Panasonic Unveils European Business Strategy at Mostra Convegno

With the 2016-2018 mid-term about to begin, Panasonic is revealing its new strategy at Mostra Convegno Expocomfort 2016 in Milan, Italy. The company’s aim is to generate significant growth of its European Commercial Air-Conditioning (CAC) business, along with making major investments in new solutions and support services for professional partners. The new solutions, showcased at the event, are designed to dramatically increase energy efficiency.

1. CAC Growth Strategy
As a global pioneer in research and innovation, Panasonic is now expanding its air-conditioning business as a key area for company growth. Focusing on Europe as one of the strategic markets to achieve this aim, there will be major investment in the commercial air-conditioning (CAC) business.

At Mostra Convegno Expocomfort, Mr. Hiroshi Komatsubara, CSO (Global Chief Sales Officer) of Panasonic Air-Conditioner Company commented: “We would like to expand our commercial air-conditioning business in order to generate growth. Our major goal is to become a specialised air conditioner company that benefits society as a whole. We are developing a wide range of products that fully address customers’ needs and deploying new strategies to achieve our objectives.”

2. Business expansion in Europe (strategic area for CAC business growth)
For the upcoming mid-term (April 2016 to March 2018), Panasonic has set an ambitious target: to double sales growth within the commercial air-conditioning segment, thanks to an entirely new range of products and a large-scale strategy for the European market. This approach will start in Italy as one of Panasonic’s established markets, with an eye to expanding the same strategy to all European countries.
This strategic approach includes:
• Major investments in support services, with an expansion of the Project Engineer and Sales Engineer team, to offer service and technical design support before and during installation.
• The introduction of several brand new key solutions for the commercial category, unique to Panasonic, which is being unveiled during Mostra Convegno Expocomfort event in Milan.

Introduction of new, key solutions
i) The game-changing new VRF system (ECOi-EX)
One of Panasonic’s latest developments is the new VRF system, designed to dramatically increase energy efficiency by delivering the highest ESEER rating in all outdoor capacities, as well as high efficiency for part-load operations that accurately match the environment in which it is being used. ECOi-EX is also highly reliable, with strong cooling & heating power, even when operating at extreme ambient temperatures. The units guarantee 100 per cent of the capacity at temperatures as extreme as 43°C in cooling and -20°C in heating.

The system features significantly reduced energy costs thanks to “All-Inverter Compressors”, which can be independently controlled to deliver highly flexible performances. Also, the ECOi-EX features an enlarged heat exchanger with triple surfaces that allow for improved heat transfer and a newly designed curved air discharge bell-mouth for better aerodynamics. The three-stage oil recovery design makes it able to minimise the frequency of forced oil recovery, leading to reduced energy costs and sustained comfort.

ii) NEW 8/10HP mini-VRF
Panasonic is also showcasing new models of the 8 and 10 HP Mini ECOi series, a heat pump specifically designed for the most demanding of applications in small-scale commercial and residential projects. Following these additions, the Mini ECOi range is now available in 5 sizes with cooling capacities ranging from 12,1kW to 28kW, suitable for a wide variety of project requirements.

iii) NEW advanced Smart B2B cloud solution
Panasonic’s new control systems are also being showcased at the Mostra Convegno. The innovative Smart Cloud system, developed to enable state of the art operation and a fundamental part of the Internet of Things, allows for remote control of heat pumps for easy centralised control and maintenance especially in commercial sectors. By monitoring the actual capacity and consumption of a heating and cooling system in real-time, it provides data that can be used to save energy and run the system more efficiently. Moreover, full-scale operation and monitoring of multiple locations is possible from one single device.

iv) Hybrid GHP
In a world exclusive Panasonic is showcasing its first Hybrid GHP at Mostra Convegno. Following considerable research, Panasonic have successfully combined the powerful capacity of its GHP Outdoor Unit with the efficiency of its electrical VRF system to maximise the benefits of each and create an innovative new system. This powerful yet efficient Hybrid GHP is unique to the market and is currently exclusively available in Japan.

For further information please visit Panasonic’s booth (hall 15 / booth U31) during Mostra Convegno Expocomfort 2016 and see the future of air-conditioning solutions.