Analyzing global competitiveness of Turkish air conditioning industry

Abstract

The global economy significantly relies on the air conditioning sector, which has been gaining increased importance worldwide and in Türkiye due to the impact of global warming, climate change, and the diminishing energy resources. As a multifaceted industry encompassing air conditioning, heating, installation, insulation, refrigeration and ventilation sector has been adapting to the growing demand for environmentally friendly and energy-efficient solutions. This study analyzes air conditioning industry of Türkiye and its sub-product groups in terms of its ability to compete internationally, spanning from 2001 to 2021. To assess competitiveness, we employed various analytical tools, including Balassa's Revealed Comparative Advantages Index (RCA), Vollrath Indices (RXA, RMP, RTA, RC), Revealed Symmetric Comparative Advantages Index (RSCA), Trade Balance Index (TBI), and Product Mapping method. Notably, there is no research that scrutinize the competitiveness of the Turkish air conditioning industry utilizing the Product Mapping. The study findings emphasize that air conditioning industry of Türkiye has competitiveness. Within the sub-product group, the analysis reveals that Türkiye has competitiveness for 11 products, a near-limit competitiveness for 3 products, and a lack of competitiveness for 10 products.