Media Interview | Snowman Group Joins the ATMOsphere Platform: Advancing Natural Refrigerants and Building a Global Low-Carbon Refrigeration Ecosystem
release time：2026-09-17 16:55:56
China’s place in the natural refrigerants industry has historically been as a manufacturing hub – somewhere European companies turn to in order to scale their product lines. While China is still a global production stronghold, it is also home to increasingly ambitious companies that are aiming to make their own mark on the HVAC&R industry.
Snowman Group is one of those companies. Founded in 2000 in Fuzhou City, its first natural refrigerant product was an ammonia (R717) tube ice machine, which it began work on in 2003. It expanded its natural refrigerants product line with the acquisition of Italian compressor manufacturer RefComp in 2013 and Swedish compressor manufacturer SRM in 2015.
Today Snowman Group’s natural refrigerant offerings include industrial refrigeration systems, compressors and industrial heat pumps. It operates four manufacturing facilities and five R&D centers. It has customers in more than 120 countries and is working to grow that figure, particularly in emerging markets.
NaturalRefrigerants.com recently spoke to Amanda Lin, Snowman Group’s International Sales Department Director, about how the company has established itself in the natural refrigerants industry to date and its future growth plans. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
When did Snowman Group begin working with natural refrigerants?
Amanda Lin: Starting in 2003, during the company’s initial development stage in the ice-making equipment business, Snowman Group developed large-scale ammonia tube ice machines for the Southeast Asian market. With the rapid development of the industrial refrigeration market in 2008, Snowman Group further focused on the application of natural refrigerants such as ammonia.
Through its understanding of market demands, Snowman Group identified that suitable ammonia compressor solutions were lacking for small- and medium-sized refrigeration systems. The company subsequently developed semi-hermetic ammonia screw compressors to better serve a wider range of applications.
Snowman Group has continued to increase investment in natural refrigerant technologies and has developed compressor solutions for a wide range of natural refrigerants, including ammonia, CO2 [R744] hydrocarbons, helium [R704], air [R729] and water [R718] vapor. Today, Snowman Group has established a comprehensive natural refrigerant technology portfolio covering core compressors, refrigeration equipment and integrated system solutions.
NH₃/CO₂ Secondary Refrigerant Units
Snowman Group acquired European compressor manufacturers SRM and RefComp in the 2010s. What impact did these acquisitions have on Snowman Group and SRM and RefComp?
AL: SRM is a Swedish company with more than 100 years of history in screw compressor technology. After joining Snowman Group, SRM further expanded its R&D and manufacturing capabilities. Today SRMTEC products are widely used in food processing, large-scale industrial refrigeration systems and chemical production, among other industries.
For example, at a kiwi export processing project in New Zealand, Snowman Group provided a low-temperature refrigeration solution based on its independently developed SRMTEC semi-hermetic ammonia screw compressor units. The project required long-term, high-load operation during the peak export season, and the system’s excellent stability and reliability received positive feedback from the customer.
Italian company RefComp has extensive expertise in reciprocating compressors, screw compressors and commercial and industrial refrigeration applications. After joining Snowman Group, RefComp has maintained its European R&D characteristics while leveraging Snowman Group’s global supply chain capabilities and international market network, enabling broader global market coverage.
Through these investments and acquisitions, Snowman Group not only gained advanced compressor technologies but also established a more internationalized R&D and manufacturing system. SRM and RefComp have gained new development opportunities, including access to broader global market channels, stronger R&D investment support and more opportunities in natural refrigerant applications. Snowman Group successfully combined China’s manufacturing capabilities with Europe’s engineering and technology advantages.
RefComp compressors. Photo credit: Snowman Group
Snowman Group has a presence in emerging markets for natural refrigerants around the world. What is the company’s strategy for entering these developing markets?
AL: Snowman Group’s core strategy for entering these markets is to provide natural refrigerant solutions that are adapted to local industrial characteristics and actual application requirements rather than simply replicating European models. We promote natural refrigerant applications through core technology advantages. Snowman Group has developed a comprehensive natural refrigerant technology portfolio covering ammonia industrial refrigeration systems, CO2 cascade and secondary refrigeration systems, high-efficiency screw compressor units and industrial heat pump systems.
