - Global HVACR Sales, ABB • Iyad Al Jurdy, Senior Manager, LG Electronics • Srinivasan Rangan, Director of Marketing and Product Management, Rheem MEA • Naveen Sivakumar, Head of Marketing and Business Development, Danfoss • David Jacobs, VP and Managing Director EMEA, Baltimore Aircoil According to the release, Eurovent Middle East has seen considerable growth and development since its inception and saw an unprecedented number of technical meetings in 2019. The industry body was active on multiple regulatory issues, supporting authorities with combined feedback from the industry, and its members with clarifications and the resolution of potential regulatory obstacles to free trade, the release said. According to the release, Suggitt has introduced a special theme for the year, ‘Making a difference by driving change’. Speaking on the occasion, he said: “I am excited to see so much energy and enthusiasm in the new Board. The development of the association from the beginning to now underlines the power of co-creation and cooperation. What we have achieved

March 2020

so far may not be immediately noticeable but would have never been able without the contributions and dedication of our members. We are competitors in the field, but what the field looks like is our common concern.” Al Ghussein added: “People begin to Brian Suggitt gradually understand the benefits and opportunities an association provides. Having been in the Board for over a year now and seeing the work which was done assures me that the path we’ve followed is the right one. I can only emphasise again that the region needs much more cooperation among the industry and its various partners, be it government entities, Tariq Al Ghussein consultants or contractors.” The annual meeting also yielded an approval of lower membership fee structures for its members, which the release said, ensures the longevity of Eurovent Middle East for the years ahead. Speaking on the reduced fees and other changes, Markus Lattner, Managing Markus Lattner Director, Eurovent Middle East, said: “It was initially planned to lower the fees when we reached a certain threshold of revenues. The growth in membership since the beginning allows us to make this step earlier than intended and, thus, easier for our members in an economically more difficult time. This should also encourage additional companies to consider a membership. Further steps include extending our reach into Egypt and Pakistan and publishing dedicated technical recommendations to provide guidance on key technologies. The acclaimed HVACR Leadership Workshops will be continued with Building Retrofit, Cold Chain and Data Centre Cooling events over the next three months.”

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REGIONAL NEWS

Grundfos inaugurates iFoss Lab The digital-first showroom and regional hub for state-of-the-art, cloud-enabled water solutions incorporates learning in virtual reality and offers immersive technologies, company says By CCME Content Team

rundfos on January 29 opened its iFoss Lab in Dubai. The Lab is its digital-first showroom and region hub for state-of-the-art, cloud-enabled water solutions, the company said through a Press release. Mads Nipper, CEO and Group President, Grundfos, inaugurated the facility. Leveraging digitalisation and innovation, iFoss Lab showcases live demonstrations of the energy-efficient, cloudconnected water solutions that

can be monitored, controlled and optimised remotely, empowering users to run their systems sustainably from anywhere in the world, the company said. Incorporating learning in virtual reality, the lab also offers unique immersive technologies, including ‘lift and learn’, a hands-on interactive educational tool, making it easy for users to understand, compare and choose the energy-efficient solution for their need, the company said. Nipper, who is a member of the UN Business and Sustainable

■ Grundfos iFoss Lab In Dubai

RSB grants Al Arsh FM provisional accreditation Company GM discusses shift towards increasing asset life and collaboration with Gerab Energy Systems By Hannah Jo Uy | Assistant Editor

March 2020

Development Commission, and Chairman of the Danish government’s climate partnership for production companies, said: “Water has been our business and our passion for more than 70 years. The UN SDG 6 – clean water and sanitation for all by 2030 – is at the heart of what we do, both as a business and a corporate citizen. As much as we believe in contributing our knowledge, we also believe in partnerships and cooperation. Together, we can accomplish so much more.” According to the release, Grundfos is committed to becoming climatepositive in 2030, and providing safely managed drinking water for 300 million people towards 2030, and is also seeking to help suppliers reduce their own carbon footprints. The iFoss Lab, the company said, is a step in the right direction for the region,

as it enables government bodies, commercial businesses and individuals to adopt pioneering solutions that combat the world’s most pressing water and climate problems. Nipper said: “Our knowledge and water technology can move the world in a positive direction. By purifying water for drinking, making water available in communities, and moving water energy efficiently, we take care of the globe while doing so. Thus, it is our duty to make a difference. “The Middle East is home to six per cent of the world's population as well as the majority of the most waterstressed countries. Producing water here, which has continuously growing demands in this region, requires a high level of energy and puts high stress on the scarce water resource. Over the past 30 years, Grundfos has been serving the market with its sustainable water solutions and is proud to be contributing to the UAE’s 2030 sustainability goals of reducing water and energy consumption by 30%.”

SB Dubai has awarded Al Arsh Facilities Management with provisional accreditation, thereby declaring that the company has met the requirements of the Dubai Energy Service Companies Accreditation Scheme, said Moayed Abdelhadi, General Manager, Al Arsh. Abdelhadi added that the certification is a result of the company’s Moayed Abdelhadi investment in skilled personnel, trained for energy management work, and follows many successful retrofit projects, which had a particular focus on addressing HVAC equipment. Elaborating on what this means to Al Arsh, Abdelhadi said that an important advantage of being accredited by RSB is that the company is able to enter the market under RSB, and tender for government projects. “It allows us to be specifically referred to as certified energy contractors with proven products that differentiates us from normal contractors,” he said. Abdelhadi added that such a distinction is an important competitive advantage over other FM companies in the market, especially considering

