ENGALURU : US-headquartered water heater and purifier manufacturer AO Smith is planning to expand its footprint in the water purifier market in India and the company aims to make its presence in more than 40 cities by the end of 2018. It has launched water purifier products in over 15 cities in the first half of this year.
Prior to this, AO Smith, which has a plant at Harohalli near Bengaluru, focused only on water heaters in the Indian market. “We are a strong water purifier market in certain global markets, China being one of them. It is more necessary in emerging markets where water contamination is a concern,” said Parag Kulkarni, MD, India, AO Smith Water Products.
AO Smith entered the water purifier market in India with a test project in Bengaluru and Delhi in 2015, only to expand it in a much bigger scale this year. At present, the company is looking at rolling out their products on a national scale. “Last year onwards we started rolling out more nationally and we are present in 21 cities in the country as of now,” Kulkarni added.
The company would also be launching a range of energy efficient products this year, apart from focusing on extending its reach in tier 2 cities. While the brand has been, until now, urban-centric, the company is focusing on reaching out to tier-2 cities, Kulkarni said.
AO Smith’s business grew
8 per cent globally last year while India revenues increased in double digits with a turnover of over `130 crore in 2016-17 in India. The water purifiers market in India is pegged at about `3,000 crore and it is growing at 25 percent every year. It has invested $75 million in India so far, the company stated.
A O Smith Corporation, which was the first water heater company from the US to enter India in 2008, has a patented Blue Diamond glass lining, which offers superior corrosion resistance compared with conventional glass-lined products.