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China's Konka to launch washing machines, telecom gadgets during Diwali season

Indivjal Dhasmana in New Delhi

Konka Electronics India Limited, the subsidiary of China's consumer durables major Konka, will introduce a range of telecom instruments during the Diwali season.

Konka would also launch different categories of automatic and semi-automatic washing machines.

According to KEIL's CEO Rajeev Puri, these will mark the company's forays beyond segment of colour televisions, video compact discs and digital video discs.

KEIL had launched a range of CTVs in August. VCDs and DVDs will be launched by this September-end.

''While launching these products, our main target would be different sections of customers. Hence the range of telephone instruments and washing machines will be made available at prices suiting the needs of different categories of customers.''

While telecom instruments would be introduced by middle of October, washing machines would be launched by first week of November, he said. However, the products would first be launched in the north, and then in the rest of India.

The company has set the target of selling 500,000 units of telecom instruments, 100,000 sets of semi-automatic washing machines and 20,000 units of automatic ones during the first year after the launch.

The range of telecom instruments would include five product varieties, whereas three categories each of automatic and semi-automatic washing machines would be made available, he added.

KEIL would come out with three kinds of liquid crystal display cordless phones, one variety of speaker hands, free phone and another of basic instrument with the prices ranging between Rs 600 and Rs 5,000.

Initially, the company would be importing semi-knocked down kits of corded phones from Konka plants in China and assemble them in India.

The company would start manufacturing printed circuit boards of corded phones by August next in its proposed plant in NOIDA near Delhi. Moulds, however, will still be imported.

The same pattern will be adopted in the case of speaker hands and free phone sets.

However, cordless variety will continue to be imported from China, Puri added.

Konka would launch semi-automatic and automatic washing machines of five kgs, 5.5 kgs and six kgs each with prices ranging between Rs 8,000 and Rs 9,000 for semi-automatic and Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 for automatic.

While the semi-automatic variety is targetted at middle class customers, automatic version would be aimed at upper-middle class segment onwards, he said.

The company would import all varieties of washing machines from China and there are no immediate plans to manufacture them in India, he said.

The $ 2 billion Konka Group of China is the largest stakeholder in Konka Electronics, owning 51 per cent of shares.

Wittis of Hong Kong has 24 per cent shares. The remaining, 25 per cent shares were earlier with Hotline but with the Indian company deciding to part company with KEIL, these shares will be bought by either Konka or Wittis.

UNI

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