Eurovent Middle East announces workshop schedule Upcoming ‘HVACR Leadership Workshops’ to focus on building retrofits, cold chain and data centre cooling, association says By CCME Content Team

ith sustainability, energy efficiency and flexibility forming the basis of modern HVACR solutions, Eurovent Middle East has announced the next three events under its ‘HVACR Leadership Workshop’ banner, namely ‘Building Retrofits’, ‘Reducing the Energy Bill: Cold Storage’ and ‘Effective Data Centre Cooling Strategies’, as scheduled to take place in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the coming months. Making the announcement through a release, Eurovent said the building retrofit event will take place on March 4 at the Falcon Ballroom, Le Meridien Dubai Hotel and Conference Centre. Retrofitting of HVACR systems have proven to be cost-effective alternatives to improve reliability, energy efficiency and flexibility of the systems to the benefit of the building owner through cost savings, Return-On-Investment (ROI) and improved comfort for the building occupants, Eurovent said. The seminars, it added, aim to deliver an understanding of the principles behind the technologies that can be used to achieve the benefits.

According to the release, the second event, relating to cold chain, will take place on March 9 at the Cold Chain Pavilion, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. The workshop will be organised as a side event to the first Cold Chain Middle East Expo, Eurovent said. In a region such as the GCC, where most fresh food items are imported, it is of vital importance to ensure that the food cold chain remains uncompromised in a sustainable and cost-effective manner to the benefit of stakeholders and consumers, Eurovent said. Industry experts, it added, will provide insight on technologies and strategies to reduce energy consumption in the food cold chain. The third event, on data centre cooling, will take place on April 13 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Eurovent revealed. To be held in cooperation with the Building Industry Consulting Service International (BICSI), the workshop will be part of a Pre-Event Masterclass to the BICSI EMEA Conference and Exhibition,

Eurovent said. The seminar aims to deliver an understanding of the technology behind data centres to enable exact specifications and mechanisms for increasing reliability and improving energy efficiency, which Eurovent described as key aspects in effective data centre cooling strategies. According to the release, registration will open two weeks in advance of the events at www.eurovent.me. The HVACR Leadership Workshops' is a seminar series by Eurovent Middle East, aimed at addressing the needs of engineering and MEP consultants, investors and planners in the UAE, with the core aim of informing them about standards and industry recommendations in the fields of ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration. The seminars are non-commercial in nature and are free-of-charge.

clients in the UAE have showcased more willingness to invest in operations and maintenance, based on his experience tendering for projects in 2020. “It depends on the clients and it depends on the budgets, but we can feel the shift in the industry,” he said. “Most of the tenders have a specific section for quality and energy management and to improve asset lifecycle. It’s different from before, when it was based on cost, but clients are now realising the importance of cost of labour and maintenance and the cost of optimum operations.” Abdelhadi also discussed the collaboration of Al Arsh and its sister company, Gerab Energy Systems. He explained that although the two companies work independently of each other, they have also worked together to provide clients with more holistic energy management solutions. “If we have projects that require supply and implementation, we focus on implementation,” he said. “But, we do propose our own products for energy audit or retrofit measures. However, if the clients have specific products and measurement, we follow his request.” Abdelhadi added that such collaboration offers most flexibility and allows them to provide recommendations on quality equipment that meet the highest standards. Abdelhadi said that while Al Arsh remains focused on the Dubai market, with projects in Sharjah and Ajman, he sees great opportunity in Ras Al Khaimah, owing to energy efficiency targets set by Ras Al Khaimah Municipality.

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REGIONAL NEWS

Electricity, refrigerant prices driving market towards natural solutions, says Frigo Company’s CEO highlights importance of investing in specialised consultants to ensure long-term operations of systems By Hannah Jo Uy | Assistant Editor

he increasing price of electricity across Europe has urged already started to stakeholders to reduce find solutions and operating cost by investing improve. Five years in better quality refrigeration systems, ago, if we discuss said Adrian Balaoi, CEO, Frigo Consult, a R-22, there is no company based in Romania with projects problem, but now across Europe and the Middle East. The there is a problem, and they are looking for willingness to invest, Balaoi emphasised, natural refrigerants.” is always dependent on how far into the In view of the market shift towards future the stakeholder plans to invest for. natural refrigerants, Balaoi stressed For those only concerned with short term that the role of specialised contractors, operations, Balaoi said, freons are still consultants and technicians is even the refrigerant of choice but that among more important. “It’s not easy to find stakeholders that have a longspecialised technicians,” he said. term view of their refrigeration “In the last five years, there systems, there is much has been a lot of improvement enthusiasm surrounding natural in this sector, with automation refrigerants. “This is the future – and controls to improve the not any kind of Freon,” he said. performance of the plant, Balaoi pointed out that in but you have to know which addition to electricity prices, the product to use and how to Adrian Balaoi prices of refrigerants are driving apply it.” stakeholders to future-proof their Balaoi added that costsystems. “In 2019, it was stable, but in centric thinking also influences clients’ 2020, for sure the price of refrigerants will choice of consultants and contractors. rise again, and starting 2021, it will not be To invest in an experienced and allowed anymore to service some Freons,” knowledgeable consultant is a small he said. “For example, Moldova is not part percentage of the overall budget of food of the European Union, but they have companies and food distribution centres,

he said, but doing so could greatly reduce the cost that may come from problems down the line. “By the end of investment, it can have more than 20% increase in client’s profit,” he said. “But I have met a lot of people that make a second investment and need a consultant again. I have had experience where the client gets a design from different contractors and they select the cheapest offer and they come to us after a bad experience. So, I recommend taking into consideration everything, because some contractors can take the project and cut corners to increase profit. Unfortunately, in these cases, the client is not the winner – he loses. He loses time, and time is money, and he loses efficiency.” Balaoi said that for its part, Frigo Consult has been organising seminars to help technicians in the selection of natural refrigerants, such as ammonia, CO2 and propane, asking suppliers to make technical presentations in a bid to educate the market. He added that the company has also been actively working with local installers in Egypt, as there has been interest in ammonia applications for industrial refrigeration in the country.

