Daikin Air Conditioning Italy President Hiroshi Yogo

With a sales turnover rising from over 150 million euros in 2002 to an astounding 408 million euros in 2007, Daikin has performed above expectations of many in Italy.

Daikin Air Conditioning Italy President Hiroshi Yogo, who has been at the helm since 2002, attributes the fast growth to the quality, innovation and increasingly environmentally friendly products the company is known for worldwide.

Daikin is pushing these ecofriendly products in the ever environmentally conscious Italian market. In fact, Daikin Italy recently won environmental awards for two of its residential flagship models: the UX series and Ururu Sarara.

With 70 percent of its sales in the residential sector, Yogo sees potential in growing the commercial side of the business. And if Yogo has his way, Daikin Italy will maintain its hold on the residential market while increasing commercial sales.

“Unfortunately, our business is heavily linked to hot and cold weather trends that are out of our control. If a summer is particularly hot, we generally have a good year in sales while if it is the opposite, our sales are not quite as strong,” Yogo says.

“While our residential sales are strong, we need to find ways to decrease volatility and shore up our business for stable long-term growth,” he adds.

Daikin Italy is doing just that with its launch last year into the heating market. Its new heating system called Altherma is booming in the European market and Yogo hopes it will have the same success in Italy.

Two-thirds of the heat generated by the Altherma system is from a renewable source, making it ideal to meet the increasingly strict environmental laws of the European Union.

By increasing sales in the commercial sector and developing new business areas in 2008, Daikin is slated to maintain its No. 1 position in the Italian market.

www.daikin.it