ASHRAE Journal - January 2023 - 14

INDUSTRY NEWS
Takeaways from AHRI Leadership Forum 2022
AHRI's annual Leadership Forum, which occurred
late last year in San Antonio, Texas, brought together
executives from the trade organization's members'
companies and invited guests to discuss topics relevant
to the industry.
AHRI is the trade association representing international
manufacturers of heating, ventilation, air conditioning,
commercial refrigeration (HVAC&R) and water
heating equipment.
The following are some takeaways from the conversations
and presentations:
* The industry and the world are continuing to struggle
with supply chain issues. For example, the mere
threat of a railway strike a few months ago generated a
lot of attention in the industry, as have issues related to
the trucking shortage.
* Onshoring and nearshoring are emerging trends.
Supply chain issues have resulted in the need and desire
to manufacture closer to where customers live.
* Demand for goods is increasing because consumer
behavior has shifted toward goods and away from services.
There has also been a shift to e-commerce.
* Causes for supply chain disruptions include a lack
of capacity at port facilities and equipment (shipping
containers, trucks, chassis), labor shortages and
weather events such as natural disasters.
* One challenge for supply chains is that the tide of
globalization is receding; another is the need for more
effective trade and industrial policies.
* The United States is poised to prosper because it
is one of the few countries in which people live near
where energy exists. It also has demographic characE.U.
to Decarbonize All New Buildings by 2030
The European Council reached an agreement to revise
its Energy Performance of Buildings Directive to
mandate that all new buildings should be zero-emission
buildings by 2030 and that existing buildings
should be transformed into zero-emission buildings
by 2050. The built environment is responsible for
roughly 40% of greenhouse gas emissions globally, so
this effort in the European Union is seen as a crucial
step for achieving the bloc's ambitious climate
goals. The Council is mandating that by 2028 all
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J A N U A RY 2023
teristics that are far more favorable to manufacturers
than other countries in terms of a skilled labor force.
* NAFTA 2.0 has been described as a masterstroke in
terms of consolidating strength and future economic
power for Canada, Mexico and the U.S. Related to this,
Mexico manufacturing will ascend as China manufacturing
lessens. Mexico was noted for having many suitable
industrial areas, but not sufficient assemblers.
* China is suffering due to a negative trend in their
demographics, especially related to an aging workforce,
lack of ability to create mid- and high-grade chips and
the inability to effectively immunize its people. The zeroCOVID
strategy is based on the only tactic that has shown
results: lockdowns. The country's best hope is a successful
vaccine. However, news has suggested it overcounted
its younger population by 100 million.
* German manufacturing, and the rest of its economy,
is in turmoil with the cost of natural gas and disruption
of Nord Stream pipelines.
* Decarbonization is here to stay and grow as more
initiatives and governments sign on to these strategies.
* With the imminent retirement of Baby Boomers,
labor is set to become much more costly due to scarcity
of new workers in many countries. One speaker said
inflation is here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Attendees also celebrated the September passage
of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol,
paving the way for a swift global phasedown of high
global warming potential hydrofluorocarbons, a large
driver of climate change. The 2050 phasedown could
prevent 0.5°C (0.9°F) of warming by the end of the
century.
new buildings owned by public bodies must be zero
emission and also proposes an ambitious timetable
for decarbonizing existing building stock.
IEA: Europe Must Act Now or Gas Shortages Loom
With the loss of Russian gas supply, and the expectation
that China will continue to increase its demand for
fuel and energy of all sorts, the International Energy
Agency (IEA) is saying that the European Union needs
to act now to avoid a natural gas shortage next
Continued on page 51
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