Catering insight aug 2016

1

With the commercial

refrigeration

industry having

spent years of time

and effort preparing itself for the

EU’s Ecodesign directive coming into

force on 1 July, it was an unfortunate

coincidence that saw the UK vote to

exit the EU on 23 June just before the

regulations came online.

This put the whole future of the

rules into doubt in this country, and

could render redundant the expense

that manufacturers have had to chalk

up to rate all their cabinets according

to minimum energy performance

standards (MEPS). However, Jon

Usher, head of UK sales and marketing

at manufacturer, Lec Commercial

believes: “With the foodservice industry

having already worked through the

process of refrigeration testing and

evaluation in order to comply with the

EU legislation on energy labelling, we

believe there will be little immediate

impact following the Brexit vote.

“In the short to medium term,

the UK remains inside the EU until

a formal exit is negotiated. In the

long term, I would expect British

manufacturers will still be required to

comply with EU regulations if they wish

to continue to sell their product in the

EU. Therefore, we believe compliance

with the labelling regulations will be an

ongoing requirement.”

He analysed: “As a nation we’re

looking to be more responsible in terms

of sustainability. It would therefore be

a strange decision for a government to

introduce legislation that goes against

this greener drive.

“Our expectation is that UK

manufactured products will still need

to comply with EU legislation whether

we are in or out of the European Union.

With Europe being a key export area for

Lec Commercial products, we will need

WITH THE UK VOTING TO LEAVE THE EU, THIS COULD MEAN THAT THE REFRIGERATION ENERGY LABELLING REGULATIONS WHICH CAME INTO FORCE ON 1 JULY COULD BE DERAILED ALMOST BEFORE THEY HAVE GOT OFF THE GROUND.

THEREFORE CATERING INSIGHT IS ASKING LEADING PLAYERS IN THE COMMERCIAL REFRIGERATION SECTOR FOR THEIR VIEWS ON THE SITUATION.

COOL RESPONSE TO BREXIT

1

Lec Commercial

believes there will

be little impact

to refrigeration

regulations

following Brexit.

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RE FRIGE RATION / REGULATIONS

CATERING INSIGHT / AUGUST 2016 / www.cateringinsight.com32

2

Liebherr feels

energy labelling

will be an

important factor

in commercial

refrigeration

purchasing

decisions.

to ensure our equipment adheres to

any regulation and legislation in order

to offer a competitive portfolio and

maintain our share in this key market.”

Lec wanted even more time to

prepare for the regulations than the

refrigeration sector was given, as:

“One of the biggest challenges we

faced throughout the industry was

how late the standards were finalised,”

according to Usher. “With the potential

for changes and amendments to

the technical specifications, it was

a challenge to know what the final

testing methodology would involve,

and thus how equipment would rate

against the standards. Obviously the

broader the range of refrigeration

equipment the manufacturer has, the

more time and cost is involved.”

Over at Prodis, national accounts

manager Darren Mairs also believes

that there will be no change in the

energy efficiency labelling regulations

for commercial refrigeration. Moving

forward he predicted: “We would like

to think that the energy efficiency

regulations already set in place will not

only continue but be will expanded

on to include display refrigeration,

blast chillers, chest freezers and open

style cabinets. The Ecodesign directive

creates a level playing field for all

manufacturers and makes decision-

making for the end user a lot simpler.”

However, he cautioned: “If cheaper

and less efficient units become

available because the Ecodesign

directive is withdrawn when we leave

the EU, there will always be end users

that opt for these cabinets. Fortunately,

there are many dealers and end users

that value energy efficiency and

have the vision to see the energy and

therefore monetary savings the higher

initial investment will give.”

Prodis itself has invested a lot of

time and effort into preparing for the

regulations. “We have been researching

and developing our new refrigeration

line up for some time to ensure the

highest possible energy efficiency

whilst retaining the value and reliability

our cabinets are renowned for,” said

Mairs. “At Prodis we saw the Ecodesign

Directive as a way to not only make

our cabinets more energy efficient

and eco-friendly but also to redesign

and relaunch our entire storage

refrigeration range. This means we

are now able to supply a more energy

efficient range of refrigeration which

will benefit both the end user and

ultimately the environment.”

Elsewhere, Liebherr-Great Britain’s

national sales manager Stephen Ongley

also believes the Brexit vote will

have little impact on the regulations.

