For the first time ever, the 2019 IIAR Natural Refrigerants Conference and Expo included a new Commercial and Food Retail track, developed in partnership with the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC). This new educational program featured technical papers, panels, and workshop presentations. The track brought new attendees from the supermarket sector, including national and regional chain retailers, service contractors, and equipment manufacturers.
“IIAR’s emphasis on technical research and unique, data-driven content are well positioned to support the needs of the commercial sector “, said Danielle Wright, Executive Director of the NASRC, “We received very positive feedback from supermarket stakeholders that see the benefit in this type of educational program.”
The new Commercial and Food Retail track represents an expansion of IIAR’s traditional focus and expertise in industrial refrigeration. While the industrial sector has in-depth experience with ammonia, natural refrigerants still represent less than 1% of supermarket installations. As regulations drive the adoption of more environmentally friendly technologies, the need for education and technical resources is expected to grow.
“In recent years, the refrigeration industry has benefited from new technological advancements that are making the use of natural refrigerants feasible in both commercial and industrial sectors of our industry, said Dave Rule, President of IIAR. “IIAR has taken a leadership role in addressing this change through expanding our annual conference to create a broader educational program and more networking opportunities for attendees from the traditional food processing and cold storage industry to the food retail sectors of our markets. This program offers a great opportunity for our IIAR and NASRC members to share new technology, new operational demands across both sectors and improve safety and efficiency throughout the refrigeration industry.”
The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) is an international trade association who has historically focused on the safe and efficient use of ammonia as a refrigerant, primarily used in industrial applications. In the last decade, IIAR has expanded their mission to include all natural refrigerants in new applications such as food processing, cold storage, and food retail sectors. More recently they have introduced initiatives focused on carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons, which incorporate the commercial refrigeration sector.
The NASRC is a 501c3 nonprofit organization spearheading efforts to eliminate the barriers preventing the widespread adoption of natural refrigerants in supermarkets. Their network of members is composed of leaders from the supermarket industry, including major manufacturers of commercial refrigeration equipment, service contractors, design and engineering firms, utilities, trade associations, and over 22,000 supermarket locations in North America.
In 2020, the IIAR conference will be held in Orlando, Florida, March 15-18. The conference will again feature a commercial track and exposition for heavy equipment: www.iiar.org/iiar/wcm/events.
“We are honored to have partnered with IIAR on the launch of this commercial track and look forward to supporting its growth in future years”, said Wright.
For more details on the 2019 IIAR Commercial and Food Retail Track, including session descriptions and presenters, click here.