OGeneral ACs to march ahead with Stealth

Venkatachari Jagannathan
03 June 2002

The worlds first ceiling wall air-conditioners was introduced to the domestic 7-lakh Indian air-conditioner market by Fujitsu General senior managing director Masayoshi Matsumoto, when the same was simultaneously launched across the globe. Incidentally, the $3-billion Fujitsu General manufactures the famed OGeneral air-conditioners that cools majority of the homes and offices in the Middle East.

For the domestic market, Stealth fits snugly between the ceiling and the wall and is an interior designers delight. In these days of high real-estate costs, precious living space is made available by taking the air-conditioning unit to the ceiling.

Unlike the normal wall-mounted air-conditioners, Stealth distributes airflow uniformly throughout the room and the user does not encounter a blast of cold air. According to Matsumoto, on the anvil is the Variable Refrigerant Flow system that provides high-energy efficiency by controlling the flow of refrigerant as necessitated by the room heat load condition.

About Stealth, ETA General chief executive officer M Ejazuddin says the target segment is commercial establishments like hotels and offices as the price point rules out the residence market. The 1-tonne model will cost Rs 53,500, while the 2-tonne is priced at Rs 59,000.

According to an industry official floor-mounted and ceiling-suspended models are losing against cheaper high-wall models. This is entirely a new product category that is far superior to others. We are exploring the possibilities of exporting from India to other SAARC countries, says Matsumoto. The SAARC market (save Pakistan) is estimated to be in the region of 1-lakh units per annum.

In India, the Japanese company, partnering with ETA Engineering, part of the $2.3-billion ETA Ascon, Dubai, has floated ETA General to manufacture and sell OGeneral brand air-conditioners (window and split) with the plant located in Pondicherry. While Fujitsu General holds a 31-per cent stake, ETA Engineering holds the balance.