SHANGHAI, China - Honeywell has announced a certification program for Chinese air conditioner manufacturers that identifies them as users of HFC-410A refrigerant purchased from licensed suppliers. The new program supports Honeywell’s continued effort to combat patent infringement worldwide, the company said in a statement.

The announcement came shortly after the company was involved in legal action during the International Trade Fair for Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning and Ventilation (IKK) in Nuremburg, Germany, involving some exhibitors that Honeywell said were offering for sale “unlicensed, infringing R-410A.”

As part of the certification, Honeywell will recommend the certified Chinese equipment makers to key buyers in Europe. At the time of the announcement in late October, Chinese appliance manufacturers, Haier Group and Hisense Co. Ltd., had agreed to join the program.

“The new program further enables our customers and our customer’s customers to achieve peace-of-mind knowing they are using our patented, energy-efficient HFC technologies,” said David Lu, Asia commercial director for Honeywell’s Fluorine Products business. “They also can gain other strategic benefits and advantages such as co-marketing opportunities.”

At the same time, the Honeywell announcement said Chinese air conditioner and heat pump manufacturers who incorporate unlicensed R-410A and the purchasers of such equipment in other regions, face multiple business risks, ranging from confiscation and destruction of equipment to monetary penalties. Additionally, air conditioners using unlicensed, infringing refrigerants that are imported into the European Union (EU) are increasingly being investigated by EU government bodies and scrutinized by European customers who want to avoid business interruptions, according to the Honeywell statement.

Publication date: 12/04/2006