The Hindu Business Line : Hitachi mulls launching refrigerator range

HITACHI Home & Life Solutions (India) Ltd (HHLI), a subsidiary of HHL Inc of Japan, is considering launching refrigerators in the country. Initially, HHLI plans to import the refrigerators made by the parent company.

"The company is seriously discussing alaunch of refrigerators as Hitachi is very strong in the international refrigeration market. However, it is yet to be decided when to enter the refrigeration market in India," HHLI Senior Vice-President, Mr Rakesh Khanna, told Business Line.

Mr Khanna said that HHLI, which launched the `quadricool' range of window air-conditioners here on Friday, targets sales ofone lakh units in India and export 30,000 units during the current fiscal. It is expected to achieve a turnover of Rs 280 crore this year against Rs 240 crore last year.

Mr Khanna said HHLI, which has manufacturing units in Ahmedabad, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu, started making profits in the last six months. The company has a 12 per cent share of the air-conditioners market and targets a 20 per cent market share in ductable air-conditioners. Regarding window and split air-conditioners, the company wants to establish itself as a top-end player.

Mr Khanna said the number of users of air-conditioners in the country was increasing. Air-conditioners are now being purchased throughout the year and not just in the summer season, he said. Hence, HHLI has launched the new range of air conditioners in the middle of the year.

Mr Khanna said that the quadricool range of window air-conditioners was suitable for places such as Delhi which experience extreme climatic conditions. These are designed to perform even when the temperature touches 52 degrees centigrade. They have the advantage of a lower pull down time, highly reduced noise, uniform air distribution and highest energy efficiency ratio compared to other window air-conditioners in the market.

Mr Khanna said the new range came with a patented auto climate technology for intelligent environment control based on the geographical location, weather conditions and the time of the day.

They can be programmed for over 125 cities across India and 16 other countries. The user can programme the air-conditioner so that it automatically adjusts the temperature through the night.

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