Positive present in Colombian industry

Colombia. Sales of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment reported a notable increase during 2012, with a positive sectoral growth of 10% at the end of that year, according to the industrial union belonging to the Colombian Association of Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (Acaire).

According to the National Association of Distributors of the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry (Andira), the Colombian sector reported imports that reach 65%. 35% of this type of equipment is assembled locally, which is generally an average of 60,000 people who work for more than 5,000 companies. According to Claudia Sánchez, executive director of Araice, the good figures of the industry are largely due to the growth of the hotel sector and the improvement in the controls that regulate the elimenticio sector. Likewise, Claudia Sánchez acknowledged that Colombia has an annual market for HVAC/R of about US$250 million, a value that they expect to rise by the end of this year.