What developing markets is Snowman Group bringing its natural refrigerant products to?
AL: Southeast Asia is one of the key natural refrigerant markets that Snowman Group has been developing in recent years. The region has a large number of export-oriented food industries that require refrigeration systems capable of stable year-round operation, high efficiency and reliable performance under high-temperature and high-humidity conditions.
Snowman Group has provided SRMTEC screw compressor solutions and refrigeration systems to customers across multiple industries in Thailand, including poultry, seafood and cold chain logistics. Currently, Snowman Group’s SRMTEC screw compressors have been applied in more than 100 projects in the country.
One example is the Mon Logistics automated cold storage project in the Lat Krabang area of Bangkok, serving an internationally recognized ice cream brand. Snowman Group provided a CO2 secondary refrigeration solution featuring SRMTEC high-efficiency screw compressor units with a two-stage configuration. This was one of Snowman Group’s first projects in Thailand to fully adopt CO2 secondary refrigeration technology.
Mon Logistics automatedcold storage project, Thailand
In Latin America, Snowman Group supports export-oriented agriculture and food industries. The region is home to some of the world’s most important agricultural export industries, creating increased demand for advanced cold chain technologies. Snowman Group provided an ammonia-based pre-cooling solution for a Chilean cherry exporter. Through high-efficiency screw compressor units, the system rapidly reduces fruit temperature and helps maintain product quality, meeting international market requirements for stable cold chain performance.
Chilean cherry export project
The Middle East and Africa are experiencing rapid urbanization and food supply chain upgrades, leading to increasing demand for large cold storage facilities, food processing plants and agricultural storage infrastructure. Snowman Group aims to help local customers improve energy efficiency through advanced natural refrigerant technologies while meeting future environmental requirements.
Looking ahead, Snowman Group will continue expanding the application of natural refrigerant technologies worldwide with a focus on food processing, cold chain logistics, agricultural exports, industrial energy efficiency improvement and industrial heat pumps.
Snowman Group announced the launch of its industrial heat pump portfolio at China Ref 2026. Can you tell us more about the company’s work in this sector?
AL: Industrial heat pumps represent one of the key strategic directions for Snowman Group’s future low-carbon energy development. Currently Snowman Group’s industrial heat pump technologies mainly utilize ammonia, CO2, water vapor compression and hydrocarbons, including R600 [isobutane] and R601 [pentane].
Our product portfolio covers medium-temperature industrial heat pumps, high-temperature industrial heat pumps and ultra-high-temperature industrial heat pumps. These solutions are applied in various industries, including food processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing and industrial waste heat recovery.
The launch of the full-range industrial heat pump portfolio represents Snowman Group’s further expansion into the future energy market. Compared with single-product solutions, this portfolio covers a wider range of temperature levels and application scenarios, enabling Snowman Group to provide more flexible energy solutions for different industrial customers.
Snowman Group Heat Pump Family
Why did Snowman Group decide to join the NaturalRefrigerants.com marketplace?
AL: Joining the NaturalRefrigerants.com marketplace is an important step for Snowman Group to further strengthen global communication and cooperation in the natural refrigerant sector. The development of this sector requires not only advanced technologies and equipment but also deeper collaboration and communication among manufacturers, engineering companies, end users and industry organizations.
NaturalRefrigerants.com brings together professionals and companies from around the world who are focused on the development and application of natural refrigerant technologies, providing an effective platform for industry communication and knowledge sharing. Many of Snowman Group’s partners are already familiar with and actively use this platform for market communication and business cooperation.
Through NaturalRefrigerants.com, Snowman Group hopes to share its experience in natural refrigerant applications with more international customers and partners while working together to promote sustainable development across the refrigeration industry. By joining this platform, Snowman Group aims to help more global users understand its technological expertise, engineering experience and successful applications in the natural refrigerant field.
