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Home » We speak to exhibitors at FRIGAIR 2025

We speak to exhibitors at FRIGAIR 2025

By Eamonn Ryan

With a year to go, the best stands in the 2025 offering of Frigair are rapidly being booked. As the HERVAC sector’s only dedicated event in Africa, it represents a not-to-be-missed opportunity to be seen among the elite of the industry. The HERVAC industry is known to produce the best outcomes when done through physical interaction, and such opportunities abound at FRIGAIR.

Robert Kershaw, Barpro sales and marketingmanager: Johannesburg, alongside a Barpro product to be profiled at Frigair 2025.
Robert Kershaw, Barpro sales and marketing manager: Johannesburg, alongside a Barpro
product to be profiled at Frigair 2025. Images by ©Cold Link Africa

Since 1980, FRIGAIR has been providing an industry-preferred platform for engagement on doing business, knowledge transfer and networking opportunities. The 2025 event will no doubt create excitement and stimulus for the entire heating, energy, refrigeration, ventilation and air-conditioning (HERVAC) industries.

It is one of the South African Institute for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning’s (SAIRAC’s) premier events, as well as the largest dedicated HERVAC trade exhibition in Africa. FRIGAIR 2025 will feature an exhibition, workshops and courses which are eagerly anticipated by the industry, if 2022’s event is anything to go by. The exhibition and its line-up of several free-to-attend workshops and courses will once again take place at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, on 4–6 June 2025.

A lot of progress in techniques and technology has occurred over recent years, driven primarily by solutions to aspects related to indoor air quality, as well as efficiency and the heightened drive to mitigate global warming and its effects – where the HERVAC sector plays a significant role in terms of energy and refrigerants.

 

So much on offer for visitors, you can’t miss out!

Some key reasons to visit will include:

  • Sourcing cutting edge products and technologies.
  • Learning opportunities from daily workshops and courses.
  • Network with suppliers and service providers.
  • Engage with 100+ knowledgeable exhibitors.
  • Experience live demos.
  • Discover new products and solutions.

“Just one such lead makes an entire event worthwhile”

Robert Kershaw, Barpro sales and marketing manager: Johannesburg, has attended the previous two Frigairs and will be at the 2025 iteration.

Reflecting what can occur at such a face-to-face event, he says his experience of Frigair is positively impacted by the fact Barpro had acquired a lead at the 2019 show whose turnover has subsequently grown considerably.

“Just one such lead makes an entire event worthwhile,” he enthuses, “but both shows were really good. There was a good throughput of people from our industry, most of whom we already knew. There was also new interest. That’s what you’re looking at from a show – just one or two very good connections that hopefully leads to future business.

“Being present at Frigair is also about having brand visibility. We sell a number of smaller products, like Ismelt (which melts ice ten times faster than salt which we give out samples of) and Delf freezer ware which gets a lot of interest, in addition to our racking with our core business being mobile racking.”

Barpro has developed a base of 350 racking systems which remains an important part of its business, including inspections, maintenance and repairs, and overhauling motors. It has branched from its core mobile racking to other types of racking including gravity feed pallet, static racking, drive-in racking, and more.

Kershaw says his expectations of Frigair 2025 are for more of the same: “I would like to connect with customers similar to my experience of the first show, who are looking to grow and build cold stores whether in South Africa or elsewhere in Africa. We’re doing a lot more work in some of our neighbouring countries.

“Barpro is well known in the marketplace and a lot of business comes from word of mouth, but we also get referrals from shows like Frigair, because attendees come down from north of our borders.

“Since the last show we attended Barpro has gone a lot more into rack safety awareness and inspecting racks in line with SEMA (Storage Equipment Manufacturers Association). We have identified a massive need for safe racking systems.”

CEMA is UK-based, consisting of companies in the racking industry, including storage, rack manufacturers, consultants and others. They created guidelines for users on how to design racking systems, to maintain and to make them safe and ensure they are used correctly.

“When Barpro identified this need we partnered with them and employed a safety inspector who passed the SEMA qualification to become a SEMA-approved rack inspector (SARI). We have also developed a rack safety and inspection training workshop for companies on-site – and this business is gaining a lot of traction.

SEMA recommends that companies do planned self-inspection of their racks on a weekly or fortnightly basis, and employ a PRRS (person responsible for racking safety). “In our training workshop on-site, we train them on the SEMA concept of what their responsibilities are and how they can do their own inspections, to categorise any damage; making sure it’s maintained and repaired correctly. It is something that we are going to profile at Frigair 2025.

“We also have other new products such as powered mobile shelving where you store boxes as opposed to pallets; double-deckers – but that’s less applicable for refrigeration.

Speak to the team

Sales manager:
sales@interactmedia.co.za

Editorial: eamonn@interactmedia.co.za

Marketing: marketing@specialised.com

Websites: www.frigairexpo.co.zawww.sairac.co.za

The FRIGAIR exhibition is owned by the South African Institute for Refrigeration and Airconditioning (SAIRAC) and managed through organisers Interact Media Defined and Specialised Exhibitions – a division of the Montgomery Group.

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