Whirlpool aims at 25% of water purifier market

Confident of consolidating on the water purifier market in reverse osmosis (RO) segment with the help of its brand equity, Whirlpool Corporation has set itself a target of achieving a 25 per cent marketshare in the segment.

The home appliances company recently ventured into the water purifiers category with the launch of its range of 'Purafresh' RO water purifiers in the Indian market.

Speaking on the water-purifier market, Shantanu Das Gupta, vice president "" marketing, Whirlpool of India said, "Purafresh is the country's first direct flow RO with no storage tank enabling immediate consumption of freshly purified water. With the technology, backed by an established brand of Whirlpool in home appliances, we intend to capture 25 per cent of the RO water purifiers market by the end of the financial year 2007-08. The target is achievable given the high growth rate of 45 per cent for RO water purifiers compared to UV water purifiers which are growing at just 12 per cent."

The product will be available in three SKUs "" Purafresh Deluxe, Purafresh Elite and Purafresh Platinum, of which Platinum has an advanced 5-stage purification process and also boasts of an electronic interface with a 'Filter change indicator', which alerts the consumer on the need to change the filter and thus ensure continual purity and protection of water.

Priced between Rs 13,500 to Rs 21,500, the products were launched in Ahmedabad and will be available in Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot as well. Among its competitors in water purifiers are Eureka, Kent and Ion Exchange, said Das.

Das added that the company hopes to achieve the target soon, given a huge network of around 10,000 retail outlets across the country.

However, he denied any plans for setting up a chain of exclusive branded outlets by Whirlpool. In its topline, Whirlpool of India expects to grow by 25 per cent by the end of the current fiscal. The company made an overall turnover of Rs 1,500 crore in the last financial year 2006-07.

In an attempt to increase its range of product line, the company will also launch dishwashers in the near future.

Presently, Whirlpool of India, which entered into a joint venture agreement with TVS group in late '80's, runs a manufacturing plant for washing machines at Pondicherry, apart from a refrigerator facility in Faridabad and a no frost refrigerator facility at Ranjangaon near Pune.

Among home appliances, Whirlpool also manufactures air-conditions and cooking products like microwave ovens.