On the whole, 2010 was a year of recovery for the entire hvacr industry in Europe, the Middle East and Africa regions (EMEA) and this trend is set to continue in 2011, according to the latest report from Eurovent Market Intelligence.
Chillers

The chiller market rose to 16,000,000kW in 2010, representing a 10 per cent increase over 2009. Sales of units under 50kW were largely concentrated in southern Europe - France, Italy and Spain accounted for nearly two-thirds of the sales. Medium-capacity units (between 50 and 700kW), were largely concentrated in Italy, France and Germany, with these three countries accounting for almost half of the sales in this range. Middle Eastern sales in this category reached 10 per cent of the EMEA market.

The large capacity units (over 700kW) went primarily to France and Turkey, these two countries accounting for over 27 per cent of the kW sold in Europe in 2010. They were followed by Benelux, Germany, Italy and the UK, each exceeding 10 per cent. The Middle East was the destination for more than 30 per cent of the kW sold.

Air-cooled equipment is prominent, accounting for nearly 75 per cent of kW sold.

Forecasts for chiller sales this year are generally described as encouraging, with predicted growth figures ranging between 11-17 per cent for Eastern Europe, 11 per cent for Africa and 5-12 per cent for the rest of Europe.

Air handling units

The air handling unit market in the EMEA area amounted to more than Euro 1.5bn in 2010.

Main sales areas are north east Europe (25 per cent for Germany, Scandinavia 17 per cent, England and Russia about 8 per cent each). By itself, this area accounts for 58 per cent of sales.

The Middle East occupies a relatively minor position in this market. Its 2010 sales were scarcely 10 per cent of the EMEA market and are dominated primarily by rooftop units. Northern Europe and some southern countries such as Portugal saw growth compared to 2009 but there were decreases in most of the Eastern European countries such as the Czech Republic, where sales fell by more than 10 per cent.

The countries hit hardest by the crisis, such as the Scandinavian countries, experienced a very slight recovery (around 4 per cent), with an even greater improvement in Norway, which took the lead with a growth of roughly 19 per cent; this trend is expected to slow down in 2011.

Half of the air handling units sold in the EMEA area in 2010 were those with an air flow rate below 5,000m3/h, while those operating at up to 15000m3/h accounted for a third of sales.

The forecasts for 2011 are optimistic, with increases between 5 per cent and 7 per cent, and even exceeding 20 per cent for Ukraine and the former Soviet Union countries.

Fan coil units

The number of fan coil units sold in 2010 rose to roughly 1,000,000 in the EMEA area, with Europe representing about 75 per cent of the market.
Italy accounted for approximately one-third of the market, far ahead of France (13 per cent), the Iberian peninsula (9 per cent) and Turkey and the UK which both accounted for 5 per cent of sales. The Middle East took second place in the EMEA sector with 20 per cent of sales.

Two-pipe units sold in the greatest volume, accounting for more than 75 per cent of sales, while the remaining quarter of the units sold were four-pipe models.
Sales in 2011 are not expected to enjoy major growth, except in Turkey, which is forecast to see a double-digit rise in sales. Other countries - particularly Russia and Portugal - are expected to experience a slight stagnation.

Rooftop units

Of around 60,000 units sold in 2010, the Middle East accounted for nearly two-thirds of sales. Africa took second place with almost 10 per cent of sales.
The main European markets are France (17 per cent), Italy (14 per cent), the Iberian Peninsula (18 per cent) and the UK (14 per cent), which together consumed most of the rooftop equipment sold in Europe.

In the Middle East, as in the other European countries, biggest sales are for rooftop units of capacities ranging from 29-72kW. However, the Middle East boasts a much more dynamic market in the smaller capacities up to 29kW where more than 10,000 units were sold as against barely 2,000 in Europe.

In 2011, the Middle East and Africa are expected to maintain their rankings with growth of around 25 per cent. In Europe, the strongest growth is anticipated in Eastern Europe, primarily in Germany with growth exceeding 50 per cent, even though the German market remains marginal in this product segment. The largest markets in Western Europe will remain Italy, France and the Iberian Peninsula, which can expect growth of about 20 per cent.
2011 will, on the whole, be a good year for the rooftop unit market, with double-digit growth, says the EMI report.

Cooling towers

Estimated at being worth Euro 231m in 2010, the cooling tower market is divided between two geographic areas: Germany and the Middle East which both command about 18 per cent of the EMEA market. The third and fourth places are held by France and Italy, with a market approaching Euro 40m.

The projections for 2011 suggest that Germany will maintain its position with a growth of 6.8 per cent, while the Middle East will hold its place with a growth of 4.1 per cent.

Only Portugal and the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) will see a drop of around 4 per cent.

In general, in the rest of Europe the trend will remain one of very modest growth, says the report.

For more information about the report visit the website at www.eurovent-marketintelligence.eu