Susana Rodríguez (AEFYT): “We are in an environment of rapid regulatory changes”

How has the Spanish refrigeration sector evolved in 2022 so far?

In the first three months of the year, the sector grew from the point of view of both the installation companies and manufacturers and distributors. But, over the next three months, we saw stagnation, either because the high rates of inflation stalled the envisaged investments, or because of the excessive delivery times for materials, or simply because the post-Covid inertia has now stabilised.

We are immersed in an environment of rapid regulatory changes at both the national and European level, with the modification of the tax on fluorinated gases and the future modifications of FGas. All of that is forcing us to rapidly change the administrative management procedures with our clients and suppliers, as well as the strategies of the technical and commercial departments in terms of the future of current and new installations.

What does that mean?

It requires a commitment to the training of our teams in more advanced technologies which are more sustainable both environmentally and over time, which means an investment in both internal and external training.

We must not forget the acceleration which the sector is experiencing with regard to digitalisation. Many of the companies in the sector have embarked on a race against time in order to be able to digitalise their daily procedures, adopting more tools in order to increase efficiency and competitiveness.

How has the sector been affected by the rise in energy prices, made worse by the Ukraine conflict?

The escalation in energy prices has affected the sector in two ways. In general terms, like all companies, the increase in energy costs has wreaked havoc on their operating accounts. That item on the balance sheet has risen by over 20%, and it is very difficult to pass that on, which has forced companies to take both corrective and preventive measures. Inevitably, the margins will suffer, and sometimes it is impossible to pass that on through the value chain.

In more sector-specific terms, we must take into account the fact that refrigeration, unlike climate-control, operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. As energy costs have risen by over 20%, our clients are demanding rapid, effective solutions to be able to combat that consumption.

Increasing energy efficiency solutions, automated systems, technical solutions with implicit savings in the production of refrigeration, and preventive actions such as quicker installations - those are just some of the solutions which have been adopted in order to  alleviate that situation.

How will the industry 4.0 impact the refrigeration sector, and how effective will it be in operational terms and savings?

The impact of the industry 4.0 on the sector will be a revolution at all levels, because it means that all the documental operations are simplified, making it possible to transform them into data and so be able to undertake more predictive rather than corrective actions. With the digitalisation of the procedures, we will gain time to measure, interpret, validate and act based on active listening to our clients and thereby respond to their needs.

The implementation of digitalisation systems will provide us with evidence, in the form of data, of the deficiencies we have in all the departments, especially training. That will pave the way to ongoing training as an essential part of the growth of the business.

In the refrigeration sector, experience plays a major role. 4.0 will help us to acquire that knowledge and transform it so that it can be transmitted to our staff. It will serve to share it among all the agents, to be able to create a framework of increasingly reliable solutions for our stakeholders. The greatest impact will be achieved if we are able to implement this new way of doing things without losing our essence, which is one of service.