by Julián Arcila
International sales or exports could be the most appropriate strategy to apply in times of crisis to avoid disappearing from the market, according to José María Ortiz, general director of the AFEC -Association of Manufacturers of Air Conditioning Equipment-, an entity that brings together European producers of air conditioning and refrigeration solutions.
The interview with the employee took place within the framework of Climatización 2009, an exhibition that every two years brings together in Madrid, Spain, the manufacturers of equipment for heating, air conditioning, refrigeration and domestic hot water (residential). AC/R was one of the international media invited by the organizers of the show.
Ortiz's comments come at a time when the European and global HVAC/R industry is particularly resentful of the crisis in the real estate sector given that a significant number of solutions for air conditioning had focused on this niche. However, in the commercial field, an important movement is still being seen, although cautiously, as some manufacturers have reported falls of between 15 and 40% in their sales in this region.
This is accentuated by a series of economic policies of the European bloc that although they place the local industry as possibly the cleanest on the planet, also cause it to lose competitiveness compared to other markets less related to efficiency and environmental issues such as Asia.
"European industry is subject to many environmental regulations and we have to comply with them, such as what has to do with R-22, which can no longer be used here; while in other regions of the planet there is no clear program of substitution of this substance or longer deadlines to do so. This forces the European industry to produce ecological and high-quality solutions, while there are other markets such as Asia that do not comply with these strict regulations and manufacture massively for markets basically oriented to the price, "said the manager.
He added that this makes the operating margin of European companies very small, because they end up practically selling in Europe, while companies that market around the world can spread their expenses among more markets to be more profitable.
But European companies "have it clear" and Latin America could be one of the export destinations for these companies. To enter a region that has traditionally been seen as a market closely linked to the United States and in which almost all needs are met, alliances with local partners seem to be a great opportunity to invest and produce in the region in a competitive way.
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