작성일자: 2013.6.3

작성자: 암스테르담 무역관 임성아 (salim@kotra.or.kr)

 

 

1. Market demand trend

 

 ○ Air towel are being commercialized in different shapes and sizes with a price range varying from approximately € 69 euro up to € 1,200. The product is being particularly used in public toilet such as restaurants, event and leisure places.

 

 ○ Mostly, the product is being commercialized through official distributors and whosalers focused on B2B segments. In addition to B2B the product is also being commercialized through online webshop.

 

 

2. Import trend

 

 ○ The total amount of hand dryers being imported to the Netherlands has significantly decreased from 2010 to 2012. In 2012 the total value of hand dryers imported to the Netherlands was estimated at 0, 589205 dollars, but in 2011 the number has significantly decreased to 0, 20876 dollars. In 2012 however, there has slightly increase, reflecting an improvement of 1.43%.

 

Import Electric Hand Dryers to the Netherlands

HS Code 85163300

                                                                                                (Unit: USD million, %)

	Imports Value			Share			Change
	2010	2011	2012	2010	2011	2012	12/11
Total	0.589205	0.20876	0.298527	100	100	100	43
China	0.287574	0.099527	0.172774	48.81	47.68	57.88	73.6
Korea, South	0.005626	0	0.057186	0.96	0	19.16	0
Italy	0.024356	0.023283	0.023632	4.13	11.15	7.92	1.5
Germany	0.0104	0.007347	0.014305	1.77	3.52	4.79	94.71
Austria	0	0.001936	0.009316	0	0.93	3.12	381.2
Spain	0.009214	0.004339	0.00914	1.56	2.08	3.06	110.65
Taiwan	0.142289	0.069444	0.007915	24.15	33.27	2.65	-88.6
United States	0.038803	0.002786	0.002072	6.59	1.34	0.69	-25.63
United Kingdom	0	0	0.001459	0	0	0.49	0
Ireland	0	0	0.000545	0	0	0.18	0
France	0	0.0001	0.000118	0	0.05	0.04	18

Source: World Trade Atlas

 

 ○ Korea has a very limited amount of exports when comparing with China, but represents the second major import country of hand dryers to the Netherlands.

 

 

3. Competitors

 

□ Company 1: Dyson

 

  

 

 ○ Website: www.dyson.nl

 

 ○ Headquarter: UK

 

 ○ Revenue: €1.2 billion (2011)

 

 ○ Reference: Dyson is a British technology company which designs and manufactures vacuum cleaners, hand dryers, bladeless fans and heaters. Dyson’s headquarters for the Netherlands is located in Amsterdam and don’t produce locally.

 

 ○ Channels used: Dyson’s hand dryers are available through B2B retailers such as Voreca, Cleanfresh, and Emtra.

 

□ Company 2: Mediclinics, S.A

 

  

 

 ○ Website: www.mediclinics.com

 

 ○ Headquarter: Spain

 

 ○ Reference: Mediclinics is a Spanish company specialized in designs, development, and manufacturer of products for public washroom including hand dryers (Saniflow).

 

 ○ Channels used: Its products are being commercialized in the Netherlands through major wholesales such as Groveko B.V and Interioo.

 

□ Company 3: Mitsubishi Jet Towel

 

  

 

 ○ Website: www. mitsubishielectric.com

 

 ○ Headquarter: Japan

  

 ○ Revenues: ¥ 3.639 trillion (2012)

 

 ○ Reference: Mitsubishi Electric, is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic equipment including the hand dryer Mitsubishi Jet Towel.

 

 ○ Channels used: Hygreen is the official partner of Mitsubishi Electric and distributor of Mitsubishi Jet Towel ‘Hand Dryers’ for the Benelux region.

 

□ Company 4: Airstar/Starmix

 

  

 

 ○ Website: www.equibv.nl

 

 ○ Headquarter: Germany

 

 ○ Reference: Starmix is the official manufacturer of brands Starmix and AirStar product range and provides a widest range of product such as hot-air hand dryers, hair-dryers and sanitary accessories for hotels, industrial companies, and sport facilities.

 

 ○ Channels used: EQUI Netherland B.V is the official partner and distributor of the brand Starmix in Netherlands.

 

□ Company 5: Casselin

 

  

 

 ○ Website: www.casselin.com

 

 ○ Headquarter: France

 

 ○ Reference: Casselin is manufacturer headquartered in France. The company produces a wide range of products such as hand dryers, washbasin, hair dryers and industrial coffee boilers.

 

 ○ Channels used: The Company distributes its products in the Netherlands through Voreca(wholesaler).

 

□ Company 6: Manrose

 

  

 

 ○ Website: http://manrose.com

 

 ○ Headquarter: UK

 

 ○ Reference: Manrose Ventilation is a British manufacturer of ventilation products including hand dryers. The company produces a wide range of product for commercial and domestic use.

 

 ○ Channels used: Currently its products are being sold through a webshop onlinebouw.nl

 

 

4. Conclusion

 

 ○ The purpose of this report was to evaluate current competitors, their distribution channels used and the prices being applied for their products(Hand dryers).The average sales prices varies from € 69 to approximately € 1,200 depending of the features attributed in the product.

 

 ○ Most distributors and wholesalers tend to target B2B and B2G market as they reflect greater part of their revenues. Another remarkable finding is that the products are current also being sold through different online retailer which may give customers access to compare the prices charged by the competitors and choose the product that may suit their needs.

 

 ○ Evidences indicate that Dyson remains one of the main competitors dominating the market for hand dryers. Although the market for hand dryers is described as highly competitive it is still a room for new players when using a wholesaler and retailers that are relatively smaller in size. This can be explained by their motivation in continuously looking for potential supplier to achieve competitive advantage.

 

 ○ Looking at the import trend, findings indicate that Korea is ranked as the second biggest country exporting hand dryers to the Netherlands. However, when looking at the top 10 of the most hand dryers sold in the Netherlands we can hardly find a Korean brand being commercialized. This finding may lead us to assume that most of the European Brand being sold in the Netherlands might be largely produced by either Korean or Chinese manufactures. Nevertheless, it is an assumption that still has to be supported with facts, therefore, more research in that particular area would be required to help us explain the reason why there is not much Korean brans being sold.   

 

 ○ Based on this finding we may conclude that the Dutch market for hand dryers is highly competitive but still offer some opportunities. Companies interested to enter this particular should possess distinctive capabilities to succeed in this market. This entails market knowledge, customers buying behavior, and the ability to produce products that fits the current trend in the market (e.g. electricity efficient devices).