If you are reading this and like myself are one of the cast of thousands that took part in the ARBS exhibition - congratulations - we did it, we survived the marathon month of May.
Now we get to finally take a breath and enjoy the post-ARBS recovery period more commonly known as the month of June.
For a three day event it certainly packs a punch and is a tribute to the 270 exhibitors that put together a collection of impressive stands.
And these are not easy-to-assemble displays, they are absolutely huge.
It is a mammoth display of big ideas and big machinery!
ARBS isn’t just about the three days from May 7 to 9, 2012.
There are the months of preparation and planning prior to the event, then there is the follow-up sales enquiries and post-ARBS activity that comes after the event.
In this special bumper edition of the magazine, CCN has attempted to cover every aspect of the exhibition from the product announcements to industry trends, seminar sessions and gala dinners. Sit back and enjoy our 40-plus page ARBS review.
Hopefully all of the hard work has been worthwhile and exhibitors generated enough interest to keep them busy until the next ARBS comes around in 2014.
While there was no shortage of visitors to the trade show floor, I couldn’t help noticing that it wasn’t all strictly business.
The HVAC&R industry boasts plenty of long-standing friendships and professional relationships that have been formed over many years.
There was a lot of familiarity as people from all parts of Australia came together at ARBS to exchange news. This was especially evident at the ARBS awards night where eight industry veterans were inducted into the hall of fame.
But it wasn’t all cheery goodwill either, the seminar program provided a platform for some fiery exchanges.
In fact I witnessed some pretty confronting question-and-answer sessions between speakers and audience members – I think the polite term is passionate debate.
This isn’t surprising really, these are challenging times for the HVAC&R industry especially with the introduction of the refrigerant levy on July 1, 2012.
The real impact of this levy won’t be completely known until it is fully operational.
It’s simply a case of dealing with the fall-out as it happens.
There is no unified industry view on carbon pricing, in fact it is a pretty divisive issue.
In an attempt to tackle the most pressing challenges surrounding the tax CCN has compiled a special feature with contributions from all sections of industry which begins on page 58.
As if a new tax and ARBS isn’t enough for everyone to juggle, news also emerged this month of counterfeit refrigerant reaching Australian shores.
A detailed account of how the refrigerant was discovered and the steps that were taken to contain the problem is outlined on page 6.
However, an even bigger concern is the discovery of R40 turning up in the general refrigerant reclaim circuit. These contaminated units are yet to be located.
The old adage – it never rains, it pours – couldn’t be more applicable than it is right now. How are you dealing with the downpour?