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March 2020

AuCom merges with Benshaw

The former characterises the coming together of the two companies as “the start of something big” By CCME Content Team

uCom has merged with Benshaw, the former said through a Press release, adding that the move is significant for the soft start motors industry. The merger took place in December 2019, AuCom said, adding that for customers in the Middle East and Europe, this means that AuCom will now fully support and service both AuCom and Benshaw products and offer an even wider range of IEC and NEMA solutions. “With a vision for renown as the undisputed global leaders in soft start, the merger between AuCom and Benshaw was an obvious evolution,” said Thomas Zirk, Managing Director, AuCom EMEA. “As pioneers of soft start control, the two companies share the same DNA and an understanding the customers want exceptional outcomes, not just a product.”

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AuCom said through the release that its commitment to its customers in Europe and the Middle East is stronger than ever and that it is characterised by user-friendly, elegant products that surpass expectations; sound practical advice based on deep motor control knowledge; and intimate understanding of customers’ businesses, which lead to custom-designed or configured options that meet specific needs. Additionally, AuCom said, it offers personal service and support to ensure the expected outcome becomes a reality. According to the release, following the merger, the AuCom brand now represents all products in IEC markets, whilst the Benshaw brand has succeeded the now-retired AuCom brand in North America. The AuCom head office in New Zealand, the company said, remains the global centre of R&D and manufacturing activities.

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REGIONAL NEWS

Facilio releases CRE3.0 report

The global benchmarking study uncovers gaps and trends in CRE operations, citing tenant experience, energy management and data-driven operations as top priorities for commercial real estate owners in 2020, company says By CCME Content Team

acilio, which offers unified IoT-, AI- and ML-enabled data-driven enterprise platform for facilities operation and maintenance (O&M), recently released a report, titled ‘2020 State of CRE Operations 3.0’. Facilio Prabhu Ramachandran said in a Press release that it has labelled the new era of data-driven O&M in commercial real estate as ‘CRE 3.0’, marked by the three-pronged industry focus on data extraction out of siloed building functions, data aggregation on a portfolio-central platform and the use of modular apps to perform data-driven operations acting on the insight-rich operational data to enable predictive portfolio operations. “Buildings are a powerhouse of data,” Prabhu Ramachandran, Founder & CEO, Facilio Inc, said. “The automation driven upgrade of commercial real estate assets of a few decades ago – labelled CRE 1.0 – was focused on embedding buildings with hardware that delivered improved services and enhanced performance. CRE 2.0, the recent adoption of appropriate technologies, consisted of CaFM and other software suites, designed to act as point solutions for property management, maintenance, energy management, occupant applications, etc. This new decade will see the rise of CRE3.0 – an innovative new data-driven model in commercial real estate operations that is now making it possible to optimise asset performance and achieve centralised and realtime management, at an enterprise scale.”

March 2020

According to the release, the report touches upon the current state of operations and the priorities of CRE owners across the United States, Middle East and India markets, and highlights the growing demand for data-driven operations to drive operational efficiencies and optimisation. According to the release, it broadly identifies the opportunities and challenges for commercial real estate owners as: • Huge opportunity for technology to optimise operational spend: The primary frustration faced by CREs today is rising maintenance cost, influenced by automation data silos in operating technology (OT), dealing with dead-end tools for the expansive variety of functions (maintenance management to asset performance to the tenant experience) and limited access to portfolio-wide operational information in real-time. • Maximising efficiency, energy management and customer experiences is a top CRE priority: Real estate portfolio owners are dealing with inflexible tools to manage primary business outcomes, such as maintenance, asset optimisation, and delivering outstanding tenant experiences. • CREs understand the need to unify and harness operational data at enterprise scale: Currently, management of assets and optimisation of processes is limited by the lack of ready access to portfolio-wide operational information in real-time. According to the release, the CRE 3.0 report also reveals that Connected Building portfolios and a coherent end-to-end view of workflows and processes constitute the norm in 2020, and onwards. In the context of the Middle East, a rise in the number of properties coming to market, the emergence of new segments, regulatory reforms, a Smart City vision and discerning customers are driving a major transformation in the industry. “As we move into a new decade of change and evolution," Ramachandran said, “it is increasingly clear that CREs need to focus on leveraging technology to boost building performance, secure maximum uptime and provide seamless tenant experience across portfolios. And this report provides an eyeopening look at the current state as well as a vision of the transformational impact of data-driven operations.”

