Increased oligopolistic competition in the expansion of inverter air conditioner manufacturers

On July 27th, Qingdao Haier Air Conditioner Co., Ltd. announced that it will invest 3 million sets of non-fluorinated inverter energy-efficient air-conditioning plant projects in the Haier Industrial Park in Jiaozhou City. It is estimated that the total investment will be 306 million yuan and the dynamic investment recovery period will be 2.7 years.

Haier's expansion has intensified the already fierce competition in the inverter air conditioner market. Major enterprises in Gree, Midea, Haier, and Hisense Kelon have left other brands far behind, and the fight between the four giants is even fiercer. According to statistics, four companies have occupied more than 80% of the national market share, which indicates that the inverter air conditioner industry has entered the era of oligopolistic competition.

Haier accelerates capacity expansion

In January of this year, Haier took over the top eight international top suppliers and set up the first fluorine-free inverter low-carbon industrial chain to introduce upstream suppliers into a modular supply model. This time, Haier has invested in the construction of a professional and innovative base for non-fluorinated inverter air conditioners, and will inevitably expand the production capacity of inverter air conditioners, indicating that Haier will continue to make efforts in inverter air conditioners.
With the expansion of the entire market capacity and the country’s advocacy on the technical upgrading of air-conditioning products, “V-free frequency conversion, high-efficiency air conditioning” has gradually become the mainstream of the market, and Haier also enhances product competitiveness through product upgrades.
Haier Air Conditioning Marketing Minister Su Ming said in an interview with a reporter from China Electronics News: “The establishment of Haier's non-fluorinated inverter air conditioner specialization innovation base is driven by the needs of users, and Haier will create more use of fluorine-free inverters. , Internet of Things, recycling energy and other international advanced technology products, to provide users with more comfortable air energy solutions."
Su Ming said that the beginning of the cold year in 2010 started with the rapid promotion of non-fluorinated frequency conversion products. The market share of variable frequency air conditioners has rapidly increased from less than 10% to nearly 30%. Since the beginning of this year, the non-fluorinated inverter air conditioner has rapidly become the fastest growing product in the industry and has the largest consumer demand. At present, it has accounted for 70% of the inverter air conditioner sales.
In fact, Haier has gained a great deal of initiative in energy-saving products that benefit the people. Haier's sales of air conditioners have achieved more than 30% growth compared with the same period of last year. Haier's non-fluorinated inverter air conditioners accounted for 27.4% of the market share, not only in the top-selling models but also occupy half of the seats. The establishment of Haier's non-fluorinated inverter air conditioner specialization innovation base indicates that Haier has increased research and development efforts in the field of frequency conversion.

Major manufacturers actively layout

The fierce competition in the air-conditioning industry has increased brand concentration. Prior to the United States, Gree in the upper reaches of the industrial chain layout has taken action, Gree air conditioning in order to control more of the upper right to speak, last year entered the inverter air conditioner market at full speed.
This reporter learned that Gree and Daikin's cooperation in variable frequency air conditioners continues to advance. In the future, Gree can achieve self-supply through Lingda and Daikin's factories in inverter compressors.
Midea is also fully advancing the strategy of inverter air conditioners. Meizhi Compressor Works, a joint venture between Midea and Toshiba, is in the process of transforming and expanding compressors for inverter compressors. It plans to fully build and reach capacity in March 2011, and will add 6 million new air conditioners. Compressor capacity, in which the frequency conversion production line is further expanded by 3, the production capacity is expected to double.
The successful industrialization of Meizhi Company's dual-rotor DC-inverter compressor project broke the foreign monopoly of DC-inverter compressors and achieved the goal of independent design and manufacture of dual-rotor DC-inverter compressors. In order to create conditions for air-conditioning manufacturers to promote DC inverter air conditioner.
Midea’s advancement in the frequency-changing market ahead of schedule has benefited from the control of inverter air conditioners on the entire industrial chain. As of July 13 this year, US air-conditioner sales exceeded 1 million units in a single month, an increase of more than 200% year-on-year, including inverter air conditioner sales. 40%. Gree also began to make efforts in frequency conversion last year, and launched new inverter air conditioners one after another.
The dual-mode air-conditioner products launched by Hisense Kelon, which has been invoking the inverter technology for many years, are all energy-saving products. In the cold year of 2010, Hisense Air-conditioner took the new model of dual-mode inverter air-conditioner as the main sales model. On the level of energy efficiency, air-conditioning products, in addition to individual home appliances to rural areas, achieved 100% energy efficiency above the new national standard.
In the camp of fixed-speed camping companies, Galanz has the most resolute attitude. Galanz has not been optimistic about the frequency conversion market and has declared that it will only do constant speed and not to use frequency conversion.
Recently, Galanz developed a non-fluorinated, high-efficiency fixed-speed air conditioner with an energy efficiency ratio of at least 3.75. Galanz Group spokesman Lu Lanlie said in an interview with a reporter from China Electronics News that at least 70% of consumers in China still choose constant-speed air-conditioning. Galanz will increase the promotion of non-fluorinated, high-efficiency, fixed-speed air conditioners based on the characteristics of the Chinese market. At present, Galanz is also researching and developing energy-efficient frequency conversion technology. Inverter air-conditioning will become a trend in the future.

Loss of foreign brand advantage

In the past two years, due to the habit of Chinese consumers using air conditioners, fixed-speed air conditioners have steadily occupied half of China's air-conditioning market. However, in the national energy-saving products Huimin projects, home appliances to the countryside, the promotion of home appliance trade-in policy, the entire inverter air conditioner market has grown rapidly.
According to the latest data from Zhongyi Kang, as of July 25 this year, inverter air conditioner sales increased by 117.1% year-on-year, and inverter air conditioners accounted for 27% of air conditioner sales. In the week from July 19 to July 25 this year, inverter air conditioner sales increased 64.8% year-on-year, and inverter air conditioners accounted for 27.4% of air conditioner sales.
Cai Ying, Director of the Market Information Department of the National Information Center, stated that in 2010, one of the most prominent features of the inverter air conditioner market was rapid growth, and the growth of the market size was beyond imagination. The characteristics of energy saving and energy saving of inverter air conditioners have been recognized by more consumers.
However, before 2005, regardless of air conditioners or compressors, Japan had mastered a large number of core technologies, and foreign brands had a large market share in the domestic market. The domestic air-conditioning companies and the upstream manufacturers to develop technology alliances, break the monopoly of the foreign-funded enterprises formed in the compressor industry, the original situation of foreign brands to snatch the market with technological advantages will gradually change.
Fierce competition will help the industry mature and benign development. Competition will bring challenges to air-conditioning companies as well as opportunities.