News

Fluorinated refrigerants (F-gases) are widely used in many everyday devices and in industrial process equipments, particularly in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

These gases have adverse effects on our climate and have a high global warming potential, often thousand times higher than carbon dioxide (CO2). Refrigerants are classified according to their Global Warming Potential (GWP), which is based on CO2. The new regulations aim to avoid around 500 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents by 2050, which corresponds to the total annual emissions of France and Belgium.

The changes will come into force on 11 March 2024.

Priorities of the new F-Gas Regulation:

Faster CO2 reduction and limited use of refrigerants

The successive reduction in CO2 equivalents is taking place faster than previously planned, with a complete phase-out by 2050. The aim is to achieve by 2030 a reduction to 5% of the originally defined value, compared to the previously planned 21 %. As of 2025, the maximum amount of refrigerant available will be limited to 23 % of the originally defined value, instead of the previous 31 %.

Regulation of HFO refrigerants

The revision of the F-Gas regulation now also regulates HFO refrigerants (e.g. R1234yf, R1234ze etc.), stating additional requirements such as leakage checks and various restrictions in the use. Mixtures (HFC/HFO) are also affected here.

Use of synthetic refrigerants

Although the latest version of the F-Gas Regulation does not yet provide for an abrupt end to high-GWP refrigerants, it clearly sets the course for alternative, natural solutions. Currently, the 2020 regulations continue to apply with a ban on refrigerants with a GWP > 2,500 and an exemption for product temperatures <-50 °C. Although the revised version of the F-Gas Regulation provides for further restrictions, these will not initially affect the possible applications of freeze-drying systems and freeze-thaw units (FTUs). A possible specification of the regulation could lead to further restrictions here.

HOF: innovative refrigeration technologies - alternatives and solutions

HOF has a long-standing commitment to the issues of environmental protection, climate protection and greenhouse gases.
In addition to our conventional refrigeration systems, we offer a wide range of technologies based on natural refrigerants. This alternative to conventional refrigeration technology enables us to offer reliable solutions for freeze-drying systems and freeze-thaw units.

Our systems use refrigerants such as hydrocarbons, liquid nitrogen and air instead of refrigerants with a high impact on the climate such as R404A/R507A. For example: our innovative HOF CryoBlizzard cold air machine.

On our website, you can get more information on our advanced solutions, under the topic“  Pioneering alternatives to conventional compression refrigeration '.

Read more here >

Electrical energy

• Renewable energy sources: We use 198 kWp of roof-mounted photovoltaics to generate electricity at our sites.
• Emergency power generators: Three HOF emergency power generators are available for peak load reduction and emergency power tests:
  • 1x 500 kVA
  • 1x 250 kVA
  • 1x 160 kVA

Fresh water

• Fresh water: Efficient use of tap water by minimizing consumption thanks to process engineering expertise.
• Reverse osmosis water: Our own production plant supplies reverse osmosis water for cleaning and CIP processes. We have our own storage capacity of 20 m³.
• CIP water center: Our central CIP system feeds its own in-house ring main and enables precise recipe fulfillment during your FAT.
• Pure steam plant: Two pure steam generation plants are available for SIP processes and sterilization.
• Cooling water: Three cooling towers with a total output of >1000 kW, supplemented by two propane chiller systems, cover your cooling requirements.

Temperature and nitrogen management

• Temperature ranges: Selectable temperature ranges from 6°C to 25°C.
• Nitrogen: Two separate nitrogen tanks for liquid and gaseous nitrogen for process cooling and inert conditions.

Compressed air and waste water

• Compressed air center: Redundant compressed air systems for various process technology applications.
• Waste water: pH-neutral discharge of process waste water into the municipal waste water system, supported by two separate waste water lifting units

Advantages at a glance

HOF offers numerous advantages thanks to its sustainable infrastructure:

• Maximum flexibility and reliability: Our comprehensive equipment and state-ofthe-art technologies ensure that we can flexibly meet a wide range of requirements and always offer a high level of reliability.
• Efficient process integration: Our automated systems and central supply units ensure smooth and efficient test processes, which significantly increases overall efficiency.
• Environmental awareness and sustainability: By using renewable energy sources and resource-saving technologies, we minimize our ecological footprint and actively contribute to environmental protection.
• Complete coverage of your FAT needs: From energy and water supplies to nitrogen and compressed air provision, we comprehensively cover all requirements for your factory acceptance.

