AHR Expo 2024 – Expectations, Goals, and Predictions from the Super Radiator Coils Team | Super Radiator Coils

Well, that time of year is upon us once again. For folks in the HVAC-R world, the start of a new year means it will soon be time for the AHR Expo, the largest trade show and networking event in the HVAC-R and related industries. We exhibit at the show every year (Booth #S6964 – come see us!) and send a group of SRC employees to man our booth, catch up with customers and vendors, learn about new products and technologies, and much more.

Each year, SRC's representatives consist of both longtime veterans of the show as well as those attending for the first time, and our AHR team this year is no exception. We connected with some of the SRC team members who will be attending the event to learn more about what they hope to do, see, and learn at AHR 2024.

Zach St. Clair, Procurement Specialist, SRC Virginia

This will be my first time attending the show. My main goal during my time there is networking. I’m looking forward to connecting with current vendor partners as well as meeting with potential new vendors to work with. As someone in a purchasing function, I’m always open to potentially establishing partnerships with new vendors so we can keep a healthy, diverse supply chain to best support our customer base.

I’m also interested in seeing what the ‘hot markets’ will be at this year’s show. We’ve seen a ton of growth in the data center cooling industry, and I’m interested to see what some of the big players in the market have to say about that industry, and hopefully learn some ways that SRC can make a bigger impact.

Illya Kajan, Sales Application Engineer, SRC Richmond

This year’s show will also be first show. My goals in attending are mostly centered around networking – connecting with existing customers and making introductions with potential new ones. Outside of networking, I’m looking forward to attending some of the workshops and panel discussions, too, especially on topics related to natural refrigerants and energy recovery. I’m anticipating these topics will be prevalent in discussions during the show, especially natural refrigerants.

Relatedly, I’m curious to see some of the new products and technologies that will be exhibited, specifically those that address safety concerns with flammable and mildly flammable refrigerants. This topic is something that’s of interest to me, and I’m curious to learn more about how OEMs are navigating this area and what adjustments they may be planning to make.

Charlie Morain, Sales Application Engineer, SRC Minnesota

This will be my first time attending the show. My main goal for the 2024 show is to learn more about the customers and industries that SRC serves.

I am most excited to meet with all the current and potential customers who come by our booth and learn more about how we can assist in satisfying their current and future needs. I plan on attending a few of the informational sessions to learn more about the new technologies and developments within the HVAC industry that SRC will need to adapt to.

Clay Tyler, Sales Application Engineer, SRC Arizona

2024’s Expo will be the first one that I’ve attended. As far as my goals for the event, I’m interested in attending learning sessions and panel discussions in some industries that I’d like to better understand, and I’m hoping to also network and make some contacts in the industrial HVAC industry.

I’m also interested in learning about some new technologies that folks might be exhibiting. I’ve been primarily in the industrial gas processing industry. However, I’d like to learn what other technologies are out there. I am currently building a thermosiphon air cooler that cools data centers. It’s a unique technology and I’d like to see if there are other technologies like this out there.

Brooke Hughes, Director of Operations, SRC Virginia

This year’s show in Chicago will be the fifth AHR Expo that I’ve attended. I will be attending primarily to visit existing suppliers as well as meet new ones. Also, this year, I will be joined by two new procurement members from our Richmond division who will be attending their first show, which will be fun.

One topic I’m very interested in learning about during the show is the industry’s response to the impending R-410A phaseout. I think that will be a big topic at this year's show. I’m also curious to see how companies in our industry are integrating technology like AI as well as automation into their operations.

Overall, I like that the AHR show is in January.  I feel like it’s a great way to kick off the year by catching up with vendors/customers, making new connections, and seeing what everyone is proud of by seeing some of the product showcases.  It gets me energized for the year to come!

Noah Reichel, Supply Chain Manager, SRC Virginia

This will be my first time attending! I am beyond excited to go and explore the show. My main goal is to go and explore the show as much as possible. Besides meeting with our current vendors and scoping out possible leads, hopefully this AHR visit will give me a bigger context for how we fit into the industry. Understanding how SRC falls into the sales world, understanding how Richmond specifically provides for customers, and understanding how procurement and the material support team falls into that picture is what I am trying to get out of this experience.

As far as topics that I’m looking to learn more about during my time at the show, I want to hear more about the changes in refrigerant regulation and how it may affect our our approach to designing coils. Design changes can mean stressing the current supply chain infrastructure and I want to understand how I can help support our amazing vendors. I’m also curious about warehouse innovations. We are trying to work on our materials support team and are moving to a new ERP system this year. I want to see what kind of automation has been created and implemented and how we can use those concepts or technologies to improve our current systems.

We’re looking forward to another successful show this year in Chicago! If you’re interested in what Super Radiator Coils has to offer, drop us a line or come by our booth (S6964). Our exhibit will include some product displays and literature that pertain to some topics we feel will be top of mind for attendees – “next-gen” and natural refrigerants & their impact on system components and coil design, data center electronics cooling for high-performance applications, and some information around coils for heat pump applications and other efficiency-focused functions. Hope to see you there, and have a great show, everyone!

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