KPS Global Announces Conversion to HFO

KPS Global (KPSG) is proud to announce the conversion to using an HFO formula at its San Dimas facility, ahead of new regulations effective in 2020 for California and Washington.

Walk-in cooler and freezer manufacturers must be compliant with several changes coming in 2020 regarding HFO regulations. As of November 1, 2019, all panels made at the company’s San Dimas, CA facility will use a new hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) urethane blowing agent for panel insulation. This conversion is ahead of any governmental required changes.

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are man-made chemicals that are primarily used in air conditioning, refrigeration and foam insulation, and are powerful greenhouse gases that can be thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide in contributing to climate change. Hydrofluroolefins (HFOs) are a new class of refrigerants that are being adopted to replace HFCs such as 134a and 245a. HFO refrigerants are a more environmentally friendly alternative to HFCs.

“The HFO system is a more environmentally friendly, sustainable alternative to CFC, HCFC, and HFC systems. Our new urethane panel insulation system is categorized as having zero ozone depletion potential and a global warming potential of less than one. The San Dimas location is the first KPS Global facility to convert to the new chemical formulation”, said Steve Pearson, General Manager for Custom Cooler, a KPS Global company.

The conversion to this more sustainable alternative would not have been possible without help from one of our valued foam suppliers, the Dow Chemical Company, which created the polyurethane foam insulation solution now being used in San Dimas. 
“We recognize that converting to more sustainable systems in line with industry regulations requires change, and change, is not always easy,” said Christina Mahally, Energy Efficiency Marketing Manager for Dow Polyurethanes. “Dow is fully committed to bringing more sustainable formulations to the market and ensuring our customers have a smooth transition through our dedicated science expertise, customer focused service and unique collaboration efforts.”

KPSG is committed to staying ahead of ever-changing state and federal regulations and being a steward for a greener planet. All five KPS Global manufacturing facilities will be converted in 2020. BASF, another valued supplier, notes “The new Polyurethane systems provide sustainable solutions with low global warming potential while meeting the high-performance requirements of the applications” said Rohit Ghosh, Head of Marketing, Performance Materials Construction.