"Our combination of advanced infrastructure and sustainable technologies enables us to carry out FAT tests not only efficiently but also in an environmentally friendly way. This is our contribution to  the sustainable industry of the future."

Oliver Fleischer
Head of Service
 

Here is the complete text as a PDF document >

Under the new company claim “HOF premium pharma solutions”, HOF presented itself with many exciting topics. In particular, the new SIRIUS 2.0 “Ready for the Future” concept met with great interest. The robot-assisted loading and unloading system HOF SIRIUS has been continuously developed since its introduction in 2022 and is now considered future-proof, powerful and practical.
Topics such as “HOF freeze-drying with natural refrigerants - Innovations by Nature” and “HOF Service+ - highest service quality and individually tailored service and after-sales offers” were also the focus of many discussions.

Overall, HOF's presence at the trade fair was a great success. The event was well attended and, in addition to existing customers, we attracted numerous interested parties who came to find out about new technologies and discuss specific projects.
We would like to thank all visitors of ACHEMA 2024 and look forward to welcoming you to the next ACHEMA from June 14 to 18, 2027 in Frankfurt am Main.

"We are very satisfied with the response and clearly feel the appreciation for our innovative know-how."
Stefan Becker (CFO)

1. Schaltkästen eliminiert, Raum und Kosten gespart

Durch die Implementierung von IO-Link können unsere Kunden bis zu 90% der bisher benötigten Schaltkästen einsparen. Unsere IP67-geschützten IO-Link Master von der Firma ifm lassen sich einfach dort montieren, wo sie benötigt werden.
Dies bedeutet nicht nur eine erhebliche Platzersparnis, sondern auch erheblich reduzierte Kosten für die Anlagenkonfiguration.

2. Kompakte Bauweise und einfache Integration

In enger Zusammenarbeit mit der Firma ifm haben wir innovative Softwarefunktionen entwickelt, die die nahtlose Integration von IO-Link-Geräten in unsere HOF-Bedienoberfläche LYOCOM erheblich erleichtern. Dies führt zu einer noch benutzerfreundlicheren Bedienung und Steuerung unserer Anlagen.

3. Reduzierte Leitungslängen für Effizienz

Durch die Nähe der IO-Link-Geräte zu den Bauteilen ermöglichen wir massive Reduzierungen der benötigten Leitungslängen. In den meisten Fällen überschreiten diese nicht drei Meter.
Dank vorkonfektionierter IO-Link-Kabel wird nicht nur der Verdrahtungs- und Qualifizierungsaufwand minimiert, sondern auch der Aufbau der Anlage wird übersichtlicher.
Änderungswünsche können dadurch wesentlich einfacher und effizienter umgesetzt werden.

4. Digitale Anbindung für „Vorausschauende Wartung“

Die vollständig digitale Anbindung über Feldbussysteme wie Profinet eröffnet umfassende Diagnosemöglichkeiten bis in die Sensor- und Aktorebene.
Jedes IO-Link-Bauteil ist "smart" und verfügt über eine eigene Logik, die Abweichungen und Fehler sofort erkennt. Diese Informationen können für das Industrie 4.0 Thema “Vorausschauende Wartung“ genutzt werden, um Ausfallzeiten zu minimieren und die Anlagenverfügbarkeit zu maximieren.

5. Spürbare und messbare Vorteile für unsere Kunden

Wir möchten sicherstellen, dass unsere Kunden die spürbaren und messbaren Vorteile von IO-Link erleben. Unsere Lösung steigert nicht nur die Effizienz, sondern ist auch kosteneffektiv, sodass unsere Kunden von den technologischen Fortschritten profitieren.

