Hoshizaki, a major Japanese manufacturer of foodservice equipment, announced that it is supplying equipment with natural refrigerants at the Hoteres Japan 2022 exhibition, the first time it has communicated this message at the event.
The company promoted the words “Natural Refrigerants” in big text at the center of its booth at the Hoteres Japan 2022 exhibition, which serves the Japanese hotel and restaurant sectors. It was held in Tokyo from February 15 to 18.
In the natural refrigerants space, Hoshizaki has considerable experience with hydrocarbons, as it has long been providing hydrocarbon-based commercial refrigerators in the European market.
At Hoteres Japan 2022, Hoshizaki exhibited a commercial reach-in refrigerator that contained 80g of isobutane (R600a), according to the product label inside the refrigerator. The company however, said that the final configuration of the fridge and which natural refrigerant it would use is not yet final and would be announced in April or May, when the unit will become available to the market. The term “natural refrigerants” was also used in the signage around the fridge.
Hoshizaki said that the refrigerator will be an “industry first” and that it is the “first in Japan to meet industry standards for safety.”
In Japan, where CO2 outdoor condensing units have long been popular in the commercial refrigeration sector, end users have traditionally taken a cautious approach to hydrocarbon-based self-contained systems. But in the past year those systems have been making significant progress in the Japanese market, and this trend is expected to continue.
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