USA – According to a recent report by the ASHRAE Journal and AHR EXPO on the results of a survey sent to over 1000 HVACR manufacturers around the world, those manufacturers are increasingly optimistic about the improving economic outlook in 2015. Based on the results of the survey, 87% of respondents have reported that the outlook for companies were “excellent” (26%) or “good” (61%) for the coming year. 13% of investigations considered their prospects to be “fair” for their business.
These results reflect a significant jump of 8% compared to last year’s survey, 79% of respondents expect a rebound of the economy in 2014, compared with that of 2013. It also represents a significant 17% increase in optimism compared to the previous year’s survey where 70% of respondents thought that 2013 would be better than 2012. In line with this positive outlook for next year, 96% of HVAC manufacturers believe that in 2015, sales will continue to increase and 47% expect an increase in sales of between 5 and 10%. 29% of those surveyed expect an increase in sales of over 10% and 20% expect an increase of less than 5%. Only 3% of sales are expected to remain stable. This represents an increase of 6% on last year’s forecasts and an impressive 16% increase over the 2013 survey.

When asked what market segments are the most promising for the New Year, Hospitals / Health are at the forefront in the “excellent” and “good” categories, followed closely by light commercial. Data / Telecom centers, heavy commercial, manufacturing/industrial and office buildings are also highly ranked. Heavy Commercial, light commercial and Data/Telecom showed the largest increases compared to the survey of last year with a double-digit increase.
As regards the categories of industry where HVAC manufacturers provide the best
opportunities for businesses, new construction was mentioned by 40% of respondents and climbed to number one, gaining 11 percentage points over the 2014forecast. Maintenance/Replacement was second (32%), followed closely by Renovation (28%)

Last year, all three were also rated quite highly with only a few percentage points separating them.

“What is especially interesting about this year’s survey is that manufacturers are seeing bigger increases in new construction, light commercial, heavy commercial, and data centers,” declared Clay Stevens, president of International Exposition Co., which produces and manages the AHR Expo. “In the previous two years’ surveys, manufacturers were expecting more growth from the retrofit/renovation and maintenance/replacement areas.”

In answer to the question “What are the most important issues for your customers?” The following factors: reliability and costs are still on top of the rankings this year in the very important and important categories. Energy Efficiency and Maintenance closely followed by “comfort” and “indoor air quality” made impressive gains compared to last year’s poll to finish in the top five. In response to the forecast of economic growth and the need for more energy-efficient solutions, 70% of respondents reported that they plan to introduce new products at the 2015 CHICAGO AHR EXPO, from January 26 to 28. This is an increase of 3% compared to last year. 53% of those surveyed plan on introducing products improving energy efficiency. AHR EXPO is approved by 35 of the main HVAC industry associations and is co-sponsored by ASHRAE and Air-Conditioning, Heating and Cooling Institute (AHRI). The Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Institute Of Canada (HRAI) is the principal sponsor.

For more information, visit the expo website at www.ahrexpo.com.