Panasonic India is looking at 2012 as the year of consolidation for manufacturing and expansion of its retail footprint.
“At present we are dependent on our overseas facility to import components. Now we are looking to manufacture more in India. By December, our facility in Jhajjhar will be operational,” said Mr Manish Sharma, MD, Consumer Product Division, Panasonic India.
The company plans to increase its retail footprint from 161 outlets to 300 by the end of this fiscal.
It also has around 1,184 service centres.
“Next fiscal we will be looking to add more categories such as energy management solutions for B2B and B2G segments. B2B segment can well be the growth driver for Panasonic in India,” added Mr Sharma.
turnover
The consumer division is hoping to close the first quarter of current fiscal with a turnover of Rs 1,300 crore. Panasonic India as a whole is targeting Rs 10,000 crore turnover in the current fiscal, 50 per cent of which is expected to come from the consumer division.
The company is moving its research and development centre from Gurgaon to Jhajjar.
Jhajjar Technopark
The Jhajjar Technopark would entail an estimated investment of $200 million over a period of five years.
The park has an annual capacity of 1,000,000 sets of air conditioners, 400,000 sets of washing machines and 25,000 sets of welding and cutting machines per annum.