ASHRAE Journal - June 2019 - 6

INDUSTRY NEWS

Grundfos invited visitors to step into virtual reality to learn about their intelligent and energy efficient pumps. Grundfos
GO REMOTE lets technicians parameterize pumps and monitor or set them remotely. The hydraulic balancing is done
through a smartphone.

An Interconnected
World at ISH
BY WS COMSTOCK, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST

FRANKFURT, GERMANY-There are number of

reasons why the ISH trade fair is so
big-190,000 visitors and more than
2,500 exhibitors. Among the reasons
are the legacy of manufacturing
and distribution based on distinct
European markets, historic strength
of German exports and domestic
demand, size of the plumbing,
heating and sanitation sectors in
Europe, and the tradition of delivering technical expertise at the stand
to support sales. Regardless as to
why, ISH is big. This year's edition
of the biennial HVAC + Water event
held March 11-15 occupied 12 exhibit
halls, some with several floors.
HVAC and sanitation sales
increased in Germany last year by
3.3% compared to 2017, according to
research conducted for the show's
organizers by the ifo Institute. As a

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whole, the sector's sales exceeded
the previous year's figures by €1.9
billion and will end the 2018 business year with a cumulative turnover of around €58.9 billion.
The reason for renewed growth is
the current economic climate in the
building market. Real estate investment rose in 2018 by 2.5%. Spending
on commercial buildings rose by
1.0% and by 3% in both the residential and public buildings sectors.
Taking a deeper dive into the numbers, the bathroom market is being
driven by the need for modernization
with greater need for age-appropriate, ambient-assisted living spaces.
The heating sector, according to the
research, is spurred by new construction in spite of state subsidies for
increases in energy efficiency and the
use of renewable energies.

J U N E 2 0 19

For 2019, ifo Institute expects further positive developments-around
2.6% growth and to some €60 billion. In regard to real estate investment in building construction, ifo
predicts an increase of 0.7%.
"ISH has once again demonstrated
that it connects all international
players from the sector. Only
together is it possible to achieve
the climate targets-naturally in a
personal dialogue here at ISH," said
Wolfgang Marzin, President and
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
Messe Frankfurt.
While the ISH organizers targeted
connecting people, the theme of
many exhibitors was another type
of connectivity, connectivity to
the cloud, where both people and
equipment are connected in ways
that could lead to fundamental
changes to the building services
business model.
Danfoss, its stand emblazoned
with "A Connected World," was
among those exhibitors.
Danfoss presented smart heating
concepts with integrated automatic
hydraulic balancing. The Danish
company is increasingly focusing on
the topics of digitization and intelligent building control. At ISH, it
demonstrated how heating systems
can be controlled via intelligent
valves and thermostats and at the
same time hydraulically balanced
without calculation and valve presetting. Danfoss showcased intelligent valve components for dynamic
hydraulic balancing in apartment
buildings and utility buildings.
Ziehl-Abegg showed its new
ZAbluefin fan, continuing the company's focus on applying bionic
principles to fan technology. The
ZAbluefin combines features of the

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ASHRAE Journal - June 2019

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