“However, energy labelling will be an

important factor in most decisions

made to purchase commercial

refrigeration,” he commented. “I believe

and hope that the EU standards will

continue to apply to commercial

refrigeration cabinets sold in the UK,

and I am hoping that dealers will take

the long term view and be guided by

these rules.”

He reported that the Liebherr group

of companies has committed a large

amount of time and resources towards

these standards as “sustaining the

environment remains at the core of our

global business”.

At refrigerated drawer manufacturer

Adande, it has been fully involved in

development of the test standard for

the last few years. Plus it has even gone

as far as using its own new state of the

art test rooms (see page 26 for more

information on them) and independent

test centres to ensure it had met all

the testing, labelling and information

requirements by the deadline.

Executive chairman Nigel Bell

reported: “We have also developed a

new A+ labelled fridge unit to provide a

product to those customers for whom

energy efficiency is at the top of their

“As a nation we’re looking to be more responsible in terms of sustainability. It would therefore be a strange decision for a government to introduce legislation that goes against this greener drive.”

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REGULATIONS / RE FRIGE RATION

www.cateringinsight.com / AUGUST 2016 / CATERING INSIGHT 33

3

Adande has

created a new A+

labelled fridge unit.

4

Pentland

Wholesale

supplies the

Blizzard brand

of refrigeration.

become excluded from the market and

average energy use (and related carbon

emissions) in the EU goes down.

Th at approach has been successfully

applied to both domestic and industrial

equipment already.

“Th ere is no reason to see that

approach changing for the EU.

Countries selling into the EU that are

not part of the EU, examples being

Norway and Switzerland, have to follow

EU regulations for products sold into

the EU and they apply the same at

home. It makes commercial, social

and political sense. Th e same will be

true for UK manufacturers inside and

outside the UK. Th e UK has the option

to move ahead of the EU in terms of

allowable thresholds should it wish to

use its future independence to take a

lead in environmental matters.”

Hoshizaki Gram is one company

that considers itself at the forefront of

green technology in the commercial

refrigeration industry. Th erefore UK

MD Glenn Roberts commented: “We

were well placed to embrace the new

EU Ecodesign Directive. But with clear

consequences set out by the directive

for manufacturers who didn’t meet

the MEPS, Hoshizaki Gram invested

heavily in ensuring it brought to market

only the very best energy effi ciency

credentials; by investing in the very

best product design and extending and

3

wish list. Th e Adande “hold the cold”

technology is fundamentally diff erent

and inherently energy effi cient. We

did not to change our technology to

meet the requirements; we just did all

the testing and the work on marketing

materials and websites. Th is did involve

time and money.”

Bell also cannot foresee the

regulations changing because of

Brexit. “At this time these regulations

will apply in the UK and we would be

surprised and disappointed if future

UK governments take the opportunity

of greater freedom of action to drop

our standards in this area. As a result

we expect to see fewer imports from

outside the EU.”

He further detailed: “Th e intent

of the energy regulations is that

thresholds get more severe with time,

the less energy effi cient products

While Pentland Wholesale doesn’t manufacture the refrigeration brands it supplies, nevertheless it has been keeping abreast of energy labelling developments. “We have been in constant meetings and communication with our manufacturers for the last 2 years regarding the regulations,” said Pentland’s operations director, Dean Simpson. “Obviously it’s important for a company with our values to be totally compliant.”

He doesn’t expect many changes to the regulations, going forwards. “Currently we have no idea how long the negotiations will take for the UK to leave the EU so as it stands the regulations still apply. UK businesses will still import from and export to the EU,” he believes. “For products imported into the UK from outside of the EU, the labelling gives the customer a clear indication of performance so it makes sense for labelling to remain for comparison purposes.

“There is no point changing the regulation to a unique British standard. It would make sense for the UK to adopt the EU legislation to give us parity with cabinets being manufactured and imported globally into the EU.”

LABEL WATCHER“There are many dealers and end users that value energy

4

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CATERING INSIGHT / AUGUST 2016 / www.cateringinsight.com

“We would be surprised and disappointed if future UK governments take the opportunity of greater freedom of action to drop our standards.”

developing our own test chamber.”

However, he warned: “Th e decision

to leave the EU brings with it a lot of

uncertainty for the industry, at least in

the short term, and perhaps an amount

of frustration from manufacturers

who have worked hard to improve

the performance of their refrigeration

cabinets to meet the new MEPS.

