As part of its “disruptive innovation” emphasis of recent years, Milwaukee Tool pledges to bring out “more new products faster” than any competitor. What's the latest from the manufacturer?

I just spent several days in Kansas City, Mo., for the annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. Once out of the heat and humidity and inside air conditioned Bartle Hall for the HVACR contest, I found, as usual, lots of attention given to refrigeration.

Now that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the use of three hydrocarbon (HC) refrigerants in some smaller appliance applications, advocates of HCs are continuing to promote use in larger equipment, with commercial ice machines as well as reach-in/walk-in freezers and coolers possibly next in line.

The most recent Food Marketing Institute Expo in Dallas and National Restaurant Association Restaurant-Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago brought out the very latest in ice-making equipment, storage bins, and walk-in freezers and coolers as well as reach-in versions. This roundup of the latest in equipment is culled from both shows.

When talk first surfaced a number of years ago about using R-744 (CO2) in commercial refrigeration, there were two challenges — making the refrigerant work as a stand-alone in transcritical applications as well as in cascade systems and developing the components to make such approaches possible. Where does the refrigerant stand currently?

The recent announcements about some folks getting caught for illegal HCFC-22 practices raises an interesting question: What impact will this have in producing better servicing procedures to keep enough of the legally obtained refrigerant available for retrofit?

The conversation on ways to make ammonia work in a wider range of refrigeration applications is drawing increasing attention these days. At the most recent International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) conference in Milwaukee, technical presentations covered its uses in supermarkets, with heat pumps, in absorption refrigeration, and in conjunction with CO2.

The most important thing for me is to go to the trade shows where refrigeration is emphasized. The most recent examples were the Food Marketing Institute’s Food Retail Show in Dallas this past May, and then the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show a few days later in Chicago.

Dealing with layoffs in tough economic times can be challenging. Layoffs can’t necessarily be based on seniority, as persons skilled in one aspect of the business can’t easily be shifted to an area out of their expertise. Added to that are the emotional ties that so many company owners in HVACR have with their employees.

At the most recent International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) conference, a focal point was the exhibit hall where more than 100 manufacturers, service providers, and educational organizations provided updated information.