Jindal Lifestyle Ltd (JLL) plans to launch a new cookware range during the oncoming Diwali season, and the company is working on new technologies to expand its product lines, the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Executive Director (ED), Rajesh Mohata has said. 

“Our brand name and positioning is basically the premium luxury segment. So, we are bringing a very new and unique design of the cookware that will be launched in November,” he told businessline.

JLL, whose railway business was demerged from the lifestyle firm in March and made part of Jindal Stainless, plans to tap the demand for new utensils or cookware that people try to buy during the Diwali season. 

Focus on consumer products

“From March onwards, we have begun focusing on business-to-consumer products. We have started working towards the areas we need to focus on,” Mohata said. 

JLL has begun exploring partners for its increasing number of new product lines in the value engineering segment, where it has begun making mixture blades and wire products. 

Rajesh Mohata, CEO and MD, Jindal Lifestyle Ltd

Rajesh Mohata, CEO and MD, Jindal Lifestyle Ltd

“We have done these additions in the original equipment manufacturer segment. We are augmenting our capacity. We will be supplying these blades to all the appliance manufacturers who use them.  We already manufacture mixture jars and blenders,” the company’s CEO and ED said. 

JLL’s objective in looking at these is to provide a comprehensive solution to its customers. Also, JLL is helping customers set up their kitchens with stainless steel.

Railway business

“We have introduced four more types of kitchen finishes. One is ceramic finish, the second is mat and glazed glass finish, the third is antique and the four is a classical finish. These are finishes with different materials such as glass, ceramic and wood ,” he said.

JLL plans to revamp all its showrooms to exhibit its new kitchen finishes in a couple of months. It has already completed revamping one of its showrooms, Mohata said. 

On the railways business, he said Jindal Steel will partner with the winning bidders of stainless steel rakes for the Vande Bharat trains. To a question, the CEO and MD said stainless steel rakes are cheaper than aluminium.

The Centre plans to induct 100 rakes of aluminium for Vande Bharat trains, though. 

Rising use of stainless steel

JLL witnessed a record-high business in its home space segment last fiscal. This year, too, it expects the business to be good. “This year could be much better than last year and perhaps, a double digit growth is possible,” the JLL CEO and MD said. 

The company hopes to do ₹35-50 crore business in the home space segment against ₹20 crore last year. If the company achieves growth, it is expected to become one of the top five companies in India in the segment. 

Mohata said the use of stainless steel is increasing in the country, and consumers were looking at the commodity as it offers better hygiene and sustainability.   

“In our plumbing segment, we have started getting a lot of orders because of the hygiene issue.  People are looking for safe drinking water and they are switching over to stainless steel pipes and fittings.  It is where our business is growing,” he said.

For tunneling

JLL also takes these stainless steel pipes and sinks into various hospital projects. “People are spending and creating infrastructure towards better hospitals and medical facilities. Hence, there is a requirement which is again supporting our business,” the CEO and ED said.   

JLL is also pitching in with government authorities to use more stainless steel in infrastructure projects, mainly with respect to girders on bridges, due to its lifecycle advantage.

 “We started introducing stainless steel cable trays in tunnels in coastal areas due to salinity or tunnels that face issues due to excess water like the Himalayan region. In fact, the Jammu and Kashmir tunnel railway tunnel was one for which we supplied stainless steel cable trays,” Mohata said.

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