By Product Manager Eric Melby
After three full days in sunny Orlando attending the 2020 AHR Expo, the Kele Product Management team, including myself, deplaned on rainy Memphis ground tired, but motivated to start shaping new product strategies for Kele from the knowledge gained at the show. I am excited to share some of my experiences from AHR, highlighting a few key products and impressions.
The show was both expansive and impressive. I walked over 15,000 steps per day exploring more than 1,800 exhibitors in a 500K square foot exhibit space in the Orange County Convention Center. As I ventured through the walkways between booths, I searched for the “Best of the Best” in new and innovative products. My goal was (and continues to be) enhancing Kele’s product portfolio to better serve and support our valued customers.
With this being my 2nd AHR Expo since I joined Kele, I left with a greater understanding of the wide range of exhibitors that cover all segments of the HVACR industry including residential, commercial, primary HVAC mechanical systems, building automation and controls, and every imaginable ancillary part and service for the entire industry.
The event showcased products from many Building Automation and Controls suppliers and provided the opportunity for several productive meetings with Kele’s key supplier partners. As expected, many “smart” devices were on display promoting IoT connectivity, including BACnet, EnOcean, WIFI, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave and other protocols. As these technologies are becoming more and more prevalent, a new focus at this year’s AHR show was on network security and the need for BAS designers to address risks and agree on best practices with network use was highlighted.
One of the primary goals of my trip was to identify solutions and suppliers to support Kele’s growing panel business. I was pleased to identify several new product options including DC power supplies, circuit protection, new access hardware, and climate control accessory solutions for enclosures.
Eric Melby speaks with a new supplier prospect for low-voltage electrical components for panels.
Another highlight was meeting our partner suppliers for Kele’s recently expanded Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) product category. This expansion has given our customers more opportunities to shop VFD solutions from a trusted, reliable source. In fact, I met with the leadership team from Delta, one of Kele’s new supplier partners for VFDs to discuss additional product solutions from Delta’s brand. (Here we are after discussing their newly upgraded Bypass Control and Disconnect drive options, which are on display.)
Eric and representatives from Delta discuss Delta’s newly upgraded bypass control and disconnect drive options, which are on display.
