Driving Innovation for the HVACR industry: A Conversation with Sylvain Lamy, Vice President of Marketing at Copeland Europe

Date: 29 October 2024
Driving Innovation for the HVACR industry: A Conversation with Sylvain Lamy, Vice President of Marketing at Copeland Europe
Driving Innovation for the HVACR industry: A Conversation with Sylvain Lamy, Vice President of Marketing at Copeland Europe
Driving Innovation for the HVACR industry: A Conversation with Sylvain Lamy, Vice President of Marketing at Copeland Europe
Driving Innovation for the HVACR industry: A Conversation with Sylvain Lamy, Vice President of Marketing at Copeland Europe

At Chillventa 2024, Sergei Mukminov, editor-in-chief of RefIndustry.com, sat down with Sylvain Lamy, Vice President of Marketing at Copeland, at the company's booth. In this exclusive interview, they discussed Copeland's transformation, the shift towards natural refrigerants, and the company's strategic focus on sustainability. Sylvain elaborates on how Copeland is preparing for a greener future by rebranding its products and leading innovation in the HVACR industry.


Sylvain Lamy, Vice President of Marketing at Copeland  


Sergei Mukminov (SM): Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today, Sylvain. Let’s begin by discussing Copeland's transition and rebranding. What can you tell us about this process?

Sylvain Lamy (SL): Thanks, Sergei. Rebranding is part of the larger transformation we’re going through as a company. A lot of our compressors were already under the Copeland name, and now, we are bringing other comprehensive controls portfolios, such as electronic controls and flow controls , under the same brand umbrella. With this change, our integrated solutions will now be married under one brand and we will be able to provide more seamless integrated offerings that bring together our compressor and controls technology to the markets we serve. However, despite the rebranding, our products and daily business operations won’t change—customers can expect to conduct business as usual with Copeland and our focus remains on supporting the energy transition, protecting food and pharmaceuticals and driving the transition to low GWP and natural refrigerants,


SM: That’s great to hear. Speaking of lower GWP refrigerants, how is Copeland adapting to the global shift towards natural refrigerants?

SL: The transition to natural refrigerants is ongoing, and it’s something we’ve been heavily investing in. We allocate a significant amount of R&D resources into developing technologies for CO2, hydrocarbons – including propane, and ammonia. In fact, in order to support the transition, 95% of Copeland's new product development investments are in natural refrigerants. Each refrigerant plays a role depending on the specific application. For example, propane is being widely adopted for residential heating systems, while ammonia is more prevalent in industrial applications. But we’re also aware that someapplications in the cold chain sector like food retail, and food service , will require a mix of solutions, including naturals as well as ultra low-GWP refrigerants. Each market or application has a different set of parameters that drive different refrigerant needs, but in all cases, we see a future of responsible moves to get there.


SM: You mentioned industrial applications—how does ammonia fit into this?

SL: Ammonia is well adopted in industrial applications, such as cold storage, district heating and high-temperature heat pumps used in industrial processes. This is a key area of focus for our single screw compression technology under the Vilter brand. However, it’s not used in supermarket refrigeration, which is why we focus on providing other refrigerant solutions for that market. We are constantly working with our partners to ensure we deliver the right solution for each application, by providing technology options whether it’sCO2, hydrocarbons or ultra low-GWP refrigerants. Not only with compression and drives, but also with system controllers, electronic controls and flow controls that when designed together in the system deliver more than the sum of the individual component in terms of performance.


SM: It sounds like Copeland is committed to offering tailored solutions. What are the main pillars of Copeland's strategy as you move forward?

SL: As Copeland we have indeed three strategic focus areas. First, we’re dedicated to safeguarding the cold chain, ensuring that food and pharmaceuticals are preserved at the correct temperatures. Second is the refrigerant transition, which we’ve already discussed. The third pillar is the energy transition, particularly the shift from fossil fuels and gas to renewable energy sources for heating and cooling. This transition is particularly important in Europe, where there’s a very strong push and need for decarbonising heating in residential and commercial buildings by means of heat pumps.


SM: It’s clear Copeland is at the forefront of these transitions. What role do partnerships and marketing initiatives play in achieving your goals?

SL: Our partnerships are critical. All industry partners have one common goal so it is essential to work together in Europe, for Europe. We work closely with our customers to develop solutions that meet their needs and improve the performance of their system. Additionally, we’re open to new marketing opportunities that allow us to communicate these innovations to the market to accelerate the transition. For example, platforms like RefIndustry.com offer excellent visibility for the HVACR sector, and we’re excited to explore more opportunities to engage with the industry.


SM: Thank you for your time, Sylvain.