“Having said that, the decision

is unlikely to have an immediate or

drastic impact on the need to meet

the new standards. Most, if not all,

manufacturers have put into motion

the changes that are required to meet

the regulations. It is not a process

that can happen overnight so many

manufacturers have been working

towards 1 July for months and even

years. It is unlikely to be something that

manufacturers just turn their back on.

“Ultimately, as we move forward,

the EU Ecodesign Directive should

be viewed as a positive step as the

industry continues to reduce its overall

carbon footprint. Th e directive built

in scope for improvements in the

energy effi ciency of refrigerators with

its double labelling system and this

refl ects the needs of the industry, as we

all work towards a more sustainable

future for the sector.”

Nevertheless he conceded: “It is

always possible that dealers and

purchasers will opt for a unit which

has an initial cheaper purchase

price. However these are becoming

a minority as more and more buyers

are considering the lifetime running

cost over the initial purchase price.

With a lot of work having already been

done to meet MEPS, the manufacture

of a lot of the models that don’t meet

the minimum standards has ceased,

meaning that it won’t be possible for

buyers to opt for a unit that doesn’t

have at least a G rating.”

According to Chris Playford,

marketing and development director at

Foster Refrigerator: “Obviously it is very

early days in the Brexit process, not just

for our sector, but for the entire country.

It is just unfortunate that the timing of

the referendum coincided with these

new regulations for our sector.

“However, we do not anticipate any

immediate changes to our business

or the way we operate. It is important

that we let things settle down in the

short term, and be ready to react

should anything change which would

have an impact. Trade between the UK

and EU is substantial, both generally

and for the catering equipment sector,

so trading in a uniform regulatory

environment will be highly desirable

for all producers and importers.”

He predicted: “Th e regulatory

environment is expected to continue

unchanged for at least the period of the

negotiations, so of course we will be

following its progress closely throughout.

“We do not see any signifi cant

changes to our business in the short to

medium term. As with everyone else,

the next 2 years will determine the

nature of trading relationships with

the EU and the rest of the world so it

will be a case of waiting to see how this

impacts UK manufacturing.

“Improving energy effi ciency whilst

meeting the performance needs of

our customers in delivering safe food

storage is something that is at the

core of all our product development,

and this will continue whether we are

subject to EU regulations or not.”

Over at Iglu, UK general manager,

Danny McLaughlin, also doesn’t think

Brexit will have a major impact on the

regulations. “By having this framework

being put forward by various

manufacturers it will ultimately remove

the irresponsible manufactures from

the marketplace,” he said. “Iglu as a

responsible and high end manufacturer

welcomes and embraces these

regulations, as this can only ultimately

be for the greater good of the industry.”

He believes UK refrigeration

manufacturers will want to continue to

meet the same rules even after the UK

exits the EU. “I am positive they are just

as keen and committed to ensuring they

off er the best product across various

testing criteria. Th e UK marketplace

requires and demands high quality

commercial refrigeration products.”

McLaughlin detailed: “Iglu has

ploughed many man hours and cost

into R&D to meet these standards. Th is

has been ongoing for a considerable

length of time as we off er a huge range

of commercial BOH/FOH products

compared to many other manufacturers.”

However he conceded: “Over the

last few years we all have seen cheaper

imports enter into the UK market

through various UK companies, but the

customer has ultimately had the choice if

they wish to procure this type of product.

“If a UK dealer wanted to continue

to bring in non-EU products, these

would need to go through the same

5

Foster says that

the industry has

to wait to see how

Brexit impacts UK

manufacturing.

5



process and legislation as all the other

manufacturers within the European

market. The non-EU product has

to comply with the directive we are

working to; you cannot have one rule

for EU manufacturers and another for

non-EU manufacturers.”

At fellow manufacturer, Husky

Commercial, it started to prepare for

the legislation 2 years in advance of the

deadline. “We estimate that in each

of the last 2 years we spent 3% to 4%

of our revenues specifically on getting

ready for the new standards,” said CEO

Serge Kremer.

He doesn’t expect the rules to

change in the UK and counselled:

“This means that there will be little

room for manoeuvre for dealers that

want to legally bring in cheaper, less

efficient and less safe products. Serious

manufacturers (whether based in the

UK or outside) will want to comply

with stringent specifications, even

if not all of it will be legally required

in the UK. There will always be some

‘pirates’ who will try to make a quick

profit but that will be a small and

shrinking part of the market.”

