ANALYSIS: The automatic doors market decreased to 1,000 units/year

The decline registered in the last five years in the local construction activity affects all segments, including the sector of high technology products, such as, for example, the automated systems for doors and gates. Although, nowadays, the emphasis on accessibility and greater comfort in use is increasing and the European legislation on energy efficiency solutions requires the adoption of "high-tech" solutions, it seems that, during recession, these arguments are not sufficient to warrant the usage of automation solutions for access routes. However, there are signs that the market is likely to recover after the end of the economic crisis, but, until then, the local market reported a major decline in sales, to approximately 1.5 million EUR. In what concerns the garage door segment, the domestic market is dominated by the German supplier Hörmann Group and the local player MCA. In what regards the automation systems for doors, the main competitors active at national level are Assa Abloy (trademark holder of Besam) - Sweden; Boon Edam - Netherlands; Ditec - Italy; Dorma - Germany; Geze - Germany; GU - Germany; Kaba, Tormax and Record (AGTA Group), all of Switzerland. The available data indicate annual sales of less than 1,000 units, which represents a decline of over 70% compared to 2008, when the highest levels of deliveries were recorded. A major setback was registered in terms of technical features, the sliding products (the simplest, from the technical point of view) having a market share of over 90%. According to experts, the trend is justified due to the decreasing budgets on buildings of all categories, leading to the implementation of the compromise solutions at low prices. At international level, the situation is not as drastic, the global supplies reaching over 5 billion USD, with high chances of going over the level of 8 billion USD in 2017 (as a result of objective assessment, indicating an increase in the volume of work on commercial buildings). In an optimistic approach, it is possible that this trend will also influence the demand in Romania, after the actual problems caused by the recession will be removed.