Corporate_news_Daikin_Service_Games_Heating_2026_winners_announced_in_Bratislava
PDF | 1.01MB
Corporate news / Vienna, Bratislava, 19 June 2026 – Daikin Central Europe hosted the Service Games Heating 2026, a unique international competition for heat pump service technicians.
After an online preselection, the finals took place on 18 June 2026 at the Dual Academy in Bratislava, bringing together top participants from Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia to compete in theoretical and practical heat pump service challenges.
Daikin spotlights heat pump service excellence with international finals in Bratislava
The Daikin Service Games aim to strengthen service quality and technical expertise across the HVAC-R industry by providing a platform for technicians to demonstrate and benchmark their skills. This year’s competition focused on heat pumps as a future-ready technology for decarbonizing buildings – from small flats to commercial and industrial premises. Participants competed in both theoretical and practical challenges, including troubleshooting tasks in hydraulics and R-290-based heat pump systems. R-290 (Propane) is a natural refrigerant with a very low global warming potential (GWP), making it an important solution for more sustainable heat pump systems. Daikin is the leading brand for hydronic heat pumps in Europe with over 1,5 Mio units installed since 2006.1)
“The Daikin Service Games Heating were an excellent opportunity to recognize the top expertise of service technicians at Daikin and selected heat pump partner companies, while also fostering continuous development and knowledge exchange across borders. We are proud of this year’s winners, who demonstrated outstanding skills for servicing heat pump systems. This is essential, as consumers want to rely on highly skilled technicians when deciding for a heat pump system in their home.” Hiroyasu Ishikawa, Managing Director, Daikin Central Europe
The competition consisted of two phases
1) Online preselection (16 April 2026): Over 120 heat pump technicians from 7 countries registered for the technical online test, having to answer 30 challenging questions about safe working behavior, hydraulics & heat pump refrigerant circuits within 30 minutes.
2) Finals in Bratislava (18 June 2026): 14 top finalists from Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia competed in three disciplines:
- Theoretical knowledge about heat pumps & analysis of operational data
- Hydraulics troubleshooting
- R-290 troubleshooting on Daikin Altherma 4 air-to-water heat pump
The overall winners of the Daikin Service Games Heating Central Europe 2026 (name, profession, company, country):
- 1st place: Marius-Christian Balan, Service Engineer (AVI Compact, Romania)
- 2nd place: Manfred Winter, Owner (Manfred Winter, Austria)
- 3rd place : Markus Mikovits, Service Technician (Daikin Austria, Austria)
The competition category winners of the Daikin Service Games Heating Central Europe 2026:
- Best in theoretical knowledge: Sergiu Dan Birau, Heating Service Engineer (Daikin Romania, Romania)
- Best in hydraulic trouble-shooting: Josef Vacura, Service Technician (M-KLIMA s.r.o., Czech Republic)
- Best in R-290 trouble-shooting: Kacper Dyrek, CEO (MET-COOL, Poland)
- Special award for customer care: Manfred Winter, Owner (Manfred Winter, Austria)
“For more than 10 years, the Daikin Service Games have been a unique event where technicians demonstrate their passion for HVAC technology, learn from the best, and further develop their strengths. In 2026, Daikin Central Europe expanded the scope of the Service Games to include a dedicated focus on heating, as Daikin is not only a global leader in air conditioning but also a key player in the European heat pump market.”1)2) Michael Fischlein, General Manager of the Strategic Business Unit Service Operations at Daikin Central Europe.
Daikin empowers heat pump technicians and partners
In addition to Daikin Central Europe’s regular training programs for service technicians, the Daikin Service Games Heating 2026 are designed to:
- enhance service quality and consistency across the CE region,
- evaluate and benchmark technical competencies for heat pump installation and service,
- identify development opportunities for heat pump technicians and partners
- strengthen collaboration within the Daikin service network.
