“I would like to see a little more self-confidence in our industry”

Probably the biggest challenge comes with the constantly changing framework conditions. The changes to the Swiss Chemical Risk Reduction Ordinance in particular, known as the ORRChem, are something we are constantly tackling. This is a technology driver, and the changing technologies spell increased requirements for skilled labour. Specialist staff are in very short supply, so if a business’s human resources are limited, it tends to work with familiar products and technologies.

We ensure that the necessary information and educational resources are available and accessible, and we are very proactive in our approach to education and communication. With the constantly evolving specifications and changes, refrigeration engineers are certainly never short of work; indeed, they are often extremely busy or even reaching their limits. There are inevitable stresses and tradeoffs. We are committed to complying with the applicable legal requirements, but these still need to be realistic.

Refrigeration technology plays a key role in the energy and heating transition, and the specialists ensure that refrigeration systems and heat pumps function smoothly and efficiently. The areas of application are diverse and are generally not visible to the public. The “Kälteler”, as we call the refrigeration specialists, maintain and optimise existing systems, ensure that the plants are leakproof and prevent refrigerant losses. Refrigeration technicians are already playing an active role in climate and environmental protection and, compared to other sectors with a few hundred companies that service refrigeration plants in our country, they have a great deal of leverage and a major impact. I would sometimes like to see a little more self-confidence in our industry here.

The two most important drivers on the market are the legal framework conditions and the economic considerations. The environment as a driver cannot keep pace with these two factors, which is something we see not only in the area of refrigeration. Last but not least, we need enough people with the right training to implement what is prescribed.

The most effective means of steering is still the law. At some point, climatedamaging refrigerants will no longer be permitted, so given the economic aspect, supported programmes can achieve a great deal when it comes to the premature replacement of plants, yes. They make an important contribution where the red line – i.e. a ban – has not yet been reached. Funding can accelerate a process.

Swiss legislation will largely be harmonised with the European F-Gas Regulation (on fluorinated greenhouse gases; editor’s note). The industry is preparing for this development and many businesses are already well equipped for the future. The situation is trickier, to a degree, for customers. Switching to natural refrigerants sometimes requires considerable investment, which can be problematic for customers in low-margin sectors. The proprietor of a restaurant doesn’t sell any more beer just because he has replaced his refrigeration plant. Here, the industry needs to develop concepts and systems that are as simple and affordable as possible, and that fulfil environmental and efficiency requirements.

Revolutionising seems too big a word to me. The trend is clearly heading towards natural refrigerants, but these also present challenges: toxicity, high gas pressures, flammability. We can assume that many new products and components for plants using natural refrigerants will be launched on the market by producers in the coming years. The development is extremely fast-paced.

There is an extensive range of measures in place, with a focus on the areas of education, promoting young talent and technical support. Specifically, we offer training for handling flammable refrigerants, CO₂ and, in future, probably also NH₃ (NH₃: ammonia; editor’s note). Training-oriented refrigeration systems have been procured for this purpose. We regularly attend career fairs, where we successfully get young people interested in working in the refrigeration sector, and we also provide experts with information sheets and digital work tools.

www.svk-asf-atf.ch
www.cool-clever.ch