Johnson Controls-Hitachi eyes top slot in air-con biz

: Johnson Controls and Hitachi Air-Conditioning Solutions eyes to garner the top spot over the next two-three years and has taken up a series of initiatives in this regard including setting up of skill development centres, a top official said here today.
"This is only a small step. By 2020-'21, we should be looking at No 1 position. To achieve that, we are making these investments," Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India managing director Gurmeet Singh said here.
He was talking to reporters after launching Engineering Excellence Centres, one each in New Delhi and Chennai.
"These centres are skilling centres for people who work for us. We have put up seven labs (170 persons can be trained in each of them). We are looking to train about 3,000 people a year", he said.

The company had invested around Rs 3.50 crore in each of the centres and has plans to open two more in Mumbai and Kolkata during the year.
"We have invested around Rs.3-Rs 3.50 crore. For four centres, investments will be around Rs.12 crore," he said.

Declining to share financial figures, Singh said the company grew by 20-22 per cent over the last year and hoped to maintain the same growth this year. "We have grown by 22 per cent year-on-year. We want to retain the same (growth)".
Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air-Conditioning chief executive officer Franz Cerwinka said India was the fourth largest market globally after China, Japan and Taiwan.

"India represents 12 per cent of our revenue. We grew 20 per cent in terms of revenue last year," he said.
The company has a 12 per cent market share and witnessed 22 per cent growth in room air-conditioning segment in 2016-17.
VRF and chiller segments registered highest growth for the company by 73 per cent and 58 per cent respectively.
Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air-Conditioning India has a manufacturing plant in Kadi, Gujarat, with investments of Rs 70 crore.
The facility has an installed capacity to produce six lakh room air-conditioners per annum in a single shift. The company also has the capacity to make 1.20 lakh tonnes of ductable units, 9,000 VRFs (variable refrigerant flow) and 300 chillers.