Price-talk equals shortchanging yourself, says Teko Company official underscores importance of reliability, durability in ensuring food quality By Hannah Jo Uy | Assistant Editor

f you only talk about the price, you shortchange yourself in terms of the shelf life of the product, said Bryan Lim, Managing Director, Teko Asia Refrigeration. Lim pointed out that in the Middle East market, further education has to be carried out, as price continues to take precedence over the durability or reliability of refrigeration equipment. “We talk about the quality and shelf life, how long it should last for the customer before we talk about price, and that’s a big difference in terms of how we look at things and how customers look at things,” said Lim, who added that this is the main bottleneck the company faces when trying to promote its more innovative products that can better ensure clients’ food quality. Lim stressed that clients operating in the food sector should ensure the highest food quality and must be willing to invest in it. “We are in the business of providing freshness to the food,” he said. “What I see is that, more often than not, people don’t understand it, and they have a refrigeration system that has not been selected well, which means eventually, the food doesn’t last long.” Lim said the problem is aggravated by the decreasing number of specialised consultants and contractors in the market, who would be in the best position to explain the payback of investing in reliable refrigeration systems to clients. “Because every product has different requirements and specifications,” he said. “For example, packed meat and unpacked meat require different kind of temperature and humidity. All this has to be understood.”

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GLOBAL NEWS

ClimateMaster introduces new line of Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems Packaged rooftop systems offer total application flexibility with unique advantages, company claims By CCME Content Team

limateMaster, which manufactures geothermal- and water-source heating and cooling, debuted the addition of a complete line of dedicated outdoor air systems (DOAS) in capacities ranging from six to 40 tonnes at the 2020 edition of AHR Expo, from February 3 to 5 in Orlando, Florida. The systems are responsible for bringing outdoor air into buildings, which is not only mandated by ASHRAE Standard 62 but also creates improved air quality for building occupants. DOAS units are the preferred solution, owing to their ability to dehumidify outdoor air and supply dry/neutral air to buildings, ClimateMaster said.

ClimateMaster said its new DOAS line offers a flexible design platform that supports numerous applications, including air-cooled heating, air-cooled heat pumping, water-source heat pumping and geothermal heat pumping. The specialised systems, ClimateMaster said, deliver superior efficiency, proven reliability, lower utility costs, and reduced service and maintenance costs. According to ClimateMaster, key features include: • High-efficiency scroll compressors, optimised heat transfer, and variable speed condenser fans with EC motors and modulating control that exceed ASHRAE 90.1 standards • Energy-saving, two-inch, double-wall cabinet containing R-13 insulation with a thermal break to minimise heat transfer and provide an effective moisture barrier throughout • Fully integrated DDC controls provide an open protocol for BACnet, LonWorks, Modbus and N2 • Innovative and simple design with friction hinges and quarter-turn handles for entry into generously sized control and access compartments • Slide-out double-sloped stainless steel drain pan provides easy access to the energy-recovery wheel “Expanding into the growing DOAS market not only provides ClimateMaster with an opportunity to capitalize on our 60-year legacy of water-source heat pumps but [also] allows us to create a greater synergy between building engineers and architects, who need the most energyefficient technologies to meet tightening regulations on energy use,” said Todd Graff, ClimateMaster’s Chief Executive Officer. “Delivering 100% outside air solutions that are both flexible and affordable elevates our position with key industry partners.”

March 2020

ASHRAE Winter Conference attracts 2,800 stakeholders Buildings-related engineers, architects, contractors, students and other industry professionals among the attendees, says ASHRAE By CCME Content Team

SHRAE declared its with 300 companies Winter Conference exhibiting for the first and AHR Expo, held time. The three-day show, from February 1 to occupying 506,000 net 5 in Orlando, Florida a success. square feet of exhibit The Conference, ASHRAE space, attracted attendees said through a Press release, from more than 160 Darryl K. Boyce attracted nearly 2,800 buildingscountries. related engineers, architects, 2019-20 ASHRAE contractors, students and other industry President Darryl K. Boyce, provided professionals. Society updates and initiatives related According to the release, ASHRAE to his presidential theme, “Building for celebrated its 125th anniversary with People and Performance. Achieving paper sessions chronicling the progress Operational Excellence”. He focused on of key industries and the evolution of how building professionals can ensure energy modelling. An updated edition operational performance for the people of the Society book, Proclaiming the that live, work and interact in buildings. Speaking on the Society’s new Global Truth, was released at the Conference, Headquarters building, he said, “With in addition to a composite video the opportunity to create a new highlighting ASHRAE’s history which ASHRAE Global Headquarters building, debuted at the plenary session, the we are living the real-world challenge release said. of designing and building a great The Winter Conference technical environment for our staff, volunteers programme featured more than 300 and industry visitors from around the presentations, with interest surrounding world, that will operate effectively and this year’s new track, Big Data and Smart not waste energy.” Controls, where session topics included The plenary session, the release smart sensor technologies, occupant said, drew more than 1,000 people and behaviour in buildings and cost-based provided a forum for the presentation control of supply air temperature, the of awards to experienced and emerging release said. leaders in the industry. Keynote speaker According to the release, the AHR Ed Hochuli, retired Head Referee in the Expo offered more than 1,900 exhibitors,

National Football League, closed the session with an empowering presentation on being successful at any job. According to the release, the ASHRAE Learning Institute (ALI) offered four fullday seminars and 17 half-day courses. New courses included: • Guideline 36: Best in Class HVAC Control Sequences, • Save 40% by Complying with Standard 90.1-2019, • Best Practices for Installing DDC Systems, • IgCC and ASHRAE Standard 189.1 Technical Provisions, • Principles of Building Commissioning: ASHRAE Guideline 0 and Standard 202, • Designing for Cold Climates and V in HVAC – What, Why, Where, How, and How Much. The new Certified HVAC Designer (CHD) certification exam was also administered during the conference, the release said. According to the release, the 2020 ASHRAE Annual Conference will take place from June 27 to July 1 in Austin, Texas. The 2021 Winter Conference, the release added, will take place from January 23 to 27, and the AHR Expo from January 25 to 27, in Chicago.

