50 Partners!

R744.com has added its 50^th partner presenting pioneering products and services for CO₂ Technology on the website. Marc Chasserot, Managing Director of Shecco, explains in an interview what is planned over the coming months.

Last week, VOSS Automotive joined R744.com as the 50th partner of the world’s leading platform for CO₂ Technology. Launched end of 2006, R744.com has grown to become a well-known reference source for the natural refrigerant in a variety of applications. The company managing R744.com is Shecco, a marketing & communications consultancy in the field of climate friendly technologies. 

R744.com: Last week, R744.com welcomed its 50^th partner. What does this mean for the website and the worldwide CO₂ Community?

Marc Chasserot (MCH): Having 50 partners is a symbolic number. It cements R744.com as the leading platform for CO₂ Technology worldwide. We already have thousands of page views from 120+ countries every single day. Meaning there is a community for CO₂ Technology and they are reading the cutting-edge content of R744.com every day.

R744.com: Are you satisfied with the development of the platform so far?

MCH: Yes and no. Today we have 50 partners, which is great! But the potential is at least 100. For me, the key to success of this website will be to make the CO₂ Community worldwide interact, so that we don’t just have one way communication.

R744.com: Did you believe two years ago, when R744.com was founded, that it would achieve the level of popularity it has today?

MCH: Yes, we did. It was a calculated risk but we knew there was a need for such cutting-edge information and we decided to fill that space. Some players in the market probably didn’t think it would work. But now that we have 50 partners on the website, I would argue, it does work.

R744.com: Many readers of the website are wondering about the future of CO₂ in Mobile Air Conditioning and other applications. How do you see the market developing the next couple of years? Will CO₂ become the next global refrigerant for cars, or is this unrealistic?

MCH: I don’t have the crystal ball, but what I can say is that after the VDA announcement we are moving towards a more pro CO₂ environment in the car industry. Once it takes off in Europe, this technology will spread worldwide. In parallel we can see CO₂ taking off in the commercial refrigeration and heat pump sectors. Just go to the major trade fairs and see for yourself. There are more and more companies showcasing their CO₂ solutions, meaning there is a growing market for it.

R744.com: Some of the articles on R744.com can be seen as controversial, including the recent ones mentioning tests of 1234yf. Could you comment on the informal feedback you got personally after these articles?

MCH: Yes, some of the articles are controversial, but given the “politics” in the MAC industry this is no surprise. We have got a lot of good feedback following the publication of these articles, summarized in the following words: “About time someone got this news out.” What I can also say, they are extremely popular articles.

R744.com: How do you want to make sure that R744.com stays on top of all developments in the field of CO₂ Technology?

MCH: Besides adding more partners we will cover more events for more applications around the world. Recently we launched a Chinese language version for the Chinese market. Next year we plan other languages. We will also launch an e-commerce section for people to buy copyrighted material. We will launch a patent exchange for companies to pool and share their knowledge. We will also launch an internet TV channel to cover events around the world, and more…

R744.com: What is the plan to further increase the usability for website visitors and the visibility of the R744.com partners?

MCH: Usability is key. We are constantly improving this. The core of this is My R744.com, meaning that we will continue to make it easier for our members around the world to network, discuss and do business with each other. In terms of visibility this year we will have around 600,000 page views. Next year, we expect at least one million. This will increase the visibility of our partners even further and generate more sales for them.

R744.com: Shecco, as the company responsible for R744.com, recently announced a new business strategy. What is the main focus of Shecco?

MCH: As with all companies, Shecco has evolved. Today we are a marketing & communications consultancy. Our value proposition is simple. Through our services we help companies worldwide bring climate friendly solutions faster to market, including CO₂ Technology.

R744.com: So, you are also looking into other projects promoting climate friendly technologies?

MCH: Yes, we are actively doing this. Within HVAC we will launch internet platforms for other natural refrigerants. Within the car industry we will launch an internet platform for electric vehicle technologies.

R744.com: How fast will we see these services online?

MCH: Latest Q1 2009.

Contact Information

If you would like to contact Shecco for any enquiries, you may send a request to Marc Chasserot directly.