The EU F-Gas Regulation became effective beginning January 2015, making it mandatory for importers who import SMC’s refrigerated air dryers/thermo-chillers into the EU region to apply and register on the F-Gas Registration website, obtain import quota licenses, prepare the declaration of conformity, undergo an audit, report through the F-Gas Registration website, etc., beginning January 2017. Table 1 shows a list of products subject to this regulation. SMC imports products subject to this regulation into the EU region according to the actions as shown in Figure 1.
For the customer, purchasing the products from our local subsidiary in Europe eliminates cumbersome procedures.
Additionally, when the customer will handle the regulation, each importer (customer’s local subsidiary/agent or end user) who is the first to receive the product subject to this regulation in Europe must perform the five tasks as shown in Figure 1.

Table 1 Refrigerated Air Dryers/Thermo-chillers subject to EU F-Gas Regulation

Figure 1 Actions taken by SMC on the EU F-Gas Regulation

The new U.S. refrigerant regulations started to come into effect in 2023. They will prohibit the manufacture and customs clearance of SMC’s refrigerated air dryers and refrigerated thermo-chillers with refrigerant GWP values above the regulated values in the U.S. from January 2026. Table 1 shows a list of products subject to the regulations. SMC has plans to release products compliant with these new U.S. refrigerant regulations as needed.

Table 1 Refrigerated Air Dryers/Thermo-chillers subject to EU F-Gas Regulation<