closed sign UK: Upmarket tile retailer Fired Earth has closed all of its high street stores after entering administration. The company’s 20 UK showrooms, located in affluent areas such as London’s New Kings Road and Islington, have been shut down, resulting in 133 job losses following the appointment of administrators from Leonard Curtis. According to the administrators, the collapse stemmed from prolonged financial strain on the business, which is known for its handmade tile

Samsung Logo SOUTH KOREA: Samsung Electronics announced that it has finalized the acquisition of FläktGroup, Europe’s largest HVAC manufacturer. With this acquisition, Samsung intends to leverage FläktGroup’s extensive production and sales infrastructure to enhance research and development capabilities, strengthen its supply chain, and progressively integrate products and services to generate synergies across operations. FläktGroup’s subsidiaries, including Woods Air Movement

Heat pump ITALY: Ariston’s shares rose 6.37% to €3.70 (US$ 4.26) following the release of its third quarter and nine-month 2025 results on November 5, which highlighted accelerated organic growth and continued margin improvement supported by a strong rebound in heat pump demand. The company reported net revenues of €668 million (US$ 768 million) for Q3 2025, reflecting 4.2% year-over-year organic growth. Adjusted EBIT reached €48 million (US$55 million), with a 7.4% margin on

Air Conditioner TURKEY: Japan-based air conditioning manufacturer Daikin announced plans to invest €100 million ($114.8 million) in Türkiye, aiming to leverage the country’s production capacity and engineering infrastructure as a regional hub for its Middle East and Africa operations. Daikin entered the Turkish market through the acquisition of Airfel and has been expanding local production, particularly for specialized products. Speaking to Anadolu, Hasan Onder, CEO of Daiki

Air Conditioner INDIA: Air-conditioner and commercial refrigeration systems manufacturer Blue Star Ltd reported a 2.83% increase in its consolidated net profit for the September quarter of FY26. Revenue from operations rose by 9.3% in the year-ago period. Despite this growth, the company faced challenges during the quarter, including an extended monsoon period and disruptions in sales channels resulting from the rationalization of the GST slab for compressor-based cooling pro

China Flag CHINA: WF International Limited, a leading provider of integrated electromechanical solutions including the supply, installation, and maintenance of HVAC systems, floor heating, and water purification systems, announced it has received official one-year distributor qualification from Qingdao Hi-Sense Hitachi Air-Conditioning Systems Co., a joint venture of HITACHI, LTD, the globally recognized Japanese technology leader. This new qualification enables WF Internatio

water heater USA: A federal appellate court ruled Tuesday in a 2-1 decision that the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) rules, which effectively phase out the sale of non-condensing gas commercial water heaters and consumer furnaces in favor of more efficient condensing models, can move forward. These DOE regulations, first proposed over a decade ago and finalized in 2023 (water heaters) and 2024 (furnaces), set a 95% efficiency standard for gas-fired commercial water heaters

Financial graph JAPAN: Takara Standard Co., Ltd. posted strong financial results for the six months ending September 30, 2025, with net sales rising 6.2% and operating profit surging 46.3% year-on-year. The company has upwardly revised its full-year earnings forecast, signaling confidence in sustained growth, and announced a substantial dividend increase, reflecting a positive outlook for shareholders. Takara Standard listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, specializes in the man

Air Conditioner SAUDI ARABIA: Al Hassan Ghazi Ibrahim Shaker Co., Saudi Arabia’s leading manufacturer, importer, and distributor of air conditioners and home appliances, has announced its financial results for the first nine months and third quarter of 2024, marking its highest Q3 and 9M performance since 2017. Shaker’s results reflect strong momentum in its HVAC solutions segment and improved operational efficiency. The HVAC segment recorded significant growth, offsetting a

UK UK: The UK government has launched a new Heat Training Grant offering up to EUR 500 (USD 574) to support engineers and tradespeople in gaining the skills needed to install air source heat pumps (ASHPs), a critical technology in the nation's drive toward net zero emissions. This initiative aims to expand the skilled workforce required to meet the government’s target of installing 600,000 heat pumps annually by 2028. As demand for these low-carbon heating solutions continues