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GLOBAL NEWS

ASHRAE releases HVAC Design and Operations training schedule Society’s President describes the initiative as “our commitment to providing avenues of development to the professionals who impact the built environment” By CCME Content Team

SHRAE Learning Institute, which provides training backed by real-world applications, announced the 2020 HVAC Design and Operations training schedule through a Press release. “ASHRAE has the most advanced professional development program in the industry, offering practical training that incorporates solutions to improve today’s building performance issues,” said 2019-20 ASHRAE President Darryl K Boyce. “ASHRAE’s HVAC Design training is a mainstay within the industry that further represents our commitment to providing avenues of development to the professionals who impact the built environment.”

According to the release, the courses include: • HVAC Design: Level I – Essentials provides intensive, practical training, ideal for recent technical or engineering school graduates and engineers new to the HVAC field. Developed by industry-leading professionals selected by ASHRAE, the training provides attendees with the fundamentals and technical aspects of HVAC design, installing and maintaining HVAC systems that can be put to immediate use. • HVAC Design Level II – Applications provides instruction in HVAC system design for experienced HVAC engineers and those who have completed the HVAC Design: Level I – Essentials. The training covers the technical aspects of design and methods to increase energy savings through innovation in HVAC design. • According to the release, in addition to record attendance at recent sessions held in Atlanta and Las Vegas, ASHRAE will offer nine training sessions through June, including a session at ASHRAE’s Global Training Center in Dubai. According to the release, the schedule is as follows:

City

Level I

Level II

Miami, FL

March 9–11, 2020

March 12–13, 2020

Julia Keen, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, HBDP, BEAP; Joel Primeau, Eng., ASHRAE Member, HBDP, LEED® AP

Dubai (MENA)

March 15-17, 2020

March 18-19, 2020

Samir Traboulsi, Ph.D., P.Eng., Fellow/Life Member ASHRAE; Hassan Younes, Member ASHRAE, BEAP, BEMP, HBDP, CPMP, OPMP

Austin, TX

March 23–25, 2020

March 26–27, 2020

Donald Brandt, Life Member ASHRAE BEAP, CEM; Dennis Wessel, P.E., Fellow/Life Member ASHRAE, LEED® AP

Atlanta, GA

April 13–15, 2020

April 16–17, 2020

Donald Brandt, Life Member ASHRAE BEAP, CEM; Dennis Wessel, P.E., Fellow/Life Member ASHRAE, LEED® AP

Hartford, CT

April 27–29, 2020

April 30–May 1, 2020

Denver, CO

May 11–13, 2020

May 14–15, 2020

Donald Brandt, Life Member ASHRAE BEAP, CEM; Dennis Wessel, P.E., Fellow/Life Member ASHRAE, LEED® AP

Denver, CO

May 18–20, 2020

May 21–22, 2020

Julia Keen, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, HBDP, BEAP; Joel Primeau, Eng., ASHRAE Member, HBDP, LEED® AP

Vancouver, BC

June 1–3, 2020

June 4–5, 2020

Julia Keen, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, HBDP, BEAP; Joel Primeau, Eng., ASHRAE Member, HBDP, LEED® AP

Washington, DC

June 15–17, 2020

June 18–19, 2020

March 2020

Instructors

Charlie Henck, P.E., Fellow/Life Member ASHRAE, CEM, LEED® AP; Dennis Wessel, P.E., Fellow/Life Member ASHRAE, LEED® AP

ulia Keen, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, HBDP, BEAP; Dennis Wessel, P.E., Fellow/Life Member ASHRAE, LEED® AP

Belimo releases new retrofit App The application offers a wide range of air, water and sensor products, says company By CCME Content Team

elimo Americas has released a new retrofit App, which includes a sensor module, the company said through a Press release. The global application tool offers a full range of air, water and, now, sensor products along with enhanced features, providing customers with fast HVAC replacement solutions, the release claimed. The Retrofit App, the release said, enables customers to find retrofit products based on a variety of parameters, such as manufacturer, model, voltage, control type, torque, running time and close-off requirements. Poorly functioning, or even nonfunctioning systems, can be transformed into more efficient systems by finding the right replacement, the release said, adding that the replacement solutions are compatible with all major control systems, eliminating the need to replace other system controls.

According to the release, the App is free and is available from the iTunes store or Google play.

LU-VE spotlights plant expansions, diversified product range for ME market Company officials touch on business growth and need to provide training to promote adoption of natural refrigerants By Hannah Jo Uy | Assistant Editor

ollowing the acquisition said. “We doubled our plant in of Alfa Laval in April Poland, and we are starting to 2019, LU-VE Group, double our plant in Jacksonville listed at Milan Stock (Texas), in the United States.” Exchange, now ranks as the third In view of these expansion HVACR company in the world, and initiatives, Livia Perrotta, the second in Europe, said Fabio Marketing Manager, Cooling Fabio Liberali Liberali, member of the Board and Systems Business Unit, LU-VE Chief Communications Officer, Exchangers, highlighted that CCO, LU-VE Group, who provided the company’s even wider and an extensive summary of the diverse portfolio of projects will company’s expansion throughout help better serve the Middle 2019. “Alfa Laval added to us East market. Perrotta said an additional turnover of about local clients would especially EUR 100 million,” said Liberali. benefit from the company’s “We also have 320 new people industrial refrigeration coolers Livia Perrotta who joined the company, and we with low-charge ammonia as now have three different plants in well as from its unit coolers Finland, Italy and India.” for industrial applications – products In addition, LU-VE Group has doubled that are ideal for CO2 applications, and the production surface of its plant in China, the company’s wide range of doors for he said. “We have also just started the refrigerated cabinets, which, he added, can enlargement of our plant of LU-VE India” he reduce overall consumption, by mitigating

