The first-ever ATMOsphere Japan 2017 conference was held in Tokyo, with the attendance of more than 190 stakeholders in the natural refrigerant industry as well as legislative representatives and policymakers.
As the global HFC phase-down gathers pace, participants in the first-ever ATMOsphere Japan conference – held yesterday at the Shin-Marunouchi Building Conference Square in Tokyo – heard how policy changes and technology developments are creating new opportunities for natural refrigerants in Japan.
The one-day conference welcomed 191 attendees representing a wide breadth of stakeholders in the natural refrigerant industry: system manufacturers, component suppliers, retailers and consumer goods brands, academics and industry experts, as well as legislative representatives and policymakers.
Among the main themes of the conference were the low-charge ammonia revolution, the status of CO2 refrigeration as a standard solution for food retail, and propane making inroads as a viable refrigerant for light commercial applications in Japan.
Representatives of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Environment and shecco CEO Marc Chasserot also discussed the impact of Kigali on Japan’s official stance towards natural refrigerants.
Atsuhiro Meno, director of the Fluoride Gases Management Office at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, remarked: “We feel comfortable that [Japan] will be able to achieve the HFC phase-down targets set by Kigali. However, we still feel that f-gas reduction and control measures must be even tougher.”
“We also feel that Japan has an opportunity to take the initiative in terms of technological development. We, as a government, would like to support that effort,” Meno said.
Jan Dusek, shecco’s business development manager for Asia Pacific, highlighted the major developments in Japan. “There are now three major Japanese companies supplying CO2 condensing units. The question is not if, but when. When will the others join?” Dusek said.
ATMOsphere also gathered more than 20 end users including the convenience store chain Lawson, COOP Aomori, Nestlé Japan, and A-colle.
Lawson is currently the world leader in CO2 transcritical refrigeration systems installed in convenience stores. It aims to reach the landmark of 2,800 installations by February 2018.
“The refrigeration systems we install, going forward, should not have a lasting negative impact on the future. That, I think, is the most important factor to consider,” said Shinichirou Uto, responsible for store development at Lawson.
In an international discussion panel, some component and system suppliers from overseas reported mixed results from doing business in Japan. Yet the market is changing fast. Suppliers reported renewed interest in natural refrigerant technologies from customers in Japan.
The different regulatory regimes in place around the world have a major impact on the market for natural refrigerant technologies. “We […] think the deployment of natural refrigerants in Japan will look very different from Europe because of Japan’s strict safety regulations. Unless we have deregulation, we cannot become like Europe. Therefore, the only way to move forward in Japan is to target niche markets, one-by-one, from the ground up,” said Katsunori Shibata, president of CAREL Japan.
The conference also served as a platform to showcase cutting-edge natural refrigerant technology case studies and to launch new and innovative products, including the Panasonic’s 30 HP CO2 cascade system, an all-new CO2 condensing unit from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Mayekawa’s CO2/NH3 package for small facilities and supermarkets.
Chasserot closed the conference by looking ahead to upcoming ATMOspheres in Sydney, San Diego, Bangkok and Berlin this year.
Click here to see a video highlights reel of ATMOsphere Japan.
Sponsors
Platinum: Panasonic
Gold: Mayekawa
Silver: Carel, Yamato, Danfoss, Emerson, Conex Banninger
Bronze: Alfa Laval, Sanden, ebmpapst, Temprite, Secop, Dorin, Embraco, CoolTech, Kawasaki, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems
About shecco
For the last 15 years market accelerator shecco has been active in helping bring climate friendly technologies faster to market. shecco supports over 150 partners worldwide in the HVAC&R sector, where the focus is on sustainable refrigeration, heating & cooling technologies using natural refrigerants. shecco offers a variety of services in three areas: 1) media, including online industry platforms and magazines; 2) market development, including market research, consultancy and public affairs services, a catalogue of dedicated research reports, and special international projects; and 3) events, including international conferences and national workshops.
About ATMOsphere
Acknowledging Japan as a major innovation hub for the latest natural refrigerant technologies, shecco decided to hold the country’s very own ATMOsphere Japan from 2017 onwards, and to move ATMOsphere Asia, which was previously held annually in Tokyo, to Southeast Asia.
To date, shecco has hosted 38 ATMOsphere events globally, attended by 797 speakers and 5,548 attendees.
Contact
For enquiries about ATMOsphere Japan, please contact asia@ATMO.org
or call: +32 2 230 3700 (Brussels) / +81 3 3287 7330 (Tokyo).
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