Japanese air conditioners are withdrawn, and domestic air conditioners are facing technical challenges
Japanese air-conditioning companies, which once dominated the Chinese market, have withdrawn from the mainland in recent years, which has hit the domestic air-conditioning industry hard. As an important component of the home appliance industry, air conditioning products are related to the quality of life of hundreds of millions of families.
Japanese air-conditioning companies have occupied a leading position in the Chinese market for a long time, and have won the favor of consumers by virtue of advanced refrigeration technology and good product quality. In the past decade, with the rise of domestic air-conditioning companies such as Gree and Midea, the share of Japanese air-conditioning in the Chinese market has been continuously eroded. Coupled with the rising labor costs, Japanese air-conditioning companies began to accelerate their withdrawal from the Chinese market and move their production bases to Southeast Asia and other regions.
In the face of the withdrawal of Japanese air conditioners, although domestic air conditioning companies occupy advantages in marketing channels and market share, there are still many shortcomings in core technology. For a long time, domestic air-conditioning enterprises have been highly dependent on imports in key components and core technologies such as compressors and inverter technology, and their independent innovation capabilities are insufficient. Especially in the field of high-end high-power air conditioners, there is a certain gap between domestic brands and Japanese products in terms of heating effect and energy efficiency ratio.
The shortcomings of core technology restrict the development of domestic air conditioners
Although domestic air-conditioning companies have made great progress in marketing and channel construction, there is still a big gap between domestic air-conditioning and the international advanced level at the core technology level, which will undoubtedly become the biggest constraint on its development.
First of all, the self-sufficiency rate of key components such as compressors is insufficient. The compressor is known as the "heart" of the air conditioner, and its performance directly determines the cooling and heating effect of the air conditioner. According to industry insiders, at present, more than 80% of the compressors of domestic air-conditioning companies rely on imports, mainly from Japan's Panasonic, Toshiba, Mitsubishi and other brands. There is a certain gap between domestic compressors and Japanese products in terms of work efficiency and noise control, so they are mostly used in low-end air conditioning models.
In addition to compressors, inverter technology is also another major shortcoming of domestic air conditioners. Inverter technology can intelligently adjust the compressor speed according to the room temperature, so as to achieve more accurate cooling and heating, and improve the energy efficiency ratio. At present, most of the inverter technology mastered by domestic air-conditioning manufacturers comes from outsourcing or joint venture projects, and there is a lack of completely independent intellectual property rights.
In the field of high-end high-power air conditioners, there is also a certain gap between domestic brands and Japanese products. High-power air conditioners are mainly used in commercial office spaces, which have higher requirements for heating efficiency and energy efficiency ratio. According to the test, under the same conditions, the heating effect of Japanese high-power air conditioners can be more than 20% higher than that of domestic brands.
In the face of the above-mentioned technical shortcomings, domestic air-conditioning companies are increasing their independent innovation efforts and striving to enhance their core competitiveness. Taking Gree Electric as an example, its R&D investment has increased year by year in recent years, and it has established a technology R&D system covering compressors, electronic control and other fields. Other air-conditioning companies such as Midea are also increasing R&D investment, attracting outstanding talents at home and abroad, and striving to achieve independent and controllable core technologies.
Policy support and independent innovation Domestic air conditioners meet new opportunities
In the face of the challenges brought about by the withdrawal of Japanese air conditioners, the key to whether the mainland can give strong industrial policy support and whether the air conditioning companies themselves can accelerate the pace of independent innovation.
From the policy level, the mainland has introduced a series of support measures to create a good environment for the development of domestic air conditioning. In 2019, the National Development and Reform Commission and other eight departments jointly issued the "Action Plan for Improving Product Quality in the Household Appliance Industry", proposing that by 2025, the quality level of household appliances should enter the international advanced ranks. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will also list air-conditioning products as key energy-saving and environmental protection products, and give policy support such as tax incentives.
At the local level, many air-conditioning companies have also issued support policies in their registered places. Taking Zhuhai Gree as an example, the local government has provided it with land, tax and other preferential treatments to help the company develop and grow. Some localities have also set up special funds to support air conditioners and other household appliance enterprises to carry out technological innovation.
In the face of a favorable policy environment, domestic air-conditioning companies are also accelerating the pace of independent innovation. Midea Group plans to invest in R&D to account for more than 5% of revenue by 2025. In addition to increasing capital investment, air-conditioning companies are also strengthening the construction of talent teams, and absorbing more high-end technical talents through internal training and external introduction.
Some air-conditioning companies are still actively exploring overseas markets and competing with foreign brands on the international stage. It is understood that domestic air conditioning brands such as Gree and Midea have begun to expand their business in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and the Middle East, and their brand influence has been continuously improved.