Haier Mini-Split AC Systems  (16)

Air conditioning has become a huge part of our lives whether we know it or not. Most offices have them so that members of staff can enjoy a regulated working environment without having to shiver or overheat. This often makes the office a nice place to work in and helps staff to stay productive throughout the day, regardless of what is going on with the weather. Commercial air conditioning is something that we often take for granted because we barely realize that it’s there. The only time that we notice it is when it breaks down or it doesn’t function as efficiently as we want it to. Why is it important to regularly maintain an HVAC unit? When an AC unit isn’t looked after in the right way, there can be a number of things that can either go wrong Air conditioning maintenance is something that so many people overlook. This can be for a whole host of reasons, including whether it’s that they are unaware that it needs regular maintenance or they think it’s too costly to take on. These are often the most common reasons that air conditioning units aren’t looked after properly. When an air conditioner unit isn’t looked after in the right way, there can be a number of things that can either go wrong and disable air conditioning or just hinder its ability to do its job. Temperatures With a well looked after, fully functioning commercial air conditioner, you’ll find that the temperatures are very accurate and work as intended. This means that everything within your unit is in top condition and working well. For example, on a hot day, when you set your thermostat to a low temperature, you’ll get exactly that.  Over time you may find that your air conditioning starts to struggle a little. This can be in a few different forms. You may detect that it takes a lot longer for your air conditioning to get up or down to the right temperature. This can be for a whole host of reasons and so keeping it regularly maintained will help to reduce this risk. Cost-effective As mentioned, a poorly maintained air conditioning unit will likely mean that it takes longer to get to the right temperatures or it may not be efficient enough to even reach the temperature you’re after. With that in mind, it can start to cost a lot more to run your HVAC system in this state. Due to the fact that it might take longer to reach your preferred temperature, you could end up paying more as time goes on. If you don’t rectify this problem, you may end up with an air conditioning unit that no longer works enough to be worth running. This will have adverse effects on the working environment and your members of staff. Safety of staff Depending on where you are in the world, heatstroke is also a very dangerous problem One of the biggest concerns for a business owner, the HR department and the individuals themselves, is that the office needs to be suitable to work in. From a health and safety standpoint, employees need to be safe and protected. Often air conditioning maintenance falls under this and is a necessity. Depending on where you are in the world, heatstroke is also a very dangerous problem. Having an inefficient air conditioning unit that can’t keep up with the rising temperatures could potentially put your employees at risk! The same also goes for those in more densely populated cities like London, New York City and even France. The air quality in and around these cities can be awful and so having air conditioning to clean and filter the air before it arrives in your office can make a big difference. Preventative maintenance Preventative maintenance is possibly one of the most important parts of owning any sort of machinery. Whether we’re talking about a car or air conditioning, preventative maintenance is a must. Preventative maintenance is just the act of regular maintenance throughout the lifetime of a product. It often involves changing of parts or fluids, even if they don’t need it in that instant. For example, if you take your car for a service and the engine oil is still sort of okay but will need replacing in 2 months’ time, would you just leave it or get it changed there and then? This type of preventative maintenance is designed to make sure that everything is in top condition and works perfectly all of the time. The biggest problem we face is that people think preventative maintenance isn’t necessary and while, yes your AC system will run without it, it’s likely to cost you so much more in the long run and could end up upsetting your staff too with a drop in temperatures. Employee satisfaction Commercial air conditioning is still a huge part of employee satisfaction Although at the time of writing this, many people are working from home, commercial air conditioning is still a huge part of employee satisfaction. Having an operating office, warehouse, school or indeed home, with air conditioning can help to keep people happy throughout the year. As a business owner, HR or general manager, it’s part of your job to keep employees happy and working in an optimal environment. Without this, employees may start to get fed up with attending an office that’s way too hot to work in. Importance of a regular maintenance plan A regular maintenance plan is going to help you keep your air conditioning system in the best state possible. You‘ll be able to detect faults and malfunctions before they have a direct impact on your commercial air conditioning system and prevent any further damage. Through the utilization of a proper plan, you should find that your system has a longer lifespan than those that don’t and should work more efficiently saving you time, money and the hassle of a broken system. Keeping your staff members happy is also a must and so dedicating some of your budget to air conditioning maintenance might just help you to keep morale and employee satisfaction on the right level.

Many of us are spending more time at home. Given that work and home lives are becoming more intertwined, it makes sense to create a “comfort zone” in the place where people spend the most time. I am speaking about the benefits of zoned HVAC comfort control through duct-free split systems.  Imagine offering your customers the ability to cool their bedroom at night without having to cool the whole house. Maybe they want to cool their home gym to 68 degrees while leaving the playroom at 76 degrees. Duct-free systems offer the ability to individually set preferred comfort settings for each individual zone or room in the home. Control the temperature, humidity and even the volume and direction of airflow, all according to personal preference.  Imagine offering your customers the ability to cool their bedroom at night without having to cool the whole house Pandemic trends During the pandemic, one trend we are seeing is more consumers adding duct-free systems to spare rooms to function as a home office or the conversion of a garage for a home theater or as a social-distanced gathering place for family and friends. There are many options today to meet all of these needs and more. LG offers a variety of stylish, duct-free indoor units ranging from a smoked glass mirror finish to traditional white. You can offer your customers the ability to customize their space with the Art Cool Gallery, a unit that looks like a picture hanging on the wall, allowing them to add their own artwork or photographs. With so many options, there is no reason not to have the comfort you deserve. Each unit is powered by an energy efficient inverter with heat pump technology – some offering up to 28 SEER. The SEER calculates air conditioning and heat pump cooling efficiency. The higher the number, the less you will spend on energy costs. These systems – many of which are ENERGY STAR® certified – are built with cost-savings in mind, so whether it is low installation costs or reduced lifetime costs, your customers will be surprised to see the money they will save with duct-free HVAC technology. app technology  “Smart” indoor units from LG come equipped with Wi-Fi capabilities and on some other models, this function can easily be added using a separate module. This allows control via the included wireless controller or from a smartphone. The free app for both iOS and Android is called LG ThinQ®. This is where we have a unique advantage over the competition. The app is the same communication platform used with LG home appliances and TVs. When a homeowner presses the “away mode” it will set all of the indoor HVAC units to their predetermined temperature, and at the same time other smart appliances in the home - refrigerator, dishwasher, washer and dryer - will be set to a low energy consumption mode. Imagine the savings! The app also allows the control of HVAC modes (Heating, Cooling, Dehumidification, Auto Changeover, or Fan Only), temperature, airflow direction/vane movement (up, down, side to side), fan speed and of course power (on/off).  Users can control one or several units and each can be set up for group control. For instance, a parent might want to control all of the zones in the house, but only give children control of their room. Duct-free units give everyone their own personal level of comfort. There is also the option of installing these units in rooms that are typically warmer in the summer months or difficult to keep cool as temperatures rise. A connected home LG units can also be voice-controlled when paired with Amazon Alexa or Google Home For a more connected home, any of the LG units can also be voice-controlled when paired with Amazon Alexa or Google Home. This offers the convenience and freedom to use simple commands to set a desired temperature in various areas, such as: “Alexa, set the master bedroom to 70 degrees,” or “Alexa, set the office to heating.” So how does it work? The inverter compressor can adjust the speed of the compressor in 1 hertz level increments to match the load. This allows the outdoor condenser to operate at the minimum-required hertz level to meet the load and achieves a desirable energy efficiency at lower sound levels. The indoor unit also maintains greater cooling and wicks the moisture from the air to provide lower humidity levels. The reward is monthly energy savings on utility bills. These duct-free systems allow homeowners to efficiently make the most of all available spaces.

GE Appliances (GEA), a Haier company, announced a new Vertical Terminal Air Conditioner (VTAC) poised to reinvent the design of Single Packaged Vertical Units (SPVU). The GE Zoneline Ultimate V10 was designed in collaboration with hotel and residential property owners and architects, to create a new way of installing the air conditioning chassis that makes installation 60% faster. GE Zoneline Ultimate V10 With additional features like ultra-quiet cooling, onboard diagnostics and SmartHQ WiFi capabilities, the GE Zoneline Ultimate V10 is a low maintenance unit providing guest comfort and reliable performance. “At GE Appliances, our goal is to design products that meet owners’ needs and create custom solutions for their environment,” said Kristi Saathoff, Senior Director of Product Management for GE Appliances. Kristi adds, “The Zoneline UltimateV10 is designed, engineered and assembled in the U.S. This allowed us to integrate customer feedback into our design to eliminate the most common pain points for the category, shorten lead times for customers, and add connected and diagnostic capabilities. This product is exemplary of our commitment to design and engineer innovative HVAC products that fit the needs of the North American marketplace.” Featuring new chassis and platform design The product, manufactured in Selmer, Tennessee, features a new chassis and platform design The product, manufactured in Selmer, Tennessee, features a new chassis and platform design with industry-exclusive features and multiple patents pending. GE Zoneline engineers collaborated with builders, property managers and architects to design the Insta-Platform, an innovative platform that is paired with a quick-install plenum and a perfect fit chassis, making the Ultimate V10 the easiest-to-install system on the market today. GE Zonelines are the industry’s quietest PTACs and GE Appliances has applied that knowledge to this product. The UltimateV10 is already the preferred VTAC for quiet performance and sound quality, when tested against competitors. In testing, 91% of participants preferred the Ultimate V10 air conditioner for superior sound quality and quieter operation. Onboard diagnostics and optional WiFi module Other features that optimize the guest and owner experience include onboard diagnostics that provide clear and fast diagnostics data. The units are also available with an optional WiFi module that integrates with GEA’s SmartHQ system allowing property managers to monitor multiple units remotely. “I have used GE Zoneline products in my hotels for years, and GE Appliances has proven to be a reliable partner for SINA Hospitality,” said Ravi Patel, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sina Hospitality. Ravi adds, “I am building a new Residence Inn property in Charleston, West Virginia and look forward to seeing this innovative product installed there. GE Appliances builds reliable products, and I am impressed with the features and quiet operation of this new VTAC. I look forward to our continued partnership.” GE Zoneline UV-C solution GEA is improving indoor air quality for hotel guests with an industry-exclusive kit for GE Zoneline PTACs GEA is improving indoor air quality for hotel guests with an industry-exclusive kit for GE Zoneline PTACs that uses UV-C light technology. The GE Zoneline UV-C solution is a perfect fit kit for Zoneline PTACs and designed to treat indoor air, as it cycles through the unit. Using a high-powered LED array for maximum intensity and efficiency, this new technology applies UV-C light to air as it passes through the unit, focused and channeled where most air movement occurs to reduce airborne virus concentrations.  UV-C kit customized for GE Zoneline PTACs The new UV-C kit is customized for GE Zoneline PTACs and can be installed to existing products. The kits will be available in the coming months. Soon, GE Appliances will also offer GE Zoneline units with UV-C-technology factory installed. “Clean air is critical to ensuring guests and residents’ well-being,” said Brigitte Mader-Urschel, Commercial Director for HVAC at GE Appliances, adding “This kit is a great option to increase indoor air quality. It works when added to existing Zoneline PTACs and can also be added to new units. GEA invented the PTAC category, and we continue to innovate and respond to the changing needs of our customers and the environment.”

GE Appliances. (GEA), a Haier company, will graduate its first engineer from its newest workforce development training program – the Industry 4.0 Development Program – targeting recent engineering college graduates or mid-career employees who want to work in the company’s nine smart factories in the U.S. As a digital transformation sweeps across GE Appliances, the Supply Chain team is focused on developing talent to master technology and deliver results from the $1 billion of investments the company has made over the last five years. The new two-year program has four highly technical rotations in industrial controls, robotics, testing and data visualization. “To help us bring in and sustain much more advanced, automated equipment, we need people who understand it and can ensure it’s designed correctly to fit into our digital environment,” said Trent Ingrim, Senior Director – Advanced Manufacturing/Industry 4.0 for GE Appliances. “A lot of younger people want to grow their careers quickly. When they realize they can gain a lot of experience and seven or eight advanced certifications in just two years, they get excited.” The company plans to triple the number of engineers in the program over the next couple of years. Developing talent in-house Collie Crawford has the distinction of being the company’s first graduate of the new Industry 4.0 Development Program. With most of his co-op and prior work experience in industrial controls, Crawford was intrigued by the job posting and learning more in the other three areas. “I loved learning from the engineers during my rotations and finding new applications and ways to do things,” said Crawford. “There are so many considerations on how to make things work that you can’t learn in a class.” During a 2019 Trustbelt conference speech in Louisville, GE Appliances President & CEO Kevin Nolan encouraged attendees to embrace their own valley – that your workforce development challenges aren’t going to be solved by Silicon Valley or somewhere else. In the Ohio Valley, where GE Appliances is headquartered, the company is creating the Industry 4.0 talent pipeline to help solve the skills gap and ensure the company has the engineering talent it needs to support the recent investments in its U.S. plants and distribution centers. Industry 4.0 Development Program GEA’s Industry 4.0 Development Program is ideal for people with degrees in computer science engineering and mechanical engineering or graduates of mechatronic programs. The format of the program helps engineers see how systems work together and elevates their problem-solving skills. The four rotations provide the skillsets for today’s modern supply chain engineering roles. Industrial controls – The machinery in today’s modern plants is complex, with industrial and electrical controls that need to be programmed, including human machine interfaces (HMIs) or touch screens, PLCs or program logic controllers that make the machine work. In addition, there are many safety controls, such as light curtains and area scanners, to ensure nothing comes in contact with the operator that may pose a safety hazard while the equipment is operating. During this rotation, program members participate in original equipment manufacturer (OEM) design reviews and run-offs to learn how to ensure the equipment is compatible with GEA’s digital plant environment. Robotics –The rotation after industrial controls is robotics. Participants learn to incorporate the use of robots and other types of controls to work with the equipment – including the use of vision or cameras to drive expanded flexibility and capabilities in the factories. Test group – The third rotation is focused on testing with a twist from the past. The GEA team decided it would be a strategic advantage to create software and programming in house for test systems and equipment, which has been a “resounding success” with first pass yields up as much as 10%. The improved data is being reported or fed into the company’s Brilliant Factory data visualization system. To finish out the rotation, participants develop competencies in high-level programming and database use. Brilliant Factory – In the fourth and final rotation, participants continue to develop and refine GEA’s factory data visualization tool – Brilliant Factory – bringing new features to the platform on a weekly basis. interconnected factory “After completing the program, we want them to understand how a smart, interconnected factory works, and identify what they like most and feel the strongest about as they look for their first assignment off program,” said Ingrim. As Crawford graduates, he’s taking a controls engineering position in dishwasher manufacturing and hitting the ground running. He’s already been able to contribute with problem-solving on the new dishwasher wire rack line. “The program has made me a better automation engineer, prepared to solve broad problems within the plant,” said Crawford.

GE Appliances., a Haier company, has unveiled a dynamic new corporate website. Through both a modern and mobile-friendly design, the new website captures the spirit of the company's legacy and its evolution. "Our number one goal is to be and be recognized as the leading appliance manufacturer in the U.S., and the debut of our new, innovative corporate website is another important step that will help us get there," said Kevin Nolan, President and CEO of GE Appliances. "Through the new site, we’ve captured the personality of our company and brought it to life. We're able to build stronger connections and grow closer with our owners and customers, and we can provide a better understanding of not only who we are as an organization, but also the breadth of our global operations and its transformational impact in communities near and far." four key areas Born in the U.S. and backed by Haier, the world's appliance brand, GEA has reinvented itself as the fastest-growing appliance manufacturing company in the U.S., with more than a century of industry experience. The website launch is the latest exciting, competitive element to GEA's corporate story that will help elevate the company's entire House of Brands and demonstrate GEA's excellence in four key areas that serve as its foundation: Workplace, Innovation, Corporate Citizenship, and Leadership. Some of the innovative features of the new website also include: Modern brand elements that elevate the iconic GEA design; Motion and interactive design capabilities that engage user experience and highlight the complete House of Brands; Inventor profiles from a diverse range of backgrounds; Search optimization tools that strengthen company and brand recognition; An interactive timeline that helps bring to life the innovative history and spirit of GE Appliances; And a News & Journal page that provides both an additional digital storytelling tool for the business and a new platform for thought leadership articles from company leaders. The new website recently earned accolades for Best UI Design, Best UX Design and Best Innovation from the CSSDA, an international web design and development award platform.