Latest / The Refrigeration Mentor Podcast / Episode 242. Chillventa 2024: A Look At New Danfoss Innovations with Henry Steffensen

Transcript

Episode 242. Chillventa 2024: A Look At New Danfoss Innovations with Henry Steffensen · The Refrigeration Mentor Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker: I have a special episode today. I'm diving into what Chillventa is going to be all about for Danfoss. Super excited about this. We're talking with Henry Stephenson, strategic marketing director. He's been with Danfoss a long time. He knows the product inside and out, but he knows these events. And what's so valuable about going to this event.
• 0:01
  I've been to Chillventa the first time back in 2022, and it blew my mind. And I went and hung out with Danfoss at their booth for, for quite a couple of hours, actually, because there were just so many technologies to see there, hanging out with all the experts. And I'm excited to dive into this conversation today on what the 2024 Danfoss is going to be all about for Danfoss.
• 0:02
  Henry, welcome to the Refrigeration Mentor Podcast.
• 0:03
  Speaker 2: Thank you, Trevor. Thanks for
• 0:04
  Speaker: having
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: me.
• 0:06
  Speaker: Thank you for, for joining me. So why don't we tell, uh, the audience a little bit about, uh, your role and what you do at Danfoss.
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Okay. My, uh, my main role, I'm sitting in the, um, in the segment, uh, climate solution.
• 0:08
  My role is really on working across, you know, we have a lot of product segments, uh, and my role is really. Yeah. Great. It's really facilitate in creating the solutions. I mean, we have the, uh, the smart store we have in commercial refrigeration, really connecting the products. We have great lab facility and so on.
• 0:09
  So I'm so to say, not the technical guy, but I'm, uh, I'm the facilitator, in doing this creating innovation camps, uh, internally really to connect people and, uh, look forward and create new products.
• 0:10
  Speaker: Yeah, I talk with lots of different strategic marketing and strategic products and solution products at different organizations.
• 0:11
  And we're like, Oh, we're not technical. But what we do is we take all the technical components from across the whole organization and put them together with our teams and make it work, which is pretty cool. Cause Dan Foster is a massive organization. I'm involved with a lot of the climate solution stuff, but you guys are, It's so big and like, and especially like with the smart store, it's like almost all Danfoss products now.
• 0:12
  And you have Bach on under the umbrella where now you get the CO2 compressor solution side of things. So it's just so big, like any refrigeration system out there probably has some sort of Danfoss. component on it. If not, it could have a component on it. That's correct.
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: So, and of course, uh, we want to show not all the products that Chilvent have brought, but really, uh, some of the, the new things, actually, we have done that with all the shows this year, talk about shift your, your perspective and really saying, okay, step back and take a holistic view at your installation and really say, okay, so how can I be prepared for the future?
• 0:14
  How can I decarbonize? How can I save
• 0:15
  Speaker: energy? So you guys have different customers. You have contractors that are customers, technicians that are customers, wholesalers that are customers. You got end users, the manufacturers that are customers. So you've got a full spectrum of different customers. Uh, and when you talk about shift your perspective.
• 0:16
  perspective. It has to be a bit of different messaging to each one of those groups. So let's start with the retailers or the end users. We'll start off with them. What does really shift the perspective? Does that mean decarbonization? Thinking about energy efficiency? What does that really mean to them?
• 0:17
  To them, of course, they
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: are the ones, they are the one paying the energy bill. They are the ones, of course, also reporting their sustainability, um, report and their carbon footprint. So for them, it's, it's really about how, how can I, uh, improve all the time here. And what we are preaching here, and I'm sure you have heard that before, is also first of all, start reducing.
• 0:19
  So be energy efficient, reuse all the energy, don't waste, no waste. And then of course, resource, um, Energy from renewable energy sources so that these are kind of the three that we are talking about and and
• 0:20
  Speaker: supplying products for. So when a customer comes and sees you, I think you guys are in Hall 7, booth 251, this shift your perspective.
• 0:21
  What are you going to talk, show them there? Like, I'm pretty sure you'll have some solutions there on there. What are some of those strategies? Maybe heat recovery. What are some of the things that. You want to show them while they're there. Why do they want to come to the booth and check, talk with the experts?
• 0:22
  I think,
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: I mean, on the booth, we'll show a solutions for both small installations, so for restaurant and light commercial, we show, talk about supermarkets and we talk about industrial solutions also, for example, a glass door merchandisers, we are explaining how people can say, okay, don't stop innovating here.
• 0:24
  I mean, We have just worked with a major beverage company on reducing additional 30 percent of their glass door merchandise. And there are millions out there, and it's a big share of their carbon footprint, actually. When they do a scope 3 carbon footprint, okay, it's 20, 30, 40 percent of their, of their footprint that they can reduce additionally here.
• 0:25
  So it's a major impact, um, potentially.
• 0:26
  Speaker: That is a big impact because we know in refrigeration most businesses, especially in the supermarket side and some of the industrial, the refrigeration is the most expensive part. And so is how do we help those end users and those contractors figure out solutions that's going to really carbon footprint, which is something that's really happened globally over the last 10, 15 years that's been talked about.
• 0:27
  But now I feel like it's becoming more of the mainstream things, uh, where larger corporations have to, there's, there's rulings and regulations through government now that, uh, that we got to try to get to. Yeah. So, so,
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: and, and that's also why, I mean, if we move to the, uh, The supermarket area where I've been working for, uh, 15, 16 years.
• 0:29
  And this is really where we say, okay, let us tell about the experience we have with our, our smart store that we have built here at our headquarters and how we actually say, okay, your refrigeration act. System can actually heat up your store all year round with waste heat. We can talk about CO2 as a refrigerant that can be used, uh, not only in cold areas, but around the world also in hot climates.
• 0:30
  So we can, we can demonstrate that. And then of course the, yeah, as I mentioned, the heat recovery, we'll have a heat recovery unit, uh, on stand again here, it's, it's a problem play. I mean, what we see is that the heating and cooling. Uh, sector, uh, are not always, uh, very well connected and not talking well together.
• 0:31
  So we have made it very easy saying, okay, you have a zero to 10 volts connection between the heating and cooling and then, uh, install it and it will take care of the rest.
• 0:32
  Speaker: So that, cause that's the interesting, I know, uh, you spent, you're spending decades now because CO2 is one of the big things. And I know at chill vent that we're going to see a lot of CO2, uh, product there.
• 0:33
  And one thing you said there is heat recovery. This is something that. Pretty big in Canada in the Nordic countries for a long time, but it was, I don't think it was something that has used as much. In more of the warmer climates, because I do a lot of training for contractors and technicians in the supermarket industry, and that's when you heat reclaim or heat recovery.
• 0:34
  And it's not as much as here in, as say in Canada, but I think with CO2, it's going to grow immensely. Let's talk about, about that. When, when you think about shift your perspective, we've have wasted a lot of heat, we're sending it out to the condenser and we're just blowing it out to the atmosphere. I like the way you guys put it, shift your perspective, using that waste heat as much as possible is going to bring a huge amount of value to that customer.
• 0:35
  You want to talk a little bit about that? Because I know your smart store uses every ounce of heat as possible. You know what I mean? You're trying to utilize everything and that's what refrigeration is moving heat somewhere else. Right. So you want to talk a little bit about that, how, how, how heat recovery is going to be a, a big thing for, for the shift your perspective.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: Yeah. As you might know, Danfoss has both a heating and a cooling organization in climate solutions. So some clever guys work together and build this system with two accumulator tanks ready to be connected to the compressor, CO2 compressor. Uh, rack, and when you run with CO2, you get very high quality heat, so very high temperatures also, it's a, it's a perfect match, what we say, you connect it to your compressor rack or pack, and it sends all the heat over and you store it and you use it when you need it, and now we are in the, um, in the position in Denmark, where we have a lot of district, uh, heating also, so, uh, we are connected To the households on the island of Alsea, where we are.
• 0:37
  So what we don't use, we sell to the district heating. And in case we don't have enough, we of course buy. And, and this district heat or this heat recovery unit is simply taking care of that with the meters and everything. And, um, what we hear is also. If you don't have a district heating, then you always have neighbors, sometimes you are in a mall, in the basement, sometimes you are in a shopping area, so you can share your heat with others, and on a hot day, Yeah, it's not for heating, but it's maybe for hot water, for cleaning and so on.
• 0:38
  That's what we see is in the, uh, Nordics here. It's, it's really exploding and everybody wants to utilize that heat. And the politicians who has been visiting us is, okay, why don't we do this everywhere? They say, yeah, good question. Yeah. So, uh, but we are promoting
• 0:39
  Speaker: heavily. That's good to hear. Cause it's not something that's very big here in Canada yet, but I think at some point, It will continue, it will get bigger, micro grids.
• 0:40
  I think there's a lot of things that I know the world advancement, uh, especially with technologies from organizations like you coming out with new stuff each year and figuring it out because it takes time. The technologies that are here today are going to be different than 10 years from now and then 20 years from now.
• 0:41
  So it's good that we're talking about how to make it better now. So in the future, Uh, the smart people out there doing the R and D come up with these new technologies to really help move us forward. Because for me, this is a global direction. We all need to work together, uh, as humanity to try to, you know, these roadblocks that we learn and we grow and like fossil fuels.
• 0:42
  It was perfect. We needed that stuff because we had, you know, nothing before that. So I think this is the progression. What are some of the things that you are really excited about for Chillventa? Um, cause you've been to a lot of Chillventas, I'm sure. Oh yeah, definitely.
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: Definitely. So I was back then when it was called IKK also, that was, uh, before it was Chillventa.
• 0:44
  So yes, I think if we move a bit to the, um, on the industrial side also, and look at, um, all, all. A large commercial area, we are showcasing also our, our two turbo core compressors with magnetic bearings and, um, oil free centrifugal technology. I think one, one great example. And we just opened that in the city where I live.
• 0:45
  We have at the hospital here. You know, hospitals, they need a lot of heating and hot water and they, they need a lot of air. Air conditioning also and and cooling where they have the scanners and so on originally here. They had a gas. , of course gas furnace and then they had air conditioning, uh, on the roof.
• 0:46
  Uh, so what we did that we took all this away and we put in, uh, two heat pumps together with partners. We don't build heat pumps, but we provide, uh, a lot of the components. Some of them are the, of course, the turbo core compressor. So now they are both getting hot and cold from the heat pump and we are saving a lot of money.
• 0:47
  We are again connected to the district heating network so we can buy and sell what we have left over. So a great case where you can. We end up saving, uh, our community a lot of money and, uh, decarbonizing also because now we have electrified the heating system of the supermarket. And, uh, you know, in Denmark we have a lot of windmills.
• 0:48
  Energy is close to free because we have surplus, um, so we can, um, heat for almost
• 0:49
  Speaker: for free. That's not the case in a lot of other places like here, not for a year. I've been in the summertime, so, so that's pretty amazing. So. Yeah, you guys have lots of solutions at this like Danfoss is so big, especially a CO2 system, CO2 rack.
• 0:50
  I always see Danfoss, something of Danfoss on their drive or, or if it's valves or whatever it is. Um, but I, I'm super excited to, to see you guys at Shellvented because I know there's lots of little solutions that a lot of people don't think about, you know, like, um, the connected control system, you know, you got the controllers and you got the, The main PCB, the SM800, and I really think that connectivity is something that's really going to change, and it is transforming the industry, because Over the years, I've worked on a lot of equipment as a technician in the field, but it was always like a mix, you know, a mix of this manufacturer and that manufacturer, and that manufacturer, which, which is fair.
• 0:51
  Uh, but when I start to see one full solution from one manufacturer, just say it's all a Danfoss solution, it makes the systems run more, more efficiently and effectively. I know that, uh, The SmartStore is connected with all DanFoss components. Uh, when you guys, uh, designed and developed that, I know that took a long time.
• 0:52
  That doesn't happen overnight. Uh, what was, uh, uh, how did you feel after it was done? Did you feel that you guys hit all the points with the SmartStore to go? To your customers next and be like, this is the solution. Like, look at the numbers from what it was to what it is now. Definitely.
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: I, as you, as you also rightly say, it has been a development over, over many years.
• 0:54
  I mean, Adapt Cool is, uh, is more than 25 years on its back and a constant improvement, constant learning also. And where the system manager is the, the, the brain of the store. And then we have on top, we have all sense, um, Who is our digital services, that is kind of the, the brain of the supermarket chain, right?
• 0:55
  And optimizing on chain level, it's a continuous improvement. And I think also looking at, uh, at the smart store and the learning we're getting there from saying, okay, so, uh, what is the perfect defrost pattern in the supermarket? What is the, uh, What's called a rail heat optimization, and so on. So areas where you're spending a lot of energy and where we can still improve.