dispersion of heat. Perrotta said the company also continues to promote adoption of natural refrigerants in the region, especially following its participation in the first transcritical installation in the Middle East in 2018 in Jordan. The project, he said, signals the region’s interest in future-proofing its refrigeration system in view of the phaseout schedule, and interest in adopting such systems, despite the challenge of having high-ambient conditions. However, Perrotta said that it’s important for manufacturers to be proactively involved in training the customers and installers that are interested in moving in this direction. “Training is important, because the behaviour of CO2 is very different compared to other solutions, like freon and HFCs, in general,” he said. “And because the behaviour is different, the design is different, and a lot of the considerations for traditional fluids are not applicable, so it is necessary to have a lot of shared information and experiences.”

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Mohamed Dasmal, Bin Dasmal Group

all for one Mohamed Dasmal, the Managing Director of Bin Dasmal Group, cut his teeth in air conditioning and business as a teenager. Here, he talks about respect, teamwork and the power of the can-do spirit that has seen the Group achieve the accolade of supplier of air conditioning equipment to the World EXPO project, and develop the confidence and capability to expand the business into other countries

Mohamed Dasmal

March 2020

one for all

HE EARLY DAYS

I was born in 1985 in Jumeirah, unlike my father, who was born in the historical Deira side of Dubai. He is a remarkable man. In 1976, he founded the Bin Dasmal Group and, by doing so, shaped my destiny. The first office of the Group was where the Gold Souq stands today, and from there, my father shifted the office to Airport Road, and from there to where it stands today – Al Quoz, just off Sheikh Zayed Road. The Group was already a well-established one before I was born. It grew from strength to strength in the 1980s and the 1990s. I can say, because while in high school – I was 15, then – my father made sure my brother and I parallelly familiarised ourselves with the business, which is a conglomeration of 10 companies, each with its own set of departments, and with all the 10 companies tethered to centralised services at the Group headquarters. He inducted us in each of the departments in all the companies, which was interesting, because each company has its own business model. So, besides attending high school – Emirates International School, to be specific – I was learning about the business, from production to sales and to finance. In production, I learnt as much as I could, working alongside the many technicians, focused on manufacturing air-handling units and the such. After completing high school, in 2004, I travelled to the Art Institute of San Diego, in the United States, where I pursued digital

marketing. And from there, I headed to the University of Greenwich, in the United Kingdom, where I pursued a degree in accounting and finance. I returned to Dubai in 2010 and, thanks to the years spent familiarising with the family business, found it relatively easy to slip into a senior role. I appreciate my father’s wisdom in inducting my brother and I so early in life, because I can say with a great measure of confidence that I know the whole Group in and out. It's been 10 years now with the Group, and I have held a senior position – of Managing Director. My elder brother is Vice Chairman and my father its Chairman. In my role, I have opened a branch of the business in Dammam, in Saudi Arabia. I have also opened a branch in Oman. As for Trosten, it used to be a partnership and used to be called Bin Dasmal Air System Industries; today, it is 100% owned by the group. The Group has grown quite a bit in the past 10 years. In Saudi Arabia alone, we are achieving a turnover of AED 25 million a year, and in Oman between AED 15 million and AED 20 million Overall, the Group looks robust and has achieved significant diversity. We have one company specialising in ducting; another specialising in air conditioning equipment; a third specialising in trading of MEP components, materials and consumables; and a fourth focusing on lifting equipment supplies and services. We also have a company that focuses on storage and doors, another that specialises in automation products and yet another that focuses on MEP contracting. We also have

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Mohamed Dasmal, Bin Dasmal Group

a civil contracting company, but overall, we have not focused as much on contracting as we have on manufacturing and trading. The business profile is different in Saudi Arabia and Oman, when compared to the UAE. In Saudi Arabia, it is more of lifting supplies and services. In Oman, it is more on the air conditioning equipment side, and we are also involved in access and storage. Overall, in Saudi Arabia and Oman, we are doing 60-70% of the activities we are carrying out in the UAE. That said, there is big potential in Saudi, with all these new projects, like the Red Sea development. We are watching them and trying to be part of them, as well.

SUPPORTING NATION-BUILDING I believe we should be focused on supporting the development of the region, in a broader sense. All our business activities – be it the supply of air conditioning equipment, lifting equipment or consumables – are related to construction, so our role is to support the developments taking place, including the World Expo in Dubai. We have also been involved in a number of other prestigious projects, so our aim is to support these projects by supplying quality and reliable products, which would ensure the long-term sustainability of the projects. Energy saving is a prime requirement the world over. In the UAE, the government is aiming to bring in a record number of tourists and, at the same time, is pursuing the goal of being the forerunner in lowering energy consumption. I believe we have to be a part of these endeavours and promote the cause of environmental stewardship through supplying energy-efficient products and, at the same time, contribute to developing projects, keeping in mind the influx of tourists. Energy efficiency is an important goal. Given that most of our products are related to conditioning the air, I do believe that we can contribute substantially to the cause, because the operating of air conditioning systems accounts for 60% of a building’s total energy consumption. We should be focused on supplying energy-efficient products to meet the high demand for energy saving. That is one of the big visions of the Group – to be a big contributor to energy-saving efforts.

