It was a celebration for Yellow Jacket as the company kicked off its 70th anniversary. In a square booth with a large, lit banner, attendees were invited to explore what the company had produced from 1949 to 2019.

As big cities across the U.S. continue to see a renaissance, The Whalen Co. is seeing tall rewards. As a manufacturer of HVAC vertical stack riser heat-exchanger fan coil units and water-source heat pumps, Whalen usually gets business when construction goes vertical.

Company displays residential and commercial products at AHR Expo.

Tools were whirring at the Uponor booth throughout the AHR Expo, as Daniel Worm kept busy demonstrating the company’s new transition fittings. Booth visitors looked on as he expanded a plastic pipe and, using the newly launched Uponor ProPEX LF Brass Copper Press Adapters and the M18 ProPEX Expansion Tool from Milwaukee Tools, created a PEX-to-copper transition — without the use of a flame.

One of Trane’s missions is to reduce the energy intensity of the world, and the company believes that the way to do this is through education. Trane’s theme at this year’s AHR Expo was “Knowledge Becomes Power.” Scattered across the displays were attendees with headsets piped directly in to what the professionals had to teach.

John Murray, corporate sales manager at KeepRite Refrigeration, has a nickname for the new ESP+ Intuitive Evaporator Control Technology that his company rolled out at this year’s expo. He calls it the LED lightbulb of the refrigeration industry.

Johnson Controls Inc. had a big 2018, with the launch of several new products and the acquisition of Lux Products Corp. For Johnson Controls, the Lux acquisition enhances its commitment to thermostats. The move also enables faster product development cycles, improves customer service capabilities, and supports greater product innovation.

From spin-offs to new refrigerants, Honeywell has made several changes to its business — some that were reflected at this year’s expo. One of the changes began in August of 2018, as the company announced the spinoff of Honeywell’s Homes and ADI Global Distribution business into Resideo Technologies Inc.

Exhibitors at the AHR Expo use a variety of enticements and tchotchkes to attract and keep attention, but the GE Appliances/Haier booth might have shown the most insight with what it decided to offer: a competition. The company brought its Haier ductless Easy Install Competition to the expo floor to support its belief that “installation is everything” for its contractor customers.

Fujitsu General America Inc. has gone from 300 to over 3,000 SKUs in its offerings on the unitary product ducted line in approximately one year.