NEWS
Skills shortage grows in the construction market
A
n increasing labour shortage is now an undeniable trend in the construction market. Meanwhile, technological developments mean that products and systems are increasing in complexity and, on top of this, older generations of installers are gradually leaving the market, and with them a lot of experience.
These trends were reflected in the results of the Q1 2019 European Mechanical Installation Monitor, which focused on services in the installation market.
Aside from the variety of services offered by installers to their clients, installers from six European countries were asked about the services they would like to receive from manufacturers of installation products.
The top three services European installers would like to receive from manufacturers are real-time installation support, service and installation instruction training, and prefab solutions that are quick and easy to install.
In half of the countries, a
substantial number of installers asked for prefabrication solutions that are quick and easy to install. This rising demand can easily be explained by the pressure of the growing labour shortage, for prefab solutions allow a smaller workforce to get the jobs done quicker.
Additionally, the demand for solutions that are easy to install may indicate that installers are struggling with increasingly complex systems to install due to rapid technological developments. The latter trend can also be seen in the interest in service and installation instruction and training from manufacturers, which was shown substantially by installers in all but one of the six countries. Real-time installation support was one of the services from manufacturers that installers from all countries asked for most, although
differences between countries can be seen. When focusing, for instance, on the interest installers have in Augmented Reality (AR) or Mixed Reality (MR) remote service support, Belgium and Poland take the lead with 35 percent of the installers being interested in those services from manufacturers. Interest from other countries was close to that number as well, the UK being the only exception. The demand for real-time installation support, and AR and MR remote service support specifically, is a good indicator of the effects of all trends mentioned. These services can help installers deal with the increasing complexity of systems directly on the job-site.
Also, AR and MR remote service support allows younger and less experienced generations of installers to be individually operational in the field sooner, thereby providing solutions both for the loss of quality
because of older generations of installers leaving the market, and for the increasing labour shortage. Overall, the demand for the services highlighted here show the effects major trends in the construction market have on installers and at the same time show
opportunities for manufacturers to help installers
deal with those trends, and consequently make their brands and products more attractive to installers by providing the right services. The services mentioned here
are just an example of the variety of services installers ask from manufacturers to help them in commercial, engineering, installation and maintenance processes.
ASHRAE confirms R466A as non-flammable refrigerant
H
oneywell’s new stationary air conditioning refrigerant, Solstice N41, has received the official designation ‘A1’ for R466A by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
Solstice N41 is said to be the first A1 non-flammable, reduced global warming potential (GWP), R410A replacement refrigerant developed for stationary air conditioning systems and it will be commercially available in 2020.
George Koutsaftes, Honeywell Advanced Materials president, said: “We developed Solstice N41 to address the many regulatory and safety challenges facing the industry.
“This product is a non-flammable refrigerant developed as an R410A alternative and is also better for the environment, energy efficient, and cost-effective for the end user with minimal conversion required. Safety is paramount and the properties of Solstice N41 make it a groundbreaking technology for the industry.” Numerous regulations including Europe’s F-Gas
regulation and others progressing in developed countries require the phase down of high global- warming products, prompting the HVAC industry to seek new alternatives. The current industry standard refrigerant, R410A, must be replaced with an energy- efficient, lower-GWP solution with similar or better performance.
With a GWP that is 65% lower than R410A, Solstice N41 is said to delivers all three attributes. Early testing has indicated that Solstice N41 requires minimal changes to equipment and no additional training for installation and repair technicians, allowing original equipment manufacturers to convert from R410A.
In addition, there is no additional safety or liability risk to homeowners and the whole supply chain. Solstice N41 is being extensively tested by over 15 OEMs and leading compressor manufacturers, having accumulated more than 30,000 hours of testing in different applications such as commercial air conditioming (VRF, rooftops) and residential air conditioning (unitary).
www.acr-news.com
December 2019 7
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