ABB has doubled the sales of drives dedicated for HVAC applications during the first full year of operation. This compares to a target of a 25% increase in the first year.
The new organisation for the HVAC sector was launched last year, following the ending of an 18-year arrangement, under which ABB supplied badged drives to the UK’s HVAC market through a third party.
"We estimate that we already have in excess of 20% market share in the UK’s HVAC market, something that we had set ourselves two years to achieve," says Mike Carman, sales manger, HVAC, at ABB.
The business model is organised along the lines applied by ABB in the United States, where the company has a 30% market share of drives in the HVAC sector. This model is now being rolled out in markets worldwide by ABB, following the success in the UK.
"I believe the secret to our success has been a demand for a strong supplier with a wide range of dedicated HVAC drives, combined with unrivalled backup and a range of services and solutions tailored to the HVAC market," Carman continues.
ABB’s organisation for the building services industry is centred around a small team focused on the sector. These are backed by the technical services available to the whole of the drives organisation.
In line with its strategy, the company has, over the past twelve months, also appointed eight regionally based HVAC Partners, who provide a range of complementary products and services, such as energy audits, commissioning and supply-and-install, supplementing ABB’s own organisation.
"Our sales achievement is particularly impressive, as it has occurred against a background of a slowdown in new construction. The growth has come from supply-and-install packages to existing properties, as well as product sales to HVAC OEM’s, who for the first time can benefit from purchasing their AC drives directly from ABB," Carman adds.
"We have also found strong demand for solutions where we can add value with our engineering expertise, such as complete packages with motors and drives, energy surveys and advice on harmonics, particularly with the introduction last year of the new UK standard for harmonics in buildings, G5/4.
"The new organisation with national cover gives customers a choice of whether to buy drives direct from ABB or from one of our HVAC Partners. The distribution network is particularly valuable for customers who want local backup for critical applications," Carman says.