Abbar & Zainy Electric & Air Conditioning Company of Saudi Arabia follows Daikin's key corporate philosophy - to be a company that people can trust - as a recipe for success in the Saudi market.

The Kingdom-based trader, which is the sole agent for Daikin air-conditioners in the Kingdom, is also fostering closer links with local Daikin dealers in order to protect and enhance its market share within the Kingdom.

"Daikin's goal is to be a company that people trust, and we work night and day to achieve this goal," says Daikin general manager Toshiki Hayashi. "Abbar & Zainy follows this same philosophy, by bringing customers a quality product and service."

To further boost ties with its distributors, Abbar and Zainy recently held a dealers conference in Istanbul, Turkey, where it reviewed sales performances and strategies for the future.

Two dealers, Al Hassa Gate and Al Sheta and Saif Trading Establishment, were presented with Daikin's Platinum award for achieving outstanding sales of Daikin air-conditioners. "These two dealers have maintained close ties with Abbar and Zainy for a long time, and we hope they will continue to promote and support Daikin products," says Hayashi.

Awards of merit were also given to more than 25 dealers as a token of appreciation of their support for Daikin air-conditioners.

Hayashi and senior sales manager El Haj Adam jointly presented the Platinum awards, which were received by Hussein Al Jeri of Al Hassa Gate and Medhat Faried of Al Sheta and Saif Trading.

The purpose of the conference was to spell out Daikin's dealership policy, highlight the company's product range, and foster the concept of the 'Daikin family', while highlighting the benefits that go along with it.

Abbar & Zainy is looking at making the conference a regular event, according to Hayashi.

The Japan-based Daikin Industries is a leading manufacturer of commercial, residential and industrial air-conditioners and refrigeration equipment.

The manufacturer also produces chemicals, oil hydraulics, defence systems and electronic products such as computer graphic systems and semi-conductor manufacturing equipment. Group sales were worth over $5 billion last year.

"Daikin is Japan's top AC maker, commanding a 40 per cent share of the commercial market," says Hayashi. "Sales have been growing at a rate of six to seven per cent annually and our air-conditioning business is the third largest in the world. We dominate the market in Europe, commanding a 60 per cent market share for multi-split ACs (VRV series) and 16 per cent for commercial units (SkyAir)."

Daikin launched production of air-conditioners over 51 years ago and has over the years, led the industry with Japan's first multi-split type air-conditioners for residential use in 1969 and the VRV system in 1982.

Its ACs are among the most energy-efficient on the market with the SkyAir series said to offer up to 70 per cent savings on power consumption.

Innovation is a constant process at Daikin, with the company using leading-edge technology to develop products like the ice thermal storage system, automatic humidifiers, and hand-held touch-controllers, which can be used to manage Daikin's VRV units independent of a BMS (building management system).

"Through the mere touch of a pen on the LCD screen of 5.7 inches wide, the Intelligent Touch Controller manages the VRV system at the user's will," elaborates Hayashi.

Daikin also offers the Back Net Gateway system, which enables VRVs to be integrated into an existing BMS such as Jonsoncontrol or Honeywell, thus saving time and money.

In addition to its products, Daikin's other strength lies in its comprehensive support system, which according to Hayashi, can be offered only by an all-around AC manufacturer of its calibre.

"No matter how advanced Daikin products are, their long-term performance rests on the people who maintain," he says. "For this reason, Daikin puts a lot of effort into training field engineers around the world to enable us to offer dependable services."

A dedicated logistics division provides for smooth product flow and parts delivery around the world.

For Saudi Arabia, spare parts are provided from a logistics centre located in Singapore.

Commenting on business trends in Saudi Arabia, Hayashi says that there is intense competition with some manufacturers concerned more about sales than quality and service. "This is bad news for agents, dealers and also the end user, who will miss out on better service," he says. "This is a dangerous trend, and we need to establish a healthier business environment in which everyone can benefit."