HOF IO-Link: Zukunftsfähige Automatisierung für nachhaltigen Mehrwert

HOF-Automation steht an der Seite unserer Kunden, um die Effizienz ihrer Prozesse zu steigern und die Ausfallzeiten zu minimieren.
Mit der digitalen Anbindung von Sensorik und Aktorik mit IO-Link bieten wir eine innovative Lösung, die unseren Kunden hilft, ihre Betriebsabläufe zu optimieren.
Dabei setzen wir auf nachhaltige Technologien, die nicht nur zukunftsweisend sind, sondern auch bei gleichzeitiger Kostenneutralität gegenüber klassischen Verdrahtungstechniken einen messbaren Mehrwert bieten. Unsere praxiserprobten Lösungen ermöglichen es, die Anforderungen der Gegenwart zu erfüllen und gleichzeitig Ressourcen effizient zu nutzen.

"Bei HOF-Automation steht Kundennutzen an erster Stelle. Unsere IO-Link Integration in der Steuerungssoftware maximiert Effizienz und Mehrwert."

Markus Röhrig (certified engineer Software Engineering / IO-Link specialist)

As part of the partnership, a HOF Freeze-Thaw Unit (FTU) has already been installed at the newly created Life Sciences Technology Center in Billerica (Massachusetts, USA) to enable customers to leverage cold chain expertise, to optimize processes, reduce costs and accelerate time to market.

The world-class lab brings together tools and technologies from both manufacturers in one location where customers can test freeze/thaw equipment to determine which products meet their needs best.

The partnership with Entegris reinforces HOF's expert market leadership and makes it easier for U.S.-based customers to connect with HOF's equipment, gain experience and find their custom solution.

HOF looks forward to a long and successful relationship!

The exhibition stand was well frequented not only by existing customers, but also by numerous interested individuals who came to learn about new technologies, discuss new projects or simply to establish a personal contact.

We were particularly delighted with how popular the live presentations of the HOF SIRIUS robot-based loading and unloading system were.

But many discussions also focused on topics such as HOF CryoBlizzard central refrigeration – the new innovative technology that uses air as a refrigerant for freeze drying.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who visited us at ACHEMA 2022 and are already looking forward to welcoming everyone at the next ACHEMA in Frankfurt am Main from 10 to 14 June 2024.
 

“We are very satisfied with the feedback and we can see clearly how much our work is appreciated with regard to our innovative know-how.”
Alexander Hof/CEO

Learn more here and watch our detailed video >

„The HOF water bath and debottling system is a technologically highly innovative solution. Compact, reliable, safe and with state-of-the-art robot technology.“

Dr. Alexander Hof (CEO)

• Freeze drying systems
• Loading and unloading systems
• Freeze Thaw Units
• HOF waterbath & debottling system
• HOF Customer Service

Among other things, it offers an insight into our role as a technological market leader, combined with topics such as “innovative pioneer” – power of innovation as a brand core, and provides information on our exacting claim “HOF quality is the sum of many success factors”.

The clear structure and design make it easy to find the topics you are interested in.

More >

The Top 100 events, under the scientifi c direction of Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Franke and mentor Ranga Yogeshwar, are the only competition in Germany that has been awarding medium-sized companies for their innovation management under scientific direction for over 25 years on the market.

HOF has continuously faced the associated selection process since 2016 and has been awarded the TOP 100 seal for the seventh time and is, once again, one of the most innovative companies in Germany.

 „ Accordingly, preparations - from planning to the building permit application- already started before Corona". „When the pandemic started, we started building – nobody knew where it was leading and we dug a large hole", he said with a laugh.
Implementation started quickly and, despite adverse circumstances in regard to material shortages and delivery delays, the construction of the new production hall was completed in August.

450 square meters of floor space for a production hall : it does not sound especially impressive.
But the height is quite imposing, because the new building has a 4770 cubic meters building volume- it is 11 meters high, extended over three floors, and there is also a four-meter-deep pit. What is the need of these height requirements? "In this way, we can set up the equipment over three floors in an identical design as at the customer’s premises on site " - this saves assembly time and finally offers customers security.

Two cranes - one with 40 and one with 20 tons of lifting capacity - were installed to cater for all needs. And an investment was also made in a cooling tower.

With the new production area, HOF has now successfully increased its capacity for installing freeze dryers in a vertical arrangement as a two-story design by 40% and doubled the capacity of its in-house refrigeration workshop.

The cost of the new building was around €3.35 million - plus investment in infrastructure, making the total project worth €3.8 million. "A good investment in the future," says Alexander Hof.

Pressemeldung HOF "Millionen-Investition in die Zukunft" >