Orders Surge! Chinese Heaters Are “Heating Up” Europe—A Market to Watch for Exporters
Cixi, Ningbo, Zhejiang, is one of China’s major heater manufacturing bases, accounting for 30% of the country’s heater exports. In previous years, the peak production season for heaters destined for export ended around mid-September. This year, factors such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the energy crisis have limited natural gas use in many European countries, driving sustained demand for various types of heaters. Many importers have placed additional orders at short notice, creating a new wave of “replenishment orders.”
In Guanhaiwei Town, Cixi, Ningbo, Zhejiang, a company is working overtime to produce a batch of portable household heaters. The company’s head said the customer for this batch is in Germany. The original order, worth US$1 million and signed at the beginning of the year, had already been shipped in full. But in August this year, the customer requested an additional order worth US$330,000. The company exported 1.5 million heaters last year, worth about US$17.8 million. In the first eight months of this year, it had exported 2 million heaters, worth about US$22.8 million, an increase of nearly 30%.
Similar trends are emerging at other heater exporters. One company in Xinpu Town, Cixi, exported heaters worth about RMB 160 million last year and expects to exceed RMB 200 million this year. Additional orders from customers account for more than RMB 20 million.
Xu Songlie, general manager of an electrical appliance company in Cixi, Zhejiang: “Europe and the United States are our main markets, with Europe accounting for a relatively large share—about 70%–80%. Heaters of this type currently rank first among our exports in terms of market share.”
Cixi currently has more than 100 heater manufacturers, accounting for 30% of China’s heater exports. According to customs statistics, heater exports rose sharply in the first eight months of this year, with exports to the European Union up by more than 50%.
Cen Na, head of Inspection Section One at Cixi Customs, under Ningbo Customs: “From January to August, Cixi exported heaters worth RMB 3.35 billion, up 26.3% year on year. Exports to the European Union totaled RMB 1.53 billion, up 55.2%. Compared with the same period in previous years, the sales season for heaters exported to the EU is expected to extend by about one month.”