SL: Thank you, Sergei. It’s been a pleasure.


 

Copelnad booth at Chillventa 2024  

Exploring New Technologies: A Walkthrough of Copeland's Latest Products at Chillventa 2024

Following an insightful interview about Copeland’s transition and strategies, Sergei Mukminov, editor-in-chief of RefIndustry.com, was given an exclusive tour of Copeland's booth at Chillventa 2024. Guided by Sylvain Lamy, VP of Marketing at Copeland, the tour showcased the company’s latest innovations, with a particular focus on CO2 and propane-based systems. Sylvain offered a deep dive into the technical aspects of each product, emphasizing flexibility, efficiency, and the importance of natural refrigerants.

 

SL: Let me start by showing you our CO2 transcritical refrigeration unit designed for medium-temperature applications. This system is mainly targeted at retailers and offers flexibility compared to centralized systems like booster systems. You can install one, two, three, or even four units to cover all the refrigeration needs of a store, and it gives you a lot of freedom regarding where to place them. These units are compactand very low in sound level.. Having these units installed close to the display cases not only simplifies the piping architecture but also allows them to operate at the temperature setpoints truly required by the cabinets which makes them ideal for energy efficiency and preservation of food quality. We also have a solution for low-temperature systems that can easily be installed in this decentralised architecture.


SM: It sounds like the system is quite versatile.

SL: Absolutely. It’s all about flexibility. You can install these in a basement, machine room, rooftop, or on the side of a building. They are designed to provide for any situation of space constraints since the gas cooler can be fitted remotely from the compressor compartment. We also provide modularity, allowing retailers to add low-temperature units to medium-temperature ones. This creates a flexible and scalable system, especially useful for city-center applications where space is limited.

(Sylvain gestures to another unit.)

This here is the transcritical CO2 scroll compressor system with dynamic vapor injection technology that is used in the units we just saw. This allows for optimized efficiency and drastically reduces system complexity by allowing the gas coming from the flash tank to be injected directly into the scroll during the compression process. This eliminates the need for parallel compressors and associated inverters. It’s designed to provide a consistently high energy efficiency in all climates across Europe with one simple system design, from the hot South to the cooler North.


CO2 transcritical refrigeration unit designed


SM: What about propane-based solutions? How is Copeland advancing in this area?

SL: We have been working with propane for over 10 years now. Our propane scrolls are currently installed in around 10,000 stores across Europe. We have compact scroll fix speed solutions for 150gr self-contained display case applications as well as 500gr with our latest horizontal variable speed scroll. Going from multiple 150gr circuits in display cased to 500gr single circuit was tested by us and delivered 30% incremental efficiency.

Also, one of our leading products in this category is a variable-speed scroll optimized for commercial heat pumps . These propane solutions are designed to meet the growing need for natural refrigerants and high efficiency. They come with capacities ranging from 30to 85 kW. Due to their large operating map, these compressors are also a perfect option for chillers or refrigeration systems.

(Sylvain then guides Sergei to another display.)

This is a heat pump mock-up where we show the extent of what we offer to heat pump manufacturers to make their heat pump better in performance, sound and total cost. It features our flow controls, our Outdoor Unit Controller (OUC which controls the full refrigerant circuit of the system) and our compressor and inverter.. It’s equipped with our latest low sound scroll that reduces sound by up to 10 dBA, which is essential for residential applications where noise is a concern. We've also focused on improving efficiency to ensure faster payback times for users.- versus traditional heating systems.



SM: It's impressive to see such an emphasis on noise reduction and efficiency.

SL: Yes, sound levels are a significant challenge in residential settings, especially in densely populated areas. We have invested a lot of time and resources to develop solutions that solve these challenges, while also maintaining high energy efficiency. This is to date and by far the quietest compressor on the market.

(Sylvain points to another unit.)

Lastly, I’d like to show you our ammonia-based industrial heat pump system. This unit is ideal for high-temperature applications such as district heating or industrial processes that require hot water. Ammonia is a natural refrigerant, and this system helps decarbonize heating in line with the EU’s 2050 targets.


SM: Copeland seems to be covering all bases with natural refrigerants, from CO2 to propane and ammonia.

SL: Exactly. Our goal is to provide options for all applications, whether it's commercial, refrigeration, residential heating, or industrial processes. The move toward natural refrigerants is not only a trend but a necessity for the future. At Chillventa, we are showcasing the cutting-edge solutions that we believe will shape the industry for years to come.


SM: Thank you for the detailed walkthrough, Sylvain.

SL: Thank you, Sergei. It’s been a pleasure showing you our latest innovations.


generated: 0.0247