Going forward, he commented

that since the referendum, the UK

government has stated that energy

efficiency will remain a major policy

objective, with a 57% carbon reduction

by 2030 “even if they are unsure how to

achieve it”.

He added: “I’d expect the UK

would adopt all the EU regulations en

masse and re-process them in some

sort of prioritised order. All of the

labels/MEPS, existing ones at least,

would stay in force in the UK post-

exit, in order to bolster UK access

to the single market. To scrap these

regulations could easily be portrayed

as the government pulling the rug

from under the UK appliance industry

– I cannot see that being palatable.”

Elsewhere, Williams Refrigeration’s

sales and marketing director, Malcolm

Harling, also feels there will be little

impact on the regulations following

the Brexit vote. “As the majority of

refrigeration manufacturers sell their

products all over Europe there needs

to be a single set of rules for all to abide

by,” he said.

“All refrigeration cabinets sold in the

EU have to comply with the new energy

efficiency labelling regulations whether

they are made inside or outside the EU.

Consumers have a choice as to whether

they pay for efficiency, performance

and reliability or a cheaper price for a

more short-term approach.”

However, he acknowledged:

“In recent years there has been an

increase in the number of budget-

priced imported refrigeration in the

market – but according to many

customers these products have not been

performing as they should, resulting in

operators turning to quality brands for

replacements, especially in hot weather.

“Some of these imported products

are semi-domestic models that are

“The decision to leave the EU brings with it a lot of uncertainty for the industry, at least in the short term, and perhaps an amount of frustration from manufacturers who have worked hard to improve the performance of their refrigeration cabinets to meet the new MEPS.”

CESA DOUBTS BREXIT IMPACTAccording to Simon Frost, chair of

CESA, the Brexit vote will have little

impact initially on EU commercial

refrigerator energy efficiency

labelling regulations. “We are still

part of the European Union for at

least the next 2 years and will need

to abide by the regulations,” he said.

“UK manufacturers will still be

exporting to the EU, so they will

have to manufacture products to EU

regulation specifications. The UK is

still committed to tackling climate

change under the Kyoto Protocol,

and reducing its carbon footprint, so

it is likely that our government would

either use the EU regulations or

come up with similar ones, to ensure

that the industry is encouraged

to use the most energy-efficient

products – and that the most

energy-hungry models are banned.”

However, he warned: “Brexit

will mean we will no longer have

a national voice at the table when

it comes to establishing the

regulations, which will certainly

put UK manufacturers at a

disadvantage. Fortunately, as a

member of its European federation

(EFCEM) CESA has full access to the

information and representation on

behalf of the industry.”

Currently, CESA has three

staff involved in the policy and

standards-making activity in

Europe as part of the service that it

provides for members.

6

Iglu thinks the

Ecodesign

directive will

remove less

responsible

manufactures

from the

marketplace.6

36


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“To scrap these regulations could easily be portrayed as the government pulling the rug from under the UK appliance industry – I cannot see that being palatable.”

“Th e UK no longer has a say in shaping

future iterations of the regulation –

which could put UK manufacturers at

a disadvantage.”

He believes: “We will still need to

comply with the regulation to sell our

products into the EU market. It is also

good that we have a regulation acting

as a level playing fi eld for customers to

reliably compare products. It certainly

wouldn’t make sense to reinvent the

wheel and start over with a new UK

version of the legislation.”

But he did point out: “EN16825

still has a “PR” in front if it – meaning

preliminary. Although we had to

comply by 1 July, the test standard

still isn’t fi nalised! We’ve invested in

new test chambers, product research/

development and external testing.

Th is is costing an average £2,000 per

product and we have hundreds of

products in our range.

“Our engineers have done a great job

but with hundreds of product derivatives,

and very limited time, but we will be

continually tweaking and re-testing our

products in a quest to seek out more

energy effi ciencies in the future.”

7

Precision

predicted Brexit

will mean the UK

no longer has a

say in shaping

future iterations of

the regulation.

7

being mis-sold, but many are allegedly

commercial models that are simply not

up to the job. If the equipment can’t

maintain temperatures, they fail HACCP

guidelines or simply break down.

“In these cases, buying cheap

refrigeration is actually more costly as

it causes the operators loss of revenue

and loss of product. It pays to buy

quality, even in the short term, because

that way you know your products

are safe and you are complying with

HACCP guidelines and the law.”

For Nick Williams, MD of Precision

Refrigeration, Brexit may mean that:



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Catering insight aug 2016