March 2020

TAKING THE VISION TO THE WORLD Another vision of the Group is to distribute products all over the world. We are lucky to have the UAE as our base, because we have the most demanding projects here, and they have to meet the highest standards to counter the weather conditions. We have to meet very high standards set by consultants here, and by the government and quasi-government bodies. The region realises what we have achieved as a country, and that is why they are inviting consultants from this part of the world to be involved with the developments there. And obviously, they need quality products for all their projects. A lot of development is happening in Egypt, using similar consultants. So, obviously they will have to use quality products, for the consultants will not approve cheap products. We are one of the unique players, because traditionally, most of the local companies are agents – they represent international brands, and we are also one of those, but we decided to get into manufacturing, because we had confidence and capabilities that ‘Yes, we can actually meet the same standards as these international products by manufacturing them locally.’ Today, Trosten, for example, you would think is an international brand, but it is a UAE brand. There is no international presence at all in Trosten – it is completely, 100% UAE-produced, And if you check to see the Eurovent certification, you will see this is better than some of the international brands. Trosten can compete with the best, and that is how Expo 2020 has accepted this brand. They accepted us when they had all the options in the world to choose from. If they need anything, we are just next door, and they can chase us up. And now, we also have the certification – Eurovent certification – for these products, which reaches the high standard available. That way, these products are on par with any international brand. And the price is better, because it is locally manufactured. The delivery time is also better, because it is locally manufactured. The quality is there, because we have over 40 years of experience, and that’s the way it works. I can say the same thing for our local ducting brand, KAD. It meets the same international standards as international brands, but is locally manufactured, so we can by all means export it to the regional countries.

Besides the region, we are looking at some countries in the CIS countries, and at some places in southern Europe and south-eastern Europe. We have to keep in mind that if the delivery is too far, it doesn’t really make sense. If it’s too far, the pricing would be too high. It has to be within reason, otherwise we would have to set up our own factory somewhere there, which is also something we might look into. There are plans for us to look into setting up some kind of factory in the United States or Europe in the long term. We have the capabilities, but we just have to tread lightly and have the right partner.

MY MENTORS My father is a mentor. He started the business from nothing. It was an office with one engineer and one accountant, and now, we are a group of 10 companies with 850 personnel. A significant reason of the success the business has tasted is the way he has dealt with people – that is the main aspect I appreciate and respect about him. I’ve learnt from him how to deal with people, and how the right approach fosters team spirit. We have people in the company who have been with us for 30 years, and we have people whose sons are here, as well. These go to show the trust, respect and loyalty they have for the company, and that can come only if they are treated with respect. The loyalty and commitment we have of the people is the biggest asset, and I believe my father’s fair and just way of dealing with the people has a lot to do with that. My father appreciates air conditioning from the heart – of what it means in the context of the oppressive heat of the summer months. As a boy growing up, his daily set of tasks included wetting the brackets with water for wind towers to receive air and go down and cool the indoor environment. He appreciated wind towers as being very effective in keeping the indoors cool, but also spoke of the considerable effort required in keeping them operational, so in that sense air conditioning was the right business to get into. Strangely, though, he didn’t start with air conditioning. His first focus as a businessman was general contracting, and from there, he went to trading. It was backward integration, really. He had projects in hand, and he needed materials and equipment to execute them. He was already buying all the products, so he started his own trading company so he could directly bring all the equipment he required

from the principals instead of going to traders. Air conditioning picked up. He was able to get air conditioning products for a better price, which prompted other contractors to buy from his trading company. And that’s how trading eventually overtook the contracting side of the business, and from there, he got into manufacturing as a further integration. And now I can proudly say that we have traders and distributors in many parts of the world, including Egypt and Algeria, for our Trosten and KAD brands. I regard my father as my mentor also because he taught me focus. I had many hobbies, but he always wanted me to get involved with the business. To that effect, he would always take me to different meetings and show me the different factories and products he was getting involved in. I naturally developed an appreciation for the business and wanted to get involved and follow in my father’s footsteps. I also admire my father – and my brother – for the courage of his convictions. As a company, we have never done an acquisition. Our growth has been completely organic. My father once told me: “If you want to be strong and sustainable, you have to stay within your capabilities. Be patient, and things will naturally grow. If you try to do things outside your capabilities that’s where it can backfire.” I also admire His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. I have seen Dubai transform from a desert to a cosmopolitan city in record-breaking time. The vision that Sheikh Mohammad has for the country and Dubai is a major factor for success. The Expo is going to be huge in that it is going to integrate all nationalities. Now, that is a big vision. We are a small country, but we have a bold vision at a global scale, and that is an inspiration for me. I also regard some of the members of the senior management as my mentors. They have been involved in the company for a very long time, and today they are advisors to the company.

WHAT I DO IN MY FREE TIME I have been quite the adventurous type. I hike a lot and also love moto-cross, scuba-diving and horse riding. I have done mixed martial arts, which involves wrestling, grappling, kickboxing… everything. I am also fond of mountaineering and did the Everest Base Camp. These activities have helped me appreciate the environment better, because when you see scenic beauty, you get additional motivation to do your bit for it. I have been to Iceland, and I can say that we have a responsibility. Air conditioning is a big consumer of energy, so it is important to focus on energy efficiency. The better the insulation, the less energy that is needed to keep the place cool. The better the material, the more energy efficient the material, the less is the energy that is consumed to keep the place cool. Some materials are good enough to prevent heat from escaping and to prevent the coolness from escaping. That way, you don’t have to use the equipment throughout the day. With that in mind, we are focusing a lot on energy-efficient materials. On the contracting side, we are ESCO-certified, which gives us the scope to refurbish projects to bring energy consumption down. You know, everything is connected – the further you bring down the energy consumption, the less is the power used and, broadly speaking, that way, you can prevent glaciers from melting. As told to Surendar Balakrishnan

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10 TH MIDDLE EAST COLD CHAIN FOOD SAFETY CONFERENCE 28 September 2020 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia PRODUCED BY

‘The inﬂuence and importance of culture, ethos, consumer expectations, behaviour, regulations and enforcement on a nation’s food safety and quality assurance eco-system’

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION

OVERVIEW Allied to the milestone Saudi Vision 2030, food safety is seen as a vital cog in nation-building in the Kingdom. Dr. Hisham Bin Saad Al-Jadhey, CEO, Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), while unveiling the regulatory body’s third annual strategic plan (2018-2022), which lays out the SFDA’s vision and strategic priorities for addressing the challenges it faces as the regulator of the food, drugs and medical devices sectors, said, “We are continuing on our journey to become a leading international regulator responsible, for protecting the community and promoting access to safe products through sound regulations and effective controls.” On January 19, 2020, the SFDA and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of food safety standards and information exchange. The MoU signalled deep intent and yet another step in further strengthening food safety in the Kingdom towards the objective of providing a healthy environment for citizens, residents and tourists. Broadly speaking, the significant strides being taken by the Saudi Government to promote food safety is a deep source of encouragement for conducting the 10th anniversary edition of Food Chain in the Kingdom. Food Chain is based on the premise that the downstream aspects of the food cold chain, along with the upstream and midstream, consisting of pre-cooling facilities, distribution hubs, cold storage warehouses and the ubiquitous transport refrigeration services, could be strengthened through structured and well-defined FSQA (food safety and quality assurance) programmes, better specialised refrigeration consultancy and contracting practices and also through enhancing the regulation and enforcement frameworks. Food Chain brings together: • Sectoral end-users (hospitality, healthcare, education, oil & gas, aviation, etc.) • Food manufacturers, food processors • Large-, medium- and small-sized farms • Food establishments (wholesalers, hypermarkets, supermarkets, etc.) • 3PL cold storage warehousing companies

• • • • • • •

Dedicated warehouses (large, medium and small) Transport refrigeration (body-building, condensing unit and fleet management) experts Transport leasing companies Government regulators, Contractors (general and specialised in refrigeration) Consultants (general and specialised in refrigeration) Technology solutions providers (manufacturers and suppliers)

The above stakeholders have an opportunity to engage in macro- and micro-discussions that could bring solutions for better transport refrigeration, cold storage design, construction, and operation & maintenance and, at the downstream level, sophisticated FSQA programmes that are comprehensively implemented and monitored for optimal performance.

SPEAKERS (SO FAR)

Brent Melvin CEO, Gallega Global Logistics

Bjorn Ostbye Project Development Manager, Lulu Group International (TBC)

Richard Sprenger Chairman & food safety expert, Highfield ABC MEA

www.foodchain-me.com 64

March 2020 FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, CONTACT: advertising@cpi-industry.com

PRODUCED BY

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION

6 19 October 2020 Kuwait City, Kuwait

Sandstorms are a regular occurrence in the GCC region, more so in Kuwait. The 6th edition of the World IEQ Forum will take place against the backdrop of growing concerns over the deleterious effects of sandstorms, dust, humidity and particulate matter from emissions and other sources. A key objective of the Forum is to find lasting solutions to the demand for clean air through inviting regional and global experts and visionaries and engaging them in in-depth discussions. Another objective of the Forum is to host a display of the latest and cutting-edge technological solutions and services, capable of ushering in transformation for the better in the build-environment.

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PRODUCED BY

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION

4th edition 05 November 2020 | Arlington, Virginia, USA

OVERVIEW Building codes and policy frameworks have compelled and motivated manufacturers of refrigerants to look for alternative solutions to those in circulation, with an eye on lower GWP, greater energy efficiency and, equally crucial, zero flammability, as mandated by building codes, and growing global reluctance among contractors to accept even mildly flammable options. The fourth edition of Refrigerants Review will examine the refrigerants emerging in the landscape and will foster discussions involving government bodies, building owners, consultants and contractors on how to time a switchover to a refrigerant that will have longevity as its hallmark.

WHAT IS REFRIGERANTS REVIEW? Refrigerants Review is an immersive discussion on refrigerants that engages policy makers, regulators, scientists, technology solutions providers, service providers and end-users. To date, this unique conference platform has brought together international stakeholders on three occasions to discuss broad issues, including the assessment of refrigerants, keeping in mind such factors as health & safety, energy efficiency, Global Warming Potential (GWP), Ozone-Depleting Potential (ODP) and Lifecycle Climate Performance (LCCP). Past speakers have included representatives or past representatives from: • United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) • Office of Environmental Policy, US Department of State • Alternatives and Emissions Branch, Stratospheric Protection Division, Office of Atmospheric Programs, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) • Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD) • International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) • Interpol • Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP), Montreal Protocol • Environmental Investigation Agency, USA • World Customs Organisation

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The Royal League in ventilation

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Design Advanced bionic design with optimised diffuser effect

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There is STRENGTH inNUMBERSâ€Ś >7,000,000 residential and commercial products on the AHRI Directory of Certified Product Performance

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The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) is the trade association representing manufacturers of HVACR and water heating equipment across the globe. AHRI is the source for equipment performance standards, certification programs, information, and turnkey solutions that facilitate regulatory compliance and support energy efficiency. Learn more about AHRI online at ahrinet.org.

March 2020