The following is an Interview with Giacomo Pisano, CO2 Business Development Manager at Dorin.

"Officine Mario Dorin: a Tuscan excellence famous in the world. Let's talk about history, would you like to?".

"The company was born exactly 100 years ago [...] and is an exceptional achievement considering that it is still family run and has never done a layoff day. Born as a repair center for trucks and buses, this, above all, is what gives it a strategic advantage that has been handed down through generations until today".

"Let's come back to the present: can you give us some numbers to frame the dimensions of the Officine (workshops)?"

"To date, the company has just under 200 employees (among externals and internals), and is located within 3 production sites in Italy and one in China. The general management is in Florence and the brand presents its offices in U.S., Russia, China and India. Dorin also makes use of a 90-nation distribution network around the world and provides the major OEMs in the industry. In other words, Dorin compressors end up in systems all over the world".

"We know that Dorin is also a company particularly for innovation, can you give us some examples?".

"Of course. As we said, the experience in the automotive sector, with internal combustion engines, has allowed Dorin to better manage the treatment of carbon dioxide as an old refrigerant but that we are discovering as more and more current. The new development technologies - unthinkable years ago - allow the management of old problems, such as pressures and the tribology necessary for lubrication, overcoming them".

"On a technical level, what else sets you apart from other companies of the sector?".

"The exhaust manifold is used in our compressors to guarantee thermal insulation, perfect against the crank gear that can not be lubricated by a too hot oil. As a result, each compressor will be more efficient and more durable. Furthermore, we have equipped ourselves with an advanced lubrication system that allows the adduction of the lubricating oil, which is also borrowed from the automotive sector".

"Let's talk about CO2, considering that it seems to be the key word of the coming decades in the cold chain".

"Dorin has invested a lot in CO2 compressors. I can proudly say that it was the first in the world to develop them [...] and this means that today the company is able to supply the major size compressors (160 cv) to the market (where competitors stop at 50 cv). In addition, the company drives their operation worldwide also on the transcritical cycle, i.e. the technology without refrigerant liquefaction inside the high pressure exchanger. To get back on the automotive: we are talking about a car that runs faster and consumes less than the others. Last but not least, it should be remembered that from all these developments derive more and more innovative solutions also on HFC compressors (the classic ones)".

"So, today, do you have to run faster and faster just to avoid being caught up?".

"Yes and no. Dorin’s pride, especially compared to the competition, not only consists in having arrived first to certain developmental results (having started the journey 23 years ago!) but also in having shown that our ideas today have also been affirmed by the other manufacturers, who initially were very critical. Those same builders, today, still try to keep up with a constantly evolving group!".

"Let's talk about China: some people fear that the factory in China could affect the quality of the products and the brand reputation. What do you respond?".

"On the contrary; we are used to thinking of China as a low-cost manufacturing centre: nothing could be further from the truth! If it is true that the People's Republic exports many low-cost goods, it is also true that all of us today benefit from the products of major Chinese brands, from IT to infrastructures, which excel in R&D; Today China is a world-class production excellence that we can no longer ignore (not even in top products). Furthermore, even other famous refrigeration brands have also been producing in China for many years. Last but not least, it is important to point out that the Chinese production of the Officine is destined to the Asian market only. To be clear, this is purely for technical and logistical reasons, and not for quality reasons".

"Well, let's get to the last question, the most important one: what can a company like Linea 3C S.r.l. do to promote Dorin’s products (in addition to this interview!)?".

[Laughs, ed.]

"Evaluate the supply of these C02-based machines to the most skilled installers and raise awareness of various interlocutors such as distributors, refrigeration technicians and maintenance technicians to ensure that they better prepare themselves at a training level and gradually adopt these new technologies, for the benefit of the times in which all of us human beings live: a gift for all the next generations".