Concepcion-Carrier sees 15% growth in sales this year

Banking on the need of more buildings and homes for cooling solutions, air-conditioning firm Concepcion-Carrier is expecting its sales to grow double digit this year.

"We are very bullish and optimistic about the economy and business prospects as we see further opportunity for growth," Raul Joseph Concepcion, the firm's chief executive officer, told reporters at a briefing in Makati Tuesday.

Concepcion said they see their sales to increase 15 to 16 percent from their 2012 figures of P4.6 billion.

The expected double digit growth is slower than the firm's 22-percent increase last year, but Concepcion said 2012 "came from a low base."

Asked on what makes them optimistic for a double-digit growth, Concepcion said: "There are continued expansion of buildings that need cooling as well as an increased demand from households who now have increased spending who are more enticed to buy air conditioners they feel will be a long-term investment and are more energy efficient."

Harold Pernirkar, the firm's Consumer Solutions Group director, said they expect people who'll move into their own homes or condominium units to buy their first air-conditioning units.

Concepcion-Carrier provides air conditioning solutions to buildings including retrofitting and installment as well as consumer models. It also provides end-to-end services to buildings that run their air conditioning systems including repair and maintenance.

The company, a joint venture between Concepcion Industries, Inc. and Carrier Corp., firm was established in 1998 and claims to have a 35 percent market share in the country.

Pernirkar said their biggest seller is the window-type air conditioner “as this is normally the first type of air conditioner that people buy." — KBK, GMA News