Page 18 - Climate Control News November 2021

Compressors, Condensers & Evaporators
Panasonic ends
“Our R&D will remain its operation in Singa- pore, and we will continue to serve as the global headquarters of the refrigeration compressor business,” the statement said.
“There are a total number of 700 employees who will be affected by this review process. We are working very closely with the relevant authorities, government agencies, and United Workers of Elec- tronics & Electrical Industries to ensure all affect- ed employees are well-supported during this tran- sition, including assisting with job placements.”
Singapore remains a regional and impor- tant hub for Panasonic. The Panasonic group in Singapore will continue to have more than 1,400 employees across various business do- mains, including high-value manufacturing, R&D and our Asia Pacific headquarters.
“We will continue to invest in Singapore to support our growth strategies in the high-value supply chain and continue contributing to the communities in the Asia Pacific and beyond,” the statement said.
compressor business
PANASONIC WILL CEASE THE MANUFACTURING OF REFRIGERATION COMPRESSORS IN SINGAPORE BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER 2022.
LEFT: The closure will impact 700 employees.
PANASONIC WILL CONSOLI- DATE the compressor manufactur- ing operations to its existing facili- ties in Malacca (Malaysia) and Wuxi (China), including the casting operation over to the company’s factory in Ma- lacca (Malaysia).
Panasonic Appliances Refrigeration Devices Singapore has established its reputation as one
of the major refrigeration compressor manufac- turers globally for over the past 49 years of opera- tion in Singapore, manufacturing energy-effi- cient inverter compressors for fridges, water coolers, and vending machines.
In a statement, the company said the decision was due to a challenging global business outlook and a long-term business strategic review of the refrigeration compressor business portfolio.
Hydrocarbons dominate in China
HERMETIC RECIPROCATING COMPRES- SORS running on hydrocarbon refrigerants account for around 80 per cent of domestic sales in China.
A new report by UK consultancy BSRIA found the total sales volume of Chinese her- metic reciprocating compressors reached about 200 million units in 2020, rising by 14.5 per cent. The domestic market was 130 million units with a growth of 15.6 per cent while the export market increased by about 12.4 per cent to 71 million units.
In the domestic market, three major refriger- ants dominate -R600a, R134a and R290.
While R134a has been decreasing gradually, and is now mostly used for export, R290 is boom- ing due to its energy efficiency properties.
As for commercial hermetic reciprocating compressors, three major refrigerants dominate:
Chinese manufacturers have full order books.
R134a, R290 and R404a, with each of them repre- senting a similar proportion of the market.
It is reported that the proportion of R290 has increased significantly.
This is because compressors with R290 are of high performance, but the cost is low. To make the production standardized, compressor man-
ufacturers have accelerated the speed of shifting to R290.
According to BSRIA’s report, the sales volume of R290 compressors sold in the domestic market reached about 10 million units in 2020, rising by about 30 per cent.
It is expected that the domestic market of her- metic reciprocating compressors will continue to maintain rapid growth in 2021, mainly be- cause the export orders of domestic refrigerators and freezers have increased.
Chinese manufacturers have full order books for domestic refrigerators, freezers and compressors. At the same time, many Chi- nese local governments have launched rele- vant policies to encourage the development of a “street vending economy”, which will also benefit the hermetic reciprocating compres- sor market in China.
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