USA, WESTPORT, CONNECTICUT –HVACR MANUFACTURERS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT 2015

There is a growing optimism among HVACR manufacturers that 2015 will bring a brighter economic outlook, according to a recent ASHRAE AHR Expo survey sent to more than 1,000 manufacturers worldwide.
The results of the annual survey show that 26% of respondents believe that their business prospects are “excellent” for the coming year while 61% believe that their prospects are “good”. Only 13% of respondents consider their prospects for the coming year to be “fair”.
These results represent an 8% jump from last year’s figures when 79% of respondents believed the economy in 2014 would be better than 2013. This statistic has risen to 87% today.

The most optimistic market for 2015 are the hospital and healthcare sectors which were perceived as being the most promising segments for next year and were ranked first in the “excellent” and “good” categories, closely followed by the Light Commercial sector. Heavy Commercial, Data/ Telecommunication centers, Manufacturing/Industrial, and Office Buildings also ranked highly.
HVACR manufacturers see business prospects emerging in a number of industry categories, including New Construction, which was mentioned by 40% of respondents and rose by 11 points from last year’s survey and finished in first place. Maintenance/Replacement came in second place with 32%, closely followed by Retrofit/Renovation at 28%.

“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, they were expecting more growth from Retrofit/Renovation and Maintenance/Replacement areas.”

When asked the question “How important to your customers are the following?”, Reliability and First Costs remained at the top of the charts in both the “very important” and “important” categories.
And with the AHR Expo taking place from January 26 to 28 in Chicago, 70% of respondents reported that they plan to introduce new products at the event, which is an increase of 3% compared to 2013 .