Refrigeration and Climate Equipmen

As of the end of 2024, around 670 refrigeration and climate equipment operators were officially registered in Ukraine. Despite the challenges of wartime conditions, industry revenues and tax contributions continued to grow until 2023. The leading regions by revenue remain Poltava, Kharkiv, and Lviv region, while Kharkiv region and Kyiv have the highest concentration of key manufacturers.

The Ukrainian refrigeration and climate technology industry includes the production of commercial refrigeration equipment (display cases, shelving units, cabinets, chest freezers), industrial refrigeration systems, heat exchange equipment (condensers, air coolers), ventilation equipment (residential and industrial fans, air recuperators), climate control systems (residential and semi-industrial air conditioners, fan heaters, heat pumps), as well as automation and control systems.

A significant portion of production across various segments focuses on energy-efficient and environmentally safe solutions. One of the key trends is the increasing automation of processes: Ukrainian companies are beginning to develop their own monitoring and remote control systems, providing a cost-effective alternative to imported counterparts.

The research revealed that the primary challenge in refrigeration equipment manufacturing is manufacturers' dependence on imports. The use of imported components is one of the obstacles to optimizing production costs. However, manufacturers enhance their competitiveness by implementing lean production approaches.

As of the end of 2024, imports of refrigeration and climate equipment in Ukraine exceed exports. Household refrigerators and air conditioners are the most frequently imported items, as they are not produced domestically. At the same time, export values surpass import values in the categories of commercial refrigeration and ventilation equipment.

In 2024, Ukraine exported industry products worth $135,52 million, which is 46% more than the export volume of the previous year.

Research experts see export potential in Ukrainian high-tech products, such as refrigeration equipment with an energy efficiency rating of A or higher.

According to them, Ukraine has favourable conditions for high-tech production, particularly due to the large number of technical universities and highly skilled engineers. These specialists currently provide Ukrainian manufacturers with key competitive advantages — the ability to fulfill custom orders of varying complexity.

On the other hand, experts see opportunities to increase industry revenues through the export of low-value-added products, such as heat exchange equipment.

For Ukrainian manufacturers and exporters, the most promising markets are neighboring countries such as Moldova, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania. This proximity provides significant logistical advantages.

The research was conducted by the Fama Research Agency in cooperation with the Refrigeration Association of Ukraine, at the request of the Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office, the national project Diia.Business. And with the support of the international cooperation program EU4Business: Recovery, Competitiveness, and Internationalization of SMEs, co-financed by the EU and the German government and implemented by the German federal company Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

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