by Alejandra García Vélez
Mexico is considered one of the strongest economies in Latin America, its proximity to the United States has allowed it to consolidate itself as a strong trading partner of the North American power, which brings important benefits for its economy but would also be difficulties in times of crisis such as the current one.
Precisely during the last edition of AHR Expo-Mexico, important players in the HVAC/R industry in that country shared with the magazine their perspectives on the matter. Irma Hall, in charge of sales and exports for the Latin American and Mexican market of UEI; Antonio Montoya, general manager of Prime; Eduardo Seufferheld, sales manager for Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean of Carlyle Compressor; Arturo Medellín, general director of the Namm group and Salvador Ochoa Ojeda, technical manager of the calderas, furnaces and associates organization.
Latin America is not spared
In recent months the world has entered a state of alert, each country tries to shield itself from the imminent economic crisis and although the main affected by the latest events were the great powers, Latin America is already beginning to feel the effects of the recession. Faced with this inevitable reality, the HVAC/R industry must begin to take measures that allow it to overcome the crisis.
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the gross domestic product of its 30 affiliated countries could fall 0.3 percent in 2009, while production in the United States would decline 0.9 percent, in Japan 0.1 percent and in the European area 0.5 percent. This is the first time the OECD has seen a general contraction among its affiliated economies since it began recording statistics in 1970.
According to the data collected by this means in AHR EXPO, as far as Latin America is concerned, entrepreneurs already foresee a decrease in the consumption of solutions, which worries manufacturers and distributors, since air conditioning sales are closely linked to GDP growth and when the purchasing power of the population decreases, there is a tendency to leave aside products that are not part of the needs. Basic. In the case of Mexico, tourist areas and areas close to the border have been more affected, because these regions depend a lot on the United States market.
What should companies do in times of crisis? That seems to be the million-dollar question, and it is surely what worries all the big companies in the sector at the moment. The options seem to boil down to two: Be aggressive or conservative. Companies will weigh the risks they are willing to take to stay strong in the market and make a decision; however, the concession among the interviewees is that the best solution is to innovate, look for market niches in which it has not yet entered, attack the market with greater force using marketing and the promotion of new products. In conclusion: look for strategies to compensate for the decrease in sales.
Value-added products
Companies that manage to offer "something more" to their customers will always be preferred in any market, the air conditioning and refrigeration segment is no exception. In this sense, it is key to adapt to the requirements of customers and offer them products tailored to their needs.
Alejando Medellín gave as an example of the above the change in the construction model, which has evolved into vertical properties of many floors, this, he says, led his company to develop new solutions and implement, for example, direct expansion machines floor by floor to allow the individualization of energy consumption.
AHR Expo brought with it many things, an extensive academic program with training in fundamental issues of the industry, a commercial exhibition that featured the main players in the Mexican market, but above all gave the opportunity to entrepreneurs to share their concerns about the current world panorama.
ASHRAE was present at AHR Expo
The Monterrey chapter of the American Association of Engineers in Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning ASHRAE held during AHR Expo-Mexico 2008 a program of conferences that contributed to the academic component of the fair. The interest of industry professionals in training was evident with the participation of more than 2000 participants in 42 conferences, courses and workshops that totaled more than 85 hours of training and training.
Of course, energy saving occupied a preponderant role in the conferences, attendees were able to attend talks such as:
- Energy saving via demand management
- Compressors for standard systems and reciprocating refrigerants (Overview of alternative refrigerants in light of climate change)
- Design of zero energy buildings (Guide to building a sustainable building in Mexico)
- Sustainable building and climate change in the XXI century
- Green buildings and practical examples.
The figures
6,428 registered visitors visited the Exhibition.
2,624 were the exhibitors participating in the Event.
9,052 was the total number of professionals gathered at the event.
Visitors were received from 32 countries including Mexico.
350 exhibiting companies from 14 countries.
57,010 net square feet of display.
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