HVAC market of Nizhniy Novgorod

Editors of magazine “The World of Climate”

together with the information agency HVACNEWS start the new column – Regional

Markets. Here you would find comprehensive information about developement of the

climat business in the main regions of Russia. Our first material is about the region of

Nizhniy Novgorod.

According to the agency “Litvinchuk-Marketing”,

the share of city of Nizhniy

Novgorod in the market of split-systems of the whole

Volga region, is about 11%. For

Russia it is the market of the medium

developement. Dynamic of sales in the market (in outdoor units) is the

following: 1999 – 2200 units, 2000 – 3800 units, 2001 – 4800 units, 2002 – 7000

units, 2003 – 6600 units, 2004 – 6200 units and 2005 – 7600 units. According to

the infotmation from the companies of Nizhniy Novgorod, sales in 2005 were about

8-9 thousand units. Sales of the central AC and ventilation systems in Nizhniy

Novgorod make 13% of the market of Volga Region, they reached in 2002 –

6,1million euro, in 2003 – 7,3 millon euro, in 2004 – 8,6 millon euro, in 2005 –

around 10 millon euro.

Distinctive Features of the
Region

The region has some distinctive features which

influence the developement of local HVAC business.

Average personal income of population is rather

low (4,5 times less than in Moscow and 1,5 times less than in Samara and

Ekaterinburg). Summer is short and not very hot. Because of it AC systems are

not the utility of the first priority in Nizhniy Novgorod.

At the same time the flaw of Russian and

foreign investments in to Nizhniy Novgorod significantly increased since 2005.

The beginning of the mass building construction in the region is planned for

2007. The short-time plans include construction of hotels for about 2240

visitors, ten centers of trade and entertainment and some big business-centers

only in Nizhniy Novgorod. In the region of Nizhniy Novgorod actively goes on the

reconstruction of industrial facilities and gains momentum the individual

housing construction. So the possibilities for dynamic developement of the

climat market are formed.

Nizhniy Novgorod is situated very well from the

point of view of logistics. It is located on the intersection of the main

transportation arteries. Dencity of the rail-road net is 3,3 times higher than

the Russian average. No wonder that many regional players on the climat market

organized their distribution centers in Nizhniy Novgorod.

One spesific feature of the region more, is its

high scientific potential. There is the “Academy of Architecture and Construction of Nizhniy

Novgorod” which prepare engineers with specialization “Heating and Ventilation”

among others. Qualified specialists come to the climate business also from the

military industry. All this allows the HVAC companies of Nizhniy Novgorod to

undertake very complex projects themselves. Company “Elite” for instance, installed there the first in

Russia system of remote control DS-Net

(Daikin).

Participants of the Climat Market of Nizhniy
Novgorod

There are about 75 companies in the climat

market of Nizhniy Novgorod today (in 1998 there were 30 companies). The majority

of them work with individual customers mainly. Usually not more than 20

specialized companies take part in serious tenders.

Many Russian and international distributors of

HVAC equipment have their representative offices and actively work in Nizhniy Novgorod:

“Daichi” (for more than 6 years), “Rusclimat”, “Biocond”,

“Veza” (without stock facilities), “Lissant” (has stock facilities), “Sovplim”

(without stock facilities), “YORK” (Moscow representative office),

“Remak” (started in 2006, without stock facilities), “VTS” (without stock facilities), “AYAK”, “Elite” (has

stock facilities), “Teplomash” (has stock

facilities).

The design of some projects is carried out by

“NizhegorodNIIgrazhdanproyekt” and “Promstroyproyekt”, companies well-known since the

Soviet period. However, the majority of new projects are designed by the

departments of design of specialized HVAC companies. These departments are often

engaged in architectural and construction design also.

Trade networks “M-Video” and “Eldorado” do not

have a substantial share in sales and according to local professionals “don't

make a lot of harm on the market”. “M-Video” sells equipment of Daewoo, Samsung,

Panasonic, Sharp, Daikin and the most recent Bork

(Germany). “Eldorado” traditionly offers

LG, Samsung è Panasonic.

The most special feature of Nizhniy Novgorod is

the presence there of big Russian manufacturers of the climate equipment. Among

them are: “Evan” (electric boilers and water

heaters); “Provento” (ventilation systems,

air-ducts, electric distribution boards); “Klimatechnika” (convectors “Komfort” and “Universal”; air-heating equipment, electric heating

and ventilation equipment, industrial air heat curtains); “Termal” (electric heating elements, air and water

heaters); “Ozon” (aircleaners “Puma”); “Klimat-kontrol” (design and production of

low-temperature blocks for conditioners);

OAO“Teploobmennik” (air-conditioning

systems for aircraft).

In 2006 APIC opened its branch in Nizhniy

Novgorod. The initiative was put forward by companies “Elite”, Ventcenter”

and “Dzerzhinskpromventiliatsiya”. The main aim

of the branch is to develope the HVAC business in the region, implantation of

civilized ways of doing business, introduction and promotion of new products and

latest technoligy, protection of the interests of distributors and wholesalers

of HVAC equipment.

Main Brands of Climat Equipment in Nizhniy
Novgorod

According to the estimation of the local

representatives of the climat business, the following brands are the most

popular in the region:

RAC – Daikin, MHI, Melco, MñQuay, Samsung, LG, Toshiba, Gree,

General, Fuji;

PAC – Daikin, MHI, Melco, Fujitsu,

York;

multizonal systems – Daikin, MHI;

chillers and fancoils – Trane, Clivet, Blue

Box, Uniflair, Airwell;

ventilation equipment –

Rosenberg, Swegon, Remak, Korf, Systemair,

Veza, Ostberg, Rover;

heaters, convectors, electric fire-places –

Nobo, Noirot;

heat curtains – “Teplomash”, “Tropik”,

Olefini, Makar, Master;

air moisturizers – Boneco;

air cleaners – Daikin.