Beyond the competition itself, participants benefit from hands-on experience, skills development and knowledge exchange, ultimately contributing to improved customer service and system performance. The Dual Academy in Bratislava was an ideal venue for the event. Since 2024, Daikin Slovakia has operated a unique dual training center there, where students and heating service technicians can take qualification courses and train on the largest hydraulic training set-up in Central Europe.
Impressions from the Daikin Service Games Heating 2026 at Dual Academy Bratislava
All competing service technicians and the Daikin team at Daikin Service Games Heating 2026 Central Europe
Theoretical knowledge competition at Daikin Service Games Heating 2026 Central Europe
Hydraulic trouble shooting competition at Daikin Service Games Heating 2026 Central Europe
R-290 trouble shooting competition at Daikin Service Games Heating 2026 Central Europe
Reference:
1) BRG BUILDING SOLUTIONS report 2026 (data April 2025 – March 2026)
2) Fuji Keizai Co., Ltd. "Global Home Appliance Market 2026” (Ranking of Equipment Sales for Global AC Manufacturers FY 2024 Results)
Copyrights pictures: Daikin
About
100+ years Daikin
The story of Daikin has always been shaped by groundbreaking ideas, technological innovations, and dedicated people. It began in 1924 when the young Japanese engineer Akira Yamada founded an enterprise in Osaka to manufacture aircraft radiators with a 15-member team. More than 100 years later, the Daikin Industries group brings future-proof solutions for heating, cooling, ventilation, air purification, and refrigeration (HVAC-R) to global markets.
Read more on 100 Years Daikin
Daikin Industries Ltd.
Daikin Industries is a global leader in heat pump, air conditioning and air filtration technology, employing more than 104,000 people. Founded in Osaka in 1924, it is the only manufacturer in the world that develops and manufactures HVAC-R equipment, compressors and refrigerants in-house. Daikin has been recognized as one of the world’s top 100 innovative companies by Clarivate (UK) and LexisNexis (USA) for its leadership in technology research and intellectual property patents. For its fiscal year 2025 (1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026) Daikin reported a sales result of 28,66 billion euro sales.
Read more on www.daikin.com
Daikin Europe N.V.
The Daikin Europe group is a leading provider of heating, cooling, ventilation, air purification and refrigeration technology across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Daikin Europe caters to a diverse customer base within the region by designing, manufacturing, and marketing an extensive range of products, maintenance services, and turnkey solutions tailored for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. The group employs over 14,200 people across more than 57 subsidiaries and operates 15 manufacturing sites in Europe (12), Turkey (1) and the Middle East (2). Refrigeration products include the brands Daikin, Tewis, Zanotti, Hubbard, and AHT. Headquartered in Ostend, Belgium, for over 50 years, the Daikin Europe group is a subsidiary of Daikin Industries Ltd.
Read more on www.daikin.eu
Daikin Airconditioning Central Europe
Daikin Airconditioning Central Europe, founded in 1999 with its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, operates as a subsidiary of Daikin Europe. Its portfolio includes products and total solutions for heating, cooling, ventilation, air purification, and refrigeration in residential, commercial, and industrial settings. With over 700 employees and 3,400 partners, the company manages sales and service activities across 16 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, including Austria, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
With 'Your Daikin World' at the Vienna headquarters and the 'Daikin Inspiration Park' in Warsaw, the HVAC-R industry and the construction sector have access to two state-of-the-art B2B-experience centers for co-creating customized solutions for hotels, retail, offices, and large commercial applications. Daikin runs ten out of 146 B2B-training centers across the EMEA region in the CE-region. Consumers and homeowners receive consultation at the B2C-Experience center (flagship store) in Vienna.
Read more on www.daikin-ce.com
Media contact
Doris Passler
Manager Corporate Communications Central Europe
Daikin Airconditioning Central Europe HandelsgmbH
Lemböckgasse 59/1/1, 1230 Vienna, Austria
T: +43 (0) 664 24 56 444
M: passler.d@daikin.at
