Here's a statement from a successful refrigeration contractor attending the Mechanical Service Contractor Association (MSCA) Annual Conference, which wraps up today in Phoenix:
"The commercial refrigeration industry is moving very fast right now. The refrigeration industry is burgeoning, and equipment replacements will reach a point of critical mass."
"It's like a horse and buggy being replaced by a Saturn V rocket," said another contractor in the know.
It truly is an exciting time for commercial refrigeration, even if some of the change is being forced on the industry by government regulations. The solution is to adapt, and become better at what you do to help your customers become better at what they do.
"Government agencies such as the FDA, EPA, and the USDA seem to be more active these days than they were years ago," agrees Brian Hughes, president, Hughes Refrigeration Services, Montvale, NJ.
"Big Business might be grumbling over this, but for the refrigeration industry it’s a welcome development that our customers are dedicating more resources to food safety and refrigerant retrofits," says Hughes. The company was recently named the 2010 ContractingBusiness.com Commercial Refrigeration Contractor of the Year. See http://bit.ly/dwi64C
The first contractor I mentioned said a major reason for much of the industry's coming growth is that a vast number of systems are ready to be replaced. Additionally, major store chains are joining the EPA GreenChill program. and taking an increased interest in alternative systems and leak prevention strategies, all of which the contractor can help them with. Among those new systems are carbon dioxide CO2-based systems.
The ContractingBusiness.com and Supermarket News refrigeration roundtable discussion — held during HVACR Week in Baltimore in September—brought 10 supermarket executives and refrigeration contractors together for a day of discussion and information sharing on key issues shaping their immediate present and not-to-distant future. You can read the first installment by visiting: http://bit.ly/leakpreventioncb and http://bit.ly/pluggingleaks.