Havells India plans to set up an air-conditioner manufacturing facility at Sri City – bordering Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh -- at an investment of close to Rs 400 crore.
The facility, which will be operational by next year, will have an annual production capacity of five lakh units. This will take the company’s total manufacturing capacity to 15 lakh units per annum, along with the 10 lakh units produced from the Ghelot facility in Rajasthan, said Vivek Yadav, Executive Vice President, Havells India.
Besides, the company also plans to set up a wiring and cable production unit in Tumkur, land for which has been acquired, he told BusinessLine on the sidelines of the launch of Crabtree Signia switches in Kochi on Friday.
“The southern region is a strategically important market with development happening in every sector. We will be investing in our channel network and brand visibility to build demand,” he said.
With a 15 per cent market share in the Rs 4,500-crore modular switches segment, he said the company aims to be among the top two players in the category across the southern region. The first quarter results were good, with growth more visible in the market, after being hit in the pandemic times.
The anti-viral switches introduced for the Covid times has received an encouraging customer response, especially from hospitals and hotels. The Viruzsafe feature in the switch plates has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties that can neutralise any virus or bacteriat. The product has been certified by independent third-party labs, with a proven efficacy of over 92 per cent, he added.
MP Manoj, Senior Vice-President, said Kerala is an important market for Havells, with a 10 per cent share of the Rs 5,000-crore electrical industry market.