Esther Estévez_AMASCAL: Distributor advice is now more important than ever
In the current process of decarbonisation, the advice and recommendations provided by distributors are more important than ever, according to the General Secretary of the Association of Sanitation, Heating, Plumbing, and Gas Wholesalers (AMASCAL). She reminds us that this is a sector with a total turnover of more than 6 billion euros, with hundreds of points of sale throughout the country.
How important are plumbing, heating, gas and air conditioning distributors in Spain? Can you give us some key figures to get an idea of the sector?
We are in a process of decarbonisation that puts the focus on cooling, heating and domestic hot water installations, which is why distributors who carry out the huge undertaking of advising and providing recommendations to the installer are now more important than ever. If, on top of that, we add the growing interest in better indoor air quality and recycling and use of water, the role of the distributor becomes even more important. This sector has a turnover of over 6 billion euros, with hundreds of points of sale throughout the country.
What are the main challenges for these distributors?
The challenge, undoubtedly, is to improve service and to pay more attention to both the purchase of the product and the sale to the installer. There is more and more information and more specific regulation. We are in the midst of a revolution and it is necessary to adapt and improve digitalisation and, of course, to increase knowledge about the products being marketed.
What regulatory changes will the sector have to adapt to in the coming years?
Coupled with decarbonisation and energy efficiency, the number of standards is increasing rapidly. Changes in the use of more environmentally friendly fluorinated gases, new methods for building or renovating buildings and homes, air quality requirements not only in homes but in all kinds of public spaces, are forcing us to closely monitor what we have in our inventories and adapt them to regulatory requirements.
On the business side, there are also new regulations, electronic invoicing, transparency before public finance operations, sustainability reports, application of disconnection laws, equality, complaint channels, time control and a long catalogue of issues that force companies to modernise and align themselves with the new times.
How is the industry advancing in terms of professionalisation?
The sector is becoming increasingly professionalised, with entrepreneurs businesses better prepared to deal with the rapid changes in a market where there are major business movements. The great challenge is the lack of other installation professionals who are our customers, so at AMASCAL we always support the initiatives that exist to promote the installers, so essential for the distribution.