Advertising and Marketing

Citizens of Nizhniy Novgorod called the

advertising campaigns of Kentatsu and Panasonic the most colourful ones among

the PR-actions of the last year on the local HVAC market.

Annualy in April – May, manufacturers and

distributors of the climat equipment hold seminars for local installers and

designers. In 2006 were held seminars about equipment of Remak and VTS Klima.

Company “Evroklimat” held a conference for

dealers in Nizhniy Novgorod. Company “Daichi” regularly holds DDC club for

designers, and organizes trainings on design and installation of equipment of

Daikin. In May traditionaly takes place the Russian Forum of Architecture and

Construction, one section of it specializes on HVAC systems. In autumn is held

the construction forum “From Design to Finishing”, in which the climat subject

is also presented.

According to the reaction of local mass-media,

the most signeficant event of 2006 from the information point of view was the

press-conference held because of the openning of the APIC branch in Nizhniy

Novgorod. There were more than 20 publications, many reports and special

programms on radio and TV.

DIFFICULTIES FOR HVAC BUSINESS IN THE
REGION

Representatives of local companies say that

there are 3 main issues to care about: customers do not have enough information

about HVAC equipment; there are too many people with poor qualification in the

market; the lack of qualified professionals. These shortcommings, by the way,

are usual for the majority of regional Russian HVAC

markets.

TRENDS OF THE REGIONAL CLIMAT
BUSINESS

People of Nizhniy Novgorod say: «We move

steadily towards civilized market”. This movement started in 1999 when company

“Elite” entered APIC, accelerated in 2000 with creation of company “Daichi-NN”

and gained momentum in 2006 with the openning of the Branch of APIC in Nizhniy

Novgorod.

Now the steady increase in demand for HVAC

equipment and service is evident in the region. First of all it concerns the

segments of office buildings, commercial and entertainment centers, industrial

installations and luxury housing. The requipements for operating cost are

getting more tough, and it causes a growth in demand for regular service and

energy-efficient equipment and design. The interest to electro-mechanical

ventilation systems also grows because of wide-spred use of plastic window

frames and additional facing of fasades. There is an active development of the

systems of “smart house”. Business center “Teledom” and the building of company

“Verhnevolzhsknefteprovod” are already equipped with this system,

commercial-entertaining center “MEGA” is in process.

Editors of first of all the magazine “The World

of Climat” aknowledge the help and assistance of the leaders of the Nizhniy

Novgorod based companies – members of APIC:

Alexey Savostikov, Chairman of the Board of

Directors of OOO “Group of Companies Elite”

(city of Nizhniy

Novgorod). “Our company offers to our customers the

complex solution in the systems of air-conditioning, ventilation, heating and

water supply – from design to service and maintanance. Among the main fields of

our activity is the design of civil installations, and much

more…”.

Eduard Orlov, Director of OOO “Dzerzhinskpromventiliatsya” (town of

Dzerzhinsk). “The number of the enterprises of

chemical industry per the unit of square makes the town of

Dzerzhinsk the real Capital of Russian

Chemical Industry. I would like to note that it was our company who carried out

installation of the ventilation and air-conditioning equipment at all chemical

enterprises of Dzerzhinsk…”.

Mikhail Kuzmin, Director of OOO “Venttsentr PSK” (city of

Nizhniy

Novgorod). “We have our own facilities for production

of the components of ventilation equipment. It allows us to guarantee not only

the minimum time and high quality of installation works, but also the optimal

price…”.

Alla Gladkaya, Executive Director of NRO APIC

(city of Nizhniy

Novgorod). “The regional representative office of APIC

is oriented to settle the vital issues of the climat business in the region and

to increase the quality of serving the customers. The APIC members bear the

joint responsibility before customers, guarantee the quality of equipment, works

and sevices. They have all necessary licences and

certificates”.

The Opinion of Expert

Georgiy Litvinchuk, Director of the company

“Litvinchuk Marketing”

In the climatic area where Nizhniy Novgorod is

situated, air-conditioner is not the thing of high priority. Air-conditioners

are installed mainly in offices. The use of conditioners in the living sector is

not wide-spread, and there is no prospective that the situation changes in the

nearest future. The potential of the market of split systems in the city of

Nizhniy

Novgorod and the region is 12000-15000 units per

year.

If compared with other big subdivisions of

Volga Federal District, the region of Nizhniy Novgorod is behind the Samara

region, Bashkiriya and Tatarstan in the taxation base, and less in the income

level. At the same time Nizhniy Novgorod has become the capital of Volga Federal

District, and this fact gave some impact to the developement of HVAC market.

Many serious “unplanned” objects were additionly equipped with air-conditioning

systems within last two years.

There are many good engineering companies in

Nizhniy Novgorod, the level of the climat professionals there is rather high as

far as Russia is conserned. So, the most advanced

climat technologies are actively introduced in Nizhniy Novgorod. It was Nizhniy

Novgorod, where the first in Russia VRF-system was installed. The ratio

of combined extract-and-input systems with heat recuperation in use is the

highest in Russia. It is the achievement mainly of

professionalism of sellers, who could push the customers ahead to advanced

solution. The biggest in Russia manufacturer of air-ducts, company

“Provento”, is situated also in Nizhniy

Novgorod.

The main players in the regional HVAC market

are: “Elite”, “Venttsenter”, “Ventservice”, “Daichi-NN”, “Dzerzhinskpromventiliatsiya”, PG “Ozon”, “Provento”,

“Techno Test”.