Page 13 - Climate Control News magazine Oct-Nov 2022

World News
Munters opens cooling factory
US ratifies Kigali
THE UNITED STATES Senate has voted to ratify the Kigali Amendment to phase down HFCs.
The Kigali Amendment commits coun- tries to cut the production and consumption of HFCs by more than 80 per cent over the next 30 years. It is estimated that a global implementation of the Kigali Amendment would prevent up to 80 billion tonnes CO2 equivalent of emissions by 2050.
In a rare bipartisan deal the US Senate passed the climate treaty by a vote of 69 to 27. The Kigali Amendment was first intro- duced in 2016 by all 197 parties to the
Montreal Protocol.
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the
majority leader, called the ratification “a historic step forward to combating global warming in a huge way.”
He predicted that the vote may count as one of the most important bipartisan accom- plishments during this Congress.
If the Kigali pact is successfully implemented, scientists estimate it would prevent up to 0.5 degrees Celsius, or roughly 1 degree Fahrenheit, of warming by the end of this century.
TO MEET THE growing demand for data cen- tre cooling, Munters has opened a new factory for the production of advanced and energy- efficient cooling equipment in Virginia, United States.
Munters is relocating operations from its plant in Buena Vista, Virginia, to a new, expanded facility with twice the manufacturing capacity in Daleville, Virginia.
President of the data center technologies business and group vice president at Munters, Stefan Aspman, said the demand for innovative and sustainable data centre cooling is expected to remain strong.
“I am very excited about our new factory that gives us the infrastructure we need to continue to provide world-class, energy-efficient solu- tions to our customers,” he said.
The new 365,000 ft2 (34,000 m2)
LEFT: Data centre cooling system.
manufacturing facility is Munters' largest plant in the Americas. The factory will increase the pro- duction capacity of cooling and humidity control equipment and add more than 150 jobs.
"The new modern factory will offer the best possible working environment for our employ- ees. It is designed with Munters' net-zero emis- sions target in mind,” Aspman said.
“The upcoming installation of solar panels on the roof, which is estimated to cover a large part of the daily energy consumption, is an example of this.”
Earlier this week Munters opened a new fac- tory in Hodonin, Czech Republic to meet grow- ing demand from battery producers.
The new factory will produce industrial dehu- midification systems.
This factory with its 10,000 m2 of workspace, will mainly produce the dehumidification sys- tem Munters DSS Pro, which offers key energy- saving features and has been specifically designed to meet the high demands of the bat- tery, pharmaceutical, and food industries.
For manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries specifically, a stable and safe climate with very low relative humidity is required. Munters energy-efficient dehumidification solutions ensure high uptime and extreme reliability at ultra-low dew points, securing the quality in lithium-ion battery production.
Emerson exits Russia
EMERSON HAS INKED an agreement to sell its Russia business, including Metran, its Russia-based manufacturing subsidiary, and Emerson LLC in Russia, the sales and service organisation for Metran, to the local management team.
This announcement follows the company’s May state- ment to exit its Russia business and explore strategic options to divest Metran.
For fiscal year 2021, Russia represented approxi- mately 1.5 per cent of total Emerson sales. As part of the previously announced Russia exit, Emerson included a pre-tax loss of $US162 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2022.
The transaction will be subject to regulatory and gov- ernment approvals, and other customary closing condi- tions. Emerson will work closely with the local Russia management team to help ensure a smooth transition for employees through the process. ✺
Emerson manufacturing facility.
CLIMATE CONTROL NEWS OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2022
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