We spoke with Marcelo Marchena of Mitsubishi Electric, who shared his vision for the Latin American residential and light commercial air conditioning market.
by ACR Latin America
2015 begins full of expectations for each of the companies in the HVAC sector in Latin America. The dynamism of the market, new technologies, training, regulations, among other aspects, will again be the topics put on the table to analyze the strategies to be implemented and successful in each of them.
One of those companies that works every day in it is Mitsubishi Electric, specialized in the entire HVAC area, which was present at the last AHR Expo in Chicago presenting its latest news to the public.
We took the opportunity to talk with Marcelo Marchena, sales director of the international area of Mitsubishi Electric US Cooling & Heating, with whom we discussed issues related to the presence of the brand in general, why choose Mitsubishi Electric, the benefits and strengths of the company, among other topics; in addition to the importance of these technologies in residential and light commercial applications.
ACR: Tell us about the current state of the market for residential or light commercial applications (United States and Latin America)?
Marcellus: Currently, the global residential and light commercial market continues to grow greatly, at almost 6% per year, estimating US$120 billion for 2018. A result of several factors such as the increase in wages in Asia and the Pacific, in addition to the recovery of the real estate in the European Union among others, are making more accessible the acquisition of an HVAC system, to this is added the transition of the vision that had that an air was a luxury, for now it is a necessity.
Another big factor has been retrofits, which we know requires certain standards and requirements in many of our countries. Latin America is taking a focus on energy efficiency, new applications arise with requirements of a specific score either in SEER or EER ratings, which gives us a strategic advantage as manufacturers of the most efficient systems on the market.
ACR: What kind of technological innovations are presented in this market for the region?
Marcellus: We have the most efficient residential system on the market: a 30.5 SEER and 16.1 EER, in addition to multi-zone systems of eight evaporators with 120% connectivity, also a high-efficiency multizone.
Entering this year we will have a hybrid Multizone, which will be able to use commercial and residential type evaporators simultaneously with distribution box option, also the multiposition evaporator. In terms of controls we now have available our Redlink capable of controlling an entire house by means of a smart device, we also have more advanced controls that adjust to the need of virtually any application.
ACR: What obstacles does this sector still have to overcome to make it much bigger than it is?
Marcellus: I think that the biggest obstacle we see in Latin America, above all, is the lack of regulations in the field, that is, not having entities or organizations that are aware of the parameters of efficiency or refrigerant, in turn the financial part is affected since it becomes a price fight, ignoring customer satisfaction, the lack of social responsibility and the environment; that does not maintain a standard in green standards and good practices that identify the small details that make a big difference in having a quality mark in this area.
ACR: What does participation in a trade show like AHR mean for Mitsubishi Electric?
Marcellus: This year our motto was "The Makers of Amazing", and it is for us the first great opportunity to start the year demonstrating what we are made of, which is the detail to the high quality and the focus on the solutions demanded by our demanding markets, to promote and teach our audience about our history and why we are leaders in this field.
ACR: How is the sector you manage in terms of energy efficiency and sustainability?
Marcellus: Currently there has been a rather interesting increase in the use of high efficiency systems, with low impact on the environment and high percentage of renewability, however, it is still a misinterpreted issue that needs to mature.
There are many brands that come and go, which claim to offer great advantages in this aspect when they only seek to benefit their own pocket and therefore are able to invent any percentage of efficiency in order to make the sale. However, there is already a way to check it with just one click and the best way to be the facts and experiences of the end customer, to this are added the performance factors by responsible manufacturers such as us, we are on the right track but we need to be more aware and stay informed.
ACR: Do you think Latino technicians and the end user are understanding the constant changes that the industry presents in terms of technology for their spaces?
Marcellus: I have realized that most are doing it, especially the generation of technicians and customers who keep the pulse on technological innovation and are not afraid of change or experimenting with a new system as long as they understand why it is more beneficial. I see that the acceptance of new solutions predominates when the most experienced technician only has to choose to look for better technology at the request of his client, who has become more demanding and has access to immediate information. Similarly, the optimization of spaces and the cost of energy are factors that cannot be ignored, which gives us the impetus we need so that our solutions are exposed.