• 0:56
  But this is what the SM800 and our system manager is taking care of. And then when you move to the Alcense level, it's more saying, okay, let's make sure that if there's an alarm, if there's a temperature deviation, that the alarm comes in the right place. If there's a, we are using too much energy in one area, We are doing the benchmarking and, and again, being alerted and the technician is being alerted as well.
• 0:57
  So a lot of, um, a lot of
• 0:58
  Speaker: improvements there. There's a lot of moving parts with that too, because as technology changed, I remember when I first started out, honestly, I had a mic, you know what I mean? If there was an issue, the store called somebody, you know, the office, and then the dispatch called me on a mic or they said my, my service manager on a mic.
• 0:59
  And nowadays, like with AllSense now. You could get a text or a phone call. The technician could say like, this is, this is the store. This is the case. And this is what it is. It's the D the case is frozen up. It looks like from the graphs and that's what's technology like that is, is, uh, something that is quite amazing.
• 1:00
  And I know it's going to continue to evolve with AI and stuff. And I know that's what you guys are working on that stuff. Now, how do we integrate AI for predictive maintenance to reduce the amount of those call outs for the, The contract as well for the end user, you know, we know, and you know, globally, we've got less technicians coming in and it's a highly skilled industry.
• 1:01
  You know, the, the components that you build and design there, someone highly skilled needs to work on a lot of them. Cause they're technically, you got a lot that, you know, you don't need a lot of, a lot of, um, a skill, I guess, or knowledge because it's a plug and play. But we still need someone to go out and replace the equipment and, and figure out and do the troubleshooting side.
• 1:02
  And I think with these connected solutions like that, it makes it easier on the technician and the contractor out there as well. They have an idea of, okay, well, we know it's this case in this area. That's where they, the, the contractor should be working around. Yeah.
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: And, um, As you say, okay, in many cases that we can solve the problem and, uh, we can, of course, prioritize the most serious, which is, uh, of course, the risk of food loss, temperature problems.
• 1:04
  So, uh, many problems can be solved, uh, from remote. , but what is important is that there's a hundred
• 1:05
  Speaker: percent system that works. And that's the thing. I think the biggest thing that we're all trying to do, like I tell everyone, like all the technicians I work with, the manufacturers and users is laying.
• 1:06
  What we do is we're really helping humanity, you know, we're trying to preserve food, make sure it's safe, people aren't sick from it, you know, and it's fresh, quality and healthy. That's what one of our jobs are. The other job is making sure our medicine stays cold. A lot of people, I don't think, outside the refrigeration, you're in refrigeration, you know what I mean?
• 1:07
  We're in refrigeration. We always talk about internally. We understand like some of the technicians and some of the end users and some of the OEM, the manufacturer, like yourself, we're protecting billions and billions of dollars of medicine or food around the world. And I don't think the outside world knows that they don't understand the amount of stuff that, how we were helping society.
• 1:08
  And it's cool to see technologies like that, uh, like Danfoss has in these different types of technologies. Uh, facilities, like you said, you're in like commercial, you're in large commercial, you're in an industrial and you have solutions for all of them. And this is where you got to get out to event like Danfoss and meet some of the experts, ask them questions.
• 1:09
  That's it. The best thing to do is to start that conversation. You know, cause that's one of my favorite things about Danfoss is, uh, going to these events and meeting people. I'm going to meet Henry there. I'm going to meet the team there and just have a conversation, ask some questions. That's why you got to go to these events.
• 1:10
  Exactly.
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: And when we say shift, uh, shift your perspective, it's really about saying, okay, let's, Let's put the bigger lens on, uh, let's, uh, look at your site. Are you in need of a heating and cooling like in a, in a brewery plant, uh, the hospital, as I mentioned in the supermarket, make sure you don't waste, make sure you go a low DWP or natural refrigerants.
• 1:12
  And, and we can, uh, I mean, we can advise as the main purpose of, of Danfoss is we want to be the preferred decarbonization partner for our customers. We don't build the solutions. We have a lot of, a lot of the components, most of the components, uh, very often. And, uh, with our partners, our customers, the OEMs and installers, we, we put this together and have a strong network, a strong contact network and our people in every corner of the world, so to say.
• 1:13
  Speaker: Yeah, definitely connect with, uh, Dan for us at all the different events and all. And that HR had, uh, Chris Brown on there, a great technical support in North America. If you need technical support for Danfoss, reach out to, to their team here, you know, globally, you got such a big presence around the world.
• 1:14
  Find your local, uh, Danfoss technical rep or sales rep. If you need a conversation, cause I know they're all across Canada, all across the U S all across the world. And it's good just to have the conversation. Cause I know I talked with a lot of people, Patrick Clarity had lots of had him on the podcast multiple times.
• 1:15
  And it's good to, it's good to have these conversations. And this is why, once again, I'm excited about Chilvent and I keep telling lots of people from technicians to contractors to end users, you got to go to these events. It does, it does take time. It does cost money because we got to go to fly in hotels, but save up for these events.
• 1:16
  And then go meet the experts like at Dan Post, because they will just at least show you what they have to offer, you know, it's not always the solution for you. And they're going to tell you that too. They're going to say like, we don't have that. That's not a solution for this product here. But if you look at this product, this might be the solution for you.
• 1:17
  I'm really excited now. I like having this conversation because I know, uh, you guys go all out at this event and, uh, you spend a lot of time and you put a lot of resources into the event. Oh, yeah. Uh, two years ago, there must've been at least 50 or a hundred people from Danfoss there. Like there was a lot.
• 1:18
  So, so you really take it seriously. That's about right. Yes. Yes. You take it seriously to have, uh, people at the event. Henry, any final thoughts for, for Danfoss, Danfoss that you want to leave some of the customers with and some of the listeners?
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah. As, as we started out with, uh, Shift Your Perspective, I, I mean, the message I would like to send is really saying, talk to Danfoss, talk to our guys.
• 1:20
  We have the specialists in the areas that can help you kind of shift the perspective, think, uh, more, more proactive, think, uh, more long term. Maybe it's not always the quick solution that is the best longterm solution. And then again, reduce, reduce, and resource.
• 1:21
  Speaker: I like that because I think this is, this is something that we need to continue to talk about more.
• 1:22
  I know I've been talking about it for years, but it's still. You gotta hear something seven or 11 times, and we gotta just keep promoting it and keep talking about it, because things are changing rapidly, especially here in North America that, uh, I know in Europe with FGAS, things have changed a while ago, you know, but here in North America, things are starting to change very rapidly with, uh, AIMS act and that Snap 26.
• 1:23
  So
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: you, you, you were talking about, sorry, you were talking about Chris Brown. I just saw the news today that they were inaugurating and you, uh. CO2 training unit in, in North, built in North America. So, um, so maybe it's
• 1:25
  Speaker: coming by Toronto. I'll, I'm going to go see it anyway, wherever it's at. I like to travel.
• 1:26
  It's important to get to this, to learn about this. And I'm excited because I know I've been at the first one, your first mobile unit that you had now, this is, this is number two, so. I think there was even about seven, 10 years. I think it was 10 years ago. You had the first mobile, you know, I can't, maybe I'm not exactly.
• 1:27
  Probably right. Yes. He's all 10 years. But now this is, that's a lot of learning. Even in 10 years, there's so much has changed in refrigeration in the last 10 years of technology and advancement. I'm excited to check that out as well. Henry, this has been fantastic. How can people find out about more from you?
• 1:28
  More at Chilvanta? So where people can find out about Dan Foster?
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: Of course, visit Chilvanta. Come to Chilvanta and come to Hall 7, booth number 251. So make sure you come and visit us here and have a talk. Have a refreshment, uh, see some of the news and say hi to the, to the guys that you know
• 1:30
  Speaker: already. And like Henry said, you got to get out to these events if you can, you know what I mean?
• 1:31
  I've talked to people two years ago and they're going now. So they saved up for the last two, year and a half to, to go to these events. And it's important to get, get out and meet these experts. Because if you're technical, they have the technical people, uh, people there. If it's looking for a solution to buy, they have the people, the salespeople there, they have the directors, they have, they have everybody that if you, whoever you want to talk to, they're going to have there at this event.
• 1:32
  And this is why I love it. And there are people want to help share and probably, and bring a solution to you, that's going to bring you value. Henry, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me. And I look forward to seeing you at Danfoss. Thank you.