Scottish firm Star Refrigeration seize opportunity to expand into the North American market
The UK’s leading independent industrial cooling and heating contractor, Star Refrigeration, announced plans to manufacture and supply climate friendly industrial chilling and freezing solutions into the US market. Star’s low carbon technology is adapted to meet the challenges facing the US, and justified by a recent shift in the direction of global environmental policies. The company has received the support of Scottish Enterprise, through its international trade and investment arm Scottish Development International, in line with Scotland’s Trade and Investment Strategy.
As Glasgow based Star Refrigeration introduced their advanced natural refrigerant technology into America, President Obama laid out the US Climate Action Plan to fight climate change as he pledged to reduce HFC emissions, which are powerful greenhouse gases commonly used in air conditioning, heating and refrigeration systems.
This declaration, which comes after an agreement with Chinese president Xi Jinping to work together through the Montreal Protocol to get other countries involved in phasing out this type of harmful gas, arrives at a very convenient time for the company’s international expansion plans.
Star Refrigeration have been developing environmentally friendly technologies since 1970, having designed and installed hundreds of industrial cooling and heating systems for the world’s largest organisations. Star are specialists in the use of natural refrigerants CO2 and ammonia, non ozone depleting alternatives with zero global warming impact which have been proven to be reliable and efficient in terms of performance, reducing energy consumption and lowering the carbon footprint of refrigeration and heating systems for a range of applications; including building services, supermarkets, industrial heat pumps, ice rinks and IT cooling.
The company is firmly established in the European market and is recognised for its groundbreaking technological advancements in industrial refrigeration and heat pump applications, including the world’s first ammonia district heat pump in Norway which uses the freezing North Sea waters as a renewable source – with no global warming impact – to provide heating and hot water for the 60,000 people living in the city of Drammen.
Plans to break into the US market with ammonia low carbon technology are coincidentally supported by the recent American green movement. Dr Rob Lamb, Group Sales & Marketing Director of Star Refrigeration, said: “Due to the vast potential of the US market, Star’s business development strategy for 2011-2015 was to expand to the United States. There has been a clear international growing trend lead by Europe towards the use of natural solutions for some years now, but the timing of Obama’s promise to take executive measures to fight global warming provides a perfect setting to bring over our vast expertise in sustainable technology to cater to the particular needs of the North American market.”
“The announcement supports our vision, and we expect that it will increase demand for the products we have specialised in for more than four decades – those that are sustainable and save money.”
Neil Francis, International Operations Director at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Scotland is already among the world’s leaders as a centre of excellence in the development of renewable energy and low carbon technologies.”
“It’s the work of companies like Star Refrigeration, who have invested in their technological capability to address global market opportunities in low carbon, that has helped to establish Scotland’s position and ensure that it remains at the forefront of future developments.”