Hornback Holding Serbia: The German DIY chain HORNBACH Holding AG & Co. KGaA is advancing its international growth strategy by preparing to enter the Serbian market, signalling further expansion into Southeast Europe. The company, already present in eight European countries, has indicated at its annual press conference that it expects to announce a new country entry “relatively soon”.   The company has just reaffirmed it is continuing to invest in new stores, digitalisation o

Bosch India: The board of Johnson Controls‑Hitachi Air Conditioning India Ltd. has approved a proposal to change the company’s name to Bosch Home Comfort India Ltd., following its transition into full ownership under the German group Robert Bosch GmbH. This strategic rebranding aligns the Indian arm with Bosch’s global home comfort business vertical, reflecting its growing role in the residential light-commercial HVAC segment. The change is accompanied by a formal postal ball

Exquisheat Europe: The newly launched three-year EU-funded project EXQUISHEAT brings together nine partners from six European countries with the objective of developing standardised, ready-to-implement heat pump solutions specifically for the food and drink manufacturing sector. By analysing industrial heat demand processes such as sanitation and hot-water supply, pasteurisation, evaporation and refrigeration, the consortium aims to target major efficiency gains and facilitat

Daikin US: Daikin Industries Ltd. has achieved a significant turnaround in the U.S. market, having overcome two previous unsuccessful attempts to establish a foothold. The company now operates a major production facility near Houston, Texas, featuring 23 production lines and an annual capacity of 4.7 million air conditioners. Key to its success has been the acquisition of Goodman Global Group in 2012 and the subsequent integration of four factories, enabling Daikin to leverag

Lixil India: LIXIL Corporation, which owns various bathroom brands like GROHE and American Standard, is targeting double-digit growth in India by expanding into Tier-2 cities and strengthening its B2B business. The company reports a nearly equal split between its B2B and B2C segments, and it expects the B2B side to grow faster due to large scale high-rise developer orders. For fiscal 2025, LIXIL projects growth in the 15-20% range, driven by rising demand from premium bathroo

Caleffi Group Germany: The Italian Caleffi Group, a global manufacturer of components and solutions for heating, plumbing, air conditioning, and renewable energy systems, has inaugurated the new headquarters of its German subsidiary, Caleffi Armaturen. The facility spans over 1,000 m² and includes an advanced training area and an in-house laboratory.  The investment underscores the group’s commitment to the German market, which it considers a key territory not only because of

Beijer Ref Scotland: Beijer Ref UK has announced plans to establish a third training academy in Scotland, underscoring its commitment to skills development in refrigeration and HVAC servicing. The new academy will support technician training, product knowledge dissemination and servicing standards across the UK market, helping to meet rising demand for skilled personnel in the evolving HVAC sector. Source: Refindustry

European Commission Europe: The European Commission has officially abandoned the previously envisaged Heat Pump Action Plan, which had been announced to accelerate heat pump adoption across member states as part of the EU Green Deal and REPowerEU objectives . The decision comes amid a reassessment of regulatory priorities and industry readiness; the move may delay certain policy-driven incentives for heat-pump deployment in industrial and commercial applications. The cancella

Carysil United Kingdom: Carysil, a kitchen and bathroom manufacturer, has announced a strategic expansion of its UK sales and field-support team following the administration of distributor Waterline. The closure of Waterline risked supply disruptions for Carysil’s clients; in response, the company appointed three new field sales personnel and reaffirmed continuity of supply and customer servicing. Carysil was the principal manufacturer behind Waterline’s essential sinks and t

Southeast Asia Transitioning to Low Global Warming Potential Refrigerants Over the past decade, Southeast Asia’s cooling industry has been undergoing a profound transformation. Once dominated by high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants such as R22 and R410A, the region is now steadily transitioning towards lower-GWP alternatives, led by R32 and other next-generation blends. This analysis focuses on the five major ASEAN markets, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia,