The ISH China & CIHE trade show continues to grow.

The 2015 edition, held May 13-15, reported a record-breaking 1,119 exhibitors from 21 countries that filled up the eight halls of Beijing’s New China International Exhibition Center, covering 968,752 sq. ft., a 5.9% increase compared to 2014. The show had more than 46,836 visitors from 50 countries, which accounted for 12% and 13.6% increases, respectively, from 2014. The top 10 countries and regions for visitors included Korea, Russia, Italy, Mongolia, Turkey, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Iran.

This year’s event focused on intelligent HVAC design, products and technologies. Show promoter Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) General Manager Richard Li notes the Chinese government has put an emphasis on smart technologies, particularly for building automation.

“ISH China and CIHE is constantly broadening its product range,” Li says. “I am confident that the show will continue to serve as a first-choice platform in Asia and showcase more diversified products.”

American, Canadian and European companies such as Honeywell, Aquatherm, Grundfos, A. O. Smith, REHAU, Navien, Danfoss, Uponor and Watts Water Technologies all had a presence at ISH China. Each wing of the building was dedicated to specific products including boilers, wall-hung boilers, radiators, fittings, heat exchangers, water treatment, pumps, solar energy, rainwater management, valves, pipe, intelligent controls and energy-saving HVAC products.

“Intelligent technology is this year’s emerging trend, particularly for smart controls. What caught my attention was an integrated terminal control technology,” says Zhang Qiang, technical development manager for Macro Gas Appliance. “The show enabled me to understand the special features offered by various suppliers from across the world.”

Exhibitors also praised the show’s ability to attract quality visitors. Klaas van de Poppe, regional managing director of the Asia Pacific for German company Wavin, said: “At the 2015 edition we met with engineers, designers, property developers, consultants and distributors, all of which are our target buyers. ISH China and CIHE is a very important and professional trading platform for our company and we cannot afford to miss this annual event.”

Exhibition visitors surrounded REHAU’s booth for a look at its RAUTITAN flex heating system and to watch a demonstration on how the PEX piping could be laid out in applications.

Nils Wagner, president of REHAU for Greater China, says he appreciated the mix of clientele that passed through the booth. “You see a lot of regional interest here,” he said. “But the national interest is there, too.”

Grundfos had a smaller booth presence than a trade show in the United States, but attendees filled the space throughout the event. Stig Larsen, a business development director based in Shanghai, was pleased with the amount of leads the pump manufacturer developed during the show. He notes that the Chinese market is slowing down — he approximates it is down to 7% from a peak of 10% to 14% — but he believes Chinese developers and designers will continue to adopt higher-end products.

The company showcased its UPM3 line of pumps and reported that these units are being accepted by the new generation of building designers and owners. The UPM3 pump saves 350 kilowatt hours of energy over four months, which equates to a two- to three-year payback.

Informational sessions

The second floor of the New China International Exhibition Center was the spot for informational sessions featuring industry veterans from as far as Europe. Andreas Lücke, the CEO of Federal Industrial Association of Germany House, Energy and Environmental Technology, discussed the similarities that China’s heating processes have with the European Union and Germany (which is independent of the EU).

Lücke notes that Chinese designers and industry energy leaders have to make sure to look at the overall system from its heat generation, distribution and emissions. All those elements must be discussed to design to optimal standards.

“Everything has to be considered,” he says. “Everywhere gas is used, a solar thermal system should be considered.”

Lücke hopes the discussions between China and European leaders on energy-efficiency matters increase.

The China Air Source Heat Pump Heating Technical Forum, part of the Intelligent HVAC Technologies educational seminars, was filled to capacity. During the session, the Heat Pump Industry Committee of China Energy Conservation Association christened its air-source heat pump training program, which begins in August, to a warm reception.

“We hope we can improve the technologies, performance and installations of these heat pumps,” says Zaho Hengyi, the deputy secretary general of the Heat Pump Industry Committee of China Energy Conservation Association.

Cao Tixiang, the chief engineer from Harbin Heating, says he appreciates the wealth of information regarding the informational sessions.

“The topics I was most interested in include reducing temperature of return water in central heating systems and the renewable energy policies for district heating in Denmark in the iHVAC — China International HVAC Congress,” he said. “The concurrent events were not only informative but also presented a good platform for business interactions.”

The ISH Shanghai & CIHE show will be Sept. 23-25 at the Shanghai New Intelligent Expo Center. The 2016 ISH China show in Beijing will be held in May with dates to be announced later.