What kind of transformation has taken place in the HVAC&R control arena in the last say one decade?
In last one decade, there is a big shift in mindset of Indian HVAC&R industry mainly towards Controls. Earlier, Electronic Controls were considered to be an optional item, whereas today you cannot imagine any project, which works on Mechanical Controls. Electronic Controls, PLC, BMS, CMS, EMS are integral parts of any project. Customers have become more Energy Efficient today than they were a decade ago. So, we see a good shift of transformation towards Controls & Technologies in past one decade.
What are the emerging trends in this segment of the HVAC&R industry?
Emerging trends in HVAC&R industry are Green Technologies and Energy Efficient Technologies.
Which are the industry sectors where you are finding very good potential as on date?
As we are present in both the segments of HVAC and also Refrigeration, we feel a great potential in Cold Chains, Controlled Atmosphere Storages, Food Parks, Super Markets & Hyper Markets, Pharmaceuticals, Clean Rooms etc.
How important is it to have a high quality control system (say) from safety, energy savings and system lifecycle angles?
This is extremely important to have a high quality control system. In the field of electronics, if you do not have high standards of quality hardware then it can give a big trouble, and the complete project can fail.
In today’s era, all HVAC&R equipments like Chiller, AHU, VAV etc., run on Electronic Controllers and so, you can feel the importance of reliable electronic controller without which you cannot even think of any small operations.
In fact, not only hardware, but also software and a good System Integrator plays a very important part of any project. Just imagine an excellent Hardware of Controller without a proper logic of Energy Saving – or imagine the best quality of hardware and no local site support for software. So, I am firmly believing, Good quality Hardware along with good System Integrator having handsome knowledge of HVAC&R industry is must for any successful energy efficient HVAC&R plant.
What kinds of new technologies are being introduced in the control devices to make them more intelligent?
This is the era of Software, and in HVAC&R applications also, Software plays an important role to make Control System more intelligent. We feel that an experienced HVAC&R System Integrator who has wide system knowledge can play an important role in providing Intelligent Solutions.
He can prepare customized logic and software for any particular applications and that results into great Energy Saving for the customer. This can boost efficiency of the plant to the next level and going forward, we see a big opportunity in Intelligent Technological Solution than mere completion of project with basic controls.
What is the impact of such technology infusion in their pricing?
Of course, this will definitely have an impact on pricing but if the plant runs more efficiently than before, I am sure the customer will be happy to accept the new technology. If the customer is saving their monthly energy and if their product quality is improved due to proper ambient conditions, then I am sure that the customer will be satisfied and happy. At the end, if the customer can see RoI (Return on Investment), which is not more than 24 months, why they can’t invest in technology which can boost their productivity and make their plant efficient to match up the global standard?
What are the new types of equipment that you are planning to launch in near future?
As our company name suggests, we are committed to bring best Controls & Technologies related to our HVAC&R Industry from all over the globe. We are launching Adiabatic Misting/Cooling System, which is a replacement for old technologies like Air Washer where efficiency is quite less and the system requires heavy investment on Ducting, Installation – and also running cost is quite high as compared to the Misting system. We see a big opportunity in this technology in the coming years.
What is your contribution in reefer truck cooling management area?
Our Refrigeration Vertical provides complete solution for Reefer Truck Controls from Dixell Italy, Data Logging System, Web Tracking & Monitoring system as per HACCP compliance.
What kind of competition are you facing in placing your products in the Indian market?
To explain this, I need to divide HVAC and Refrigeration as two different applications. Now, if I talk about the Refrigeration Market, it is a completely unorganized market – but as we are present here since past 15 years or more, every customer knows us – so, the introduction of the new products in the market are much easier. But, here customers are not much educated, thus convincing them about new technologies is little difficult.
On the other hand, HVAC is a well organized sector in India with more knowledgeable people handling various positions in different companies. So, here acceptance of new technologies is much easier, whereas we are finding a big resistance at entrance level where old players are already present with a huge penetration across India since many years.
What is your suggestion to the system integrators and decision makers in the HVAC&R field?
I see a big gap between commitments and executions from System Integrators, especially, in our Controls and BMS jobs. I see many jobs are incomplete and customers are suffering a lot due to lack of electronics knowledge, and their 100% dependence on System Integrators of BMS. My suggestion to the system integrators is to design hardware architecture right from the beginning stage to avoid wrong selection and then complete the job with proper Wiring and Software support without which no plants can work efficiently over a long period.
