Positive sign for conditioners

0
2027

Even if marked by very strong differences between one region and the other, the conditioning sector scored a notable growth: +20.5 in the last three years, almost completely outside Europe.

CREDIT_DAIKIN

The conditioner is the only white good for which are available analytic detailed sales and diffusion data on a world scale. That thanks to the Japanese trade association JARN.

The figures reported in the table show as essential element a 20.5% sale increase on a world scale in a triennium. This corresponds to a yearly average growth ranging from 6% to 7%.

The differences among the various regions of our planet are anyway very strong, to the extent that the conditioner can be defined a non-European appliance. In fact, Europe, which absorbs only 9% of world sales, shows a continuous downturn in the sold quantities. Obviously, on one hand the conditioner is deemed superfluous in cold climates, on the other hand there is the trend of manufacturing air heating systems, which in periods of great heat can then refrigerate domestic environments, without the need of turning to the conditioner. These systems, as well as industrial and commercial conditioners, are not included in the statistical data of the table.

In any case, among the European nations mentioned, only Spain shows a quite high diffusion degree of the appliance, with one sale every 67 inhabitants. Italy ranks second among big nations, with one appliance sold every 85 inhabitants, value much higher than the European average. Analogue frequencies are anyway showed by some small European nations with hot climate, not individually surveyed by the JARN statistics, such as Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Portugal. Instead, Russia is still the primary consumer Country in Europe, despite the strong downturn in the last years, owing to the economic crisis that struck the big nation.

Fully different is the picture outside Europe, even if with strong differences among the other world places. Absolute leader is Japan, with one appliance sold in 2015 every 14 inhabitants, while China comes immediately after, with a sale average that makes it rank third in the world, preceded by USA only. On the contrary, big nations like India, where the hot climate makes the conditioner indispensable, have very modest sale levels due to the poverty of popular classes. Here the appliance is still a privilege for the healthiest ones. Relatively high is the consumption in Middle East, with one appliance sold every 62 inhabitants. In this area there are however relevant differences among the various nations; Israeli and Lebanon have high consumptions, while in the other Countries war conflicts made markets collapse.

In Americas, the difference between the rich USA and Canada on one hand and the poorer Latin America nations on the other hand catches our eyes.

Africa, the continent that would more need the conditioner due to its climate, features instead the lowest sales: one appliance every 470 inhabitants. This figure is more eloquent than any comment on the poverty degree of African nations.

Finally, the small Oceania (5.4% of the world population) achieves levels approaching those of the richest nations in Asia or in Americas. In this distant part of the world, the well-off Australia and New Zealand score together 70% of the total population.

On the whole, then, in 2015, on a world scale, they sold one domestic conditioner every 66 inhabitants: an average, the latter, determined by the strong presence of the three leader nations: China, USA and Japan, which together absorb about 61% of the total consumption.

Producers

The major manufacturing companies in the world are the South-Korean LG and Samsung, the Japanese Daikin and Hitachi, the Chinese Haier, Midea and Gree, the United States Carrier and the Swedish Electrolux. Numerous minor companies, however, contend for the market with them.

 

Prospects

The basic situation, which we described in the past, has not changed. The world market goes on expanding at yearly rates exceeding 5%, thanks to leader Countries. In addition to them, the markets of several other Asian nations and a part of Latin America ones are opening. Only few positive signs come instead from European markets. JARN expects anyway that the global growth can still go on for many years with rates approaching the current ones.

 

sales and diffusion rate of the domestic conditioner in some countries in 2015

 

Country 2012 sales

(Mio units)

2015 sales

(Mio units)

% variation 2015/2012 Diffusion

(%)

Inhabitants (Mio) Inhabitants per sold appliance

Italy 0.8 0.7 -12.5  30  59.5  85
France 0.5 0.5 =  25  65.8 132
Germany 0.5 0.5 =  20  81.8 164
Spain 0.6 0.7  16.7  38  47.1  67
Russia 2.1 1.7 -19.0  15 142.2  84
Rest of Europe 2.4 2.0 -16.7 n.a. 342.0 171
Total Europe

 

6.9 6.1 -12.6 n.a. 738.4 121
China 36.5 42.9 17.5 72 1,380.0  32
India   3.4   6.1 79.4 12 1,252.0 205
Japan  8.1   9.4 16.0 90  127.0  14
Rest of Asia Pacific  9.0 11.0 22.2 n.a. 1,414.0 128
Middle East  4.4  5.2 18.2 n.a.  320.0 62
Total Asia 61.4 74.6 21,5 n.a. 4,393.0 59
USA and Canada  9.3 16.6 78.5 70  356.5 21
Rest of America  10.7  9.7 -9.3 n.a.  625.6 64
Total Americas 20.0 26.3 31.5 n.a.  982.1 37
Africa  2.3  2.5  8.7 n.a. 1,186.6 470
Oceania  0.9  1.0 11.1 n.a.      39.9  40
World 91.5 110.5 20.8 n.a. 7,340.0  66

 

Source: JARN (Japan Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration News). Populations: ONU and World Factbook CIA.